For many years, over, and over, people have told me that I should write a book about my life experiences in the music industry. Never gave that much thought until, at a point in time, the concept of individual "short-stories" came to mind. To write a book that's not a "tell-all" but one of true experiences that could appeal to music lovers and fans the world over. A book for people interested in knowing what it would be like to run in the fast lane as a guitar player. To record with Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen, Johnny Cash, Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs, Charlie Daniels, Willie Nelson, Hoyt Axton, Louden Wainwright and on and on. To take the stage of sold out venues like The Royal Albert Hall in London, The Vienna Opera House, The Olympia Theater in Paris, or Tivally Gardens in Copenhagen. To be part of a headline act at big concerts with thousands in attendance--and even the ultimate challenges like The Isle Of White with over 600,000 people in the audience. But more over, and especially in my case, it's the life events that have gone on around all of this that can be unbelievable--unbelievable, but absolutely true. The title of this book, "The Guitar Behind Dylan and Cohen," was the title of a two-page newspaper article that was written about me. I chose to use it because the stories (in this book) take place during the portion of my career at which time I was simultaneously recording albums with Bob Dylan and recording albums and touring with Leonard Cohen. Most of the people in this book are known to be, and recognized as, great songwriters as well as being artists. However, Cohen and Dylan, and their use of music as a way to speak to the masses are a very different world. Being part of all that led me in and out of some of the dambdest situations imaginable. As I share these stories with you, and as you read, put yourself in my shoes and let yourself become ... the guitar behind Dylan and Cohen.

Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen are widely acknowledged as the great pop poets of the 1960s. This text provides a political, psychological and artistic profile of two iconic writers and performers.

Both Dylan and Cohen have been a presence on the music and poetry landscape spanning six decades. This book begins with a discussion of their contemporary importance, and how they have sustained their enduring appeal as performers and recording artists. The authors argue that both Dylan and Cohen shared early aspirations that mirrored the Beat Generation. They sought to achieve the fame of Dylan Thomas, who proved a bohemian poet could thrive outside the academy, and to live his life of unconditional social irresponsibility. While Dylan's and Cohen's fame fluctuated over the decades, it was sustained by self-consciously adopted personas used to distance themselves from their public selves. This separation of self requires an exploration of the artists' relation to religion as an avenue to find and preserve inner identity. The relationship between their lyrics and poetry is explored in the context of Federico García Lorca's concept of the poetry of inspiration and the emotional depths of 'duende.' Such ideas draw upon the dislocation of the mind and the liberation of the senses that so struck Dylan and Cohen when they first read the poetry and letters of Arthur Rimbaud and Lorca. The authors show that performance and the poetry are integral, and the 'duende,' or passion, of the delivery, is inseparable from the lyric or poetry, and common to Dylan, Cohen and the Beat Generation.

In 1962, a young John Cohen and the young songwriter Bob Dylan went to Cohen's East Village loft and rooftop for a few hours to take some photos. Now these never-before-published, b/w photographs reveal the soon-to-be legendary musician on the cusp of fame, just before the release of his revolutionary self-titled first album. To complement the images, Cohen has painstakingly transcribed and edited forgotten radio interviews that aired between 1961 and 1963.

The definitive biography of one of the most emigmatic, beloved, and celebrated artists of our time. Leonard Cohen's extensive and successful recent worldwide tour has demonstrated that his popularity across generations and borders has never been greater. Cohen's life is one of singular mystique. This major in-depth biography is the book Cohen's fans have been waiting for. Acclaimed writer/journalist Sylvie Simmons has interviewed more than 100 figures from Cohen's life and work, including his main muses; the women in his life -- from Suzanne and Marianne to Rebecca de Mornay and Anjani Thomas; artists such as Rufus Wainwright, Nick Cave, David Crosby, Judy Collins, and Philip Glass; his record producers; his closest friends, from childhood to adulthood; and many of the spiritual figures who have influenced his life. Cohen, notoriously private, has granted interviews himself. Thoroughly researched and thoughtful, penetrating and lively, fascinating and revealing of stories and facts never read before, I'm Your Man offers new perspectives on Cohen and his life. It will be one of the most talked-about books of the season, and for years to come.

A photographic look into the world of vinyl record collectors—including Questlove—in the most intimate of environments—their record rooms. Compelling photographic essays from photographer Eilon Paz are paired with in-depth and insightful interviews to illustrate what motivates these collectors to keep digging for more records. The reader gets an up close and personal look at a variety of well-known vinyl champions, including Gilles Peterson and King Britt, as well as a glimpse into the collections of known and unknown DJs, producers, record dealers, and everyday enthusiasts. Driven by his love for vinyl records, Paz takes us on a five-year journey unearthing the very soul of the vinyl community.

A look not only at the inner man but also at the environments that shaped Leonard Cohen, from the rock scene of New York in the 1960s to the remote Zen monastery where Cohen spent years later in life.