chelsea hotel no. 2

i'm going to start this entry with a demand: all you musicians out there who cover "chelsea hotel no. 2"?

stop it.

yes, i mean you. and you too. here's why:

1. EVERYONE COVERS THIS SONG. seriously, there was one day over sxsw that i heard this covered 3 times by 3 different artists. i think i heard it 6 times - at least - over the whole festival.
yes, i know, you get to say "giving me head on the unmade bed" and be all self-depreciating guy joe when it comes to the "she prefers handsome men, but for me she'll make an exception" part, but leonard cohen has a whole SHITLOAD of awesome songs that you can cover.

2. you will NEVER be better than the man himself singing it, so why even try?

end rant. begin swoon.

oh my jesus. this will go down as either being the awesomest idea i've had for a birthday ever or the worst idea i've had for my emotional well-being ever, i'm not sure.
leonard cohen is perfect. i can go into all of these gooey, flowery, completely applicable things about him, but you'll never know until you see him. i can't describe the energy he sets the stage with. i can't describe the boundless energy he has himself - how he's so perfectly practiced in reigning it in and smoothing it over the entire show. i can't describe the power and timbre of his voice that is still so profoundly amazing in a man of 74. you have to see it to believe it. if i weren't defective, you would have seen tears streaming down my face after the first song. my insides wanted to sob, but, of course, they ended up barfing.
it was the smartest $90 i've spent in a LONG time.

on the down-side: leonard cohen is made for lovers. ideally, he is not someone that you would go see alone. or, if you do go see him alone, there had better be someone waiting at home for you so you can get all up in their body when you get back. there is something far too sensual and profane (in a gentle, wonderful way) about his words and voice together that beget emotional upset and physical frustration if you don't have arms to wrap yourself in or necks to nuzzle or lips to kiss or bodies to explore.

i'm going to leave it at that.