What do you think?
Rate this book
The Man Next Door
In those days, it was easy to join the revolution. You could sign up on any street corner where you could also find like-minded children with similar weird hair and clothes. I had been in the streets a lot that year, marching for this and shouting slogans against that. The future would sort itself out, as simple as breathing. In 1966, when I was fifteen years old, I saw Leonard Cohen sing The Stranger Song on Canadian television. Not long afterwards, I took the subway downtown and bought a book of his poetry. Magic was afoot.
200 pages, Paperback
First published April 21, 2014
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
December 22, 2015
I liked the book. Very well written.
October 22, 2015
The Man Next Door immediately throws one into the late 1960s – poetry readings, student uprisings, Bistros and Montreal bars, the tragic deaths of Janis Joplin and Jimi Hentrix, and Canadian armed forces occupying Montreal triggered by the kidnappings of a provincial cabinet minister and a British diplomat by members of the Front de Libération du Québec (FLQ). Magic was indeed afoot! This is the historical moment Ann Diamond’s book immediately propels one into. The Montreal Bistros and bars were hangouts for intellectuals, artists, journalists and drunks. Leonard Cohen and Pierre Trudeau were regulars. In the summer of 1977, Montreal was in the midst of rather shocking revelations about doctors, psychiatric patients and classified experiments, some of which were attributed to CIA’s MKULTRA Program, in articles appearing in the local press. The brilliant and flamboyant Tibetan Buddhist teacher, Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche, was also part of this dynamic landscape.
Ann’s first fleeting encounter with Leonard Cohen occurred one night in the midst of these radical and romantic times. She describes Cohen as a mythical figure in her youthful revolutionary dreams. His books were sacred texts. The encounter left Ann feeling as though she was floating above her “occupied city like Kateri Tekakwitha, at one with all the Mohawks and other disembodied saints.” She prophetically sensed that she might run into Leonard Cohen again. A number of years later, Ann Diamond would find herself sitting at Leonard Cohen’s kitchen table asking if he recalled their first fleeting encounter. By that time, Cohen was a celebrated international figure who had just released an album produced by Phil Spector.
Cohen rang Ann up and introduced himself in typically witty fashion: “Hello Ann? This is Leonard Cohen. We have to stop meeting like this.” Ann’s first evening with Leonard Cohen left her dazed and delirious. A mutual friend had provided Cohen with her phone number. I immediately recognized the familiar phrases used by Leonard Cohen and could literally visualize him jumping in the air and asking “The girl with the bicycle? How tall is she?”
Having spent nearly 20 years working as Cohen’s personal manager, I had grown quite familiar with his speech, phraseology, and frequently eccentric behavior. I also know Cohen’s taste in women and understood why he found the youthful, spirited, and adventurous Ann Diamond so compelling. Over the years, I had come to know of Ann through Leonard Cohen. I understood her to be an old girlfriend who had remained friends with him throughout the years. The descriptions of Cohen’s home, encounters with his Montreal crowd, the Swiss bank book tucked away in a drawer, Joshu Sasaki Roshi, smoked meat, gifts, poetry books, Persian rugs, trinkets, religious chatchka, personal notes, Hydra, tales about CIA and the MKULTRA program, meth and LSD experimentation, mental hospitals and suicides also resonated.
While most biographies devoted to Leonard Cohen consist of impersonal or sanitized third party accounts that are dripping with awe and admiration, Ann’s biography is personal, revealing, and touches upon Cohen’s darker side which a friend of hers described when he cautioned her: “Be very careful of that guy. He's totally ruthless when it comes to women.” Leonard Cohen’s ruthlessness is invisible to anyone who bases their perceptions of him on the description of a sage-like individual whose speech is littered with profound expressions and cleverly crafted quotes. It is nevertheless an essential component of his private persona. Ann herself could not connect her friend’s remark to the man who appeared to be an “eccentric saint,” devoted son, and exceptional artist who associated with a rather odd assortment of neurotic friends. Cohen’s personal life is tortured and up close resembles a controlled disaster area. Leonard Cohen also understands his own nature. When Ann asks “But are you trustworthy?” he responds “No.”
