Leonard Cohen visits a friend in Verdun

This is a story told by Montreal poet Leonard Cohen sometime in the early 1960s. I heard it while listening to the NFB documentary on Leonard Cohen called Ladies and Gentlemen... Mr. Leonard Cohen.

I realize that posting this story may bend the original focus of this storyblog (I was supposed to be posting stories told by me, myself, and I), but I do think it stays in line with its spirit: celebrating good stories in all their forms.

If you want to hear the story, I may post it later at the end of this post. Enjoy!

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The other time I was in quarters such as these was when I visited the Verdun Mental Hospital in Montreal. I was visiting a friend. He was on a top floor and I asked him, while he was still lucid, where I could get a coffee. He said downstairs, which was one of those famous last words.

I commenced the decent of several similar stone corridors and I found myself in a kind of arena, which was surrounded by closed doors. It had been a hot afternoon and I removed my jacket as I have been moved to do. I left it with my friend who, though mentally ill, was no thief. I suspect he wasn't even mentally ill: he was doing this instead of college.

I stood watching the four or five doors, wondering about all the possibilities except for the one that occurred.

A door opened and two large men in white uniforms walked out. And they said "Where are you supposed to be now?"

I said, "In the cafeteria."

They nodded to each other. "WHERE are you supposed to be now?"

"IN THE CAFETERIA!"

Well, as their questions continued, my answers continued. And although they started out innocently enough, now began to sound as though I were protesting too much. In fact, after being interrogated three or four more times, I was shouting and pushing them aside, causing them to run after me down the corridor.

It was only after a guard identified me that I was able to go back to the room of my friend, who had eaten my jacket.

-- Leonard Cohen
Ladies and Gentlemen... Mr. Leonard Cohen
National Film Board
http://www.nfb.ca/film/ladies_and_gentlemen_mr_leonard_cohen/

Jurgen goes to Heaven

Jurgen goes to Heaven,
but he can't get in because he's already there.

Why is he already there?
It's because his grandmother is already there.

And Heaven would not be Heaven
If Jurgen was not already there.

About which, no more.

The Silence of Summer

I'm sorry to say I haven't posted very much this summer (only one post in June and already July with nothing to show for it). Just like the storytelling community in Montreal, summer seems to force us to rest.

Storytelling really is a fall-winter activity, best suited to fireplaces and intimate spaces. In summer, people want to be out there and experiencing stuff. The only exception to this seems to be the summer camp campfire. I've performed at a couple of summer camps and they are fun, especially when you show up out of the gloom of the night to tell a tale, maybe in a mask and cloak, and then disappear, existing only for the story.

I've picked up a couple of new books and I've been searching for that new story to learn. I also promised a charming lady that, for the price of a kiss, I was to write a new story based on a celtic legend. I'm still searching for a celtic tale that suits me, so I should have something soon.

Thanks for your patience and I hope you're enjoying the summer!

June Story: Black Fly

This song was recorded in 2007 in Montreal in an excellent cafe/bakery called Le Gryphon D'Or (specifically at the corner of Monkland and Royal). I can't remember why I wasn't there, but Sarah, Dylan, and Jack were definitely in attendance (I will be posting their stories later this summer), as well as the rest of Jack's band The What Four (or the Four Hoarsemen, or The Golden Oldies, or Groupe Du Jour -- They can't decide on a name).

The song was written and orginally recorded by the late, great Wade Hemsworth and was animated by the NFB (specifically Christopher Hinton) in 1991 (watch the animated version at the NFB website). Whenever Jack turns up at an event or a storytelling evening with his guitar, I always ask him to play it.

So since June tends to be black fly month, I present to you Black Fly by Wade Hemsworth and performed by The What Four.

Black Fly (2:49 minutes)

June Story: Jack's Tall Tale

This is a story that is included on my book/CD You Don't Know Jack, but it was recorded earlier this year at Our Lady of Pompeii Elementary School in Montreal.

This is one of the first stories I learned, certainly the first Jack story I learned. As the story nears its end, there's a part that is so outrageous, the audience often cries out their incredulity at the tale, which gives me no end of satisfaction.

What I love about this story is how Jack, once he decides what he's going to do, refuses to give up. Even when his first story fails to trick the King, he tries it again from a different angle. All the Jacks that I know, and even those I've only heard about, have this unyielding desire to continue to push forward. It's a quality to which we all need to aspire.

Jack's Tall Tale (15:46 minutes)

Truth and Story have a Contest

Exceptionally, I am posting the text for this story from Jewish tradition that I will record in the coming days. Stay tuned!

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Once upon a time, there were two exceedingly beautiful women who lived together in small house at the end of a village. One day, the two women were having a discussion, that became a debate, and then turned into an argument. They could not decide which of the two of them was the most beautiful and which one would be the most accepted by the villagers.

When the argument became too heated, they decided to settle it by having a contest. The contest was that each woman, one at a time, would walk through the village and see which one had the most friends.

Truth was the first to try as she walked out of the house and down the village street. The villagers who were tending to their gardens and chatting to each other along the road noticed Truth walking towards them. Slowly, they began easing back into their houses until there was no one on the road, no one in their gardens, and finally no one in sight. Even the people who were seen in their windows pulled the shutters tight. By the time Truth reached the end of the road, there were very few people left outside.

When Truth reached the end of the road, she realized that she was going to lose this contest. "What can I do to make myself even more attractive?" she wondered. She realized there was only one solution left to her, so she removed her robe until she stood there completely naked.

She turned and walked back to her house thinking that the people would surely flock to her now. But in actual fact, the opposite occurred. What few people that were left outside fled back to their house, closed their shutters, and locked their doors. Truth walked that whole path back to her house completely alone.

