This is it, friends. Like a deck of casino-worthy cards, Lenny and Coco concludes on the 52nd episode. We bid our friend Leonard farewell with a mega-ep that encompasses every studio album (almost) and provides at long last the definitive, scientific, never-to-be-questioned ranking of all his musical work. See you on the other side, folks!
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This is really, truly it: the last new songs by Leonard Cohen. We bid farewell to one of the finest discographies in modern music. Hats off!
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After the final Leonard Cohen album... came one more Leonard Cohen album. So we talked about it! Lenny and Coco's fiftieth episode.
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Here we are, at last and already: the final album by Leonard Cohen except that it's not. (What's the opposite of posthumous? Humous?) Here we are: the final humous album by Leonard Cohen, You Want It Darker.
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They said you couldn't make 4 live albums out of one tour. Well, Leonard proved them (mostly) wrong with Can't Forget. We talk about all the tracks, not quite in the right order, and yes, we mention the cover.
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The short, groovy album with the great title — it's time for 2014's Popular Problems. Note that the sound quality in this one is... different. Sorry about that! Next ep will be back to normal.
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The second side of Leonard's 2012 album, Old Ideas—also known by critics everywhere as Leonard's farewell album (lol).
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We're back with Leonard's 2012 album Old Ideas, the first in a sort-of final trilogy and one that we think is pretty great!
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So concludes our coverage of the penultimate Leonard Cohen era, what we've dubbed the "Reformed Buddhist Era." No Best Of countdown this time, just this—a look into a funny little CD from 2010, plus one insurmountable stunner of a missed opportunity.
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We're taking a little break but we'll be back on November 3 with Old Ideas!
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In 2007, renowned composer of minimalist neoclassical music Philip Glass set 22 poems from Leonard Cohen's "Book of Longing" to his distinctive music. The result is one of the most beguiling records we've covered on the podcast so far. We hope you enjoy this wacky little one-off! And if you're totally unfamiliar with Glass's music, don't worry—in the episode, Ned gives Kinley (and you) a brief primer on the fascinating world of minimalist music.
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Well into his seventies, after years of making music without a band and declining opportunities to perform live, Leonard embarked on a gruelling worldwide tour, playing close to 3 hour sets every night. His July 17, 2008, performance in London's O2 arena was released as a live triple-album and DVD.
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The thrilling conclusion to Leonard's weirdest album, and the even more thrilling moment when Kinley finally becomes a fan of country music. It's what you've all been waiting for, folks!
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Just as he hit 70 years old, Leonard Cohen got weird. Listen as we try to keep up with the many moods of 2004's Dear Heather. Snap your fingers and join us for the smoky, jazzy poetry reading we didn't know we wanted,
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We continue our discussion of the 2001 Leonard Cohen album Ten New Songs. We talk about the early days of Pitchfork, Antony leaving Alexandria, and the political duties of poets. We also talk about 5 Leonard Cohen songs.
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Summer break is over and we're back to Leonard Cohen's discography, starting with 2001's Ten New Songs. Between the last album and this one, Leonard spent five years hidden away in a Buddhist monastery. Did it change him? Let's find out!
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In the thrilling conclusion to the first "Lenny and Coco at the Movies" series, we discuss Robert Altman's renowned 1971 anti-western McCabe and Mrs. Miller. Three songs from Leonard Cohen's first album are featured in the film—"The Stranger Song"; "Sisters of Mercy"; and "Winter Lady"—as well as some bits from the recording sessions that are unhearable anywhere else. But beyond that, McCabe and Mrs. Miller is a landmark piece of cinema, demolishing outdated ideas of the Old West and capturing the moment when Robert Altman's style truly crystallized.
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See you next week when we return to the discography with 2001's Ten New Songs! And don't forget to follow the Instagram for all Lenny and Coco updates
Leonard plays the embodied spirit of an old hotel in this award-winning 1983 made-for-TV 25-minute short film (which you can watch here). It's really something. Combining dance, theatre, and some truly spectacular 1980s transitions, this is a fascinating and unique piece of Cohendom.
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Don't forget to follow the Instagram, and if you want to get a jump on the next and final instalment of Lenny and Coco at the Movies, go find and watch Robert Altman's 1971 film, McCabe and Mrs. Miller.
YouTube playlist here. In this episode we cover all the official music videos released by Leonard Cohen up to this point in our journey, which includes tracks from Various Positions, I'm Your Man, and The Future (and maybe even a sneaky Cohen Live). These may not all be "good," but they are definitely all Leonard, so we had a nice time regardless.
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Don't forget to follow the Instagram to see what we'll be talking about next week!