Cohen’s public persona has a cultivated Europeanized air to it that leads one to conclude that he is humble, wise, calm, dignified, deeply spiritual, and in possession of courtly manners. Privately, Cohen is lonely and bitter as he confessed to Ann. This too resonated because I recall Cohen’s seething anger and resentment. (The book’s mention of the arrest of Suzanne Elrod made me wonder if Leonard Cohen was personally involved. For years, he had told me that his housekeeper’s husband, then Chief of Police on Hydra, had arrested Suzanne over a minor marijuana incident. It was hard to imagine Evangalia and Coulis being involved in something that extreme without Cohen’s permission.)
Ann’s relationship with Leonard Cohen would eventually land her on the Isle of Hydra where Cohen mingled with Greek peasants, millionaires, tourists, and had experimented with LSD and meth. I frequently heard Cohen’s stories about these experiences, drunken binges, CIA agents and other spies at Bill’s Bar, and how he wrote “Beautiful Losers” on LSD while visiting Hydra. In 1979 Ann had received a small writing grant from the Canada Council and decided to extend her trip to Greece, partly due to Cohen’s imminent arrival. Cohen was viewed as a God on Hydra while in Montreal his reputation was one of an eccentric failure. In the United States, Cohen was largely unknown although his work with Phil Spector led to numerous mentions of him in articles and news media accounts.
Ann’s book intimately recounts Cohen’s relationship with the muses and women in his life as well as his relationship with his young children, Lorca and Adam. Ann also had an opportunity to accompany Leonard Cohen on his 1979 UK tour and experienced the sordid world of alcohol-filled performances and an intense cult following. Ultimately, Ann’s experiences with Cohen led her to question her own sanity and emotions. She wondered if she was “entering a schizophrenic’s world where nothing was stable or straightforward, and where ordinary reality constantly erupted with subconscious material from who-knows-what source.” Five cities and six concerts later, Ann concluded that “Leonard was schizophrenic.”
Ann Diamond was a naïve, young woman in love with Leonard Cohen and felt that she could save him from himself. A sense his other, illicit relationships comes across. By the end of their relationship, Leonard Cohen would use his toolkit of tactics to attack, silence, frighten, and discredit Ann. It was clear that Cohen had exposed her to his personal world, which is both seductive and disturbing, and when he felt she questioned his conduct, he set out to destroy her.
This is not the type of biography fans of Leonard Cohen’s will readily embrace. It is far too naked and poignant. Ann Diamond is a very brave woman who has experienced and tangled with the man who wrestles with the angel and the beast. I applaud her courage and honesty.
Kelley Lynch
Ann’s first fleeting encounter with Leonard Cohen occurred one night in the midst of these radical and romantic times. She describes Cohen as a mythical figure in her youthful revolutionary dreams. His books were sacred texts. The encounter left Ann feeling as though she was floating above her “occupied city like Kateri Tekakwitha, at one with all the Mohawks and other disembodied saints.” She prophetically sensed that she might run into Leonard Cohen again. A number of years later, Ann Diamond would find herself sitting at Leonard Cohen’s kitchen table asking if he recalled their first fleeting encounter. By that time, Cohen was a celebrated international figure who had just released an album produced by Phil Spector.
Cohen rang Ann up and introduced himself in typically witty fashion: “Hello Ann? This is Leonard Cohen. We have to stop meeting like this.” Ann’s first evening with Leonard Cohen left her dazed and delirious. A mutual friend had provided Cohen with her phone number. I immediately recognized the familiar phrases used by Leonard Cohen and could literally visualize him jumping in the air and asking “The girl with the bicycle? How tall is she?”
