Rufus Wainwright - Classic or Dud?

I definitely prefer the first album to the second one, love the Van Dyke Parks strings on "Foolish Love" and "Millbrook." Poses is good, but it has his first truly abysmal song, "Shadows". Sounds like the some awful K.D. Lang adult contemporary outtake. I heard he wrote it with the Propellerheads guy, let's blame him. I wonder how he'll pull off playing for arena size crowds at Wotapalava? Maybe they'll have him and the Magnetic Fields on a smaller stage.

I used to hate his voice, reminded me too much of Gordon Gano from the Violent Femmes, but now I love it. Maybe that's what's bugging you, Anthony.

And you like Martha Wainwright? I saw her about three years ago and didn't care for her much. It was rambling storytelling folk stuff without much focus, kind of Jewel-ish. But she was probably about nineteen. What's she like now?

But then I got back to the UK, and a friend *made* me listen to a CD, and I was utterly charmed. There really was something magical, and warm, and lush to the arrangements, the melodies were jaunty and pretty, and the lyrics trod just the right balance between being "too clever by half" and being disarmingly charming.

So I gave him a second chance, and I was well rewarded

And he has great trousers.

(To answer your previous question, Anthony - not a cult of marcel, but more of an absurdist junior league.)

He writes great songs, he uses great arrangements, he gets the best production money can buy (Alex Gifford Poses PropellorheadZ production surprise!). Live he is a treat, a true drama princess in the best old-school mold. If only he could sing like Freddy Mercury he would be godlike, but perhaps that is the beauty mark.

"April Fool" = classic

his voice = classic

I think he should be leading the Strokes.

(a) He's been to an ILX FAP! Okay, not really. But last February, when Ned and I were in New York, we were walking from one bar to another in the early evening and I very nearly bumped into Rufus. No one else really noticed: a few steps later I said "hey, everyone, that was Rufus Wainwright just then!" and then Ned threatened to go back and beat him up, which slightly lowered my opinion of Ned (sorry Ned but he's just wonderful!).

(b) Is it just me or are people starting to sing like him now? That Walkmen single features some Rufus-izing (in the phrasing and voice modulation) that's pretty out of proportion to a lot of the rest of the album, and I heard something at a cafe the other day that was trying on Rufus's vocal clothes for size.

He has been recording here in London, but I forgot to ask him where or with who. And he was a very engaging interviewee. ALL cute gay boys I know claim him as one of their own.

I'm a sucker for his kind of thing.

My opinion remains unchanged. ;-)

And I love the line about being "drunk and wearing flip-flops on 5th avenue." Is that rock-bottom or just a charming little low?

and about the ny citing - does he live there now¿ i thought he was a montreal boy still.

Agreed, absolutely gorgeous.

I saw the documentary tonight, and I really liked his whole self deprecating sense of humour.

And why are there so many (well two) attractive gay musicians?

And his sister. Rwor.

I'm prepared to give him another chance, as that's the only track I've heard (and instinctively recoiled from) thus far.

"Vibrate" is so many leagues above anything Thom Yorke has put his name to! Even apart from that I don't see that they share any similarities at all, either lyrically or sonically.

What will happen instead
Someone will demand my head
And then I will kneel down
And give it to them

And I like his voice LOADS more than Thom Yorke, who I honestly have no time for. While I can understand someone saying they have similar timbre and texture, Rufus thankfully never sounds like a lamb bleating out of tune

I kind of dread the next album: I think by now it's clear that Rufus thrives on attention, and this gives him more confidence to really indulge himself, so now his PR people are doing such stellar work fuck only knows what ideas he'll carry through next.

Melody: start on the 5th and descend predictably/diatonically..
E DD CC BB A.

Switch Chord to (predictable) Dm.

Melody : F EE DD AA B

Lyrics (from beat 1 of A minor chord) :

"All the times I tried to hide from,
everything I was denied..."

Remember to hold your breath, plug your nose
for the nasal whine and sing out of the corner
of your mouth.

Repulsively pathetic, boring, depressing, monotonous,
unoriginal and disgusting is Rufus.

-- Musicfan101 (mz...), March 1st, 2006.

the nasal bleating thing is annoying, someone so gaga over opera should pay attention to vocal technique

spot on. it's all one long, mumbled note. I have no idea why his vocals are so admired.

he makes me want to forcibly expunge his sinus bees.

