Thread:KeevayMusic/@comment-22439-20150705035913/@comment-4447616-20150706095528

Hello, Shining Armor:

The name is Jason and I assisted with graphics design for the Catman Cohen CDs....and for that reason, strangely, I was considered "competent" to provide a listing for the artist and his proposed Wikia listing. In fact, I know very little about the process or the methods so I may have made a mistake in volunteering for this task. I noticed you removed the CD cover of "How I Want to Die: the Catman Chronicles 1," and I suppose probably based upon objections to the sexual nature of that cover. However, as per the fact sheet presented me, you should note that more than 500 websites carry that CD cover...and that particular CD was placed into approx. 60 Tower Records stores at one time. The creator of that CD cover is a renowned artist by the name of Alexey Steele and his designs, although provocative and edgy, have never been placed into a category of pornography.   Hopefully, you might reconsider any decision to remove that image but naturally will respect your final decision on the matter. Anyway, the following is the Catman Cohen BIO I've been asked to place onto WIKIA and if you can offer any guidance, then that is much appreciated. I feel badly that I could not contact you on these matters when you first reached out, but just returned from a trip to see my sister, so excuse my tardiness. Naturally, any assistance you provide is greatly appreciated, thank you.

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================== BIOGRAPHY

Catman Cohen   (birthdate & birthplace unknown)  is the mysterious shadow musician, poet, and social activist who is best known as controversial creator of the music trilogy, "The Catman Chronicles", a collection of songs that have themes related to life, death, and dreams. Amongst  unsigned artist  s, Cohen’s unusual manner of presentation gained him a certain notoriety, not to mention more than his share of animosity and ostracism.

Described as “ Rock and Roll Theater  ,” Cohen's songs spring from a foundation of   social activism , primarily in calling for a resurrection of neglected heroes (e.g., nurses, paramedics, teachers, firemen, universal peace-keepers, etc.); a plea for assistance to those without adequate food or health care; and a cry for urgent remedial efforts to preclude an imminent fresh water crisis. To that effect, each Catman Cohen CD  has been shaped around a compelling social cause. Cohen has received endorsements from various luminaries including Patch Adams (medical activist)... Peter Gleick (fresh water activist; MacArthur Fellow).... and Mary Lightfine (international nursing activist; author of “Nurses, Nomads, and Warlords”). Various organizations associated with the social missions of Catman Cohen have included  Gesundheit! Institute  , Volunteers Without Boundaries; Nurses for a Healthier Tomorrow; Canadian Nurses Foundation;   Pacific Institute   ; and Blue Planet Project.

In October, 2011, Catman Cohen provided a limited release of his 4th CD entitled, “Confessions of a Shadow,” featuring his new opening track, "Zero." Designed as a dark and epic  rock musical   for   Broadway theatre ,  “Confessions of a Shadow” received a digital wide release in August, 2012.

Very little is known about Catman Cohen. To date, his only publicity consists of shadow photos and his official bio excludes data such as birth date, birthplace, and other personal details. He believes artists must step into the background in order that society can shift its spotlight onto various key vocations (especially nursing) that are in crisis. He turns down interview requests, instead suggesting a list of 50 social activist friends  be considered in his place, stating that they have more important urgent things to say about the world than anything he might offer.

Cohen's extremely deep, bullfrog singing voice has drawn comparisons to various artists, particularly Tom Waits,  [[ Leonard Cohen  ,   Bob Dylan , and   Barry White  . It is that strange unusual singing voice that forms the fulcrum within his CD's, featuring guest performances by  s hemales  ,   Goths  ,   Suicide Girls   , Jewish rappers, Latin Choirs, and other atypical entertainers.