Having spent nearly 20 years working as Cohen’s personal manager, I had grown quite familiar with his speech, phraseology, and frequently eccentric behavior. I also know Cohen’s taste in women and understood why he found the youthful, spirited, and adventurous Ann Diamond so compelling. Over the years, I had come to know of Ann through Leonard Cohen. I understood her to be an old girlfriend who had remained friends with him throughout the years. The descriptions of Cohen’s home, encounters with his Montreal crowd, the Swiss bank book tucked away in a drawer, Joshu Sasaki Roshi, smoked meat, gifts, poetry books, Persian rugs, trinkets, religious chatchka, personal notes, Hydra, tales about CIA and the MKULTRA program, meth and LSD experimentation, mental hospitals and suicides also resonated.
While most biographies devoted to Leonard Cohen consist of impersonal or sanitized third party accounts that are dripping with awe and admiration, Ann’s biography is personal, revealing, and touches upon Cohen’s darker side which a friend of hers described when he cautioned her: “Be very careful of that guy. He's totally ruthless when it comes to women.” Leonard Cohen’s ruthlessness is invisible to anyone who bases their perceptions of him on the description of a sage-like individual whose speech is littered with profound expressions and cleverly crafted quotes. It is nevertheless an essential component of his private persona. Ann herself could not connect her friend’s remark to the man who appeared to be an “eccentric saint,” devoted son, and exceptional artist who associated with a rather odd assortment of neurotic friends. Cohen’s personal life is tortured and up close resembles a controlled disaster area. Leonard Cohen also understands his own nature. When Ann asks “But are you trustworthy?” he responds “No.”
Cohen’s public persona has a cultivated Europeanized air to it that leads one to conclude that he is humble, wise, calm, dignified, deeply spiritual, and in possession of courtly manners. Privately, Cohen is lonely and bitter as he confessed to Ann. This too resonated because I recall Cohen’s seething anger and resentment. (The book’s mention of the arrest of Suzanne Elrod made me wonder if Leonard Cohen was personally involved. For years, he had told me that his housekeeper’s husband, then Chief of Police on Hydra, had arrested Suzanne over a minor marijuana incident. It was hard to imagine Evangalia and Coulis being involved in something that extreme without Cohen’s permission.)
Ann’s relationship with Leonard Cohen would eventually land her on the Isle of Hydra where Cohen mingled with Greek peasants, millionaires, tourists, and had experimented with LSD and meth. I frequently heard Cohen’s stories about these experiences, drunken binges, CIA agents and other spies at Bill’s Bar, and how he wrote “Beautiful Losers” on LSD while visiting Hydra. In 1979 Ann had received a small writing grant from the Canada Council and decided to extend her trip to Greece, partly due to Cohen’s imminent arrival. Cohen was viewed as a God on Hydra while in Montreal his reputation was one of an eccentric failure. In the United States, Cohen was largely unknown although his work with Phil Spector led to numerous mentions of him in articles and news media accounts.
Ann’s book intimately recounts Cohen’s relationship with the muses and women in his life as well as his relationship with his young children, Lorca and Adam. Ann also had an opportunity to accompany Leonard Cohen on his 1979 UK tour and experienced the sordid world of alcohol-filled performances and an intense cult following. Ultimately, Ann’s experiences with Cohen led her to question her own sanity and emotions. She wondered if she was “entering a schizophrenic’s world where nothing was stable or straightforward, and where ordinary reality constantly erupted with subconscious material from who-knows-what source.” Five cities and six concerts later, Ann concluded that “Leonard was schizophrenic.”
Ann Diamond was a naïve, young woman in love with Leonard Cohen and felt that she could save him from himself. A sense his other, illicit relationships comes across. By the end of their relationship, Leonard Cohen would use his toolkit of tactics to attack, silence, frighten, and discredit Ann. It was clear that Cohen had exposed her to his personal world, which is both seductive and disturbing, and when he felt she questioned his conduct, he set out to destroy her.
