Leonard Cohen

Madonna Shocks, Justin Timberlake Pays Tribute At Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Ceremony

11 Mar 2008 09:07:00 EDT

In induction speech, Timberlake recalls getting vitamin B12 injection -- in the butt -- from Madonna.
By Chris Harris

Photo: Kevin Mazur/ WireImage

NEW YORK — As Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ceremonies go, Monday night's didn't seem to promise much controversy, like Van Halen's induction last year or the Sex Pistols' the year before that, unless you consider the induction of dance-pop icon Madonna into the hallowed hall to be scandalous.

And apart from a handful of Eliot Spitzer quips, the evening — which also saw the inductions of John Mellencamp, Leonard Cohen, the Ventures, the Dave Clark Five, Little Walter and '70s hitmakers Gamble and Huff — didn't have much controversy either. That is, until Madonna opened her mouth. After an innuendo-filled introduction from Justin Timberlake (during which he lauded Madonna for her "shapely body of work" and for how she's "always been a woman on top" who "fully enjoys that position"), the sinewy singer ascended the stage and thanked seemingly everyone who helped shape her career, from her earliest dancing teachers to the critics who have blasted her over the years, and told her she was "talentless, that I was chubby, that I couldn't sing, that I was a one-hit wonder — they helped me too, because they made me question myself and they pushed me to be better, and I am grateful for their resistance." (Check out 52 different music videos from Madonna's long and legendary career right here.) Then, Madonna clarified a story Timberlake told during his introduction. He'd recalled getting an injection of vitamin B12 in the butt from Madonna during recording sessions for her new album. Timberlake said that, during the sessions, he started feeling ill. That's when Madonna proceeded "to pull a Ziploc bag of B12 syringes out [of her purse]." He said she then instructed him to "Drop 'em." "I don't know what you say to that, so I immediately dropped my pants," he said. "She gave me a shot in my a-- and looks at me and says, 'Nice top shelf.' That was one of the greatest days of my life." Madonna, however, remembered the incident slightly differently. "Everything he said is basically true, but I didn't say 'Drop 'em.' I said, 'Pull your pants down.' I like to be accurate because you know I am a control freak." After quoting from the Talmud, she called Timberlake — who'd said, "She became the biggest name on the planet the old-fashioned way: She earned it" — a "f---er." Moments later, she blurted out the word "mother----er" for no discernable reason. Those words served as a fitting preamble for the punk-paced covers of Madonna songs from a leathery and topless Iggy Pop, who, along with the Stooges, paid tribute to the singer with covers of "Burning Up" and "Ray of Light," during which Pop tossed out an F-bomb. At one point during that performance, the cameras panned to a horrified-looking Clive Davis. (Check out this backstage footage of Madonna greeting Iggy and the Stooges — including bassist/rabid Madonna fan Mike Watt — after their performance.) After Pop hobbled offstage, Billy Joel — there to induct his pal John "You'll Always Be the Cougar to Me" Mellencamp — spit out a string of obscenities too, eliciting laughter from an audience that included Chevy Chase, Michael J. Fox, Meg Ryan and even Princess Firyal of Jordan. The night got off to a much slower start, by comparison. After some opening remarks from Rolling Stone founder and Rock Hall chairman Jann Wenner, legendary R&B singer Patti LaBelle stirred the decked-to-then-nines audience with a towering rendition of Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes' "If You Don't Know Me By Now," which was written and produced by inductees Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff. "You've been touching the world with your music for so many years," LaBelle exclaimed, honoring the team responsible for '70s-era soul hits from Lou Rawls, the O'Jays, Jerry Butler and many others. "You've touched my life. You've done a wonderful thing. Keep on touching, brothers." Also inducted — posthumously — was legendary blues harmonica player Little Walter, who died in 1968; he joined the hall in its sidemen category, as he was a frequent collaborator of Muddy Waters'. Ben Harper said of Walter, who helped pioneer the use of electronic distortion, that "he defined an instrument, he defined a sound, he defined a genre." Surf-rock icons the Ventures were inducted next, and followed up the honor by performing two of their biggest hits, "Walk, Don't Run" and the theme from "Hawaii Five-O." John Fogerty, who introduced the Ventures, praised the band for having recorded 250 albums over the course of their career. "Nowadays, some of us would be happy to sell 250 records," he joked, making a reference to the dire state of the music industry. A pink shirt-sporting Lou Reed strutted onstage to induct revered songwriter Leonard Cohen. His often disjointed tribute to Cohen included a recitation of the genius musician's lyrics — printed out on at least 30 pages Reed pulled from his pocket. "We're so lucky to be alive at the same time Leonard Cohen is," Reed noted, before Damien Rice delivered a rendition of Cohen's "Hallelujah." "This is a very unlikely occasion for me," Cohen, wearing a black tux, admitted. "It is not a distinction that I coveted or even dared dream about. So, I'm reminded of a prophetic statement of [music critic and longstanding Bruce Springsteen manager] Jon Landau in the early '70s. He said, 'I have seen the future of rock and roll and it is not Leonard Cohen.' " After Madonna's induction and Joel's hilarious introductory speech, Mellencamp — sounding like he'd just downed a shot of molten steel — emerged to claim that "nobody put themselves behind the eight-ball more than I did." He spoke of having surgery when he was just six weeks old, explaining that doctors had worried he'd be paralyzed below the neck. The 56-year-old rocker said he never knew of the surgery until his teen years, when a classmate asked him about the scar behind his neck. "I'm lucky to be standing here for any number of reasons," he said, after snuffing out a cigarette as he mounted the stage. Last came '60s popsters the Dave Clark Five, whose singer, Mike Smith, died just two weeks ago. Clark admitted it was a bittersweet time for the English group. "We wanted it to be the five of us here, but we know he's smiling down on us, knowing he's a hall of famer," Clark said, adding that he's absolutely delighted that his band's being inducted into the "American" rock hall. Actor Tom Hanks inducted the band, and told stories about first seeing them on "The Ed Sullivan Show." Finally, Joan Jett, Fogerty and Mellencamp capped off the long night, playing the group's "Bits and Pieces" and "Glad All Over."

