
Secret Chord (Leonard Cohen)
Explicit content warning
07/12/23 • 67 min
1 Listener
This person died in 2016 at age 82. He was an unlikely and reluctant pop star, if in fact he ever was one. In the 1960s, he lived in a house on the Greek island of Hydra, where he wrote a pair of novels. He was 33 when his first record was released in 1967. In the early 1970s, his record company concocted an advertising campaign where they called him “the master of erotic despair.” Around 1994, he abandoned his music career and moved to Mt Baldy monastery, where he was ordained a Buddhist monk. His best-known song, a majestic and meditative ballad which has been endlessly covered, is called “Hallelujah”. Today’s dead celebrity is Leonard Cohen.
Famous & Gravy is created and co-hosted by Amit Kapoor and Michael Osborne. This episode was produced by Jacob Weiss and includes a guest appearance from Christian Swain. Visit our website at famousandgravy.com and also enjoy our free mobile quiz game at deadoraliveapp.com
If you enjoyed this episode, you may also like Episode 45 “Rebel Rebel” (David Bowie) and Episode 29 “Zen Comedian” (Garry Shandling).
LINKS:
New York Times Obituary for Leonard Cohen
Leonard Cohen’s 75th birthday concert in Barcelona
Kate McKinnon sings “Hallelujah” on SNL after Leonard Cohen’s death
Susan Cain article on Leonard Cohen’s music
Malcolm Gladwell’s Revisionist History podcast on Hallelujah
Famous & Gravy on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter
Famous & Gravy official website
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
This person died in 2016 at age 82. He was an unlikely and reluctant pop star, if in fact he ever was one. In the 1960s, he lived in a house on the Greek island of Hydra, where he wrote a pair of novels. He was 33 when his first record was released in 1967. In the early 1970s, his record company concocted an advertising campaign where they called him “the master of erotic despair.” Around 1994, he abandoned his music career and moved to Mt Baldy monastery, where he was ordained a Buddhist monk. His best-known song, a majestic and meditative ballad which has been endlessly covered, is called “Hallelujah”. Today’s dead celebrity is Leonard Cohen.
Famous & Gravy is created and co-hosted by Amit Kapoor and Michael Osborne. This episode was produced by Jacob Weiss and includes a guest appearance from Christian Swain. Visit our website at famousandgravy.com and also enjoy our free mobile quiz game at deadoraliveapp.com
If you enjoyed this episode, you may also like Episode 45 “Rebel Rebel” (David Bowie) and Episode 29 “Zen Comedian” (Garry Shandling).
LINKS:
New York Times Obituary for Leonard Cohen
Leonard Cohen’s 75th birthday concert in Barcelona
Kate McKinnon sings “Hallelujah” on SNL after Leonard Cohen’s death
Susan Cain article on Leonard Cohen’s music
Malcolm Gladwell’s Revisionist History podcast on Hallelujah
Famous & Gravy on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter
Famous & Gravy official website
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Previous Episode

Heartwarming Humor (Louie Anderson)
This person died in 2022 at age 68. His act fit comfortably into the category of “family entertainment.” He had a self-deprecating style that won him legions of fans, among them Johnny Carson, whose early support catapulted him to stardom. He had roles in “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” and “Coming to America”. He hosted “Family Feud” for three seasons. He was nominated 3 times for a supporting actor Emmy, which he won in 2016. His comedy routine often centered around jokes about his own weight, which topped 300 pounds at times. Today’s dead celebrity is Louie Anderson.
Famous & Gravy is created and co-hosted by Amit Kapoor and Michael Osborne. This episode was produced by Jacob Weiss. Visit our website at famousandgravy.com and also enjoy our free mobile quiz game at deadoraliveapp.com
If you enjoyed this episode, you may also like Episode 46 “Love and OJ Jokes” (Norm Macdonald) and Episode 39 “Super Funkhouser” (Bob Einstein)
LINKS:
New York Times Obituary for Louie Anderson
Louie Anderson’s first appearance on Johnny Carson
Louie Anderson on playing Winston Churchill in Drunk History
“Why Christine Baskets Was One of TV’s Greatest Characters” article from NYT
Louie Anderson official website
Famous & Gravy on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter
Famous & Gravy official website
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Next Episode

Pure Imagination (Gene Wilder)
This person died in 2016 at age 83. He was an accomplished stage actor as well as a screenwriter, a novelist, and the director of four movies in which he starred. He made his movie debut in 1967 in the celebrated crime drama, “Bonnie and Clyde.” He had haunted blue eyes and an empathy born of his own history of psychic distress. His rule for comedy was simple: Don’t try to make it funny; try to make it real. “I’m an actor, not a clown,” he said more than once. In 1971, he was nominated for a Golden Globe for his performance as the wizardly title character in “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory”. This episode’s dead celebrity is Gene Wilder.
Famous & Gravy is created and co-hosted by Amit Kapoor and Michael Osborne. This episode was produced by Jacob Weiss and includes a guest appearance from Stephanie Okupniak. Visit our website at famousandgravy.com and also enjoy our free mobile quiz game at deadoraliveapp.com
If you enjoyed this episode, you may also like Episode 44 “Inner Soprano” (James Gandolfini) and Episode 35 “Likable Villain” (Alan Rickman)
LINKS:
New York Times Obituary for Gene Wilder
Pure Imagination scene in ‘Willy Wonka’ sung by Gene Wilder
‘Will and Grace’ blooper scene with Gene Wilder
Famous & Gravy on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter
Famous & Gravy official website
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
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