Uploaded November 2016 | Updated September 2026, 1 day ago

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“I don’t feel any compulsion just to stand under the spotlight night after night unless I have something to say“ - Leonard Cohen

Learn more about Cohen, hear the full interview, and read one of his unpublished stories: blankonblank.org/leonard-cohen

One evening in December of 1974, Leonard Cohen went on WBAI FM in New York City. This radio interview has rarely been heard since the night it aired. But it's been preserved by the Pacifica Radio Archives (http://pacificaradioarchives.org).

Cohen talked about his creative endeavors and influences during the interview, but we circled in on the conversation about his writing and his poetry. Cohen read a poem he had written nearly 20 years earlier, Two Went to Sleep. There's something about hearing him read his own words and taking a journey into his mind. RIP.

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