To date, Cohen has never performed live, and the sole performance video, Fluffle-O...based upon a hidden throwaway track on his first CD...revealed Cohen as nothing more than a silhouette behind a screen, playing piano in black gloves. Furthermore, to date, there has never been any absolute or categorical confirmation of Cohen's true identity, appearance, or background. In fact, in a recent interview, British rock artist,  Francis Dunnery , renowned sideman for the legendary,   Robert Plant   (Led Zeppelin), and a featured guest vocalist on "Confessions of a Shadow," stated, "I have no idea who Catman Cohen is and, as far as I know, nobody knows who Catman Cohen really is."

'''Trivia '''
 * Catman Cohen owned five cat s at one time but turned th em over to his ex-wife in order that they could roam free on her large Las Vegas property. His favorite cat, Miss Priss, went missing and he maintains a $1000 reward for her return.

''
 * Upon meeting Catman Cohen for the first time, perform er Jackson Browne  excitedly told him: "Any  CD entitled, H ow I Want to Die, is a CD I got to hear''!"
 * After examining the sexual imagery on the CD cover of How I Want to Die, actor David Duchovny (The X-Files) eagerly expressed  his desire to  play the CD on his drive home, although he worried how his kids would react to content he presumed might be X-rated.


 * Representatives for Catman Cohen have  been i nstructed that wheneve r they meet a  policeman, fireman, nurse, teacher, paramedic or  soldier,  th ey must  a lways  p rovide  th em a free  cop y of Ho w I Want to Die.


 * Screenwriter-humorist Buck Henry (The Graduate), upon receiving a copy of How  I Want to  DIe, speculated sarcastically that it must be "the feel-good CD of the year."

'''Controversy  On September 8, 2005, Catman Cohen issued a press release   d enouncing “How I Want to ' Die” suicid e sites/blogs appearing on the Internet. Having been  alerted  about  vario us teenagers creat ing such  suicide websites/blogs, Catman went on record, stating that, "although dark and downbeat in tone, “How I Want to Die” is not a music CD advocating suicide, nor was it ever desi''gned to be."

Catman further stated: "I created the music CD, How I Want to Die at a time in my life when I was severely depressed about personal matters and the state of the Nation - and no doubt the CD reflects that fact. It serves as a personal confession of my darkest secrets - and it resolves in favor of life, not against it. “How I Want to Die” urges a path toward implementing solutions, not a path toward surrender."

Catman urged despondent young kids embracing How I Want to Die as a tribute to suicide to seek counsel of friends, family, or mental health professionals.

'''Quotations '''
 * The hallmark of an y dying Empir e is that they  stop repairing the r oads ~ on America


 * Pros perity  is the glue that holds the nation together  and God  hel p America  the stormy day it disappears, when scapegoats will rain from Heaven, and minority will turn against  minority i n unrepressed rage ~ on the American melting pot


 * Do not name your children Paris, Britney, Ashley, Jus tin, Jesse  or any other populist favorites because, in 20 more years, there will not be a child in the world who will want those names, the epithets for tired old wrinkled prunes with faded tattoos and droopy piercings, vestiges of a culture no longer suffic iently  consumerist  to warran t attention or interest from the taste-makers of the day ~ on following the crowd


 * I no longer pay much attention to the names of politicians who allegedly govern us but I do know the names of our secret royalty, the respective chairmen and presidents of Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan Chase, Citigroup, Rothschild, and Warburg ~ on  politics


 * I m et  Paris Hilton,  a  sweet thi n  girl, who  did no t know  who I  am and,  as I disco vered, did n ot know who she is either, other than what the Media told her to be ~ on Paris Hilton and The Cult of Celebrity


 * So far, I  have  not opted to become  an American,  not because of enormous cultural differences, but rather the inferior quality of chocolate bars sold in the USA ~ on being a Canadian living in America


 * Some things just don't make sense anymore: if soci ety pays  a young songwriter royalties on a single creation until the day he dies, then why not pay a fireman  equivale nt royalties in perpetuity for his own "act of art," namely the  extingu ishment of a single, major fire in which many lives are saved? ~ on resurrecting neglected heroes


