Tuesday, 3 September 2013

Bird on the wire



 



I've grown up with the music Leonard Cohen. He fueled my teenage angst; kept me company at the end of love affairs and generally gave me permission to wallow in sorrow and melancholy. I only have to hear a line from 'Suzanne' or 'So long Marianne' and I am thrown back to an Annie on the brink of adulthood and not many days go by without one of his songs popping up on my ipod. One of my favourites is 'Bird on the Wire' and I have just spent 6 weeks cooking 200 meters from the place where this song was conceived. Leonard Cohen's children and grandchildren still use the house so I'm sure the walls resonate to his music.
I can't leave Hydra without taking you on a walk to his former home.

After the Orloff hotel, take the steep steps to the right.

 
Turn left at the top and at the green shuttered carpenter take the steps to the right
Turn right at the 4 corners grocery where proprietor Maria says Mr Cohen is such a nice man.
and here you are. These are probably the wires that LC was looking at from his terrace.
 
from www.leonardcohenfiles.com
 Listen to 'Bird on the Wire'
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29 comments:

  1. Janice3 September 2013 at 17:43

    A wonderful post Annie. Just to think of him looking at those wires has given me goosebumps.

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    1. BacktoBodrum6 September 2013 at 13:07

      I(According to leonardcohenfiles.com it was the introduction of the telephone and electricity wires that gave him the idea for the song.

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  2. Julia3 September 2013 at 19:57

    Aww, 'll show this to Barry. He loves Leonard Cohen...hmm, I can feel a Hydra trip coming on. :)

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    1. BacktoBodrum6 September 2013 at 13:07

      It's worth a trip even for a non- LC devotee.

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  3. Alan3 September 2013 at 20:01

    . . garn, you old softy! Nice post, though and so are the photos.

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    1. BacktoBodrum6 September 2013 at 13:08

      LC songs make most people go a bit blurred around the edges.

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  4. Idskesminis3 September 2013 at 23:08

    Loved your post and have just listened to as many of his songs as I could find online. Oh horror, I don't seem to have any of his music on CD, I'm sure I used to.
    Thanks, Annie!

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  5. Idskesminis3 September 2013 at 23:16

    Loved your post and have just listened to many of his songs online and a few interviews. Such nostalgia! Must go and find a CD.

    Thanks, Annie

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    1. BacktoBodrum6 September 2013 at 13:09

      You Tube is great for finding old well loved tunes

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  6. Jack Scott3 September 2013 at 23:43

    Shame he's not in town!

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    1. BacktoBodrum6 September 2013 at 13:09

      I had a quick look for the father of his granddaughter too - Rufus Wainwright.

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  7. Rakı'n' Fish4 September 2013 at 01:23

    Bodrum is really so different city. I loved there. White houses, seaside, beach food everything. But one thing: its so expensive!

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  8. Levent Varlık4 September 2013 at 09:40

    I've read your memories listening to "Suzanne" on my iTunes. Many fans have memories of "Suzanne", and thank you for bringing memories back. I saw Cohen some years ago in Istanbul and he was still at his top form.

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    1. BacktoBodrum6 September 2013 at 13:10

      Thanks you for popping by Levent. You are very lucky to have seen LC live.

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  9. Senior Dogs Abroad4 September 2013 at 12:59

    B to B, You really know how to push the buttons of a couple of old timers like us. I will never forget the morning I first heard 'Suzanne' - 20 years old living in the tiniest of apartments in New York. It was an unforgettable moment. Thanks for the memories and the video.

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    1. BacktoBodrum6 September 2013 at 13:11

      I played the whole collected songs of LC last night - NOt a dud amongst them

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  10. Ozlem's Turkish Table4 September 2013 at 16:23

    Must have felt so special, didn't know he lived in Hydra; I have fond memories of listening Suzanne with my dad - and thanks to you, just listened to the Bird on the Wire with my daughter :) Safe travels back home!

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  11. Anonymous5 September 2013 at 00:05

    Neither of us knew that....

    We are both big fans of Leonard Cohen though, sadly, have not yet managed to see him live.

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  12. annie5 September 2013 at 03:39

    I didn't know he lived there either. I am married to a Leonard devotee. He would have loitered there for hours for a glimpse if he had known. You live in such a special corner of the world- all those nooks and crannies- delicious!

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    1. BacktoBodrum6 September 2013 at 13:45

      I don't think he visits now - I did manage to miss Bryan Ferry who was on the island while I was there.

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  13. Kathy5 September 2013 at 13:05

    I did enjoy this, Annie. Listening to "Bird on the Wire" took me back to my early married days, when I has two very small children and very little time for listening to music. :-)

    This comment has been written listening to Judy Collins singing Cohen's song "Suzanne". See what you started.....

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  14. Dee5 September 2013 at 18:36

    Dear Annie, I really have only know Cohen's "Hallelujah." So I'm grateful to you for introducing another of his song's to me. Now I need to listen to "So Long Marianne" and "Suzanne." Peace.

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    1. BacktoBodrum6 September 2013 at 13:45

      Hallelujah s also a great song, but much later.

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  15. Ayak6 September 2013 at 05:07

    I was never into Leonard Cohen, though many of my friends were. But I have enjoyed listening to him more in recent years. Lovely post and photos Annie x

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    1. BacktoBodrum6 September 2013 at 13:46

      It's amazing how much his voice has changed, but is still great.

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