Leonard Cohen and Australia on fire

When I saw the following article in The Guardian about Leonard Cohen donating a hefty amount to the fire victims in Australia I immediately thought of one of my favorite songs of his (I love the man).

So he's touring again. How I do wish that he would play Portland, Oregon. Only fire could keep me away.....

The legendary singer-songwriter has found it in his heart (and his pocket) to give generously to those who have suffered the loss of loved ones or their homes in the fire disaster

Leonard Cohen might have had a few cash problems in recent years, but the legendary singer-songwriter has still dug deep enough to donate $200,000 (£90,000) to the victims of the Australian bushfires.

Cohen is currently touring the country where bushfires have destroyed entire towns in the state of Victoria, killing an estimated 200 people. Australian tour promoter Michael Gudinski released a statement saying: "Leonard has loved his time in Australia on this tour and is shocked and deeply saddened by the news of the fires." He added that Cohen and his touring party "wish to extend their heartfelt sympathies to those that have suffered the loss of loved ones or their homes through this terrible tragedy".

Authorities are still battling fires that continue to blaze across the south east of Australia, in what the country's prime minister Kevin Rudd described as "a horror few of us anticipated".

The 74-year-old singer returned to the stage last year after a 15-year hiatus to widespread acclaim. However, Cohen has commented that his decision to return to live performing was prompted by his retirement fund having allegedly been pilfered to the tune of $5m (approximately £3.4m) by his former manager Kelley Lynch. Despite the fact he may never reclaim his fortune, Cohen has still found it in his heart (and his pocket) to give generously to the victims of the Australian bushfires.

Cohen played his last show in Australia at the Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne on Tuesday February 10. A charity bucket for the bushfire victims was passed around.





And who by fire, who by water,
Who in the sunshine, who in the night time,
Who by high ordeal, who by common trial,
Who in your merry merry month of may,
Who by very slow decay,
And who shall I say is calling?

And who in her lonely slip, who by barbiturate,
Who in these realms of love, who by something blunt,
And who by avalanche, who by powder,
Who for his greed, who for his hunger,
And who shall I say is calling?

And who by brave assent, who by accident,
Who in solitude, who in this mirror,
Who by his ladys command, who by his own hand,
Who in mortal chains, who in power,
And who shall I say is calling?


These two other presentations of Who by fire were too great not to include here.
Top: at the Glastonbury Festival in 2008.
Bottom: with saxophonist Sonny Rollins






A beautiful interview with Leonard Cohen was covered in El Mundo in September 2001. In it he discusses his years practicing Zen, his Jewish roots, the depression he long suffered, thoughts about love, his children, his writing and his music. Here's a paragraph extracted from the marvelous full interview:

. . . Thus, this is how the Jewish writer became a singing stranger of folk, he did not make any political demand, and instead of jeans he dressed in a dark suit jacket: "I was at least ten years older than the rest of them. Rebellious? No, I always felt that none of those causes was sufficiently radical. They seemed limited to the established models, and I fought against any model. I have looked everywhere, in Scientology ,in Zen, in sex, in drugs, but none of those activities provided me the balance I was looking for. Until I stopped seeking." And he arrived at nothing. . .

`

May the many in Australia who tragically have lost everything, who have arrived at nothing, find at least a bit of comfort in knowing that the world cares deeply about their suffering.

`