I bought and read Cohen’s books Beautiful Losers (1966), Selected Poems 1956-1968, The Energy of Slaves (1972), and Death of a Ladies’ Man (1978). I didn’t have a job or anywhere I had to be, so I immersed myself in the world of Leonard Cohen. Within a week of hearing Jason’s version of Suzanne, I owned four Leonard Cohen albums: Songs of Leonard Cohen (1967), Songs of Love and Hate (1971), Death of a Ladies’ Man (1977), and New Skin for the Old Ceremony (1974). It haunted me like the first time I heard Gregorian chants and read James Baldwin. “Suzanne” struck me as nothing short of lyrical perfection the words and melody remained on repeat in my messy head for hours. The song was sandwiched between a deafening rendition of “Mercy Seat” by Nick Cave and a 13th Floor Elevators song.
Sitting on the sidewalk hunched over his beat-up acoustic guitar wearing an army green parka in the middle of a hot summer day, Jason sang an unforgettable version of Cohen’s song, “Suzanne”. The first time I heard a Leonard Cohen song was through the surrogate voice of a dear friend, Jason P.
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