Hott.

new record, still annoying

Classic on songs written by other people (like "What Can I Do" off the Antony and the Johnsons record or "I'll Build a Stairway to Paradise"), but I'm not a huge fan of his own songs (I haven't heard that much, though)...it might just be the production, though.

He's still a genius.

(Haven't picked up Release the Stars yet, plan on doing so soon)

I liked his first two records; now he's a certifiable menace. Has Neil Tennant exercised quality control on this one?

Want One was great though! and Want Two was worth hearing despite the massive overreach. It's the debut I'm not into but I've only given it half a listen. He was great on Letterman last week. I don't know what he was going on about but he belted it out, whatever it was. In lederhosen.

I think, when he's on form, he's a fucking amazing melodicist (and a very good singer, obv.) and he's got just enough control alongside his camp to keep his arrangements just the right side of audacious (i.e. impressive rather than pompous).

I also think he hit an unarguable melodic peak circa Want One, and that Want Two was a serious step backwards, totally over-reaching. The new one gains some control back, definitely, and some of the arrangements are amazing, but there's nothing quite as melodically spectacular as the first four tracks on Want One. This is only off a couple of listens, though.

Expect to see choice phrases from this post in a Stylus review near you later this week...

Perversely (of course) I think Want Two is his best work, certainly the record of his that I play most.

Not quite sure about the new one yet; veering perilously close to writing about His Privileged Life at times and while some of the bitching about previous/failed lovers is quite entertaining he cuts deepest on the America-as-lover-extended-metaphor ballads, e.g. "Leaving For Paris" and especially "Not Ready To Love" which is a quite stunning marriage of Fairport Convention and Art of Noise (both R Thompson and N Tennant making their influence felt). The one with Sian Phillips going mad at the end is also pretty fab.

enjoyed but wasn't blown away by Judy at Carnegie Hall last year, though I'm certainly thrilled I got to go. haven't found my way into the new one yet; first half-listen sounds good.

Richard Thompson vs the horn section on "Slideshow" = stunning. Things start tailing off for me after that, though. I think he overdoes the trick of starting relatively downbeat/unadorned/vulnerable, piling on the orchestral layers, and ending on a note of triumphal resolution, having turned so many musical corners that the end of each track bears scant relationship to its beginning. Don't get me wrong, it's a *great* trick - but it's also somewhat overplayed. I like the dissatified-nomad-in-exile qualities which "Going To A Town" sets up and "Tiergarten" develops, and I don't miss the more overtly campy playfulness which punctuated previous albums.

It's as if he's trying to convince himself that he's happy.

Musically, though, Richard T is man of the match - I noticed those little Derek Bailey scribbles in "Slideshow"...

Very interesting point. (All those bolted on Garland-esque triumphal flourishes - do we necessarily believe them, even if RW might want us to?)

...and, yeah, big love for Want Two, which marked the point where it all came together for me and RW. (I admired Want One, but I *adored* Want Two.)

wait, richard thompson plays on this?

He should do a Randy Newman and just farm his songs out to someone who can actually sing.

Classic moment at Electric Picnic last year:

"I tried to dance, To Britney Spears/ I guess I'm gettin' on in years But I still look pretty good huh?!! HAHAHAH!"

He's got a fantastic voice.

No, it's terrible, and ruins some excellent songwriting, but I don't think this discussion is going to go very far.

i hate his voice so much it makes me want to scratch my skin off

and get a load of this interview :( i just feel like DOES HE HAVE TO TRY THAT HARD TO BE CUTE. I MEAN HE MIGHT AS WELL HAVE JUST ANSWERED "OH AND I'M SOOOOOO WITTY!" IN RESPONSE TO EVERY QUESTION

http://nymag.com/daily/intel/2008/12/rufus_wainwright.html

Name: Rufus Wainwright
Age: 35
Neighborhood: Chelsea
Occupation: Singer-songwriter, performing tomorrow evening at the McGarrigle Christmas Hour at Carnegie Hall.

Who's your favorite New Yorker, living or dead, real or fictional?
-Some gorgeous woman I once saw hailing a cab while walking out of her apartment on Fifth Avenue facing the park.

What's the best meal you've eaten in New York?
-I’m not saying this to be nice: my boyfriend’s Wiener … schnitzel. [Ed. note: He loves this joke.]

