Ira Nadel, a professor at the University of British Columbia, spoke at McGill last Tuesday as part of the English Department's visiting speakers series, addressing the relationship between minimalism and the music of Leonard Cohen.
Nadel is the author of Various Positions: A Life of Leonard Cohen, as well as biographies of Tom Stoppard and Ezra Pound. He is currently at work on a book about the Golden Gate Bridge, as well as a biography of author Leon Uris.
The influence of minimalism on popular music is a long-documented phenomenon, as Nadel himself observed with regard to such artists as David Bowie and Brian Eno. Nadel may be the first, however, to make the argument regarding Cohen. In the course of his talk Nadel focused mainly on Cohen's more recent work, including the 2001 album Ten New Songs. Nadel emphasized the similarities between Cohen's music and that of minimalist composers such as Philip Glass and Steve Reich. While there are obvious differences between Cohen's style and that of the minimalists, shared elements include what Nadel described as "slowly changing sounds and minor variations rather than complex musical arguments." He even compared the simple yet descriptive title Ten New Songs to the title of John Cage's infamous work "4'33"," a piece lasting exactly four minutes and 33 seconds and consisting exclusively of sounds made by the audience. In support of his argument, Nadel played a variety of musical samples, including a few from a forthcoming Cohen album, Blue Alert, to be released in April.
Along with his musical insights into Cohen's work, Nadel also shared anecdotes about his relationship with the admired Canadian artist. When Nadel first went to meet Cohen in Los Angeles, he brought with him a picture of one of his classes. Cohen, in turn, had his own picture taken, which he then signed, photocopied and sent back to each of Nadel's students. This, Nadel remarked, illustrates Cohen's endearing and highly characteristic generosity.
Though Cohen has been in and out of the spotlight over the decades, Nadel believes that he is making a long overdue comeback, in North America as well as Europe. In fact, Finland recently issued a stamp in honour of Cohen's 70th birthday, and next month he is set to be inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame. But, as evidenced by Tuesday's packed lecture, true fans know that Cohen is always in style.
