I spent a couple weeks in Montreal last month as a half-working half-vacation. I’d never been, but I’d heard such good things, and we got a very good deal on a sublet. Lovely city; I’d happily settle down there, though I’d have to learn French for real, which isn’t la fin du monde.
Anyway–they seem to be very proud of one of their local boys who made good:

I share their love of Leonard Cohen. There’s actually a much bigger mural downtown, but I couldn’t get a good shot of it. I’ve been meaning to share this with y’all, and this gloomy-slow-day-at-work seemed like the right time.
So, without further ado, here’s a song that I find calming and centering, even (especially?) when the world is on fire.
Below the fold, a deep cut live video featuring Sonny Rollins, and a picture from a visit I made to his grave…
One of my favorite saxophone solos ever:
rikyrah
Thanks for this. Hope you enjoyed yourself. If you have anymore pictures, send them to Alain :)
rikyrah
He can be so funny sometimes.
CBC Week, Explained
Michael Harriot
Today 1:30pm
The Root’s Senior Writer Michael Harriot will be documenting his first time attending the Congressional Black Caucus’ Foundation Annual Legislative Conference in Washington DC, colloquially known at CBC Week.
SRW1
Isn’t Montreal kind of more like ‘up there’?
chris
Hi, Balloon Juice! The power came on about an hour ago after 5 days and 5 hours. So, yay. Internet surprisingly came with it so good for them. Digital detox was going so well, too ;-)
Raven
Winter Lady, stay a while. . .
Trav’ling lady, stay awhile
Until the night is over.
I’m just a station on your way,
I know I’m not your lover.
Well I lived with a child of snow
When I was a soldier,
And I fought every man for her
Until the nights grew colder.
She used to wear her hair like you
Except when she was sleeping,
And then she’d weave it on a loom
Of smoke and gold and breathing.
And why are you so quiet now
Standing there in the doorway?
You chose your journey long before
You came upon this highway.
Traveling lady stay awhile
Until the night is over.
I’m just a station on your way,
I know I’m not your lover.
Meanwhile I never knew Chelsea Hotel was about Janis.
trollhattan
First though: why are the honoring Leonard Nimoy?
trollhattan
@chris:
Yikes! How’s the ice cream?
Steeplejack
@SRW1:
“Settle down” there vs. “settle” down there.
StringOnAStick
I love the two intertwined hearts/Star of David on his headstone; very fitting and lovely. Such a fascinating guy.
On other respite topics, the never ending question of “why do cats like this toy?” All it is is the remaining plastic stick after they tore off the fabric ribbon that was attached, leaving just the nub; you’d think it was the best toy ever created. I’m glad I didn’t throw it away after they eliminated the ribbon half. I’ve been keeping them playing with it for 4 hours now while I do work at my desk; just rub it along the ground and they will go nuts trying to get to it first. Finally I’m seeing some sleepy eyes and search for the best spot in the sun to take a nap.
Major Major Major Major
@rikyrah: I dunno, people only want to look at so many photos of poutine…
JPL
@chris: Welcome back!!.
Major Major Major Major
@StringOnAStick: I didn’t actually notice his unique Star of David until I was looking over my pictures later that evening, but I love it!
Martin
@rikyrah:
One of the things I learned after arriving in academia is how seriously black organizations take networking. If you are a black student, you will go to every even marginally related conference and gathering, dragged kicking and screaming if needed. You will meet every person in a position to hire, give grant money, mentor, or whatever and you will be better off for it. And when you are that person with agency, you will drag everyone you know to these events and pay that shit forward.
And it works really, really damn well.
chris
@trollhattan: You mean Saturday night’s supper?
trollhattan
Atop the BBC News home page are dualing denials:
“Johnson denies lying to the Queen about suspension”
“Netanyahu denies Israel spying on the White House”
Of course you do, boys, of course. It’s how you roll.
trollhattan
@chris:
Semi-solid, or sipped from a mug?
chris
@JPL: Thanks. I hope everyone here is well.
