Apparently Wainwright's whatever isn't enough to keep Best Buy from making
him a featured artist. Today's ad supplement led me to this, from
http://www.bestbuy.com :
>>If you limit your music collection to what video channels and local radio
stations play, then you’re missing out on much of what makes the music scene
so exciting. Right now, there are hundreds of musicians out there with
material better than anything on the charts, but the competitive forces of
the music business can lay some pretty heavy land mines in front of getting
airplay. That also makes it hard for fans to discover the new music out
there, because not everyone has the time or patience to sit through all the
mediocre bands in all the sweaty, smoky clubs for that one golden sound.
That’s why Best Buy has designed the "Find ’Em First" campaign. We’ll be
working directly with artists, managers, labels, distribution channels, and
media partners to create a comprehensive path for deserving musicians to
connect with millions of potential fans. Best Buy has always been committed
to bringing new artists to the attention of our customers, and that’s what
this "Find ’Em First" campaign is all about.<<
Among the initial set of "Find 'Em First" artists are Wainwright, Kelly
Willis and Mary Cutrufello. For Wainwright, the individual copy reads:
>> Music is definitely in the blood for Rufus Wainwright, 21-year-old son
of musicians Loudon Wainwright III and Kate McGarrigle. Wainwright writes
songs like no one else of his generation, and his self-titled debut, "Rufus
Wainwright," features a surprisingly world-weary voice and emotional look at
love and relationships.
Now, look to the buttons on the right for a biography, reviews and more
on Rufus Wainwright, one of Best Buy’s featured artists in Find ’Em First.<<
And the bio says:
>>Rufus Wainwright is the son of acclaimed singer/songwriters Loudon
Wainwright III and Kate McGarrigle (of the McGarrigle Sisters), and grew up
in Montreal with his mother after his parents divorced. As a youngster,
Wainwright listened to older performers like Al Jolson and Edith Piaf, and
groups like The Beatles and The Everly Brothers, before opera captured his
teenage years.
"It was like being poisoned, intoxicated," Wainwright says. "Everything
about opera was so foreign to anything I’d ever heard or related to. I was
really attracted to the different layers of the play, the sets, the music,
the mythology. Just the pure and unabashed romanticism," said Wainwright. "
During this time, Wainwright’s mother asked if he’d like to write a song
for a film she was working on. Wainwright ended up performing his song in
the film, and winning nominations for a Juno (the Canadian equivalent to the
Grammy) and a Genie (equivalent to the Oscar) at the age of 14.
Wainwright attended music school at Montreal’s McGill University for a
brief time, but found the academic approach to music stifling. He then dove
into Montreal’s café scene by writing, performing and partying the nights
away. Wainwright’s father eventually passed a tape of his son’s songs to
friend Van Dyke Parks, who then sent it on to Lenny Waronker at DreamWorks.
"My initial response to Rufus’ music was, ‘How could a 21-year-old be
writing this stuff?’ It was amazing, but when I met him, I saw immediately
that he was very much a kid of his generation. Still, he’s doing something
no one else of his generation is doing," Waronker says.
The self-titled debut, "Rufus Wainwright," is indeed brilliantly unique,
with songs that often sound like a blend of Tin Pan Alley and Tom Waits’
less gravelly younger brother. Wainwright’s emotional songs are driven from
the piano and backed by tasteful strings arranged by Van Dyke Parks. The
music seems to come straight from the classic American songbook, but with a
baritone that sounds surprisingly world-weary for a 21-year-old. The
originality of his voice has already started to make things happen
commercially, as the single, "April Fools," is a regular on many radio
playlists, Wainwright was featured in a recent Gap commercial, and many
critics have labeled this first album one of the most remarkable and assured
debuts of the year.<<
So it seems like the "flaunting" is a bit attenuated...
Jon Weisberger Kenton County, KY [EMAIL PROTECTED]
http://home.fuse.net/jonweisberger/