 * I am not a big fan of musical or verbal illiteracy, even in the name of teenage rebellion, but the Rap handshake, fist touching fist, is a blessing I hope will replace the traditiona l h andshake mainstream: less germs, fewer diseases, and not as sticky ~ on the music industry


 * There are corporate elites whose ultimate dream would be to make eve ry human purch ase water through a bottle someday...even the water you use for a shower or bath. It seems to me that water is the one commodity that cannot be priced so high that only the rich can afford it ~ on the bottled water industry's role in the approaching fresh water crisis


 * Advertisers contro l the music b iz and God help the artists whose songs or lifestyles fail  to endorse  the consumption of bling-bling. Maybe I'm doomed because the only product I want to sell anybody is the blin g-bling of  awareness ~ on the music industry


 * We need to place velvet ropes around the hospitals, fire-stations, schools, soldiers bar racks, and police stations of this nation. Pe ople shou ld line up in fro nt of t ho se build ings, begging f or ent rance, as though they were the hottest nightclubs in the nation. It should be a privilege, no less than a divine honor, to touch or receive an autograph from a nurse, fireman, soldier, teacher, or cop today. They are the heroes we need to reclaim desperately or we will perish in a society whose caretakers have become pretty heiresses, porno muscle-heads, ball players, fame groupies, and aspiring entertainers ~ on resurrecting neglected heroes


 * I've always feared death by old age where one wastes away and sees one body part after another slowly fail. I really do believe that Hell in many forms can exist on Earth, not in any afterlife....and most of the elderly know what I mean. So I've often fantasized that, if I had to choose my death, then one that takes me out quickly (no matter how violent) and, at the same time, allows me to save a child in distress, would be the ideal way to go ~ on death


 * Cohen is a “yellow star" name, one that immediately identifies me as a Jew to the world,  and u nlik e so  many other Jews whose Anglo-Saxonized identities blend in with the  cr owd, I do not have the luxury of taking a vacation  from the enemie s of my name ~ on being a Jew


 * Never met a cat I didn't like and I have the scratches to prove it ~ on cats.


 * I really identif y w ith cats....myst eri ous, independent, and affectionate. They say that cats have nine lives and, in my mind, that is equivalent to an eternity...such heavenly creatures, not with wings, but rather soft, soothing purrs ~ on cats


 * I am essen tially a n existentialist, strongly influenced by the writings of Sartre and Camus. I believe that every instant of ti me is unique a nd discrete. Tomorrow need not resemble t oday i n any  way  shape or form. What that means is that, no matter how wonderful life may be today, we all stand on the cusp of disaster....and it is important to be social activists who take measures that preclude tragedies from occurring ~ on social activism


 * Every once and a while, the Universe allows me a visit to my late father in my dreams, and for those few moments, I cannot begin to descri be my jo y, and when my eyes pop open and he disappears, I can barely endure my despair ~ on family


 * I want to become the first music artist to live forever. You see, if all I am is a shadow behind a screen, then anybody with a low bullfrog voice can be the Catman. That means, when my time on this planet ends, another person can step in and continue The Catman Chronicles, another person can assume my identity and address a new litany of compelling social causes with each music project created ~ on immortality

'''
 * My greatest tragedy in life has not been lack of luck, but rather the inability to recognize it or ha ve the ball s to act upon it – and my greatest triumph in life is  rea lizing that, in so many ways, I am truly the luckiest person on the planet ~ on bad luck

Quotations About Catman Cohen '''
 * “If the public can only hear one of your songs, let it be ‘Prayer for America’”___M ary Lightfine, Founder/President of "Volunteers W ithout Boundaries" (2005)


 * “I feel we live in a society numb from television without the directed intelligence or compassion to lead a Love Revolution we need...and I appreciate anybody trying to do something about that”____Patch Adams, Medical Activist (2005)


 * “It is great to see someone trying to revive the time-honored tradition of music with both a soul and a purpose. Having just seen the first part of Scorsese's documentary on Dylan, I'm reminded of how important this is for society. And I'm delighted (Catman) is tackling the  issue o f water...I'm afra id we  are indeed heading into an era of growing conflict over water, and anything we can do to avoid that is worth doing”___Dr. Peter Gleick, President, Pacific Institute for Studies in Development, Environment, and Security (2005)

'''Song lyrics '''
 * Step into my church and pray for a nation growing dumber every day ~ "Prayer for America"


 * We’re wasting too many  hours discussing P am Anderson’s rack, wasting too much time wondering if Michael’s still black ~ "Prayer for America"


 * We need more nurses and more burn wards, fewer actors collecting dumb awards ~ "Prayer for America"


 * I’ll take a bullet from a gun, a knife wound in my chest, that’s how I want to die, just like a Catcher in the Rye ~ "How I Want to Die"


 * And my only wish for you, my brother, is someday you’ll understand, how it feels to be a corpse walking amongst your fellow man ~ "The Crime of Being Me"


 * In dreams she feels me beside her, as I stoke her female fire, in a world that feels so lonely, and I fill her need and hope ~ "The Mentor"


 * You’re my white baby, black baby, yellow baby too, my Christ baby, Buddha baby, Mohammed, and Jew ~ "Family of One"


 * There's nothing I can write today, I could have written way back then, nothing I can write today could be written with a younger pen ~ "Baby, Am I Too Late?"


 * In dark, deep caves where snakes grow big, that's where I learned how I want to live ~ "How I Want to Live"


 * There are people in our lives who cause us pain, from whom we cannot flee, there are people in this world who would bring us sweet love, we can never hope to meet ~ "We Spoke of God"


 * Tattooed flesh shrivels in the coming drought, wet pierced tongues, sandy paper when the party's done ~ "Water is Blood"


 * Some answers in life are so easy, like zero plus zero is none, but how do we divide the smell of flowers so their fragrance is shared by everyone? ~ "If I Could Divide the Smell of Flowers"


 * Tomorrow's not always like today, and if you want it to be OK, got to do your share to end the pain ~ "Tomorrow's Not Always Like Today"


 * If they wanted Yin, I gave them Yang, if they wanted me to dance, that's when I sang, no luck at all, the dark cloud never leaves me ~ "No Luck at All"


 * Love's a shicket wanna doopoo, Love's a furter gobba looloo, when you kiss me onna kookoo, makes me nokka fokka booyoo ~ "Sounds of Love"


 * Father, you believed, never let me bleed, helped me in my grief, helped me in my need, Dad, I love you so ~ "Father, You Believed"


 * There was a boy,  prayed to God up high, let me write a song, makes the whole world cry ~  "There was a Boy"


 * You knew me when I built monsters, before the days when you bled, you knew me when I surrendered, to the nightmares in my head ~ “Poet or Sinner”


 * I was born pale and invisible, in a world, sees everything, everything, everything….but me ~ “Zero”


 * I’m just a peddler,  with a cart,  bringing discount words, to hearts ~ “Unanswered Poems”

'''Discography '''
 * How I Want to Die: the Catman Chronicles 1 (2005)
 * How I Want to Live: the Catman Chronicles 2 (2005)
 * How I Want to Dream:  the Catman Chronicles 3 (2009)
 * Confessions of a Shadow (2011)

'''References '''

'''External Links '''
 * [ http://www.catmancohen.com/  Official website]
 * [ https://myspace.com/catmancohen  Catman Cohen Myspace]
 * [ http://www.discogs.com/artist/473122-Catman-Cohen  Discography at Discogs]
 * [ http://musicbrainz.org/artist/ae346a6e-23a5-4b3c-b5a9-7df4f89e1947/Musicbrainz ]
 * [ http://musicbrainz.org/artist/ae346a6e-23a5-4b3c-b5a9-7df4f89e1947/Musicbrainz ]