In one sentence, what do you actually do all day in your job?
-Presently I’m orchestrating an opera, which means that basically every day is a board meeting with the dead. I do most of the talking, of course, still, I pay serious attention to notes.

Would you still live here on a $35,000 salary?
-No way; this city is for the rich. Mind you, things could change very soon.

What's the last thing you saw on Broadway?
-August: Osage County — Estelle Parsons is a living legend.

Do you give money to panhandlers?
-Yes, and always to someone singing or playing music. That could be me one day!

What's your drink?
-Tap water.

How often do you prepare your own meals?
-I can’t prepare my way out of a paper bag.

What's your favorite medication?
-Clorox bleach, good for foot fungus. I’m a real blast, trust me!

What's hanging above your sofa?
-A Robert Wilson painting.

How much is too much to spend on a haircut?
-A life.

When's bedtime?
-Usually after The Rachel Maddow Show or, if I’m adventurous, Amy Goodman on Democracy Now, which ends at 2 a.m.

Which do you prefer, the old Times Square or the new Times Square?
-Every day I pine for the old Times Square, and I just got a tiny whiff of it in the late eighties. It must have been amazing.

What do you think of Donald Trump?
-He should make friends with some decent architects.

What do you hate most about living in New York?
-All those insane apartments going up everywhere that look like they should be in Toronto.

Who is your mortal enemy?
-The Bravo Network. Bar-lowerer extraordinaire. And what an ironic name!!

When's the last time you drove a car?
-Last weekend. I tend to "weekend."

Who should be the next president?
-First things first.

Times, Post, or Daily News?
-Times, but I only look at the pictures.

Where do you go to be alone?
-My piano bench.

What makes someone a New Yorker?
-Everyone in the world is a New Yorker!

i'm not really sure why i'm reacting this way to rufus today but there it is.

I rebought Lewis Furey's second album - 'the Humours of...' - over the weekend to replace an unreturned loan; everyone should hear that and the even better S/T debut - Rufus certainly has, but he's like Jeff to his Lewis' Tim

Estelle Parsons is in August: Osage County?!?!

Oh wait, I was thinking Estelle Harris, haha. Estelle Parsons is a good choice.

i was thinking of estelle getty

i hate his voice so much it makes me want to scratch my skin off

Yes, I have this exact same reaction.

And to say something nice about him: once walked past him in a street in Glasgow and he was quite handsome.

he really must hang out on streets a lot

Oh, Rufus, dear Rufus, the one who got away! I was 20 minutes away from interviewing him over the summer, before getting pulled into a meeting and having to hand my questions over to someone else. It still hurts.

i thought until just now that "california" said "i fell for a straight girl"

haw

LOL @ THIS from his shop!

http://hifidelity-rufuswainwright.11345.com/detail.php?item_id=351603

http://hifidelity-rufuswainwright.11345.com/art/items/detail/RW_BUST.jpg

Ivy Nichols has been sculpting for over 15 years and is one of the most prolific sculptors in the United States today. She has worked on literally hundreds of sculptures including both one off commissions for individuals and pieces intended for the retail market. She was the lead model maker for a line of reproductions of the stone products that were originally designed by noted architect Frank Lloyd Wright. Ivy has also been commissioned to create large public sculptures for public institutions and resort destinations.

I have a collection of busts. A Wainwright bust would be especially hawsworthy amongst these.

bustymuzak

!

i loved him on "wait wait don't tell me"!

Ned's pumped, guys:

Rufus' New Album: Release Dates and Tracklisting Revealed
Feb 12, 2010

Rufus Wainwright's 6th studio release, All Days Are Nights: Songs For Lulu, has been set for release on March 23 in Canada, April 5 in the UK and April 20 in the US. To the left is a sneak peak at the album cover, and you'll find the complete track list below. Stay tuned for more details and your first taste of the album soon.

All Days Are Nights: Songs For Lulu tracklisting:

1. Who Are You New York?
2. Sad With What I Have
3. Martha
4. Give Me What I Want and Give It To Me Now!
5. True Loves
6. Sonnet 43
7. Sonnet 20
8. Sonnet 10
9. The Dream
10. What Would I Ever Do With A Rose?
11. Les Feux d'artifice t'appellent
12. Zebulon

Just him and the old Joanna all the way through, no other instrumentation at all. Surprising certainly.

a *19* disc Rufus Wainwright box set you say? YOURS for $250!
http://www.rufuswainwright.com/Store/Product.aspx?id=SM001008
' a red velvet encased' box; you can probs buy some decent red velvet curtains for that price.