Steeplejack
I’m girding my loins and putting on the tactical gear (pants!) for a busy afternoon. The elusive fuel pump has arrived for my mother’s Explorer, so I’m going to drop off the SUV at the dealership way on the north side of town, then take an Uber back here to the south side. But first I’m going to get a Pollo Loco salad and take that to Mom in hopes of perking up her appetite. She’s also way on the north side. The whole expedition is laid out semi-efficiently; it’s just time-consuming.
The weather is nice—barely 90° now, not going up much higher. Balmy by Vegas standards.
trollhattan
And may I add that building possibly pre-dates Brutalist Architecture, but it sure as hell fits the term.
Major Major Major Major
C’mon, respite thread, folks.
Gin & Tonic
@Major Major Major Major: Well, you could mix it up with photos of smoked meat.
trollhattan
@Steeplejack:
Does the stealership not have a customer shuttle?
rikyrah
????
This should disqualify them.
Amanda Litman (@amandalitman) Tweeted:
Of the 10 candidates on the debate stage tonight, only @BernieSanders & @AndrewYang have not yet signed the Down Ballot Pledge, promising to rebuild the Democratic Party from local offices on up. ? https://t.co/sRGzV59wr5 https://twitter.com/amandalitman/status/1172185403203436552?s=17
chris
@trollhattan: Spoon. Power went out at 10:15am before the storm even got started. Freezer was good til Sunday morning when I moved some stuff to the neighbour’s giant chest freezer. He has a whole house generator and we’ve done this before.
Ohio Mom
@trollhattan: It’s the old Jewish man look. I had a couple of uncles you could have also confused for Cohen.
rikyrah
This thread ????
Is that dust ?? ?
https://twitter.com/TheRealDoctorT/status/1171831596724477952
Mary G
@StringOnAStick: I get a big box about 3 feet square every month from Amazon and my cat loves to sleep on top of it while it’s full. It’s half empty now, but when I got up this morning she was balanced precariously on one flap sound asleep.
trollhattan
@Ohio Mom:
:-) I’d like to think that had Cohen and Nimoy ever met, they would have had a lot to talk about. Who knows, perhaps they did.
Omnes Omnibus
@Steeplejack: @SRW1: Settle down there, both of you.
trollhattan
@chris:
That’s a loooong time to be without power (first place: No Shit, Sherlock Award). You out in the boonies?
Omnes Omnibus
Alexandra Leaving has always been one of my favs. https://youtu.be/c9APHjPu4Nk
Pete Mack
Very cool. I have tought myself to sing much better by singing along with Leonard Cohen on long (solo) car trips. Good enough now to join a church choir, hallelu–u-ujah.
Ohio Mom
Ohio Family has been to both Montreal (once) and Toronto (twice). Toronto is the one that gave me the “Why don’t we live here?” blues.
Of course, I might have felt differently if our visits were in the winter instead of the summer.
Steeplejack
@trollhattan:
Didn’t really think of that. Mom’s house is in Summerlin—11 o’clock on the Vegas clock face. The dealership is somewhat nearby at 12, and my RWNJ brother’s Black Mountain supervillain lair is in Henderson, about 5 o’clock on the dial and 30 miles away. I’ll ask and see what they say about a shuttle. That would be a pleasant surprise. Thanks for the tip.
Roger Moore
@StringOnAStick:
If the kitties keep going crazy for the “new” toy, you’re going to have to change your nym.
chris
@Major Major Major Major: Sounds like you enjoyed Montreal. I lived there from ’66 to ’69. My best memory is of Expo67 and the summer pass my Dad got through work.. We lived in Hudson Heights and my Mom would put me on the train in the morning with orders to be on the 7pm return. I was 12, can you imagine a parent doing that today?
ETA: Leonard Cohen was regarded with deep suspicion by the adults. He was one of my heroes and now I’m going to dig my ancient copy of Beautiful Losers
trollhattan
@Steeplejack:
Hopefully they will, some dealerships actually strive to keep customers happy, since service is how they keep the lights on.
Steeplejack
@Omnes Omnibus:
I’ll settle your hash later!
Quinerly
@Raven: yep.
WereBear
@rikyrah: Thanks, I loved that article.
chris
@trollhattan: Heh, for most of you all of Nova Scotia would be the boonies but, yeah, I’m out in the woods. Nova Scotia Power was privatised years ago (fucking conservatives!) and bought by Emera (Hi, Betty Cracker!) an American company. Every time this happens they gobsmacked by the number of trees. Every time is getting a little tiresome.
