leonardcohenforum.com

Remember what The Digital Dream Door said about Leonard Cohen's Rock Hall nomination last year?:

Only cult figure Leonard Cohen has questionable achievements to warrant strong consideration.

The most unusual rock "star" of all-time, a published poet and author before beginning his musical career in his mid-30's, his style was widely praised, but not altogether widely popular. Nevertheless he was the bridge between the folk movement of the 60's and the acoustic-based singer-songwriter 70's style. Cohen is a left-field candidate who'll get support from some circles but who's achievements are far too limited to be deserving over so many artists who've yet to get in. The nomination itself should really be the limit of his recognition from the Hall.

Qualifications: 2 - Mostly Insignificant

NOW LOOK WHAT THEY'RE SAYING ABOUT LEONARD COHEN'S ROCK HALL INDUCTION:

Hundreds of candidates still waiting for a look from the Hall have legitimate reasons to be angry at the selection of Cohen, who now becomes by far the least qualified Main Performer to be inducted in the Hall's 23 years of existence. It's not that Cohen was a bad artist by any means, he was actually very unique, bringing a poet's background to the music and in the process added greatly to rock 'n' roll's eclecticism, but his tangible achievements, upon which induction for all artists should always be based, are severely lacking. He had no commercial success whatsoever, never scoring a Top 50 album or any Top 100 singles in America, and those are reasonable accomplishments to expect in order to be housed with the immortals. Failing that, a large amount of direct influence would help to offset his lack of popularity, but while Cohen is often referred to as influential in spirit the fact remains that there are no mainstream acts in the four decades since his arrival who have copied his blueprint close enough to warrant Cohen receiving ample credit here either. Being appreciated by a small hardcore group of fans and lauded by predominantly literary minded critics is nice but it does not equate to the type of objective criteria-based achievements that a Hall Of Fame must require of its inductees to be taken seriously. Cohen's election over the four nominated artists this year who failed to get in despite far superior credentials is a sad testimony to the state of affairs with the voting body who apparently ignore tangible accomplishments in favor of personal taste and their own murky perception of what exactly constitutes historical impact. Cohen is certainly worth being remembered in the annals of rock, but not worthy of being inducted as a Hall Of Fame artist based on his rather negligible career achievements.

THIS IS WHAT AN OTHER WRITER FOR DDD HAD TO SAY:

Leonard Cohen, in particular, has been talked about as an obvious inductee since 1992. His debut album, Songs Of Leonard Cohen, was released in 1967. It's nice to see the Rock Hall catch up on a few overdue artists.

The Digital Dream Door
http://www.digitaldreamdoor.com/
http://digitaldreamdoor.com/pages/best_ ... me_08.html


I really like the part about Leonard Cohen being "the bridge" between the folk movement of the 60's and the acoustic-based singer-songwriter 70's style.

That's like saying the history of Rock and Roll songwriters can be divided into the before and the after Leonard Cohen.

Tell them to take their opinions and.........

It would appear they may live in a digital dream. I wonder if the one[s] writing that are also quite young. Lack of experience can skew one's perception.


~ Lizzy

Measuring an artist's worth by commercial success is like measuring digestion by turd length.

Perhaps he should re-brand himself to sell more records in today's fickle 10-18 yr old market. I suggest shoving a banana down his pants, having them hanging halfway down his a** for good measure, and then add lots of chunky gold rings. He can call himself 'Len C' and do a rap... and if anyone complains he can rebuff them with "Izzit cos I is Jewish?"

Yeah, that'll work. I'll go get the banana.

Gina

"Being appreciated by a small hardcore group of fans and lauded by predominantly literary minded critics is nice but it does not equate to the type of objective criteria-based achievements that a Hall Of Fame must require of its inductees to be taken seriously."

what's he saying? with no critical acclaim and a huge fan-base, that Britney Spears is a lock?

regardless he made it in.
VH1's having a contest where the winner can get two tickets to the induction ceremony and a bunch of other stuff. The link for the sweepstakes is http://www.vh1.com/interact/sweepstakes ... fame_2008/. Figured you guys might want to check this out

My Leonard Cohen Halls of Fame blog

http://leonardcohenhallsoffame.blogspot.com/

What took me so long?

Bloomberg.com
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid= ... refer=muse

Madonna, Mellencamp, Cohen Set for Rock Hall of Fame (Update1)

By Jeffrey Burke

Dec. 13 (Bloomberg) -- The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation announced its five inductees for 2008 today: Madonna, Leonard Cohen, the Dave Clark Five, the Ventures and John Mellencamp.

Within the diverse choices, Mellencamp, known as John Cougar in his early days, and the British-invasion group Dave Clark Five come closest to the spirit of rock and roll. Mellencamp has evolved from conventional rock to an almost folk-country sound. His hits include ``Jack and Diane'' and ``Small Town.'' The British group had hits with ``Bits and Pieces'' and ``Glad All Over.''

Madonna's iconoclasm, pop-music chops and trend savviness have found expression in the recording industry, movies, fashion and at least one book of clothing-optional moments. Among her many hits are ``Material Girl'' and ``Papa Don't Preach.''

While Madonna became a cultural icon for her edgy couture and music videos, she also earned the respect of her critics and peers by winning six Grammys in the past 10 years. They include best electronic/dance album in 2006 for ``Confessions on a Dance Floor''; co-winner for best song written for a motion picture or television (``Beautiful Stranger'') in 1999; and best pop album in 1998 for ``Ray of Light.''