Right now I'm visiting Baltimore. Several years ago and the only other time I visited Baltimore, I bought Poses based on what I heard being played at the CD store I went to by the marina. It was well worth the money. I keep finding a couple goodies on each album since then but none of them have been as solid. $250 box set seems like a ridiculous idea (even though I know The Grateful Dead were able to rake in mega$$$ with their recent humongous box set).

hey Lorax, i didn't know you were in town, we should hang! which store was it, the Sound Garden?

New album. Anyone care? It may be my first Rufus purchase since 2003.

Read a good review and reserved it at the library for a trial run. If great, will end up picking it up. Haven't heard anything since "April Fools", tbh.

i too am a lapsed fan who's only heard one of the albums since Poses. so far this suonds pretty good, though. am going to try to listen to his dad's new one too since they released albums a week apart.

Want One is still one of my fave ever albums by anyone but he's not done much i've liked since weirdly. i still love him tho.
looking forward to him in upbeat mode again, the last one was teh bleakness (understandably given the subject matter).

I've listened to this once, it was better than I was expecting. He's really gone for that 70's pop sound and mostly pulled it off. The single is by far the worst thing on there.

I was a massive fan around Want One but I've just lost interest since then. Want Two was half brilliant (Art Teacher, Gay Messiah, Memphis Skyline) half rubbish (Old Whore's Diet, Little Sister) Release The Stars had one great song (Going to a Town) and a lot of songs that sounded like tired retreads of his earlier work. I can't remember a single thing about the last album. It's nice that he finally seems to have woken up.

it's interesting to me that he seems to have picked up a lot of fans mid-career since for me the first album was a front-to-back classic and it's just been a lot of hit and miss since then. this album sounds really good, though, yeah.

i'd pretty much agree with every word re his post Want One stuff there Kitchen Person. i'd like to forget Release The Stars ever happened and the less said about his embarrasing Glastonbury appearance the summer it came out the better. the last album had So Sad on it which is amazing i think but little else.

I bought the first album a few months after its release, and while it meant a great deal – I was just coming out - quite a few songs are loaded with arrangements that Wainwright's voice wasn't up to singing. Poses was a huge improvement, and the MIami date on that tour was one of the best shows I've seen in ten years. Since only 60 people came we were shouting requests and he was shooting the shit with us.

Little since 2003 has moved me.

the debut was audacious and heartfelt and overreaching just as a good debut should be. Poses has some great songs but i think maybe the pop stardom he was still somewhat plausibly aiming for that point take it in a slightly blander direction.

This radio session is good:
http://www.kcrw.com/music/programs/mb/mb041201rufus_wainwright

i just don't like his voice unfortunately. i'm working his concert next wk, wish i was excited.

xxxp yeah i've seen him maybe half a dozen times and live at his peak (just post-Want One IMO) he was one of the best things i've ever seen. the Liverpool '04 gig was like a carnival, i've never seen a seated crowd go so crazy. i didn't know you *could* go that crazy sitting down, even he was shocked.

the debut was audacious and heartfelt and overreaching just as a good debut should be.

oh yeah I agree - it's a classic B+ type debut.

i saw him in the 9:30 Club opening for lol Sean Lennon right after the debut dropped, he was a pretty solid performer right off the bat. was a bit more drunk and full of himself when i saw him again circa Poses.

he was pretty hammered and god knows what else when I saw him. Oh! He also dedicated a song to "Neil and Chris." When we looked at the balcony there were Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe, in town a few days early rehearsing for their concert the next week.

he's a great live performer - holds my attention in a way he doesn't always on record.

almost every one of his albums has been just good enough, just interesting enough, containing just enough killer songs to keep my overall feelings about him positive, but all of them have suffered from stretches of...blahhhh, really. he always sounds like he wants to only dip his toe into songwriting. i do think want one is as close as he's come to a coherent statement album, though "cigarettes & chocolate milk" is my favourite song he's done.

new one sounds decent as they all do initially

My theory is he was pushed or pushed himself into recording an album before his songwriting chops had gelled. The boy had the connections (Waronker, Dreamworks, semi-famous dad).

pshhh musicians should learn on the job imo. the idea of woodshedding in private for some magical moment when you're "ready" is foreign to me.

that'd explain the first album being not quite there but not the 7 or 8 or however many it's been since!

i just don't think he's got a great sense of melody, and/or it's not something he particularly prioritises, and when he lands on one it's kind of almost as a joke

pshhh musicians should learn on the job imo. the idea of woodshedding in private for some magical moment when you're "ready" is foreign to me.