This is not the type of biography fans of Leonard Cohen’s will readily embrace. It is far too naked and poignant. Ann Diamond is a very brave woman who has experienced and tangled with the man who wrestles with the angel and the beast. I applaud her courage and honesty.
Kelley Lynch
April 7, 2015
I'm pretty sure the author is absolutely bat-crap crazy, but since I didn't know who Leonard Cohen was until I Googled him halfway through reading this book, it's hard to say if anything this author writes is true. I do know she was never mentioned in any of the Google stories related to Leonard Cohen, so I'm guessing she may be elevating her status in his life as one tends to do when one is obsessed with another person. The author claims to make her living as a writer, although she hardly ever mentions writing, and while this book is mostly coherent there are several errors in spelling and grammar. Not to mention I would recommend hiring a professional graphic designer to create a cover that is less cheesy and creepy. Anyway, to get to the gist of this book...the author begins with times she met Leonard Cohen when she was in college and he was 17 years older than her, the near-misses they had, and finally the love affair they began. However, most of the times she tells of their future encounters all throughout her life including the point where she moves in next door to him in Canada most recently, the author describes their encounters as her repeatedly chasing after him from country to country where she knows he'll be, and him telling her that he's not interested in her. I find it odd that the author admits that Cohen's circle of friends believe her to be his stalker, even though she says so many of their interactions are coincidental just sentences after she admits to heading somewhere she says she has heard he will be located. Anyway, I found this to be a somewhat disturbing, very confusing read, but I thank you for the First Reads copy.
August 15, 2022
Amanda you couldn't be more correct in your assessment. I was a lifelong friend of Leonards (designed his 1979 album cover and the hummingbird he used as an icon) and I spent time with Ann when she came to LA to try and stalk his zen community. I didn't know that's what she was up to and let her stay in our zen rooming house. Leonard refused to see her and then she tried to use me to start spreading ridiculous vicious lies about him into his zen community. I realized she was off her rocker when someone came to pick me up for a date and as we were leaving she was sitting on the porch and she literally started screaming at the top of her voice. I kid you not. Bat** bonkers. Years later when I confronted her she rambled on with fictional accounts of our encounters and what she "knew" about me. All fantasy. She publishes her own books so thankfully they never really see the light of day and will remain in the darkness of her own psyche.
March 15, 2015
an interesting, but rather oddly written book about the author's relationship with Leonard Cohen. Would have enjoyed it more had it been more about Cohen and less about Diamond.
August 16, 2022
hi, I just bought your book The Man Next Door. It made me sad. I hope you recovered from your childhood ordeal and that Cohen as well. Am I understanding it correctly, he was a victim of the MK experience? You do say that he liked the experience of the early test of the floating tanks. it is so weird because I remember in Santa Monica right back, they had floating tanks but it was offered like a meditation Zen thing and I tried it with a friend once. And I couldn’t stand the chlorine I thought I was gonna die. But it was not somebody asking us to be guinea pigs for anything. But I look back and I think oh gosh thank God I wasn’t trapped in any form of mind control. do you feel that he realized he was under that mind control? Did he ever heal himself before he passed? Did you ever find out about his daughter Laura cutting and what caused her to try to commit suicide? It’s just so sad. All that talent he had and to suffer through all that as well and I’m sure you did too. I hope you have a happy life.
October 18, 2015
Ann Diamond's The Man Next Door (Bootleg edition)
"A wonderful memoir of life with Leonard Cohen in Montreal and Greece through the heady 60s, spiritual 70s and cynical 80s - the music - the lyrics - the drugs - the government's mind control experiments - brilliant table talk by a woman who knew him well. Cover art by Tigana."
