Biografie

His "Greatest Hits" collection was voted the most depressing album ever, the vote made by a British magazine.

Was engaged to Rebecca De Mornay.

Has two children with his ex-girlfriend, Suzanne Elrod. Son, Adam Cohen, born 1972; and daughter, Lorca Cohen, born 1974.

During the 1990s, he became a monk in California in a quest for spirituality.

Spent part of the late 1990s living in a Buddhist monastery in California.

I didn't want to write for pay. I wanted to be paid for what I write.

The sole indiscretion in my professional life. - 1994 BBC radio interview detailing his regret on revealing Janis Joplin's name, for whom he'd written, "Chelsea Hotel No. 2

I always considered myself a minor writer. My province is small, and I try to explore it very, very thoroughly.

We used to play music for fun. Much more than now. Now nobody picks up a guitar unless they're paid for it.

My songs last about 30 years - that's about the lifespan of a Volvo. But they're designed to last as long as possible. My own critical examination of the songs is very severe: if it can survive examination by the heart, the mind and the gut, then I think the song can last a little while.