Never said this!

"not ready to record" /= "shouldn't have recorded it"

eh when you say premature "pushing" was involved it sounds negative. in any event imo his aesthetic and his sensibility as a lyricist and melodist were pretty well formed by '98 and there's not really that much of a difference between his stuff then and his stuff now, so i have no idea where you're even coming from.

Aesthetic – formed, craftsmanship – still had a way to go.

song for song Poses is the stronger record, maybe the one least afflicted with what lex called stretches of...blahhhh

Sings with his mouth shut DUD

I like his voice. He has songs in the key of me

I've noticed the stretches of blah. I liked "Little Sister" because it was stark contrast from a lot of blah, not that it's a favorite of mine. Poses is my favorite album by him

after three full listens I agree with the enthusiasm for the album. Keepers: ""Montauk," "Out of the Game," "Bitter Tears," "Jericho."

Making of:

http://www.nowness.com/day/2012/5/5/2130/rufus-wainwright-bitter-tears

I love this thing -- one of the year's best. Never thought I'd say it again about a Wainwright record.

I love this as well, and playing it continuously.

I can't quite pin down what it reminds me of exactly, but it has a nostalgic feel that takes me back to the 70s.

On first listen I was entirely underwhelmed. Much more soft rock than pop. And it's not the sort of soft rock that I find moving ('Art Teacher' was moving).

I really like this new one and I haven't even been remotely excited for him since the Want One/Two days. I love the 70s AM rock touches, I think they work pretty well. Kinda wish he'd lay off the gospel backing choirs on some of these though.

huh, had no idea that Nels Cline plays on this album, i wonder what tracks.

to have been a fly on the studio wall when rufus recorded william shatner reading sonnet 129

Enjoying the new album, maybe more than I was expecting to.

So.. this album and Release The Stars are really good, despite critical consensus that they are really not good

Are people saying the new album isn’t good? That’s a damned lie. It’s not his best but it’s an absolute pleasure to listen to.

I've always had to adjust to his voice like a car adjusting to new air tire pressure

When I was in my early 20s I had a fantasy that I would one day meet him and say "your songs start and immediately you start singing and then you continue singing right up until the moment the song ends and it doesn't always have to be this way" but I learned pretty quickly that even close friends don't listen to criticism

In my head I am scripting a short film around the above exchange

lol fgti I'm never gonna unhear that now

His first album is absolutely glorious. Haven’t really dug anything else for some reason.

Poses is its superior but I've got emotional attachments to the debut.

I never liked the debut but think Poses onward is pretty untouchable

He’s not especially “for me”— I adore Martha tho— but certain moments (“The Art Teacher”) knock me flat

I always feel a bit guilty that his version of "One Man Guy" is maybe the recording of his I return to most regularly (even though LWIII's own stuff leaves me totally cold from what I've heard)

Debut, Poses, and Want One are all classics to me. Subsequent proper albums are all good or great. And his tangents—Judy covers, opera, sonnets—are so wild that I respect the guy for going for what he’s passionate about even if I don’t love it.

Prefer Martha usually (Lucy's most recent solo alb was pretty amazing, though solo live sets I've heard seem oddly self-effacing, esp considering those of her relatives who have NO PROB coming out shells)*. Was thinking there was a more gathering of the tribes/family tree thread, but didn't find it, so here's this:
Siblings Rufus, Martha and Lucy Wainwright bring their beloved Christmas show ‘A Not So Silent Night – Virtually Together’ to a global audience for the first time streaming live on veeps.com on December 20th at 12PM PST, 3PM EST, 8PM GMT from Los Angeles, Montreal and New York. They will be joined by aunts, mothers, fathers, nieces, cousins, sons and daughters of the acclaimed musical clans of the Wainwrights, McGarrigles and Roches.