When Truth walked back into her house, she was greeted by her friend, Story. Story grasped her hands and asked "So? How did it go?"

"I can't believe it," cried Truth. "There was no one there! Everyone hid themselves away from me!"

So Story said, "Here. Let me try." She put on her finest robes and jewelry and left the house, walking down to the village. As she walked down the village street, the doors and the shutters flew open and the people came out in droves, smiling and chatting with each other happily. As Story walked down the village street, the people streamed behind her. When Story turned and walked back through the village, all the people gathered together in the centre of the village and celebrated her visit.

When she returned to her house, she found Truth sitting there, quite humbled. "You win," she said. "It's obvious to me now that Story is more powerful than Truth."

But Story took Truth's hand and said "It's not that Story is more powerful. It's just that nobody likes the Truth, and especially they don't like the Naked Truth. If you want to get your point across to your listeners, what you need is the mantle of Story."

Story removed her robes and her jewelry, adorned Truth with them, and sent her out into the village. This time, the people opened their doors and windows and flocked towards Truth because now they were open to what she had to say.

Birthday Story: The Hall of Wonders

Today is my birthday: I'm 40 years young today on International Star Wars day. May the 4th be with you!

So to mark this special day, I've decided to post one of my favorite stories. I first heard this tale on The Moonlit Road as told by its author Thomas E. Fuller. I'm very excited to say that I received official permission from the late Mr. Fuller's press agent to retell this story as much as I like as long as I give credit to the author (which I do already).

Serendipitously, the permission letter is dated May 4th 2009. I love it when a plan comes together.

I recorded this story in studio today; when I visited Gerald McShane Elementary school in April, I had told this story as well, but the recording was corrupted slightly. I would rather record a live story with an audience, but this studio recording came out not too badly. Special audio effects were provided by Rikki Lacoste.

A Ghost Story for Children

This story is written and told for a much younger audience than previous stories presented on this storyblog. I first heard this story from Priscilla Howe on one of her storytelling CDs.

Telling to very young children (3 to 6 years) has always been very challenging for me. The stories are simple, repetitive, and very short, which is very different from the stories I tell to adults or older children. I only have three stories I tell to this age group and I have difficulty finding more stories that appeal to my telling style and suits their needs.

But all kids love a good ghost story and this tale is entertaining and not scary at all. I love how the kids get to jump in with this tale and it takes almost no time for them to recognize the pattern.

This is a simple story that you can tell to your kids over and over again. Enjoy!

Recent Gigs and News

Already at the end of April and I've been able to post one story! Apologies dear listeners, I was hoping to release the telling of a story based on Oscar Wilde's The Selfish Giant, but the computer malfunctioned on the day that I tried to record that story. *grumble*grumble*

The good news is that I did record a show I performed at Gerald McShane school in Montreal last week: I just need to make some time to review it and pull out the stories that really worked.

And the big news this weeks is ... *drum roll* I got tentative permission to retell and record a story called The Hall of Wonders. Ever since I heard this story (back in the early 2000s), I've been telling it at shows and festivals (always giving credit to the author, Thomas Fuller).

But now that I'm recording my shows, I was hoping to be able to include it on my next CD project. Unfortunately, the author has passed away, so I wasn't sure who to contact. I finally got in touch with the creator of The Moonlit Road (the inspiration for this storyblog) and he has put me in touch with Mr. Fuller's press agent. They have given me tentative permission to include the story on the CD, but I need to contact the agent for written permission. Still... very exciting!

Also, this past weekend I attended the Montreal Beltane Fair and listened to a panel discussion with 8 authors about the publishing business. It was one of the most honest discussion about writing and publishing I have ever heard, which was a bit depressing and heartening at the same time.

Dr. Brendan Myers explained that modern publishers do very little to promote their writers these days (with few exceptions). The time, effort, and expense of promoting and marketing of a book is left mostly to the writer. I've toying with the idea of going to a bigger publisher with my next book, but if they're not going to help me with the promotion of it, I might be better off with sticking with my small publisher and simply selling the books at shows.

However, it was heartening to hear that my efforts over the past four years to promote and sell my book/CD You Don't Know Jack are quite standard now, which means I haven't been doing it wrong all this time.

I need to root through my things, but I thnk I might actually be down to my last 25 copies of the book (from the original printing of 500 copies back in 2005). I may do a second printing of You Dont' Know Jack in addition to my new CD and future book/CD. Money is tight for everyone nowadays, so everything must be carefully considered.

And lastly, keep an eye out for our new show taking place in the next two months. It's likely to happen on a Sunday night at Hurley's Irish pub. Musician Shayne Gryn and I have been rehearsing a show since December and hope to put it on sometime in May or June 2009.

A Wise Fool story for April

The Wise Fool is a classic theme in storytelling. I've always been a fan of underdog stories, and Jack has always had great things to teach us. Even in modern storytelling, we always root for the underdog because he embodies our greatest fears and hopes. Somewhere, lurking in our psyche, we fear that we're not good enough, but we hope that we can carry the day just by being who we are.

Our hero Jack shows us that if we just trust in ourselves, we can rise to any occasion. No ghost is too terrifying, no dragon is too big, no quest is too impossible, unless you don't try and Jack always tries.

In this story, Jack Cures the Doctor, everyone seems to be trying to trick everyone else. Everyone is playing the fool, challenging the others to out-fool, to out-wit. This story is featured on my book/CD You Don't Know Jack, but I really like this recording of it because you can hear the children's reaction to Jack's solution.

I love it and I hope you do too. Happy April Fool's day!

News: This story was published on my new CD "The Bard's New Hat". Read more about it on my website.

Jack Cures the Doctor (11:17 minutes)