New MOJO '60s Magazine Salutes Leonard Cohen
MOJO's decade-specific spinoff has the full story of the poet-singer's 1967 debut by Cohen biographer Sylvie Simmons.
THE LATEST INSTALMENT of MOJO ’60s (it’s Vol. 8 of MOJO’s ’60s-focused spin-off periodical, and it’s on sale in the UK from Friday, December 2) pays tribute to Leonard Cohen, whose iconic debut album emerged in 1967.
The poet-singer, who died on November 7, was a true original, and all the later tropes of his career – his debt to his muses, not to mention his turbulent relationship with live performance – were present at the start of his life as a recording artist.
Over 24 pages, Cohen’s biographer Sylvie Simmons tells his ’60s story, with contributions from his early mentor Judy Collins, who recalls his tortured New York concert debut.
“He started Suzanne, stopped a little way in and came off stage, shaking,” Collins recalls. “He said, ‘I can’t.’ I said to him, You have to finish this song, so I’ll come with you. So that’s what we did. He must have gotten over it immediately because the crowd went crazy. To be honest, people do love it when you fall apart on stage!”
We also learn how a classic album emerged against the odds (and in the teeth of Cohen’s objections) and how the singer’s vain pursuit of Velvet Underground ice maiden Nico led him to attempting occult sex magic and, indirectly, a jam session with Jimi Hendrix.
Other treats in MOJO ’60s Volume 8 include a Ready Steady Go! colour special, the tragic tale of The Byrds’ Gene Clark and The Isley Brothers’ journey into deep funk. AND The Bee Gees, David Axelrod, The Doors, Jacques Brel, Gerry & The Pacemakers and Anne Briggs.
PLUS! Pull-out art prints of Bob Dylan and Joni Mitchell. MOJO ’60s VOLUME 8 IS IN UK NEWSAGENTS FROM FRIDAY, DECEMBER 2