As the webmaster of this forum is Canadian, I think he would be glad to know that today Spain has honoured Leonard Cohen with the prestigious Prince of Asturias Prize for Letters. Leonard has always loved Spain very much and he has always been one of my favourite poet-singers.
The most brilliant songwriter ever!!!
He has given an emotive speech:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=5u_7e3Tv7Uk#!
Unfortunately, one can not hear his wonderful voice :(
An excellent musician - wrote many beautiful pieces of music also for other interpreters.
:) Got to love those Canadians!
;)
{ignorance}Not checking anything out, as I don't fancy his music all that much â€" is he just honored, or is he dead and honored after his death?{/ignorance}
Just honored - not dead.
You won't find him on the Dead People Server (http://dpsinfo.com/dps/).
"Suzanne" was one of his nicest song, performed by himself, but also by many others like Roberta Flack, Joan Baez, Justin Timberlake.
Great Dutch and German versions also by Hermann van Veen.
Rolf
It would have been difficult for him to give a speech if he had been dead :)
Besides, note that it has been the Prize for Letters, "… to confer the 2011 Prince of Asturias Award for Letters on the Canadian poet and novelist Leonard Cohen for a body of literary work that has influenced three generations of people worldwide through his creation of emotional imagery in which poetry and music are fused in an oeuvre of immutable merit. The passing of time, sentimental relationships, the mystical traditions of the East and the West and life sung as an unending ballad make up a body of work associated with certain moments of decisive change at the end of the 20th and beginning of the 21st century."
The Prize for Arts was awarded to Riccardo Muti, one of the best classical music conductors in the world.
QuoteIt would have been difficult for him to give a speech if he had been dead
True, but I didn't check out the video, and although presented here now it could have been a older recording.
Good for him, and his fans that he's not gone. That's basically all I was curious about.