This may be the most remarkable photograph I’ve ever been part of: Here’s how it came about. When I was president of PEN America, I argued that we lived in a great age of lyrics writing - Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan, Holland-Dozier-Holland of Motown fame, as well as several of the folks pictured above - and we should expand the definition of literary excellence to include this work. In the end, the goal was achieved after my presidency ended, by PEN’s New England branch in Boston, and a jury was convened. This was the jury, convened by music industry good guy extraordinaire Bill Flanagan, author, journalist, ex-MTV and VH1 exec, radio host, etc etc: Bono, Rosanne Cash, Elvis Costello, Smokey Robinson, Paul Simon, the poet Paul Muldoon, and me. We decided, to lend drama to the event, that instead of giving out one award a year we would give out two every two years. In that first year, after much discussion. we settled on Chuck Berry and Leonard Cohen as the first recipients.
Really nice to see the Class of 2016 with Prine, Brennan, and Waits (oh yes). Could I recommend not only reinstating this PEN Award, but that they give it to Kristin Hersh next time around. There is no voice in independent music, *truly* independent music published on its own terms, so durable, so poetic, so undervalued, so literary without pretence, and so goddamn idiosyncratic and gnarly from the static and ether of the great witchy beyond, period. *Rat Girl* and a whole lot more. Thanks!
There's many a Facebook Cohen groupie who'd ache to kiss the cheek that Cohen kissed. I'll re-share this fab piece with half-mocking, half-enchanted glee. :)
I, and the six people I shared this with, thank you for your generous sharing.
A kiss from Leonard Cohen?! Lucky man!
Thinking of you with hope and love Salman Rushdie <3
Really nice to see the Class of 2016 with Prine, Brennan, and Waits (oh yes). Could I recommend not only reinstating this PEN Award, but that they give it to Kristin Hersh next time around. There is no voice in independent music, *truly* independent music published on its own terms, so durable, so poetic, so undervalued, so literary without pretence, and so goddamn idiosyncratic and gnarly from the static and ether of the great witchy beyond, period. *Rat Girl* and a whole lot more. Thanks!
Listen to this: https://www.npr.org/2021/12/08/1062499423/history-is-over
I remember this amazing story, great to get all the details!
There's many a Facebook Cohen groupie who'd ache to kiss the cheek that Cohen kissed. I'll re-share this fab piece with half-mocking, half-enchanted glee. :)
Great story, thanks.
Interesting!
The coolest!