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Email Q and A with Steven Machat

Win: One of five copies of the Bird on a Wire documentary here.

Tour documentary Bird On A Wire was filmed in 1972 on Leonard Cohen's European Tour, surfaced briefly in a heavily edited form in 1974 then disappeared, with the footage remaining 'lost' for over 30 years. Fast forward to this decade and 290 rolls of film were discovered in vaults by Producer Steven Machat whose late father Marty was Leonard's second manager, and who instigated the tour documentary all those years ago. Now it's been reconstructed and re-edited from memory by original Director Tony Palmer for it's recent release. We caught up with Producer Steven to ask about the delay, Leonard and his father's complex relationship and his own plans following his extensive music industry career.

Bird On A Wire has never been officially released until now. Why has there been such a delay between the film being made and its release?
The film did not come out initially as my father decided to let Leonard have his own opportunity to edit the film. Leonard took 2 years and in '74 it was released as Leonard's version and it lasted one night. My father never released the original as he died waiting for the moment to come when it would work best for Leonard's career. The film needed time to ripen as any fine wine. Leonard thought the first version was too explosive. Leonard liked a tame version. Leonard was scared to see himself as a man who questioned control. He preferred, and still does, the victim role.

What do you think the film offers its audience?
The film offers the audience an opportunity to see my generation, the World War II babies born within ten years after the end of that war, asking questions and looking for answers. By 1975, when the US lost the Vietnam war and we dealt with the fact that good guys did not always win (as we were raised that we were good and we would always win), the loss helped my generation quit. We just sold out our Essences (heartfelt love) and became Sadducees. A Sadducee is a person or people who would sell anything for material profit and then tell you that this was done with God by their side. We as a culture are owned by credit. Get everything you can and pay for it later. We are the Visa and Mastercard generation. Today, my generation needs to tell the truth to the youth. We sold out and got nothing of any Essence in return for our living a banker's dream. Owning nothing but borrowing to get the illusion that we have everything. Life is love and share, not own and control. This movie shows you my generation looking for a leader and they who attended this tour are shown that Leonard is not a leader but one of the many discontent souls trying to find out why they are here.

Your father, Marty Machat, was Leonard's manager and financed the film too. What do you think he would think about the film?
Dad would be so happy that his film came back to life. Maybe he is. Back then in '72, he really believed that Leonard was a prophet. He really thought Leonard was here to enlighten man. Unfortunately, Leonard lived to prove he too was only a man. He was a complainer, a critic with no motivation to make change for others, just change for himself.
The movie shows Leonard as a man who cannot deal with his communication of a greater message: the message being to understanding the Consciousness of Man, not the ego of some who wish to own and control others. Leonard moves back into himself, he cannot live his words. He is not the prophet, in fact, he is a Sadducee who tours now only for the money. His music, for the most part, takes on tones of only he and woe is me.

What did your Dad find working with Leonard to be like?
Dad was so honoured to work with Leonard. Leonard plays victim and likes having a person around him that plays the game that Leonard requires: someone to be his gangster. Dad, a hired gun as a lawyer, loved this role as then he believed Leonard was what he said he was. A man not married to wealth of material possessions and illusions. He thought Leonard was special, not like all of us. Dad learned that Leonard was human like all of us. He was sick of Cohen when he died. Cohen never said his goodbyes. He just cried to get his money.

What was it like to meet Leonard for the first time when you were younger? Any interesting anecdotes about Leonard?
I met Leonard for the first time at the University of Miami where I was a Freshman student. I saw his show and was not impressed. He was supposed to be folk rock and I was into energy rock: he was not of that world. The truth is my US generation never embraced him as the rest of the world did. He could not get airplay on US radio as US youth did not hear or feel his lyrics. We as all students living in a world of bank or sky god control are taught what to think not how to think.
There are plenty of stories about him in my book. The Death of a Ladies Man, the lawsuit with When I need You, divorcing him and Suzanne and the nonsense with him and what he did to my father as Dad was dying. Dad shared many stories with me but it would not be appropriate to discuss any of those now.

