Standup comedian Sam Morril is, frankly, a Leonard Cohen superfan. Since Morril was an NYC-dwelling teenager, the mysticism of Cohen’s poetry spoke to him, and helped him navigate his early days touring comedy clubs around the country.
Specifically, Morril finds himself attached to Leonard Cohen’s 2009 live album, Live in London, a double album that featured songs from Cohen’s extensive, multi-dimensional career. “It really hit for me when I was a road comic,” Morril tells Consequence. “I’d be going through breakups, and his lyrics were just so truthful.”
He also finds kinship with Cohen in not just their Jewish identities, but in their penchant for humor altogether. “He’s aware of how miserable he is,” Morril says of Cohen. “That makes him funny! I think Rolling Stone called his greatest hits ‘the most depressing collection of songs ever written’.” Though Morril chose a bit of a different life path than Cohen, he still finds solace in Cohen’s acute acceptance of life, in whatever form it takes.
Ahead of Sam Morril’s new Netflix standup special, Same Time Tomorrow, arriving Thursday, September 1st, he sat down with Consequence to chat about the first time he heard Leonard Cohen’s Live in London, and his overall appreciation for the late Canadian singer and songwriter.
Watch Sam Morril explore the first time he heard Live in London above.
Trouble viewing the video in the player above? Watch on YouTube.