so, back toward the back

Aaaaand we're back at school.
I thought I'd tell you that I'm really into Leonard Cohen. I've selected a few quotes from ancient interviews to share.

(When asked if he wrote songs 'on the spur'.)
"Well, there's got to be a 'spur' somewhere."
Clever! And it's true. It's not like inspiration is scheduled for 10:00 p.m. in your studio and won't show up at 3:00 p.m. during your interview! In fact, the more things going on at once, the more likely something will show up that could turn into inspiration. When you're "doing nothing except working" or "waiting for inspiration", you have no stimulus.

(When asked if he was in love, and why love features in so many of his songs.)
"Everybody who isn't in love should be divorced."
Enigmatic... It sort of assumes that marriage is the natural state, I guess. I don't know what I think (because I don't really know what he means), but it caught my eye (or ear). He went on to say "When I go down the street, either I bless everyone, or I divorce them all in their homes... one by one, stare at the houses and violently divorce the inhabitants."

(When asked if he thought that putting his anguish into writing and selling it was ethical.)
"Well, selling it is just about the best thing you can do with anguish."
Haha! Kind of unfriendly, but it's sorta true. I don't think "selling" is the word I'd prefer to use, but I think that turning a negative emotion into profit (of a non-financial kind... of a redemptive, or even worshipful, kind) is the best thing you can do with it. He goes on to clarify, "Well, I don't think I make any money off of it..." :)

(When asked if his brand of using his own life and the people involved in it was whoring.)
"If it's good enough it becomes anonymous. It's no longer about a certain girl, it's about all girls, it becomes the experience of life rather than an experience in life."
Enough said! Of course, it doesn't mean the author becomes anonymous. His experiences become everybody's... which is the ultimate goal of poetry. So yeah, s'how it goes when it's good.

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That's all, folks!