Suzanne

When Leonard Cohen's Suzanne came out I thought I knew the Suzanne in question. Suzanne Verdal, Armand Vaillaincourt's girlfriend. I left Montreal and didn't give it another thought till tonight. I watched Leonard Cohen: I'm Your Man while prone on my sofa suffering with another damn cold. Lenny tells the story of going to Suzanne's flat by the river. She serves him an orange and Constant Comment tea, a popular beverage at the time – I remember Tina making it for me at her Jeanne Mance flat, also not far from the river. Tina and I were just friends, strictly platonic, like Leonard and Suzanne. I include her picture here because I have none of Suzanne – or Leonard. Tina drawing at her Jeanne Mance table. The Constant Comment obscured by bad focus. Suzanne was a dancer, tall and of course extremely beautiful. I didn't know her well at all and neither did I know Vaillancourt beyond a nod and a "salut!" when we'd rub elbows at Le Bistro on Mountain Street where we all hung out, including Suzanne and Cohen. I often went to Le Bistro with Candy Lutz. She'd drink Dubonnet and I drank beer, I guess. Vaillancourt was and as far as I know still is a great sculptor. We looked similar, being the only two guys in Montreal with extremely long hair and beards, before this became a trend. I was occasionally mistaken for him – sometimes even by him – which came in handy attending the many vernissages around town. Montreal was a great city for Art and there was at least one vernissage every night of the week and these always included as much wine as you needed, so I went to a lot. Sometimes you'd need an inviation to get in but I suppose I looked too much like an artist to refuse and, like I say, sometimes they thought I was Vaillancourt himself. Cohen is no doubt a genius but I own none of his records and have never been able to listen to one all the way through. That's my own shortcoming, I know. I had a copy of the limited edition Spice Box of Earth years ago but of course lost it. It would be worth thousands today, like all the other stuff I lost. I enjoyed the movie even though it won't become a classic, I'm sure. The director throws in some pointless arty effects and everyone's so reverent . . . a bit much. But it's always a treat to see old friends on the big screen or, in my case, the small screen. Kate, Anna, Martha, and Rufus are in it. They should have made this in Montreal – not in Australia for god sakes. I always wonder why I left Montreal when I see something like this, that reminds of the place. I get so homesick still, after all these years. But that's another story. Read a nice interview with Suzanne from 1998.