Leonard Cohen was always a man of poignant words and this rare interview from 1974 that’s been animated is testament to that.
Blank On Blank, a PBS Digital series that animates interviews featuring artists like Patti Smith, Nina Simone and Cher, have brought to life a Cohen interview following his death last week and it’s filled with wisdom and insight into the mind of Cohen.
Aided by a pretty stunning visual, Cohen speaks about creative endeavors and influences in a lost interview with New York noncommercial station WBAI.
He was only seven years into his music career when he gave the interview used in this video but he’s already filled with wisdom.
“I don’t feel any compulsion just to stand under the spotlight night after night unless I have something to say,” he says at the beginning of the video.
Even this year as he neared the end of his life Cohen had plenty to say, much of which was said through his final album You Want It Darker.
This animation also incorporates his poem Two Went To Sleep, read by Cohen’s iconic deep voice which is both comforting and haunting in the context of this animation.
Watch: Leonard Cohen On Moonlight