WereBear
@trollhattan: Did anyone ever see Cohen and Nimoy in the same place at the same time? Hmmmmm?
trollhattan
@chris:
I feel for you. Our city has citizen-owned electricity and PG&E for gas. Thank bog we don’t have PG&E for both, they’re going through bankruptcy #2 because of their phenomenally large liability from being the cause of several yuge wildfires, fires that have racked up more than a hundred fatalities and tens of thousands of structures lost.
Let’s hear it for private, investor-owned utilities. They’re the BEST.
Major Major Major Major
@Pete Mack:
I’m not sure this is the best strategy, lol.
SiubhanDuinne
@trollhattan:
@Ohio Mom:
The Two Leonards
Major Major Major Major
@chris: I went and visited the giant Expo dome (and biked around those islands), it was so cool!
Just One More Canuck
@Ohio Mom: i’m in suburban Toronto – our winters are bad, but Montreal’s are much worse – plus driving in Montreal, especially on the island, is ‘challenging’
having said that, I love Montreal
chrisanthemama
I love Leonard Cohen–and the announcement of his death around the 2016 election was unbelievably hard. And then his “You Want it Darker” album released October 2016–the title song was so prescient. Also in “The Future” album (whence cometh the “Anthem” song) was the title song: “I’ve seen the future, brother: it is murder”. His lyrics ring out like they’re written in fire (fire doesn’t ring, but still).
Dan B
@Major Major Major Major: My brother went to McGill for a year. He was impressed with the snowplows for the sidewalks. He was impressed (distressed?) by the ice mounds created by the street plows pushing snow to the curb and the sidewalk plows pushing from the other direction. Getting across the street was nerve wracking. Getting caught mid street and facing an icy climb to avoid being run over by traffic was definitely disturbing. The inderground malls sound more reasonable.
Raven
@Major Major Major Major: I’m sure you know he was a major Buddha Head.
mrmoshpotato
@rikyrah: That’s a wonderful thread. Thanks for sharing it, rikyrah.
chris
@Just One More Canuck: Sibling and spouse plan to retire to Mtl, spouse’s home. I want them to get an apartment in Habitat so I can realise my dream of staying in one of those cubes. Sadly, they are not cooperating.
ETA: Meant this for M4 but I too love Montreal. I’m looking forward to sibling’s retirement.
Major Major Major Major
@Raven: But of course. A friend of mine was a co-monk of his.
@Just One More Canuck: @Dan B: The Canadians I talked to said that the winters really aren’t as bad as folks say, they just say that stuff because everybody likes to complain about the weather, and nobody actually uses the tunnels. But obviously one should visit in February (and July) before one moves anywhere with seasons.
polyorchnid octopunch
I lived in Montreal for years; my children live in Laval (the island just north of the L’ile de Montreal) so I go through it all the time.
It’s a great city.
I currently live a three hour drive east of it in Ontario. We’ve got a dev from Dayton Ohio visiting the shop this week; he’s been marvelling at how we run our cities. Turns out that’s what happens when people don’t get a knee-jerk reaction to the concept of paying the price for civilization.
hitchhiker
We went to see him twice in Seattle — still my favorite concert ever. No warm up, not a sound while the band played, a feeling of utter respect between performers and audience throughout. Every musician perfectly & warmly in sync with every other, and omg the lush voices of those women in counterpoint to his growling.
I’d have sat there all night long.
As a teenager yearning to get the hell out of rural northern Michigan, I played Songs from a Room so much that I still hear the tunes follow one another in order.
He was an amazing person.
Major Major Major Major
@hitchhiker: I saw him in 2010 or so. I actually got tired and left around hour 3, he was still going strong.
The “Live in London” album is a great snapshot of that tour.
mrmoshpotato
@Ohio Mom:
It’s a Celcius cold. Wait, that doesn’t make it better. Nevermind!
Yutsano
@Gin & Tonic: Toutière or GTFO.