First performed in 2005, this holiday celebration is equal parts concert and family reunion. Due to COVID-19, this year the family reunion will be a virtual one with different strands of the family and musicians coming together in Rufus’ living room in his home in Laurel Canyon in Los Angeles, Martha’s arts and community center “Ursa” on Montreal’s Parc Avenue, and City Winery in New York for Lucy Wainwright Roche and her mother Suzzy Roche and their dad Loudon Wainwright III. The live stream will switch between these three locations and take this family tradition to its roots back to Rufus’ and Martha’s childhood where they would perform Christmas carols and songs with their grandmother, mother, aunts and cousins in the living room of their St. Sauveur weekend cottage and give it a 21st century digital twist. Everyone’s living room, audience and performers alike, is now the internet. Unlike in previous years, where the family gathered special guests to perform alongside them, this year all songs will be interpreted by family to minimize social interaction but maximize intimacy.

“Eleven years ago, our mother Kate McGarrigle played what was to be her last performance ever at the Royal Albert Hall which was one of the most beautiful and emotional nights of my life,” Rufus Wainwright recalls. “Last year, we celebrated the 10th anniversary of this show for which she wrote the song “Proserpina” with three sold out shows at the Royal Festival Hall in London and the National Concert Hall in Dublin. We have brought the Christmas show to Montreal, to Carnegie Hall and Town Hall in New York, to the Ryman in Nashville, to Royce Hall in Los Angeles. Each year I hear from fans why we are not doing the show in Germany, Paris, Spain or other places. During these times where people are craving more and more the comforts of things that have become impossible, we decided we could not skip this year and decided to bring the Christmas show to potentially every fan around the globe virtually from our homes in LA, NY and Montreal.”

Tickets start at USD$20 and USD$25 for day-of-show on VEEPS or go to https://rufuswainwright.com. Special experience packages are also available. This live streamed event is presented in collaboration with previous McGarrigle/Wainwright Holiday Concert presenters UCLA Center for the Art of Performance, Town Hall in NYC, City Winery, and the Southbank Centre.

Featuring
Rufus, Martha and Loudon Wainwright
Lucy Wainwright Roche, Suzzy Roche
Sloan Wainwright, Jane and Anna McGarrigle
Lily Lanken, Sylvan Lanken, Chaim Tannenbaum
Jorn Weisbrodt, Gigi and Islay McMillan
Arcangelo and Francis Albetta
Brian Green, Jacob Mann

The show will be accessible for purchase and stream until January 6th 2021. On January 8th 2021 at 2PM PST, 5PM EST Rufus Wainwright will continue his Rufus-Retro-Wainwright-Spective with the first part of his album “Release the Stars”.

Special Christmas merch items are also for sale at Rufus Wainwright’s UK merch store:
https://rufus-wainwright.backstreetmerch.com

The new signed vinyl edition of Northern Stars is available at the US merch store:
https://rufuswainwright.merchtable.com/

The concert will benefit the Kate McGarrigle Fund, a collaborative program from Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C) and the Kate McGarrigle Foundation that aims to provide music therapy resources to cancer patients with a passion for music, as well as much-needed funds for sarcoma research.
For more information about the Kate McGarrigle Fund, please visit https://standuptocancer.org/kate-mcgarrigle-fund/
PRESS CONTACT:
Jim Merlis
jim at bighassle.com
*posted about virtual live Suzzy and Lucy last week, show may still be available:
The Roches
Their recent album is here---stream, download etc.:
https://lucywainwrightrochesuzzyroche.bandcamp.com/releases
(sry didn't feel like fw all those links in press release)

just saw a pic of rufus with a full beard and thought "oh james murphy's slimming down"

anyway it's spring and that means poses sounds great again

RUFUS WAINWRIGHT ANNOUNCES RUFUS DOES JUDY AT CAPITOL STUDIOS

VIRTUAL CONCERT MARKS FIRST PERFORMANCE OF LEGENDARY TRIBUTE
TO JUDY GARLAND IN 5 YEARS

2X GRAMMY® AWARD-NOMINATED ARTIST TO BE JOINED BY
TONY AND EMMY AWARD-WINNER KRISTIN CHENOWETH
AND SPECIAL MICRO-AUDIENCE MEMBER, 2X ACADEMY AWARD-WINNER RENÉE ZELLWEGER

