Leonard Cohen Performs Democracy On Later With Jools Holland – 1993
This performance of “Democracy” by Leonard Cohen with backup singers Julie Christensen and Perla Batalla took place May 12, 1993, when it was taped for an episode of the “Later With Jools Holland” BBC program, which was broadcast May 14, 1993. It’s not only an interesting counterpoint to the spoken word version of “Democracy” featured in yesterday’s Leonard Cohen Video Of The Day but is also a great production of an arrangement that is significantly different from those performed in recent years.
The impressive views of Leonard Cohen and his musicians (see listing at end of post) afforded by the TV camera are a much appreciated bonus.
Leonard Cohen – Democracy
Later With Jools Holland (BBC): May 14, 1993
Video uploaded by StashPuppets
The 1993 Leonard Cohen Tour Musicians
Leonard Cohen – vocals, keyboards, acoustic guitar
Perla Batalla – vocals
Julie Christensen – vocals
Bob Metzger – guitars, pedal steel guitar
Bob Furgo – keyboards, violin
Paul Ostermayer – keyboards, saxophone, flute
Bill Ginn – keyboards
Jorge Calderon – bass
Steve Meador – drums
Who By Fire – The Leonard Cohen & Sonny Rollins Collaboration-Collision
One of the first Leonard Cohen video classics I posted1 featured him and Sonny Rollins, backed by Perla Batalla, Julie Christensen, and singers from Was (Not Was),2 performing “Who By Fire” on the February 13, 1989 Night Music show.3
I lifted the title for this post from the declaration by producer Hal Wilner,
What I consider the most successful and magical of my genre-free collaborations/collisions (was) a segment of the “Night Music” television show with Leonard, Julie, Perla, & Was (Not Was) performing “Who by Fire” with his honor Sonny Rollins.4
As I wrote the first time I posted this delight: Just Outstanding
It gets even better. The entire Feb 13, 1989 Night Music episode is now online – and it is a treat.
Starring Leonard Cohen, Sonny Rollins, Was Not Was, Ken Nordine
Night Music (originally known as Sunday Night Live) was a late-night TV from 1988 to 1990 hosted by Jools Holland and David Sanborn and produced by Hal Wilner. It featured a wide range of musicians, such as Miles Davis, Eric Clapton, Robert Cray, Warren Zevon, Charlie Haden, The Residents, The Pixies, and Pere Ubu, many of whom did not frequently appear on television.
The set list of this single show follows:
Hello Operator (Was Not Was)
Kim (Sonny Rollins)
Tower Of Song (Leonard Cohen)
Winter Sketch aka Don’t You Wish (Ken Nordine)
Who By Fire (L. Cohen/S. Rollins)
I Can’t Turn You Loose (Was Not Was)
And, while Who By Fire is the highlight, the Tower Of Song performance by Leonard Cohen, Perla Batalla, and Julie Christensen is itself a gem, ending with Cohen leaving his own microphone, sidling around Julie Christensen to embed himself between the backup singers, and then turn to walk out of the studio and upstairs linked arm in arm in arm. Click on the top left image and then on the right arrows that appear to follow this move in sequence.
Almost a year ago, Tom Sakic (aka a1000kissesdeep on YouTube) uploaded videos of six performances from the May 15, 1993 Leonard Cohen concert in Barcelona that were originally broadcast as “Leonard Cohen – Una nit a Barcelona” on Televisió de Catalunya (TV3) in Barcelona.1
For reasons I cannot comprehend these videos have not achieved the popularity their quality deserves. The most popular video, Sisters Of Mercy, had only 436 views at the time this was written. An excellent version of “I Tried To Leave You,” featuring solos by each band member and both backup singers, has been watched only 236 times.
These are indeed outstanding viewing and shouldn’t be missed.
