The worst ever onstage banter

It's one thing for a musician to get angry, quite another for him to suddenly be struck down by existential horror. During a gig in Frankfurt in 1972, Leonard Cohen became so depressed he could no longer play. "I have been noted for my solemn atmosphere," he said. "But I don't care if this concert turns into a riot. Because I can't go along with this pretence any longer." Photo: PA Photos

'Hallelujah' had a troubled birth. Leonard Cohen took over two years to write it, whittling down the final version from a total of 80 verses. His original version, which appeared on the 1984 album 'Various Positions', was heavily Biblical in tone, but from 1988 he sang a different version live, which introduced a more secular, sexual element to the song. Photo: PA Photos

Added: Jan 23, 2009

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