Musing With Leonard Cohen.

There's an honesty to Leonard Cohen that has always impressed me. Even as a teenager first finding my feet in the world of music, testing and tasting, trying to savour as much as possible. He was always the bitter sweet pill that, though most times if at the least pulling at your heart strings, at the best reducing you to tears. 

I foolishly passed on the opportunity to experience him live recently when I saw an advert for his concerts in London in the papers, and failed to go and see him.

This evening I followed up on a whim and sat until the dark hours watching documentaries, concert footage (some from the concert I would have seen if I'd had my head together enough), and recording artists (or media notaries) compare their love, of the man himself.

Sitting here (in my lounge) at times in tears, at times laughing out loud, I remembered what it is, and why it is, I write.

The clipped phrases, the rhythm, the obvious beauty that he finds in his own words. The grace and modesty with which he performs. The stripped down nerve end rawness, the emotion laid bare for you to see and to experience if you can dare to risk the exquisite pain, and the brutal honesty.

I sit here now like a newly flayed nerve ending, raw and exposed, but wanting to write again with passion.

Cold as a new razor blade.

It's so long since I thought of you last.
Red hair shining in the summer sun.
Staring at me with those big green eyes.

I smiled,
At your less than subtle attempts to seduce me.
As if I would resist.

I took your drinks,
As you tried to get me drunk.
Not knowing there was no need to try.

I took your hand,
When you offered yourself to me.
With your suggestion of mutual pleasure.

And I took your heart,
With a graceful ease,
That even now makes me blush.

I never promised you anything,
But never contradicted the hope you showed me.
Just to play the game.

I held your hand walking down the street,
And felt nothing of it.
Even when spotted by someone else.

You offered me your everything,
You did whatever I asked,
When I asked for it.

I took what I wanted from you,
When I felt like it,
Which only fed your delusion.

Did you think introducing me to your mother would change my mind?
I gave you nothing.
You came running back for more.

You begged me to stay,
But I kept my word
And I did what I told I would.

I broke your heart,
And just walked out.

Technorati Tag: capitalism, greed, Leonard, Cohen, Leonard Cohen, razor, poetry, love, loss, inspiration, meekon5.

How should we tackle illegal downloading?

In response to this BBC article.

I’m sorry this persistence by the media and Corporate entertainment companies in using phrases similar to “Home Taping is Killing Music”, also reeled out for video and recordable DVD and now mpeg etc electronic file formats, is based entirely on a false economy.

The data presented always presents figures for money lost. This assumes that if the file (music, film) were not “pirated” it would be bought “legally”. I see no statistical basis to justify this assumption. Just because some one downloads something does not mean they would buy it if there were no other means to obtain it. Just because a million people download a film does not mean the film industry would have made fifteen million quid from it if the pirate copy did not exist.

This is another “knee jerk” reaction to a new media and market that the huge corporations are not geared up to be able to act in. In fact the new economic model (i.e. bands selling directly to their audience without the need for the corporate middle man) is terrifying the big businesses.

The solution to the problem is quiet simple, reduce the cost of the individual DVD by reducing the amount of profit you’re trying to make. You will then sell more units “legally” thus making more addition to your profit (the model works for Tesco’s why not the film industry?).

How should we tackle illegal downloading?

Stop being so greedy and move with the times (Dinosaurs).

Technorati Tag: capitalism, greed, illegal, downloading, illegal downloading, Piracy, meekon5.