Reclusive Folk Music Recording Artist and Collector of Every Award Ever Leonard Cohen has collected yet another award and recorded another album. The 77-year-old Cohen was in Spain to pick up another shiny mantelpiece decoration — the Principe de Asturias Prize for Literature, a special award given every year by the Asturias Foundation to authors who write in languages other than Spanish. Cohen accepted the award for his achievements in the wild world of poetry. The Asturias prize joined Cohen’s Polaris Music Prize, Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, some mystical-sounding thing called The Golden Rose, and every other award known to man, plus possession of such Masonic-lookin’ titles as Officer of the Order of Canada.
But whatever. Another day, another award. Dude spent a few years as a monk, so he ain’t bothered. The real news story here is that Mr. Cohen has a new album in the works. According to Reuters, Old Ideas will drop “sometime next year.” This will be Cohen’s first album since 2004’s Dear Heather. All 10 new songs on Old Ideas have already been recorded, primarily so that DFA can get a head start on churning out seven-minute remixes just in time for the holiday dance party season. “I’ve played it for a few people, and they seem to like it,” Cohen told reporters in Spain. Sold!
• Leonard Cohen: http://www.leonardcohen.com