Cohen, a much-covered Canadian singer songwriter, is known for the gloom and poetry of his lyrics and his talky baritone vocals. Jennifer Warnes's album of Cohen songs, ``Famous Blue Raincoat'' (1987) revealed the richness of his compositions to a broader audience.

The Ventures, an instrumental group, were linked to the West Coast sound of early Beach Boys and had hits such as ``Walk Don't Run'' and ``Hawaii Five-O.''

The Cleveland-based Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation was started in 1983 to honor music industry figures including musicians, producers, songwriters and disc jockeys who have made rock and roll a ``force'' in culture.

Once they're inducted, the artists get their own exhibit at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, which includes a computerized jukebox that contains just about every song the inductee wrote or played, according to the organization's Web site. The exhibit for each inductee includes a film displayed on three screens documenting the artist's career and music.

An artist is eligible for induction 25 years after his first recording is released. The 2008 quintet will be inducted during a March 10 ceremony at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York.

To contact the writer of this story: Jeffrey Burke in New York at jburke21@bloomberg.net .

Last Updated: December 13, 2007 15:27 EST

krewechief wrote:"Being appreciated by a small hardcore group of fans and lauded by predominantly literary minded critics is nice but it does not equate to the type of objective criteria-based achievements that a Hall Of Fame must require of its inductees to be taken seriously."

what's he saying? with no critical acclaim and a huge fan-base, that Britney Spears is a lock?

Hahaha, Krewechief ~ Thanks for the great laugh!! Sooooooo true. Their line of reasoning is more than a bit lacking. Wouldn't make it in Logic class.


~ Lizzy

Wow, I’m so excited that Leonard Cohen IS being inducted into the (American) Rock & Roll Hall of Fame this year!
'Bout time! I don’t know yet if he’s actually performing at the ceremony (does anyone know?),
but I saw that VH1 is doing a contest to let a fan win a trip there, so I’m keeping my fingers crossed.
http://www.vh1.com/interact/sweepstakes ... fame_2008/
Do you guys know who some of the other artists are or how these ceremonies normally work?

Do you guys know who some of the other artists are or how these ceremonies normally work?

Read the whole thread.

I visited two wonderful William Blake exhibitions at the Whitworth Gallery in Manchester today. Same city but a world away from the ringing tills of the Richard Goodall gallery.

Mind-Forged Manacles:
This exhibition has been organised to coincide with the 250th anniversary of Blake's birth as well as the 200th anniversary of the Parliamentary abolition of the transatlantic slave trade.

Slavery was a fundamental theme in William Blake's art and writing. He was fervently opposed to it, and during his lifetime (1757-1827) saw successful campaigns against the slave trade in the British Empire, leading to its abolition in 1807. This new Hayward Touring exhibition features watercolours, prints and plates from Blake's illuminated books alongside other prints of the period showing contemporary attitudes to slavery.


Blake's Shadow: William Blake and his Artistic Legacy
This exhibition explores Blake's continuing fascination for artists, filmmakers and musicians. It features around sixty watercolours, prints and paintings in addition to numerous illustrated books and a range of audio-visual material. Blake is a unique figure in British visual culture, attracting both academic and popular interest. In the years since his death in 1827, Blake has continued to influence the world of creativity and ideas. He has inspired people with such wide ranging interests as literature, painting, book design, politics, philosophy, mythology through to music and film making. Alongside works by Blake - prints, watercolours, engravings and book illustrations - the exhibition spans two centuries of his influence.

Musicians mentioned in the exhibition who say that they were inspired by Blake’s work are Bob Dylan, Patti Smith, Jim Morrison of The Doors, Shane McGowan, John Lennon, Billy Bragg, Julian Cope and Jah Wobble.

So now that the music industry is inducting poets into the
Anybody Who Has Vaguely Had Anything To Do With Music Hall Of Fame,
the thought occured to me while walking around the gallery why not start a campaign for the induction of William Blake.

Looking at the names of the musicians who have been inspired by Mr Blake I would say that Mr Blake has contributed more to the music industry than any of this year’s inductees.

Come to think of it didn't John Betjeman make a couple of albums

Just a thought.

Rock on Lenny

Rock On William.

Ta Ken

Exclusive: Madonna Will Not Perform at the 2008 Rock Hall Induction Ceremony
02.22.08 09:07 PM | 2008 Ceremony | Permalink
Future Rock Hall has learned that Madonna will not be performing at the 2008 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony on March 10th, though she does plan to attend. No word on who will be asked to perform Madonna's music at the event.
This is undoubtedly a huge blow to organizers who were counting on Madonna to provide the star power at this year's event. Given the health of the Dave Clark Five's Mike Smith, it's unclear if they will perform either. The remaining 2008 inductees who will perform are John Mellencamp, the Ventures, and Leonard Cohen.

On March 10th, the Induction Ceremony will be broadcast live on VH1 Classic, and (presumably) webcast at AOL's spinner.com.



I'm guessing Madonna figured she's too old to sing "Like A Virgin"

This is starting to look more and more like it will be Leonard Cohen's music performed in the All-Star Jam at the end of the ceremony. Maybe that's what Madonna wants! Or maybe she thinks the Rock Hall is beneath her!

THIS SUX!! The 2008 Rock Hall will most likely not be shown on Spinner.com this year. The only way you will be able to see it is if you have VH1 Classic. If you don't get VH1 Classic, call your cable company and ask them to add it. You can always cancel the service afterwards. I'll let you know if there are any changes in the plan. I'm going to tape the ceremony and put it on youtube.