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Madonna, John Mellencamp Lead 2008 Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Inductees

13 Dec 2007 13:40:00 EST

Leonard Cohen, Dave Clark Five also on the list; Beastie Boys, Donna Summer don't make the cut.
By Gil Kaufman

Photo: Dave Hogan/ Getty Images

This might be the year when the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame considers changing its name a bit. Leading the list of inductees for 2008 is none other than pop superstar Madonna, who tops a roster that includes heartland rocker John Mellencamp, baritone brooder Leonard Cohen, instrumentalists the Ventures, British '60s rockers Dave Clark Five, classic Philly soul songwriting team Gamble and Huff, and blues harmonica player Little Walter in the sideman category. And, after the door was opened a bit to hip-hop last year with the induction of Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, it was loudly shut again this year, as potential nominees Afrika Bambaataa and the Beastie Boys were left off the final list. Also aced out were disco queen Donna Summer and funk act Chic. To be eligible for nomination this year, an artist must have issued their first single or album in 1982, which was the year Madonna put out her first dance tune, "Everybody." While no one would confuse her decades of dance-floor anthems with rock and roll, the most successful female artist of all time has had a remarkably strong, nearly three-decade career. Indiana's John Mellencamp began his career as a generic pop singer named Johnny Cougar in 1976, but over the course of nearly 30 years in music has become one of the most thoughtful and respected singer/songwriters of his generation. Initially dismissed as a Bruce Springsteen wannabe, Cougar hit his stride in the early '80s with such rock radio staples as "Jack and Diane" and "Hurts So Good." He soon became known for chronicling the plight of the downtrodden American farmer and worker, with such folk-inspired albums as Scarecrow and The Lonesome Jubilee. Along with Neil Young and Willie Nelson, Mellencamp helped found the annual Farm Aid concert benefiting small American farms. Known for his seriously deep, froggy baritone vocals, Canadian poet/songwriter Leonard Cohen has been recording albums since 1968 in styles ranging from pop to folk and cabaret. His most famous, and most frequently covered, song is the meditative "Hallelujah." One of the most popular bands from the British Invasion of the mid-1960s, the Dave Clark Five, rivaled the Beatles for a time in popularity thanks to hits like "Glad All Over." Rock instrumental band the Ventures, founded by Don Wilson and Bob Bogle, are best known for such hits as "Walk Don't Run" and "Hawaii Five-O," as well as their pioneering use of space-age sound effects on some of their recordings, which have made them the biggest-selling rock instrumental group of all time. Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff gave Motown a run for its money in the late 1960s and early 1970s, as they helped to pioneer the Philadelphia soul sound that was the signature of the Philadelphia International label. The production/songwriting team wrote hits for a galaxy of stars, including the O'Jays ("Love Train") and Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes ("If You Don't Know Me by Now"). The duo are being inducted in the non-performer category under the newly named Ahmet Ertegun Award, in honor of the late Atlantic Records co-founder. Hard-drinking blues player Little Walter died at age 37 in 1968, but not before putting his indelible stamp on the art of mouth-harp playing, including being one of the first blues harmonica players to run his harp microphone through an amplifier, pioneering the use of electronic distortion in popular music. The induction ceremony will take place March 10 at New York's Waldorf Astoria hotel. It has not been announced who will induct this year's slate of honorees into the Hall of Fame.

