I was truly saddened to learn of the passing of Lenny Stoute earlier this week as he was a larger-than-life presence. I first crossed paths with Lenny when he was a Features Writer for Music Express magazine between 1981 and 1986, while I worked as a freelancer for the publication. Lenny was a brilliant writer, and I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone with such a wicked sense of humour. The most memorable moment might have been his interview with Sade, the sultry singer who hit the charts with songs like “Smooth Operator” and “Your Love Is King”. According to Music Express Publisher/Editor-in-Chief Keith Sharp, “Lenny was never one to let facts stand in the way of a good story”. Well, Lenny took a few artistic liberties with his Sade piece, and the singer was not amused. In fact, after the story was published, she was incensed to the point that she phoned Keith at the Music Express office and demanded to speak to Lenny. When told he wasn’t available the singer, in her high Cockney accent, went on a profanity-laced tirade about Lenny.
A similar story comes from Music Express co-founder/president Conny Kunz, who recalls an interview that Lenny conducted with Van Halen frontman David Lee Roth. “One evening I got a call from David and he was very perturbed and insisted on Lenny giving him the tape of the interview,” Conny says. “David didn’t like what Lenny wrote and he swears he didn’t say those things. I told him that we didn’t have the tape because in those days you would tape over your interviews”. Of course, Conny, who is no shrinking violet herself and is affectionately known as the Dragon Lady told David “Whatever Lenny said in the interview is true. You are a whore monger. Be proud of it. The other end of the line went quiet.”
That was Lenny, sometimes ruffling feathers, but always getting the best out of his subjects.
In addition to Music Express, Lenny contributed to the Toronto Star, the Globe & Mail, Eye, Metro, and, most recently, Cashbox Canada, where he wrote a weekly piece about the Canadian music scene called BTW. The first notification of his passing came on his Facebook page – “Leonard “Lenny” Stoute passed peacefully today in the company of his loved ones”. The notice included his poem “To Dream A World” which includes the following excerpt:
“Before me all is promise and challenge
Questions bereft of answers
So I travel with the East Wind
Billowing my sails
I travel to the sunrise of tomorrow.”
I was still in touch with Lenny on Facebook, where he sometimes referred to me as ‘Cuz’. We weren’t family, but Lenny was that kind of quirky cousin that I never had. My last communication with him was about a week ago, when he was on my case for buying a new gas-powered car. I tried to explain my logic, and he responded with “Happy trails my wayward one.” You too, my friend.
