RUMMY AT THE MOVIES

“Does this Leonard Cohen trib pic have too many Canadians? Yes. Does he come from Montreal? Of course. Do they give Rufus two songs when Teddy T. has the better voice? Absolutely. Should they have interviewed some critics to provide a larger context? You bet. And where’s Bruce Cockburn? Rebecca DeMornay? Judy Collins (who showed up at Sundance, not that her absence is a flaw, mind you, but she’s the biggest star associated with a Cohen song: “Suzanne,” which is sub-par for him). Where’s the Jeff Buckley reference during “Hallelujah?” How does Lenny feel about SHREK — did it buy him a house or something? Do royalties tend to rise during the spring, summer and fall? Do we really need megalomaniac rock star Bono telling us how to be humble? Let me tell you something: as the Sec’y of Defense I could tell Bono a thing or two about HUMILITY. And what about the Brits? Cohen had his biggest hit there in 1969… What about other songwriters, what have they learned from him? You’d have a DICKENS of a time digging up any quotes of him roseating any scenario. He was born with the gift of a golden voice for pete’s sake. Well… my goodness… ”


Of course if you’ve got Cohen there telling stories, he’s irreproachable. After Johnny Cash, that face is a Mt. Rushmore of rock, the look of aggrieved idealism. There’s the sense in which Cohen’s whole life has pointed towards his capacity to shrug it off in his old age. Dylan should be so comfortable in his own skin. Cohen’s like an old soul grown young. Where does he go for musical solace, Paolo Conte?