His passing last week, on the wake of all of the other news last week, seemed fitting. Almost as if there was no reason to remain, that it really was “Closing Time”.  I can’t begin to count the number of memories I have that definitely have a Leonard Cohen song as part of their soundtrack.

His music and genius was something I shared with everyone I loved, regardless of age. On the mixes I would make for Raven, there was Leonard. For my mom, there were 10th row floor seats at Vancouver’s GM Place to see him sing. I remember that she would crank up the Leonard Cohen any time she had to spend time doing something boring, like sorting through boxes. And she would sing along. When she got her first MP3 player, it had was full of Leonard Cohen and the Gipsy Kings.

When we went to see him at GM Place, the Canadian border agents thought we were nuts. To come all the way to Vancouver for a concert… But it was Leonard Cohen. On the way home, around 1230, we stopped at a Tim Horton’s and tried to find our way to some kind of vegetarian dinner. I remember we were the only two customers and we had really crappy bagels and machine cappuccinos. But it didn’t matter, because we were still wrapped in the magic of seeing him live.

The US Customs agents were not as polite about expressing the confusion as their Canadian counterparts but I chalked it up to a combination of their ignorance about the greatness of Leonard and their too tight polyester/rayon uniforms. Sometimes it is easier to empathize with someone when you take a look at the fabric choices they have to make. 😉

I thought that one day, if he was still touring at 84, which would not have surprised me, I would have taken Raven as well.

On the other side of the musical spectrum, GG and I saw Regina Spektor last week and last night we saw the Cure. I am still listening to them now, sort of burrowing myself in their genius or trying to extend the experience.

Tonight’s the biggest moon since 1948. I saw a hint of it last night but tonight the clouds are covering it up and it is raining. It seems appropriate.