EVENT TO BE COMMEMORATED WITH LIMITED EDITION T-SHIRT
DESIGNED BY MICHAEL KORS BENEFITTING OUTRIGHT ACTION INTERNATIONAL

RUFUS DOES JUDY AT CAPITOL STUDIOS PREMIERES THURSDAY, JUNE 10 on Judy Garland’s 99th Birthday

TICKETS AVAILABLE NOW EXCLUSIVELY VIA VEEPS HEREhttps://rufuswainwright.veeps.com/
The first complete performance of the Rufus Does Judy tribute in five years, Rufus Does Judy at Capitol Studios will be commemorated with a limited edition t-shirt created for the occasion in partnership with Wainwright’s longtime friend, legendary designer Michael Kors. The t-shirts will be available via Rufus’ Merch Store and in Michael Kors Collection stores nationwide, with all proceeds benefiting LGBT human rights organization OutRight Action International through June – Pride Month 2021 – or while supplies last. The t-shirt marks the latest collaboration between Kors and Wainwright, whom earlier this month performed music for the blockbuster launch of Kors’ 40th-anniversary collection for Fall/Winter 2021.

Rufus Does Judy at Capitol Studios – which marks a rare complete performance of Wainwright’s now-legendary homage to 1961’s Judy Garland At Carnegie Hall – showcases more than twenty-five American standards spanning swing, jazz, and pop, including three songs by George & Ira Gershwin, two Rodgers & Hart classics, two from Howard Dietz & Arthur Schwartz, plus favorites by Harold Arlen, Yip Harburg, Irving Berlin, Noël Coward, and more. Among the highlights are such Garland signature songs as “The Man That Got Away,” “Zing! Went the Strings of My Heart,” “Swanee,” and of course, “Over The Rainbow,” along with a special bonus rendition of “Get Happy,” which was not performed by Garland at the original 1961 concert.

Wainwright’s sixth full-length release and first live album, Rufus Does Judy at Carnegie Hall was recorded and produced by Phil Ramone over two sold-out nights at Carnegie Hall, backed by a full 36-piece orchestra and special guest appearances from his sister Martha Wainwright, his mother Kate McGarrigle, and Garland’s daughter, Lorna Luft. The album proved an immediate cultural landmark, feted by worldwide media attention and critical acclaim while earning Wainwright his first-ever GRAMMY® Award nomination (for “Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album”).

Due to popular demand, Wainwright recreated his momentous tribute to Garland with sold-out, star-studded performances at such renowned venues as Paris’ L’Olympia, Los Angeles’ Hollywood Bowl, and the London Palladium, the latter of which was filmed and released on DVD as Rufus! Rufus! Rufus! Does Judy! Judy! Judy!: Live from the London Palladium.

Wainwright’s ninth studio LP and first new pop album since 2012, Unfollow The Rules finds the multi-faceted artist at the peak of his powers, entering artistic maturity with passion, honesty, and a newfound fearlessness while remaining as creative, bold, and mischievous as ever. Produced by Mitchell Froom (Crowded House, Paul McCartney, Randy Newman) at a variety of legendary Los Angeles studios, the album proved among last year’s most honored releases, earning a prestigious GRAMMY® Award nomination for “Best Traditional Pop Album” as well as a Juno Award nod for “Adult Alternative Album of the Year.”

Unfollow The Rules was further met by ecstatic critical acclaim from high-profile publications around the globe, with Uncut declaring it “a spectacular return to the tower of song and the game (Wainwright) plays best…brimming with memorable melodies, swooning arrangements and smart lyrics dreamily sung.” Unfollow The Rules is “a stately pop throwback full of (Wainwright’s) signature vocal grandeur,” enthused Rolling Stone, while Pitchfork praised the album as “an opulently crafted highlight reel, a career-spanning sampler of Wainwright’s styles and guises… his songwriting is as sharp and cheeky as ever.” “A timely reminder of everything that’s wonderful about Wainwright,” wrote CLASH’s Mat Smith in a 9/10 rave, noting the artist’s “effortlessly towering voice, taking on a spinetingling profundity and emotiveness reminiscent of The Righteous Brothers (both of them; together; at once!).” PopMatters praised Unfollow The Rules as “a lush and detailed sounding album,” adding, “It’s good to welcome the return of the new, improved, old-school Rufus.” “Unfollow the Rules marks a welcome return to the opulent orchestration of Wainwright’s early albums,” wrote The Guardian in its 4/5-starred review. “Wainwright’s ninth studio album is a lush, engaging study in domestic bliss…It’s good to have him back.” “(Wainwright) sings with contentment, not complacency, as he saunters through the corridors of his life,” applauded The Independent in its own 4/5-starred review, noting simply, “This is one of Wainwright’s finest albums.”