Just One More Canuck
@Major Major Major Major: did a quick check – Toronto gets about 50 inches of snow per year, New York gets 25, Chicago 35
Montreal? more than 80
Just One More Canuck
@Yutsano: bagels
Major Major Major Major
@Just One More Canuck: I’ll bet Montreal handles their 80 better than New York handles their 25.
I grew up in Denver, which apparently gets 60 and never bothered me.
raven
@Major Major Major Major: Ah, at Shasta Abbey?
Yutsano
@Just One More Canuck: Also a fair point. I really need to get to Québec some time soon. It would be great to see where my ancestors actually got a foothold. And go peek in on the wreckage of my second cousins the Dionne quintuplets.
chris
@Just One More Canuck: Ben’s. (Closed now. Sniff.)
mrmoshpotato
@trollhattan:
If you listen very carefully, you can hear the subtle hint of sarcasm.
Major Major Major Major
@raven: Mount Baldy, I believe.
delk
@Major Major Major Major: The 80’s gay scene in Montreal was amazing. Massive multi floor clubs with a hotel and restaurant, drag bar, leather bar, piano bar, dance floor all under one roof. One even had an ice cream shop. Probably because everyone was smoking hash.
mrmoshpotato
@Yutsano: Chef John’s version from FooooodWishes.com.
SiubhanDuinne
@Yutsano:
Seriously? Wow.
The Dionne quintuplets absolutely fascinated me as a kid. I had the paper dolls and everything. It was only as an adult that I realised that my kind of obsession (shared, it must be said, with millions of others) contributed to (as you put it) the wreckage of their lives. Poor sad things were horribly exploited by the people and institutions they should have been able to trust most.
Omnes Omnibus
@Yutsano: My dad took my mom up there a few years ago to do exactly that. Her family ended up on the south side of the river and her maiden name popped up on some streets and a couple of priests.
Ohio Mom
@SiubhanDuinne: And I’m telling you, you could put my Uncle Leo’s face up there too. And maybe this isn’t the kindest thing I’ve ever said, but recent photos of my Aunt Charlotte probably as well.
Good thing the Leonard’s and Leo were all honest fellows and did not have to worry about being mistakenly arrested for a crime another one of them committed
SiubhanDuinne
@Ohio Mom:
Oh yes. My friend Larry, Brooklyn-born-and-bred, about 85+ now, is also blessed with one of those great rubbery, deeply-creased, twinkly-eyed Jewish faces. I have a great affinity for that look.
Dan B
@Major Major Major Major: We grew up west of Akron at higher elevation and more snow. It was at least 80 inches of snow. Roofs had to be heavily reinforced. My brother was mosyly amazed at sidewalk plows and the impediment they created to crossing the street.
Mowgli
@hitchhiker: I took my dad (a huge Cohen fan) to see him in Atlanta at the Fabulous Fox Theater, which is an incredible venue. Your description was perfect, it was a magical night. Ever since, I just refer to Cohen as “The Master.” He truly was a rare gem.
Ohio Mom
@polyorchnid octopunch: Poor Dayton, Ohio. It’s practically a ghost town as far as employers go. There used to be a good number of car factories, they’re gone.
NCR (National Cash Register) world headquarters was there — Dayton is the birthplace of the cash register (as well as the automatic car starter, the pop-tab on soda cans, and a bunch of other stuff). But the NCR bigwigs didn’t want to live there anymore and moved HQ, IIRC, to Georgia.
Lexis Nexis is still there but they missed their chance at being THE search engine for everything. They could have been what Google became, they just didn’t have the imagination.
The Air Force base and the tech contractors it supports are the only things really going on up there.
It’s the Rust Belt.
Steve in the ATL
@Ohio Mom: NCR moved to Atlanta because it hired a CEO who was commuting to Dayton from his NYC home and his wife hate having to change planes and insisted he move the company somewhere they could get a direct flight.
If it helps, NCR has a horrible reputation here as an employer. I’ve gotten at least a dozen recruiter calls about jobs there over the last 10 years, and they are almost apologetic when they say who the employer is.
Sab
@Dan B: Will you ever tell us where west of Akron? Summit or Medina County?
I thought NE Ohio had snow, until I moved to Grand Rapids MI. Everyone had ( and needed) roof rakes for snow. I still have mine. I use it on fall leaves on the roof. I remember my 18″ tall dogs happily tunnelling under the snow all winter. It was that high.
