FWIW – a literary site

Well, so long my friend. 🍷✍   Leonard Cohen is a hero of mine. I was fortunate enough to see him in concert four times– his first in Toronto after his fifteen year hiatus (on a sort of pilgrimage for the very purpose), at a beautiful ornate ramshackle theater in a rundown part of Connecticut, and twice in NYC. His impact on my life over the years, and on my art, has been inestimable.

 

Yesterday it occurred to me that it might be nice to share some of his wonderful lesser known songs.

 

Here is a list of some of my personal favorites. I’ve included those I imagine people moderately acquainted with his body of work still might not know. Of course, everyone has their idiosyncratic favorites. It’s amazing how many great songs there are in his oeuvre. And he has very few I’d actually consider ‘bad’; the occasionally musically lackluster ones are often redeemed by great lyrics.

 

Hope you enjoy these selections. I’ve included video links to each song as well.

 

• Teachers (1967)
• One Of Us Cannot Be Wrong [Live] (BBC Broadcast 1968)
• Story of Isaac (1969)
• Avalanche (1971)
• You Know Who I Am [Live] (Live Songs 1973)
• Nancy [Live] (Live Songs 1973)
• Lover Lover Lover (1974)
• There Is A War (1974)
• Do I Have To Dance All Night [Live] (rare Live In Paris single – with Laura Branigan 1976)
• The Guests (1979)
• The Gypsy’s Wife (1979)
• If It Be Your Will (1984)
• Take This Waltz (1988)
• Anthem (1992)
• Boogie Street (2001)
• The Letters (2004)
• Steer Your Way (2016)
• It Seemed The Better Way (2016)

Also considered including Master Song (1967), Stranger Song (1967), Waiting For The Miracle (1992), and Who By Fire (Live In London 2009), but I’m guessing moderate listeners already tend to know these

P.S. At the bottom of the post are a few photos I took during the candlelight vigil at LC’s house in the Plateau, Montreal, a ceremony whose mournings and somber festivities extended for many days

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Note: Clearly these links will not work in every country, and some of them will be removed from the internet over time. 

• Teachers (1967)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XzotawVmmVc

• One Of Us Cannot Be Wrong [Live] (BBC Recording 1968)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ON7-tf0-3Ys

• Story of Isaac (1969)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SzSSeeJRn2c

• Avalanche (1971)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQe88ybEIe8

• You Know Who I Am [Live] (Live Songs 1973)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iAPhSmlfnmo

• Nancy [Live] (Live Songs 1973)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nr7nkyRK9bQ

• Lover Lover Lover (1974)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FYkJuAb0mMk

• There Is A War (1974)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ncdY2nGKzBs

• Do I Have To Dance All Night [Live] (rare Live In Paris single – with Laura Branigan 1976)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eqzdk6NhAs4

• The Guests (1979)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TxY_8Tu1CoI

• The Gypsy’s Wife (1979)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cky05oQAIsc

• If It Be Your Will (1984)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z_Qk_4emjEs

• Take This Waltz (1988)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ytdjYjM-cLg

• Anthem (1992)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BCS_MwkWzes

• Boogie Street (2001)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rswKZ0PNY_0

• The Letters (2004)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WFcrn8Dg2LI

• Steer Your Way (2016)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0nyMrjGX2vk

• It Seemed The Better Way (2016)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0nyMrjGX2vk

 

– Nov 12, 2016

 

 

 

 

This is a map of worthwhile places— cafes, bars, restaurants, organic markets, misc interesting stores and haunts— I made while living in Ditmas Park, Brooklyn, circa 2013, and just came across while rummaging through some old papers. Never made much use of it, as I moved shortly thereafter. Doubtless, the neighborhood has changed, grown, and gentrified somewhat since then, but hopefully this will be of some use to those living in and visiting it. A PDF file is included below the image. 

 

 

 

 

PDF File: 
Ditmas_Park_Map_Cool_Places

♥ Donating = Loving

 

It is a pleasure bringing you writings, media, and other notables by myself and Contributors through FWIW. But the site takes a lot of time to run (curate, write for, illustrate, code, share, etc)—sometimes dozens of hours a month—and incurs considerable costs for hosting, security, and web design. 

Donations from readers are immensely helpful (and indeed indispensable) in keeping it running and regularly contributing meaningful pieces regularly. Plus staying Ad Free—which is important to me, as I hope it is for you. Further, it does not feature any ‘affiliate advertising’ of any kind (ie, book or other product placements).

 

Donations are also invaluable in facilitating my being able to continue writing full-fledged works of literature—currently completing a long philosophical novel, and two shorter novels, among other writings—and eventually sharing these hopefully vital works with you and the world.

 

If you derive any enjoyment, edification, and joy here—or wish to support the literary arts in the 21st century in general—and have the capacity, please consider giving a donation, however much you can afford. Any sincere and heartfelt donation, however small or large, is a gesture that gladdens my heart with gratitude.

 

You can donate in two ways. One, become a Supporting Regular, with an automatic Monthly Donation of your preference—from the cost of a cup of tea to a dinner—joining the regular readers who, morally and financially, make the site’s perpetuation possible. Each Supporting Regular will receive a written year-end postcard thanking them for their patronage. Those in the “Glass of Cotes du Rhone” and “Vodka Martini” categories will find their postcards graced with a short poem, snippet of writing, doodle, or other surprise. Those in the “Dinner” category will receive an additional substantive gift, TBD. (Note: You don’t actually need a PayPal account; just use any credit or debit card and click through.)

 

♥ Cup of Green Tea – $2.50/month ♥ Pot of Tea – $5/month ♥ Glass of Cotes du Rhone – $7/month ♥ Vodka Martini – $10/month ♥ Dinner – $25/month

 

Or you can make a One-time or Recurring donation in Any Amount of your choice:

 

  

 

 

 

 

---

To cancel your recurring donations on PayPal, follow these steps: – Log in to your PayPal account – Click the My Account tab – Click the History subtab – Click More filters, select Subscriptions and agreements, then click Subscriptions – Change the date back to the year the subscription was created, then click Show – Click Details next to the subscription – Click Cancel Subscription. You’re done.