The minor fall, the major bitch.

S/FJ pointed out this super-best list of Leonard Cohen factoids. I was taken aback by this one:

60. In 1995 Cohen's manager, Kelley Lynch, put together Tower of Song, a set of his compositions sung by bigger stars including Sting and Bono. She asked Phil Collins, who turned her down. Cohen himself sent Collins a fax, saying: "Would Beethoven refuse the invitation of Mozart?" Collins faxed back: "No, unless Beethoven was on a world tour at the time." Cohen understood: "It's kind of a pain in the ass, to think about somebody else's dismal songs when you're not even in the studio."

1. Leonard, I know you're old(er). That does not excuse the fact that you compared Phil Collins to Beethoven.

2. Don't you love that Phil Colins manages to be an ungracious douche in any circumstance? Seriously. Leonard Cohen has asked you to cover one of his songs. Jesus Christ, be honored and humbled that Mr. Cohen had such an appalling lapse in judgement, cut "I Can't Dance" out of soundcheck, duck into a recording studio in Helsinki, and fucking do it.