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Madonna, Beastie Boys Nominated For Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame

27 Sep 2007 23:09:00 EDT

Afrika Bambaataa, John Mellencamp, Leonard Cohen, more also being considered for induction.
By Kurt Orzeck

Madonna
Photo: Dave Hogan/ Getty Images

Take a bow, Madonna, and ch-ch-check it out, Beastie Boys — you've been nominated for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In addition to Madge and the Beasties, hip-hop pioneer Afrika Bambaataa, veteran rocker John Mellencamp, disco queen Donna Summer, jazz/funk band Chic, English-beat group the Dave Clark Five, surf instrumentalists the Ventures and moody singer/songwriter Leonard Cohen are also up for the high honor, it was announced Thursday (September 27). While nine artists are being considered for inclusion into the Hall, five will be honored at the induction ceremony, to be held March 10 at New York's Waldorf-Astoria Hotel. Around the same time this year, R.E.M., Van Halen and Grandmaster Flash were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, with Jay-Z, Eddie Vedder and others helping do the honors. To be eligible for nomination this year, an artist must have issued their first single or LP no later than 1982. It was that year, in fact, that Madonna signed a singles deal with Sire Records and put out her first tune, "Everybody," on April 24. Making a huge impact in the clubs as well as on MTV — which launched a year earlier — she became the top female performer of the '80s — and eventually, according to Guinness World Records, the most successful female artist of all time. While Madge was revving up her career in 1982, so were the Beasties Boys — although at the time, they were a hardcore-punk band (previously named the Young Aborigines), not a hip-hop troupe. The NYC act issued its punk EP, Polly Wog Stew, that year — but then, with the help of producer Rick Rubin, the Boys Entering Anarchistic States Towards Internal Excellence made the transition into a rap unit. And the rest, they say, is history. For years, the Beasties have been fighting for their right to party — now they, Madonna and others are fighting for a chance to get into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

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U2 Want Everyone To Pay Tribute To 'The Original Rapper'

24 May 2006 06:00:00 EDT

Band gives props to songwriting mentor, 'sexy man' Leonard Cohen.
By Larry Carroll, with additional reporting by Benjamin Wagner

U2's The Edge at the Sundance premiere of "Leonard Cohen I'm Your Man"
Photo: Mark Mainz/Getty Images