The 1993 Leonard Cohen Tour Musicians
Leonard Cohen – vocals, keyboards, acoustic guitar
Perla Batalla – vocals
Julie Christensen – vocals
Bob Metzger – guitars, pedal steel guitar
Bob Furgo – keyboards, violin
Paul Ostermayer – keyboards, saxophone, flute
Bill Ginn – keyboards
Jorge Calderon – bass
Steve Meador – drums
While all the screen captures of the musicians that follow are worthwhile viewing, the shots featuring Bob Metzger, who also played guitar during the 2008-2010 World Tour and Paul Ostermayer on the saxophone are especially striking. Julie Christensen and Perla Batalla, the backup singers, are, as always, sensuously gorgeous. (click on images to enlarge)
Tom Sakic, aka a1000kissesdeep, continues to add impressive videos of Leonard Cohen performances to his online collection.
More From Leonard Cohen – Una nit a Barcelona
I Tried to Leave You is another selection from the May 15, 1993 Televisió de Catalunya (TV3) broadcast of the Leonard Cohen concert in Palacio Municipal de Deportes, Barcelona, Cataluña, Spain.1
Leonard Cohen – I Tried to Leave You (Barcelona 1993)
Leonard Cohen Plays Frankfurt 1993
These two videos are audience recordings from the 27 May 1993 Leonard Cohen concert at Frankfurt’s Alt Oper. While the visual quality falls short of the professionally shot Barcelona show this arrangement of One of Us Cannot Be Wrong, which includes Paul Ostermayer’s piquant saxophone work, is a rarity that rewards its viewing. And, Julie Christensen’s solo effort on Joan Of Arc is inevitably worthwhile listening.
Leonard Cohen – One of Us Cannot Be Wrong (Frankfurt 1993)
The videos must feature Leonard Cohen in a professionally staged and directed performance intended to be viewed in the video medium.
Videos of live performances, such as concerts, are ineligible.
Home-brewed cut and paste videos, Leonard Cohen impersonations, and parodies are ineligible.
“Funniest” includes funny-ha ha, funny-weird, and combinations of both.
The funniness of these videos starring Leonard Cohen, aka Poet Laureate Of Pessimism, aka High Priest Of Pathos, aka Master Of Erotic Despair, aka Gloom Merchant, …1 is, one hopes, self-evident so only minimal annotations have been added. Most of the videos have been previously featured in Heck Of A Guy posts; in those cases, links are provided for those desirous of fully experiencing these flicks.
This video of Leonard Cohen and backup singers, Perla Batalla and Julie Christensen, performing “Tower Of Song” was also part of the 29/30 June 1988 episode of Jacob’s Backstage (Med Noje Pa Dalaro) Stockholm, Sweden [see #4 below] and was also incongruously set against the backdrop of a pleasant lake.
While the action lacks the fondling that was the keynote of the “I’m Your Man” production, Perla Batalla’s never-shifting gaze fixed on Cohen and Julie Christensen’s dreamy look with sometimes closed and sometimes half-closed eyes are sufficiently provocative.
While all the obligatory flirtatious adoration of his back-up singers/willing accomplices associated with the salaciously provocative “I’m Your Man” is, other than the song itself, the high point of the video, at least two other tiny gems adorn this production.
1. I’d Say Please, Too: Just after 2:30 Leonard Cohen does his Roscoe Beck imitation, echoing his own “Pleeeeease.”
2. Someone Makes A Splash: At 1:54 a diver springs into the lake over Julie Christensen’s right shoulder. As a guide, the screen capture is shown below with the diver’s body circled in red and Photoshopped into high contrast.
Before viewers start looking up the correct spelling of “philistine” for that angry email, I should point out that I do know that this video, directed by Floria Sigismondi, has been lauded at film festivals and is beloved by fans.
And, of the several versions of Cohen performances of Hallelujah available on YouTube and its congeners, I’ve picked the one from the German TV program with the Miami Vice-era Cohen2 in his unbuttoned doubled breasted jacket singing with dead leaves blowing across stage in front of the pseudo-ruins with the multiple archways through which the adolescent backup singers, in a manner not unlike that exemplified by zombies in a low cost teen exploitation flick, step into view to sing and sway.