Last year saw Wainwright offering fans solace with his trailblazing #Quarantunes series of #RobeRecitals, presented daily via Instagram Live. The intimate performances – which saw the singer-songwriter supreme performing new songs from Unfollow The Rules alongside classic catalog favorites, surprising rarities, and beloved cover versions – were followed in June by Unfollow The Rules: The Paramour Session, a complete acoustic performance of the new album filmed live at the ballroom of Hollywood’s famed silent movie mansion, The Paramour Estate.

The first leg of A Rufus-Retro-Wainwright-Spective! kicked off in September, presented live from Wainwright’s living room in Laurel Canyon, joined by a weekly micro-audience that included Jamie Lee Curtis & Christopher Guest, Darren Criss, Joel McHale, among other icons and famous friends. The virtual tour of his wide-ranging catalogue earned applause from such media outlets as mxdwn.com, which hailed the concert series as a “deliciously casual offering to dedicated fans; an exclusive club for Wainwright enthusiasts to gather and exchange memories about their shared passion for his music. The live audience chat was a haven for nostalgia, sprinkled with the disparate musical experiences of followers around the world.”

An ingenious, compellingly charismatic live artist, Wainwright hopes to see his fans in person later this year on his long-awaited Unfollow The Rules Tour. For scheduled dates and other information, please visit rufuswainwright.com/tour.

Dunno the context, but this is really good:

Good god Rufus stop hurting em https://t.co/CnqW03z07Z

— Jason Isbell (@JasonIsbell) June 8, 2021

I always feel a bit guilty that his version of "One Man Guy" is maybe the recording of his I return to most regularly (even though LWIII's own stuff leaves me totally cold from what I've heard)

― k*r*n koltrane (Simon H.), Wednesday, July 15, 2020 3:22 PM

same

That was amazing, Josh, thanks for posting it. I spent the whole song curiously thinking he sounded a bit like Sting (even though no one sounds like Sting, really) and then only realised at the end that that was Sting next to him and that that was a Sting song.

Alfred I appreciate u

that performance is really nice

Man, that was indeed good, thanks. Is that Christian McBride playing upright?

Probably. Didn’t know they had a thing together.

My say last week: https://www.stereogum.com/2148922/rufus-wainwright-poses-turns-20/reviews/the-anniversary/

Which is what made me think of Rufus for the first time in eons, tbh, so when I saw the Isbell link it caught my eye.

FWIW, I only saw him live once, c. the first album, in a tiny club with iirc Tegan and Sara opening. They all were massively entertaining and killed it, at least as I remember it.

I’ve seen him live… I think five times? Large and small venues over the last 15+ years. Never been disappointed.

Yall got me flashing back to YouTubed concert footage: he's disconcerted by guest shot ov raw, killin'-it teen Martha, but, "My Mother would kill me if I didn't let her do this." Mom knew best.

Invasion of the Martha thread, sry

I saw him touring Poses, opening for Roxy Music in 2001. He did fine but an arena was probably not the best venue for low-key charm.

There was an annoying music writer in the local alt-weekly who made a point, every time that Martha was mentioned, of tossing in an aside about how Rufus must be dying of jealousy, shaking with fear, why doesn't Rufus just pack it in, etc. etc. etc.

Heh I'm sure he can handle it. (Looking fwd to her new alb btw)

Oh, I didn't feel bad for Rufus, it was just such a corny attitude (and assumption that they were in competition, or she needed boosting).

I was lucky to see him in a very small setting - basically someone's fancy back yard. His young daughter was in the front row and was basically heckling him the whole time. It was hilarious / adorable.

Seen him twice: once at a free show at a bar in London, Ontario in advance of the debut's release (before the show, I asked him if it was OK if I took pictures, and he asked that I only do so during the guitar songs), and then again on that Poses tour with Tegan and Sara, at the Toronto bar where Queer as Folk was filmed.