Friday, December 22, 2006
Leonard Cohen Is Definitely The Man . . . Still
Leonard Cohen always was the man, the Zen master of American folk music. Still is.
He writes them, folk songs that were closer to poems. He has tried to sing them, in that raw, hoarse, barely-carrying-a-tune way (which he admits to in the film), refusing to gloss over the lyrics the way Joan Collins, or Joan Baez, or Peter, Paul, and Mary would.
Glad they got it on film in the recent "Leonard Cohen: I'm Your Man" documentary. Sorry they didn't let Leonard sing more of his songs. But maybe having Nick Cave, The Handsome Family, and the others do it can ease some reluctant listeners into The Man's music, The Man's messages for today and tomorrow. He lives in the eternal Now, however, as his beloved Roshi would have wanted.
Cohen takes days to write one line. Dylan wrote "Blowin' in the Wind" in ten minutes.
Cohen says it better, and in less time, in "The Future" than Dylan did in "A Hard Rain's Gonna Fall."
It's the economy, stupid.
Let Leonard take his time, so long as he has it. Write on, Leonard, write on.
I wrote that whole entry in about ten minutes, except this last part, which took me about four days.
He writes them, folk songs that were closer to poems. He has tried to sing them, in that raw, hoarse, barely-carrying-a-tune way (which he admits to in the film), refusing to gloss over the lyrics the way Joan Collins, or Joan Baez, or Peter, Paul, and Mary would.
Glad they got it on film in the recent "Leonard Cohen: I'm Your Man" documentary. Sorry they didn't let Leonard sing more of his songs. But maybe having Nick Cave, The Handsome Family, and the others do it can ease some reluctant listeners into The Man's music, The Man's messages for today and tomorrow. He lives in the eternal Now, however, as his beloved Roshi would have wanted.
Cohen takes days to write one line. Dylan wrote "Blowin' in the Wind" in ten minutes.
Cohen says it better, and in less time, in "The Future" than Dylan did in "A Hard Rain's Gonna Fall."
It's the economy, stupid.
Let Leonard take his time, so long as he has it. Write on, Leonard, write on.
I wrote that whole entry in about ten minutes, except this last part, which took me about four days.
Wednesday, December 06, 2006
Semi-Unsolicited Testimonials
A former student and continuing friend, feeling my pain over the apparent lack of readership of my heart-felt blogs (the feedback from the immortal Ken Jennings not having arrived at that time), "volunteered" to boost my ratings, as they say on the boob tube, with some equally heart-felt testimonials. Here's what Big Stevie Wonder (not his real name) offered up (with my heart-felt thanks, but no cash):
"(The Old Prof)'s best writing to-date; it's too bad he's not making any money from it, though, on second thought, maybe it's not too bad ... writing for no pay keeps this hack honest. From his occasional Stupidity Tests to his picking on Ken Jennings, (he) not only is connected sprite-like to the Zeitgeist, he embodies Zeitgeist sprite-like."
"It's the blogosphere's version of TV's new game-show sensation "1 Versus 100": (He) takes on the mob in his mind and heckles them until they beg him to leave and take the money."
"(It) is about as safe to read as wearing a condom in a Green Zone brothel. You get all the sensation and thrill of sex-for-pay and a big bang at the end."
"(It) is (The Old Prof)'s rant to and about all of us. Nobody is safe -- not Texas Tech, not Bobby Knight, not Indiana, not George Bush nor Curious George."
"After reading this blog, you'll cringe at the seat-of-your-pants observations from one of Central Indiana's best thinkers, who takes on the Catholic Church's canonization of St. Mother Theodore Guerin and Texas Tech's canonization of basketball bully Bobby Knight. Throw in some of his Stupidity Tests about gays, Democrats, Osama bin Laden and Dick Cheney, and you'll agree (The Old Prof) can take a nothing day and suddenly make it all seem worthwhile."
From your e-mail account to God's ear, Big Stevie.
"(The Old Prof)'s best writing to-date; it's too bad he's not making any money from it, though, on second thought, maybe it's not too bad ... writing for no pay keeps this hack honest. From his occasional Stupidity Tests to his picking on Ken Jennings, (he) not only is connected sprite-like to the Zeitgeist, he embodies Zeitgeist sprite-like."
"It's the blogosphere's version of TV's new game-show sensation "1 Versus 100": (He) takes on the mob in his mind and heckles them until they beg him to leave and take the money."
"(It) is about as safe to read as wearing a condom in a Green Zone brothel. You get all the sensation and thrill of sex-for-pay and a big bang at the end."
"(It) is (The Old Prof)'s rant to and about all of us. Nobody is safe -- not Texas Tech, not Bobby Knight, not Indiana, not George Bush nor Curious George."
"After reading this blog, you'll cringe at the seat-of-your-pants observations from one of Central Indiana's best thinkers, who takes on the Catholic Church's canonization of St. Mother Theodore Guerin and Texas Tech's canonization of basketball bully Bobby Knight. Throw in some of his Stupidity Tests about gays, Democrats, Osama bin Laden and Dick Cheney, and you'll agree (The Old Prof) can take a nothing day and suddenly make it all seem worthwhile."
From your e-mail account to God's ear, Big Stevie.