If you suddenly became aware of a man whose life experiences had taken him from trust-fund baby to poet to novelist to acclaimed songwriter and eventual cult figure, would you take the time to give him a listen? If you heard that a self-professed "Ladies' Man" had followed up rumored trysts with women from Janis Joplin to Rebecca De Mornay by becoming a Zen Buddhist monk living on a mountaintop, would it pique your interest? What if Kurt Cobain, in an attempt to describe the ideal afterlife, simply invoked this man's name and allowed the connotations to make his statement? If those reasons don't do it, maybe a plug from the world's biggest rock band will: There would be no U2 if there hadn't been a Leonard Cohen. "He's an extraordinary talent, and anyone who's interested in music has got to be interested in him," Bono insisted while discussing a preview of "Leonard Cohen: I'm Your Man," a concert film/documentary that will provide a crash course on the legendary artist's career in its limited release to theaters next month. "Anyone who's interested in words needs to be interested in him. "He's the original rapper, you know, if you're interested in hip-hop," the frontman continued. "He's a sexy man who made sexy music, who made music asking questions about God and girls and everything. "Any question that I've wanted to ask," he added, "I've found in his mouth first." Over his five-decade career, Cohen has pondered the weightiest issues, emerging with lyrics that frequently take years to craft — oft-covered classics like "Suzanne," "Waiting for the Miracle," "Closing Time" and "Bird on a Wire" easily stand the test of time. It was only natural, then, that "Man" director Lian Lunson would capture an impressive cast of admirers (also including Nick Cave, Pulp's Jarvis Cocker, Rufus Wainwright and Antony of Antony and the Johnsons) covering Cohen's work so he could offer it up to a new generation.


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"I first discovered Leonard Cohen's music back in 1978 when I was 17 years old," recalled U2 guitarist the Edge. "In those days we were listening to exclusively punk music. ... I don't know he managed to make his way under the radar into our circle of friends. He was different. He was welcomed, even though very few other artists were, and he stayed with me. And that's the thing about his work, it stays with you. If you become a Leonard Cohen fan, you never stop being a Leonard Cohen fan." His influence has remained with the band throughout its career. "I think the obvious one is 'The Fly,' " Bono confessed, citing U2's 1991 hit single. Indeed, U2's lyrics to that song ("It's no secret that a conscience can sometimes be a pest/ It's no secret ambition bites the nails of success") are written in a structure that's strikingly similar to the deep, memorable verses from Cohen's "Everybody Knows" ("Everybody knows that the dice are loaded/ Everybody rolls with their fingers crossed"). "It's a couplet device from Leonard," Bono divulged with pride. "There's many more that I would never admit." "To understand Leonard's work, you've got to understand his quite unusual process for writing," the Edge added. "He might spend five years on one song, coming back to it, rewriting it. And it's not necessarily a passive five years; he'll write multiple verses. He will whittle it down until it's almost a crystalline, pure form of words, like some kind of perfect song." "I feel all kinds of unusual feelings in his company — like humility and modesty," Bono revealed. "Very few people walk this particular piece of ground that Leonard Cohen walks, and I'm aspiring one day to get close. I know I'll never get there." It was with humility and modesty, then, that Bono and his bandmates went into a tiny New York establishment called the Slipper Room to accompany the 71-year-old maestro for a one-song performance that was filmed for "I'm Your Man" in May of last year. Following a series of remembrances and live performances, the resulting footage brings "Man" to a powerful, cool crescendo. And although selling the iPod generation on a 71-year-old poet is no small challenge, Bono has an answer for that as well. "That's like asking somebody why they should care about oak trees or beautiful skies or music in general," he responded. "[Cohen's work] is an extraordinary thing that we still have to make a fuss over. This amazing talent, a beautiful lyricist with his haunting melodies — Leonard's just a rare, rare bird." Check out movies.MTV.com for Hollywood news, photos, reviews, interviews and more. Want trailers? Visit Movies on MTV Overdrive for the newest, scariest and funniest coming attractions anywhere.

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Leonard Cohen To Deliver Ten New Songs In October

18 Jun 2001 18:01:00 EDT

Godfather of Gloom's 10th studio album follows 1992's The Future.
By Teri vanHorn

Leonard Cohen looking cool
Photo: Lori Shepler

There is a "Leonard Cohen afterworld" (as Kurt Cobain sang on "Pennyroyal Tea") beyond The Future. Indeed, the Canadian singer-songwriter will release his first album since that 1992 effort this fall. Ten New Songs, due October 16, is the Godfather of Gloom's 10th studio album. After establishing himself as a novelist and poet, Cohen made his recording debut in 1968 with Songs of Leonard Cohen. He garnered a substantial cult audience and earned the respect of fellow musicians, including the late Nirvana leader. The track list for Ten New Songs, according to Columbia Records: