I said :
> > << He must be the only truly literate
rock/pop singer, aside from
> > >
> > > Leonard Cohen, I can think of .
>>
Erick said :
> What criteria? As evidenced by they're lyrics, by
the fact that they
wrote a
> book, or by their rep?
> Just curious.
>
Sorry, I was being a little imprecise (not for the 1st time).
I should have said "with literary talent". Undoubtedly, many
pop/rock singers read but only a handful, as far as I know,
have attempted to write anything other than song lyrics &
the only examples that I have come upon that to my mind
demonstrate any aptitude at all for literature are Lenny
& Nick (I'm feeling chummy this morn). As lyricists they
are great
(especially Cohen, IMHO) but despite all the yabbering, in
earlier years especially, about what great poetry Bob Dylan's
lyrics (for example's sake) are,they ain't poems, they are
songs. Great songs but songs, not poetry - a different art
form requiring it's own distinct rules. (I'm aware Dylan also
published some poems but I haven't read them. As a side note
- some songs from the "Blood on the Tracks" era such as
"Tangled Up in Blue" & "Simple Twist of Fate" I feel
could almost be the autobiography of an Elmore Leonard
character; example :
"... She was soon to be divorced, I helped her out of a jam I
guess but I must have used a little too much force"- I don't
recall enough other lyrics to show what I mean. A beautiful,
bitter-sweet song - but I digress [what's new].)
All I have read by Cohen is a short story ("F For
Frankenstein" IIRC) I read many years ago in an anthology of
modern lit titled "The Naked I" which at the time impressed
me. He also wrote at least one novel,
"Beautiful Losers", which I have somewhere but haven't read
& was an established (& ,I understand, an
accomplished) poet before he became a folk singer, in his own
words to cash in on Bob Dylan's success ("I knew I could sing
better & write better songs than Dylan" - quoted from
memory). So, to sum up : yes they are excellent lyricists but
there are many of them around - these 2 guys have
demonstrated literary talent in published works outside the
pop arena.The Cave novel, by the way, drew a lot of
comparisons with Iain Banks's 1st novel, "The Wasp Factory"
which came out almost simultaneously & with which it
shared certain themes, both being about disturbed adolescents
& both being very dark. There's no suggestion that either
author was aware of the other, they were both 1st novels, etc
so no intimation of people stealing ideas from each other.
Hope I've made myself clearer this time.
Rene.
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