Let me point out some inaccuracies in your article. Cohen wasn't on Mt. Baldy throughout 1994. In fact, there was a very public book tour for "Stranger Music." Phil Spector thinks Cohen is a closet Partridge Family groupie and he and I both believe Cohen is a porn artist with biblical references. He knows how to hire the proper people to put his songs together, record them, and take them on the road. Cohen walked away from nothing - including his prescription meth abuse. Check him out in Armelle Brusq's documentary. It's fairly obvious. One notorious love affair he lied about involves me. We were never lovers although he repeatedly attempted to have sex with me when I would visit him on Mt. Baldy. I heard from this fraud morning, noon, and night. He was demanding these deals re. the sale of intellectual property. I thought it was a bad idea because the copyrights were valuable. He insisted because he was convinced that digital downloading was destroying the music industry. So, while St. Cohen (in his Zen Priest mode which was really a backdrop for journalists, photographers, and documentary makers) was allegedly in retreat on Mt. Baldy, he was furiously pushing for these deals. His greed should not be underestimated. The answer to your first question is: he didn't leave the world behind so don't give it a second thought. Well, he told me he wrote Beautiful Losers on acid so I suppose using meth to write another piece of work was a brave undertaking. I'm not sure that the albums he wrote on psychiatric medications, etc. were all that brilliant but to each their own. I am hoping that one of his "love" interests wasn't his daughter but that is what Freda Gutmann told Ann Diamond his daughter was stating at Concordia University: that her father molested her. Actually, I recall him talking to you in 1988. He told me, at that time, that he wanted to die by a firing squad and seemed to have some intrigue in your state of mind and (from what I could tell) toying with you psychologically. Drunk, drugged, you name it. Cohen likes props - christian chotka, tuna fish sandwiches, chicken soup, popsicles ... Cohen's no prophet. He reads the papers. The Future was written about the LA riots. He thought "darky" was rising up. I thought he was a racist when he made this remark. In defense of Sony/Columbia - Cohen refuses to work; hand in albums; demands exceedingly high advances before he will turn in his albums; refuses to do press most of the time; and threatens and insults the executives - including Don Ienner who really wanted to assist Cohen with his career. Cohen is not enlightened. He is vicious. Many Tibetan lamas have noted that he is incredibly aggressive. Good insight. One noted that he was an "asshole going to hell" which I think is accurate. Everything about him is coy, calculated, and staged. Right - Cohen uses his so-called courtly manners to dazzle people. I found him entirely embarrassing and fraudulent and watched this routine/performance in disbelief over and over and over again. The man sits around, frequently, gossiping about people. He's quite vile. "The Future" didn't scare the fuck out of me but this monster did. I have no revenge fantasies - Cohen imposes his own self-inflicted revenge fantasies on others. He doesn't need any help. Anyone that speaks the truth becomes Cohen's stalker, a jilted lover, jealous person. He is as transparent as can be. I see that Cohen was in his "Silence of the Lambs" mode in the photographs accompanying your article and, of course, he has his prop popsicle. Mikal, if Cohen had no plans to record then why was he writing the album on Mt. Baldy? Any thoughts on that? I'll tell you what happened, ultimately, on Mt. Baldy - Cohen decided to leave his teacher and dear friend to study with Ramesh Balsekar in India. He's a spiritual super market shopper. He told Steven Machat, not that long ago, that he's Jewish again. Cohen parrots Roshi terribly. Ann Diamond and I are both students of Joshu Sasaki Roshi. That didn't stop Cohen from targeting us, lying about us, threatening us, or slandering us. Oh right - he mentioned that he's writing on Mt. Baldy. He should pick a story and stick to it. For instance, he told the BBC Radio that he was biting into revolvers in hamburgers on Phil Spector's sessions. I doubt that and assume he was high on drugs. These are just some musings I have. The fraud pulled the proverbial wool over your eyes. Take it easy. I naively reported Cohen's criminal tax fraud to the IRS. I would assume he has also enjoyed destroying my life; targeting my children; elderly parents; lying about us; stealing from me; etc. Doesn't sound enlightened to me. Sounds like criminal activity.
Kelley Lynch
http://www.webheights.net/10newsongs/press/spin1.htm