Sab
@Steve in the ATL: BF Goodrich moved from Ohio to NC because its CEO wanted to dump his wife, and Ohio is a fault divorce state if the spouse doesn’t want to be dumped. Moved and up-ended the lives of thousands of people because he wanted a cheaper divorce, and the Board of Directors was OK with that.
Major Major Major Major
@Mowgli: that’s funny, I saw him at the regular Fox theatre in Oakland.
Ohio Mom
@Steve in the ATL: I lived in Dayton for the four longest years of my life. It was when we were newly married and Ohio Dad had a job there.
I could see traces that there used to be things happening there, things that were never going to happen again.
Sab
@Ohio Mom: Aren’t you in Cincinnati now?
Omnes Omnibus
@Ohio Mom: I dated a girl who went to UD. She was even a Flyerette. She had transferred to BGSU by the time I met her. I sure hope she wasn’t back there at the time of the massacre.
Steve in the ATL
@Ohio Mom: Cox Enterprises moved from Dayton to Atlanta years before NCR. Just not much left there. And my corporate card number was stolen at the PF Chang’s there seven years ago and I’m still mad about it.
Steve in the ATL
@Ohio Mom: Dayton will always have the arboretum!
thalarctosMaritimus
@Major Major Major Major: Hey, he’s going to have all four notes *nailed*.
thalarctosMaritimus
@hitchhiker: were you there in 2012?
I half-expected an old man, forced back into touring after being swindled by his manager, doing the best he could but having to end after a fairly short show.
NOT SO! I don’t have the stamina he showed for 3-1/2 hours, and he loves his audience! God, that was the best concert I’ve ever attended.
Amir Khalid
@WereBear:
Damn, When I saw that mural. I thought it was Dustin Hoffman.
Sab
@Steve in the ATL: Pretty much every city that aspires to be a city has an arboretum. We also have a marathon, which pretty much fucks up the city for a weekend every year, and also attracts some Kenyans and Russians who will spend nothing here. Apparently it’s mandatory if you want to be a city that matters.
Wanted to go to the neighborhood where the neighbor who bought and knocked down my childhood home lives. Wanted to be there at 6 am with cowbells and vuvuzelas.
Appearently they rerouted.
Nobody sent me the memo. I will be there. Also my friends. We might have to ring until 11 or 12 when we realize no one eill show up . So sad.
J R in WV
OK, off topic, maybe.
Tuesday is my usual day to run to town for provisions, first day after the weekend my fav shops are open. Wife went out gardening the boulders and woods, and had a little fall, she says. No harm done.
But that night she was restless, more than usual. then last night, was in misery. So this morning we take off to family doctor — he thinks she has a broken rib & possibly a thoracic vertebrae damaged. So then off to the Imaging center. All day mission. He sees everyone who need to see him, which is really good, but can make a long day real long.
Have been with Doc for 40 years now… he’s eccentric, nuts also, but a good Dr and a good guy.
Plus pain pills, as nothing much to do for ribs. Will look into an elastic brace gadget to help her stay straight, probably.
chopper
the fact that leonard cohen’s crave is covered in hebrew fills me with a joy that i just cant describe.
Steve in the ATL
@Sab:
[shudder]
Ramalama
Heyyy I’m near Montreal! Be sure you go check out Jean Talon market (open air) or if you want to eat at the most fun and delicious restaurant go to L’Express on rue Saint Denis. It isn’t marked but everyone who knows anything knows that resto. Best times to eat there are at 9:30-10pm.
laura
I love this post and every comment eight ways to Sunday. The everything of it all -connections, oddities, politics, travel, compassion, exploitation, public power to the people shared experiences though different times and locations and circumstance – if James Burke “Connections” and Kevin Bacon had a baby, it would be this post.
meander
I thought it was Jack Klugman! Perhaps painted on a hospital to celebrate his time on Quincy.
One of the great Montreal movies is “I Confess”, starring Montgomery Clift, Anne Baxter, and Karl Malden, directed by Alfred Hitchcock, released in 1953. IMDB’s one-sentence summary: “A priest, who comes under suspicion for murder, cannot clear his name without breaking the seal of the confessional.”