Leonard Cohen’s The Flame, a posthumous collection of poetry and lyrics, made headlines yesterday when it was revealed that the late songwriter had written a scathing poem about Kanye West in 2015 called “Kanye West Is Not Picasso”. It’s…something.
Today, it was announced that an audiobook of the collection is on the way. It features an incredible lineup of readers, from Margaret Atwood and Maggie Hoffman to Seth Rogen and Will Patton. It also features Academy Award-nominated actor Michael Shannon, who was given the enviable task of reading “Kanye West Is Not Picasso”.
Shannon’s gravely drawl is a perfect fit for the boiling prose, and there’s something almost cathartic about hearing him spit out verses like, “I am the Kanye West of Kanye West/ The Kanye West/ Of the great bogus shift of bullshit culture/ From one boutique to another.”
Listen to his take below.
As for West, he’s apparently off to Africa after visiting the White House yesterday and subsequently giving a “keynote” atop a table at a Georgetown Apple Store.