Like most children of famous musicians, Adam Cohen — son of Leonard — has long struggled to forge his own identity. After success as a songwriter and frontman of polished alt-rock band Low Millions, Cohen grew increasingly disillusioned before realizing that it was time to get back to his roots. His new record, Like a Man, warmly pays homage to his father while exhibiting his own deft poetic hand.
You've said that Like a Man has a "family trait" which you've been fighting for a long time. Did making the record feel like a surrender?
It felt like a great, unexpected opportunity at a time when I was ready to quit the music business all together. It was really a breakthrough of truth and passion and belief in what I was doing that trumped all of my past experiences.
Was there a last straw for you with the music industry?
I think when you consult your so-called career and realize that you haven't really achieved your teen-age dreams, despite [money] being invested in you and three major label deals, when you find yourself pitching songs for commercials and porno movies, that's a pretty telltale sign that you're not where you wanted to be.
Has making this record changed the way you look at your past music?
I'm not really sentimental that way. [This record has been] a delicious surprise, and the fact that it's been embraced critically ... I'm just really deeply, deeply gratified.
