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My dear friend Nicole attended a Leonard Cohen concert in Halifax last weekend and promptly—perhaps appropriately—waxed poetic about her experience in the presence of this legendary poet/singer/songwriter/icon. Not only did her review cause me to reconsider my blithe disregard for the man’s stop in Victoria last month, it reminded me of a conversation I’d had about it.
I was talking with a colleague at the office and my eye fell on the print of Leonard Cohen that hangs on the wall of her workspace. A musician herself, she’s a huge Leonard Cohen fan, yet I stupidly posed the obvious question:
“Are you going to the concert on the 6th?”
“Of course,” she said in her quiet way.
Comprehending her meaning, I nodded. “He’s one of those people you go to see every time they come to town. I feel the same way about Sting.”
“Are you going to see him when he comes in May?” she asked.
I snorted. “You bet. Sting is God.”
She glanced up at me from her computer screen, smiled softly, and shook her head. “No, he’s not. Leonard Cohen is God.”
Well, really. I’m not a fan of religious wars, so I will concede that there is room in the arts for more than one god. Or perhaps art is the one true god, and Sting and Cohen and all the other artists in the world are prophets or disciples or heavenly messengers called upon to spread the word.
That said, I just got back from picking up my Sting tickets, so ... um ... “Leonard who?”
Sting is magnificent and if he were to grace my town, I'd be just as moved as I was for Cohen. Sting is in fact a God as well. There are many Gods in my musical church, each with their own scriptures by which I conduct my living.
ReplyDeleteDid I mention he's also on my bucket list of artists to see live? I envy your opportunity. :)
I've been hugely fortunate to see him almost every time he's toured; the turning point was in 1998 after the Brand New Day concert in Vancouver - Ter sat with me on the hotel balcony, sipping wine and contemplating the show we'd just seen, then turned to me and simply said, "Sting is God."
ReplyDeleteBeing open to more than one god, however, I'm now really sorry that I missed Leonard. Worse, I willfully missed Leonard. Sheesh.
I'd be just as elevated seeing Sting. *swoon*
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