I Like People That Can't Sing: Paul Nelson Interviews Leonard Cohen & Lucinda Williams

Two long lost interviews with two of the greatest pop singers of the modern era by one of the greatest rock journalists and interviewers.

In 1991, legendary but down-and-out rock critic Paul Nelson landed his dream assignment: fly from New York to Los Angeles and separately interview two of the most distinguished popular music artists: Leonard Cohen and Lucinda Williams. He encounters them at a time in their careers when both are wrestling with their respective record companies to be better taken seriously—in some cases just to be heard. Previously unpublished, these landmark interviews provide the opportunity to compare, among other things (upbringing, education, influences, loves and losses), the thought processes behind Cohen and his music (“I’ve always admired the people who could write great songs in the back of taxicabs like Hank Williams. I was never one of those guys”) to Williams and hers (“See, I’m trying to dispel the myth … that you have to be miserable and suffering and so on and so forth to be able to write”).

I Like People That Can’t Sing allows us to read the minds, so to speak, of these nonpareil singer-songwriters over three decades after the fact. Whether it’s the sometimes prickly Williams, protecting her time and privacy, or the ever-elegant Cohen, openly discussing his bouts with depression, the book sometimes reads like an intimate conversation (Williams discussing her estranged brother), other times as a late-night confession (Cohen on the breakup of his marriage). Includes a heartfelt foreword recounting her relationships with Cohen and Nelson by Suzanne Vega.

1145759519
I Like People That Can't Sing: Paul Nelson Interviews Leonard Cohen & Lucinda Williams

Two long lost interviews with two of the greatest pop singers of the modern era by one of the greatest rock journalists and interviewers.

In 1991, legendary but down-and-out rock critic Paul Nelson landed his dream assignment: fly from New York to Los Angeles and separately interview two of the most distinguished popular music artists: Leonard Cohen and Lucinda Williams. He encounters them at a time in their careers when both are wrestling with their respective record companies to be better taken seriously—in some cases just to be heard. Previously unpublished, these landmark interviews provide the opportunity to compare, among other things (upbringing, education, influences, loves and losses), the thought processes behind Cohen and his music (“I’ve always admired the people who could write great songs in the back of taxicabs like Hank Williams. I was never one of those guys”) to Williams and hers (“See, I’m trying to dispel the myth … that you have to be miserable and suffering and so on and so forth to be able to write”).

I Like People That Can’t Sing allows us to read the minds, so to speak, of these nonpareil singer-songwriters over three decades after the fact. Whether it’s the sometimes prickly Williams, protecting her time and privacy, or the ever-elegant Cohen, openly discussing his bouts with depression, the book sometimes reads like an intimate conversation (Williams discussing her estranged brother), other times as a late-night confession (Cohen on the breakup of his marriage). Includes a heartfelt foreword recounting her relationships with Cohen and Nelson by Suzanne Vega.

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I Like People That Can't Sing: Paul Nelson Interviews Leonard Cohen & Lucinda Williams

I Like People That Can't Sing: Paul Nelson Interviews Leonard Cohen & Lucinda Williams

I Like People That Can't Sing: Paul Nelson Interviews Leonard Cohen & Lucinda Williams

I Like People That Can't Sing: Paul Nelson Interviews Leonard Cohen & Lucinda Williams

Overview

Two long lost interviews with two of the greatest pop singers of the modern era by one of the greatest rock journalists and interviewers.

In 1991, legendary but down-and-out rock critic Paul Nelson landed his dream assignment: fly from New York to Los Angeles and separately interview two of the most distinguished popular music artists: Leonard Cohen and Lucinda Williams. He encounters them at a time in their careers when both are wrestling with their respective record companies to be better taken seriously—in some cases just to be heard. Previously unpublished, these landmark interviews provide the opportunity to compare, among other things (upbringing, education, influences, loves and losses), the thought processes behind Cohen and his music (“I’ve always admired the people who could write great songs in the back of taxicabs like Hank Williams. I was never one of those guys”) to Williams and hers (“See, I’m trying to dispel the myth … that you have to be miserable and suffering and so on and so forth to be able to write”).

I Like People That Can’t Sing allows us to read the minds, so to speak, of these nonpareil singer-songwriters over three decades after the fact. Whether it’s the sometimes prickly Williams, protecting her time and privacy, or the ever-elegant Cohen, openly discussing his bouts with depression, the book sometimes reads like an intimate conversation (Williams discussing her estranged brother), other times as a late-night confession (Cohen on the breakup of his marriage). Includes a heartfelt foreword recounting her relationships with Cohen and Nelson by Suzanne Vega.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9798875000560
Publisher: Fantagraphics Books
Publication date: 02/05/2025
Pages: 320
Product dimensions: 6.20(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.50(d)

About the Author

Kevin Avery has published over 300 articles and short stories. His books books include the bio-anthology Everything Is an Afterthought: The Life and Writings of Paul Nelson (which The New York Times selected as “Editors’ Choice”) and two books based on previously unpublished interviews by Paul Nelson. He lives in Brooklyn, NY.

Suzanne Vega emerged as a leading figure of the folk revival of the early 1980s and is widely regarded as one of the foremost songwriters of her generation. Her iconic songs include “Luka” and “Tom’s Diner.”
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