From your vast industry experience in many areas, how easy do you think it would be for someone like Leonard to try and start a career in music these days?
A new Leonard cannot suddenly begin. He or she must grow. We are all the sum of our years. We are a circle of our experiences. We revisit our past with new experiences. We should share our new perspectives but instead we try to own and control only those thoughts which we believe put us in a better light. An artist must share the pains of becoming aware. Most only share the thoughts that gave the artist their bank account. Even Leonard is guilty of this even more so now than ever. They tour and sing the songs that gave them a bank account. An old timer's show. The artist of youth becomes the performer of old.

As well as producing Bird On A Wire, during your career you have worked as an entertainment attorney, music producer, manager and deal maker. Which has been your favourite role and why?
My favorite role is taking on the powers that try to control order by making each and every day the same.

Change is the answer to what happens here on earth. Man is afraid of change and a society that cannot move with change will not survive. Rules of nature, and we need to understand that our consciousness is nature. So any time I can help bring change to a ruling order I am very excited. I will bring it on and help change come into being. Change is growth. Death is remaining the same.

Your book Gods Gangsters and Honour charts over three decades of the music and entertainment industry. What do you think have been the main changes to the industry? Do you think it has changed for the better?
The industry that I was raised into was one not owned and/or controlled by banks and multi-national corporations. These entities, the Sadducee order of our world, are against all forms of new creativity. They wish only to perpetuate the ownership of what exists so they can continue to control.

Something new happens in spite of the banks and the corporations. A new Essence order emerges. The problem is once that new becomes established the new becomes the order and the new is now desirous of maintaining order and the new joins the banking Sadducee lifestyle of what already exists.

Music is alive and I believe exciting now because the banks and the corporations cannot own or control the internet. I love the change and I really believe the copyright laws are way too long and serve only the banks and the corps for the real creators of the art of film and music are long gone.

If you had any advice for someone starting out in the music industry, what would it be?
If music is your heart and not your brain, then follow your path. Your heart is your path. Your brain only works to help you survive as your ego dictates. We need to live in a balance of the heart and brain. If not you will always hate what you do and you will only blame others because you understand you sold out.

What are you working on next? What do you still hope to achieve?
Today, I am in Egypt with my son and an oracle, finishing up my data for my next book which will be called Highway Man. This book is two parts.

Part one. It shows how and why man makes this heaven called earth a living hell. We create rules and order to perpetuate an order and to make sure we control others in our order. We then create fear and perpetuate ignorance in the masses by teaching and preaching adherence to our order and rules. The masses are promised their reward lies in heaven, but for now they must work and suffer for those in control so they can enjoy the illusion of a make believe heaven. Make believe because a heaven based on control is no heaven at all.

Part two is my understanding of what we need to do to make this place a heaven again. I have lived, loved, won and lost everywhere in and on this planet. I do not like to win to control. I like to win to share. I have had more hit records than many as a lawyer, manager, publisher, producer and entrepreneur. I have had more misses than maybe all. The music has taken me to over 90 nations and gotten me involved in theatre and movies as well as US national politics. I love my country and the world. I just wish to share.

I learned how to perpetuate thoughts as well as to change thoughts all over the world. I have followed my heart and when I can and did and do I too make money. I have watched the artist careers I have made, perpetuate or protect just sell out to the rules and order of the control of Bank. These people who wish to change the world gave up and joined the ruling order. It sickens me and I have learned and will share why all Man does this. We need to have a society that is based on health and welfare for all and a place where man can also soar providing it does not harm our society. Health and welfare is a social cost not a capitalistic sport.

Also, putting out this film, Bird on a Wire, allowed me to complete my Dad's cycle. As his clients lawyer, he was everyone's gangster but he rarely played the creative role. Leonard was the exception and this move to redo the film was my thank you to my dad for all the love both he and my mother allowed me to live and share in this trip here on earth.
My goal is to be the Man who says to society that we need to share and follow the heart. I have lived many lifestyles and have learned that only through sharing is life fulfilling. The path of Man is to share and grow, for growth never stops. If we are taught how to share, then perhaps we will realize we are actually already living in heaven here on earth.

Win: One of five copies of the Bird on a Wire documentary here.

Bird On A Wire is now available to buy on DVD through The Machat Company at Amazon.
Steven Machat's autobiography Gods, Gangsters and Honour is available as an audio book on iTunes.

2:48 PM | 03/09/2010