Leonard Cohen Video Or Saturday Night Live Skit Gone Bad?
There are a number of points worth watching in this odd video of First We Take Manhattan which was originally shown on French TV in or shortly after 1988 and which appeared today on YouTube German TV on February 17, 1988.3
The set itself (shown above) is – well, let’s call it striking, a 1980s decorator’s dream composition in glass, mirrors, chrome, stainless steel, and all things bright and shiny.
The big question, however, is “Who are those two women with the big hair who assist Leonard Cohen in miming and pantomiming the song – and who lose the three-handed arm wrestling championship to him?”
Rarely Seen Video Of May 9, 19931 Leonard Cohen Rehearsal And Interview
The video featured in today’s post not only offers a little known Leonard Cohen interview and a candid look at a pre-concert soundcheck but also excellent specimens of Cohen’s own brand of shuck and jive as well as a few of his most notable dance moves. (Click on images for best viewing)
The Google translation of the blurb for the video follows:
09.05.1993 – Leonard Cohen was a guest at the “Hand in Hand” festival of tolerance in Flanders Expo. You can see pictures of the rehearsal before the show. Cohen is a good mood – he’s doing something that might pass for dancing, and put at one point even a conga with his background singers.
Video Highlights
Songs heard in the rehearsal portion of the video are “Bird On A Wire,” “Dance Me To The End Of Love,” and “The Future.”
The backup singers on the 1993 tour were Julie Christensen & Perla Batalla. The band musicians were Bob Metzger (yep, the same Bob Metzger who played in the 2008-2010 World Tour): guitar and steel pedal guitar, Jorge Calderón: bass, Bill Ginn: keyboards, Paul Ostermayer: keyboards, saxophone. Bob Furgo: violin, keyboards, Steve Meador: drums. 2
Adjustments are made to the stage lighting and sound throughout the session and are themselves worth a closer look. Note, for example, the guy working on the overhead lights.
The interview begins at 16:30 and comprises, in approximately equal portions and all delivered with the same earnest demeanor, insightful thoughts on race relations that far surpass the typical cliches uttered by entertainers on such occasions and preposterous responses to the scripted interview questions, e.g.,
Interviewer: Are you someone who is engaged – are you an engaged artist?
Leonard Cohen: No, I’m totally self-involved and only interested in myself. It’s very difficult for me to get interested in anybody else.
Julie Christensen delivering a well-executed goosing of the saxophone player, Paul Ostermayer.
And there is the dancing.
The Video
The video of the interview (which cannot be embedded) can be viewed at De Polonaise Van Cohen,3 beginning at 16:30.
More Screen Captures
Click on images to view full-size.
Credit Due Department: Heck Of A Guy and its viewers are indebted to Maarten Massa, who alerted DrHGuy to the existence of this outstanding, undeservedly obscure video.
_____________________
As best I can determine, this is the video of the soundcheck preceding the May 9, 1993 Leonard Cohen concert designated “Ghent, Belgium – Expo” in Is This What You Wanted by Jim Devlin, p 67. [↩]
The appropriate definition of polonaise in this context is “a stately Polish processional dance popular in 19th century Europe” (from Merriam-Webster Dictionary). Maarten Massa, volunteers that “Cohen does some sort of a polonaise around 15:45.” [↩]
The events of Leonard Cohen's life and career are marked on a timeline accompanied by audio and video recordings of Cohen's songs and poems as well as links to more information.
Do I Have To Dance All Night Surpasses 70,000 Views
"Do I Have To Dance All Night" was performed many times in concerts but was never released in the US.
As part of my crusade to popularize this song, I've cobbled together 2 videos - one for the semi-funky 1976 version with Laura Branigan and one for the 1980 more gypsy, less disco version - that kinda sorta fit the music.