"Regarding the Man Next Door - I'm still recovering! And I mean that in the best way possible…All my favourite texts knock the ground out from beneath my feet. Not only did it topple me, it might be the most engaging memoir I've read. You make subtle gestures towards the devil in the details with a very sharp labrys…pure artistry." -- Andrew Roberts
"That was one great read. More gentle on our hero and maybe less paranoid than stuff written in the past. The story really does hang together and connects with my own memories of Montreal. But what I really want to know is, where can I see a picture of the Chinese man flipping through the air?" -- Tom Hochmann
"It is a most unique book , from a most unique perspective , and shines a light in the dark - there is nothing like it. I found it all compelling, never bored, no urge to skip, held by the words on every page. Things I have wondered about LC, from the things dropped in his songs, things he has said fell into place ." -- Jim Frieson, Japan
"Well done. And timely. "Manufacturing the Dead Head" over at Gnostic Media and Dave McGowan's work and now your work are all meshing like a perfectly synchronized Rolex Submariner wrist watch. --- Agent Rooster Cogburn
"Fascinating insight from that period from Ann Diamond, as usual." --- Kitty Hundal
“Never touch your idols: the gilding will stick to your fingers." --- Anonymous .......
"The ending will shock you." -- Ellen Atkin
"A wonderful memoir of life with Leonard Cohen in Montreal and Greece through the heady 60s, spiritual 70s and cynical 80s - the music - the lyrics - the drugs - the government's mind control experiments - brilliant table talk by a woman who knew him well. Cover art by Tigana."
"Regarding the Man Next Door - I'm still recovering! And I mean that in the best way possible…All my favourite texts knock the ground out from beneath my feet. Not only did it topple me, it might be the most engaging memoir I've read. You make subtle gestures towards the devil in the details with a very sharp labrys…pure artistry." -- Andrew Roberts
"That was one great read. More gentle on our hero and maybe less paranoid than stuff written in the past. The story really does hang together and connects with my own memories of Montreal. But what I really want to know is, where can I see a picture of the Chinese man flipping through the air?" -- Tom Hochmann
"It is a most unique book , from a most unique perspective , and shines a light in the dark - there is nothing like it. I found it all compelling, never bored, no urge to skip, held by the words on every page. Things I have wondered about LC, from the things dropped in his songs, things he has said fell into place ." -- Jim Frieson, Japan
"Well done. And timely. "Manufacturing the Dead Head" over at Gnostic Media and Dave McGowan's work and now your work are all meshing like a perfectly synchronized Rolex Submariner wrist watch. --- Agent Rooster Cogburn
"Fascinating insight from that period from Ann Diamond, as usual." --- Kitty Hundal
“Never touch your idols: the gilding will stick to your fingers." --- Anonymous .......
"The ending will shock you." -- Ellen Atkin
October 19, 2015
Ann Diamond's dystopian Harlequin memoir The Man Next Door - available at http://www.lulu.com/…/the-man-n…/eboo...
WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING ABOUT "THE MAN NEXT DOOR":
WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING ABOUT "THE MAN NEXT DOOR":
"Regarding the Man Next Door - I'm still recovering! And I mean that in the best way possible…All my favourite texts knock the ground out from beneath my feet. Not only did it topple me, it might be the most engaging memoir I've read. You make subtle gestures towards the devil in the details with a very sharp labrys…pure artistry." -- Andrew Roberts
"That was one great read. More gentle on our hero and maybe less paranoid than stuff written in the past. The story really does hang together and connects with my own memories of Montreal. But what I really want to know is, where can I see a picture of the Chinese man flipping through the air?" -- Tom Hochmann
Well done. And timely. "Manufacturing the Dead Head" over at Gnostic Media and Dave McGowan's work and now your work are all meshing like a perfectly synchronized Rolex Submariner wrist watch. --- Agent Rooster Cogburn
"A wild ride." -- Carolyn Swayze literary agency
"A truly great read. The ending will shock you." -- Ellen Atkin, Raw Travelling blog
"Fascinating insight from that period from Ann Diamond, as usual. I look forward to reading her new book." --- Kitty Hundal
“Never touch your idols: the gilding will stick to your fingers." --- Anonymous
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews