Diamonds in the Lines : Leonard Cohen in his own live words

Field Commander Cohen (1979-)

1979, reported by Harry Rasky in his book
"The Song of Leonard Cohen-Portrait of a poet, a friendship and a film"

I don't quite remember the genesis of that song, except that "Field Commander Cohen" is an ironic description, although I always loved the Army. And my father had intended to send me to the Kingston Military Academy actually. And if he'd have lived, I would probably have been in the Canadian Army. "Field Commander" in a sense, I think that grew from touring, in the sense that when you're on tour, it is that kind of leadership, rather than any executive leadership, because you are on the field, and it is moment to moment decisions. And you do have a group of men and women to keep together under sometimes strenuous circumstances.

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