As of Dec 19, 2012, the video of the 1976 version of Do I Have To Dance All Night has been viewed 70,152 times.
Heck Of A Guy offers 3 videos of clips and photos from The Leonard Cohen World Tour:
1. The Original Heck Of A Guy Dear Leonard Cohen - Thanks For The Tour. I Hope It Was Good For You, Too. Video Celebration Of The First 14 Months Of The 2008-2009 World Tour can be viewed at Thanks For The Tour
The Cohen Fandemic
Endemic for decades in areas such as Canada, Norway, Poland, and France, Leonard Cohen Fan Syndrome has become a world-wide epidemic in the past 2 years, spread by the Leonard Cohen World Tour and abetted by proselyting carriers despite efforts by authorities to quarantine these individuals at LeonardCohenForum.
Diagnostic Criteria
Based on the observations of DrHGuy, standardized criteria for the pertinent Axis II diagnosis are now available at
Danger Signs
In addition to the formal medical description of this diagnosis, Heck Of A Guy has also compiled a list of the aberrant behaviors which indicate one is at high risk for being a full-fledged fan of Leonard Cohen. These signs and symptoms can be found at
Leonard Cohen’s Elegy For Janis Joplin – Chelsea Hotel #1
This video features the first version of the song Leonard Cohen would later revise into "Chelsea Hotel #2" along with images of Leonard Cohen, Janis Joplin - whose liaison with Cohen at the Chelsea Hotel led to the creation of the song, the Hotel itself, and other associated people & places.
Special Compilation Video – A Thousand Kisses Deep
This composite of Leonard Cohen’s recitations of “A Thousand Kisses Deep” over the years is accompanied by a video montage of drawings by and photos of the Canadian singer-songwriter.
Video – Leonard Cohen Recites “God Is Alive, Magic Is Afoot”
Leonard Cohen recites the "God Is Alive; Magic Is Afoot" passage from "Beautiful Losers" which was later popularized by Buffy Sainte-Marie. Cohen's performance took place in 1967.
Heck Of A Guy offers, with assistance from Randy Newman and Etta James, the writer and performer, respectively, of "You Can Leave Your Hat On," a look at Leonard Cohen As Hunk.
Photos of or related to Leonard Cohen that fall into specific themes have been among the ongoing features at DrHGuy, HOAG's sibling site. Galleries displaying collected images of 3 of these themes are now available at
Winter Lady – The Joni Mitchell & Leonard Cohen Versions
In 1966 Joni Mitchell wrote and sang a song called "Winter Lady." In 1967, the year Mitchell and Cohen had their romantic fling, Leonard Cohen wrote and sang a different song that was also called "Winter Lady."
A comparison of these 2 songs as well as a video that includes each artist performing his or her version of "Winter Lady" can be found at
Over 35 tunes performed by Dylan, Janis Joplin, Ray Charles, Elvis Presley, Patsy Cline, Otis Redding, Chuck Berry, The Platters, Joni Mitchell, George Jones, Roy Orbison, Elvis Presley, Jay-Z, and other musicians.
Read what Cohen said about them and listen to the music at
Photos, Videos, & More
See photos of Leonard Cohen's arrival in Oviedo, the opening of Leonard Cohen: The B-Side - Drawings And Engravings Of A Multidisciplinary Artist, his speech and press conference, his tribute conference, the lost and found Famous Blue Sharpie, and more at:
Note: Almost all HeckOfAGuy and DrHGuy posts contain different content.
And We’re Still Making Love In My Secret Life – Julie’s Story & Video
... I never had a chance. I was - and this is the only word that fits - smitten. I still am.
She was smart and quick-witted, although it would take me 3 years to recognize that she was, in fact, much smarter than me, and then another 2 years to forgive her for that. She was also good-looking and unabashedly sexy.
And, we fell madly, irredeemably, unflinchingly in love.
Complementing the unlikely story of how Julie and I met, fell in love, and - 9 years, 2 husbands, 1 wife, and 2 careers later - got together to spend an outrageously wonderful 20 years together before her death, a video, set to the poignant "In My Secret Life" by Leonard Cohen and Sharon Robinson, is now available that evokes the role Julie, who died 10 years ago, continues to play in my life.
The written account of the story (think When Harry Met Sally meets Waiting For Godot) starts, appropriately, at This Is How A Love Story Began
Clicking on Taste of LC - Heck Of A Guy and Taste of LC - DrHGuy finds posts from those sites that feature Leonard Cohen's choices in furniture, clothing (including suits, fedoras, caps, berets, other hats, boots and other footwear, swimsuits, and in at least one case cut-offs), art, jewelry, food, books, magazines, alcohol, tobacco, firearms, ... - all of which offer a different perspective on Leonard Cohen.
This Heck Of A Guy compilation includes unreleased Leonard Cohen performances over a 30+ year period.
Track List: Vol 1
1. Feels So Good (The Other Blues Song)
2. Book Of Longing
3. The Darkness
4. Puppets
5. Lullaby
6. Do I Have to Dance All Night (1976)
7. Blues By The Jews
Track List: Vol 2
1. Red River Valley
2. Never Got To Love You (Duet with Anjani)
3. Can't Help Falling In Love
4. Ride Around
5. The Union Makes Us Strong
6. We Shall Not Be Moved
7. To Love Somebody
8. The Hypnotist (Poem)
9. Chelsea Hotel #1
10. There's No Reason Why You Should Remember Me
11. Streets Of Laredo
12. Do I Have To Dance All Night (1980)
Now, Another Other Leonard Cohen Album, the second collection of unreleased Leonard Cohen songs joins the popular The Other Leonard Cohen Album to offer fans of the iconic singer-songwriter a total of 3 CDs of musical treats. Another Other Leonard Cohen Album includes the following tracks plus liner notes by Sylvie Simmons.
1. Je Veux Vivre Tout Seul
2. Kevin Barry
3. Die Gedanken Sind Frei
4. Store Room
5. As Time Goes By
6. Don’t Go Home with Your Hard-on
7. Blessed is the Memory
8. Silent Night
9. Dead Song
10. Another Saturday Night
11. Ballad of the Absent Mare
12. Guerrero
13. The Butcher
14. Un As Der Rebbe Singt
15. Song to the Machines
16. If It Be Your Will
17. Thirsty for the Kiss
18. A Thousand Kisses Deep
19. I Tried To Leave You
20. Whither Thou Goest
21. Mr Cohen Must Be Going
Heck Of A Guy celebrates Leonard Cohen’s 77th birthday (September 21, 2011) with a video of scenes from Leonard Cohen’s life and photos of fans expressing their affection for Mr. Cohen, all set to “I Love Leonard Cohen” by Robin Grey.
Leonard Cohen At 75 Viewed Over 15,000 Times: a video montage of favorite scenes featuring the singer-songwriter, poet, and icon set to "They Can't Take That Away From Me."
Video – Jennifer Warnes’ Way Down Deep & Leonard Cohen’s A Thousand Kisses Deep
The video begins with Jennifer Warnes singing the gorgeous but routinely overlooked "Way Down Deep," which is followed by Leonard Cohen's recitation of "A Thousand Kisses Deep" in Dublin to juxtapose the earliest performed precursor of Cohen's now classic "A Thousand Kisses Deep" with the most recent version.
Joni Mitchell and Leonard Cohen had a fling in the 1960s that, for unspecified reasons, was short-lived, with Cohen instigating the parting.
It was then and is now a complex connection. In 1988, Cohen said, I'm still very friendly with Joni - I had dinner with her before the tour, and I have the same admiration for her as you do. But I think it was Noel Harrison who came up to me in the LA Troubadour and said "How do you like living with Beethoven?"
That's right - the entire 2008-2010 Leonard Cohen World Tour, including the events that triggered the Tour, have been compressed into one 60 second video.
