re: Rufus Wainwright
Had I been consulted, I'd have recommended he downplay the gay thing - which he emphasises to excess, all the time, and interminably - and just deliver the music. ?!? Are you serious? I mean, you must be joking right? I can't even imagine calling up an artist, who put out an album as great as Rufus' and actually tell him to "downplay the gay thing"? And if I did have the nerve (and the brash stupidity) I wouldn't be surprised at all if he told me to fuck off. In fact, if he *didn't* tell me to fuck off I'd be worried about the guy. I could go on and explain why I think this is incredibly lame, but instead I'll just let a recent bumper sticker I saw say it all nice and concise: =I don't mind straight people, =as long as the act gay. steve
Re: Rufus Wainwright
On Fri, 12 Mar 1999 [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: as. I think he's a fucking hero for coming out guns a'blazing. Would you suggest that James Brown be less Black, or Oasis less British? Silly. Not less British, but definitely less asshole'ish. In out'ingly yours, JC NP: Pernice Brothers - Overcome By Happiness
Re: Rufus Wainwright
In a recent post, I suggested that the commercial failure of Rufus Wainwright's excellent record was due, in part, because "Rufus pushes the "gay thing" to excess, and I'm convinced it's this that has managed to turn off the straight audience completely. Had I been consulted, I'd have recommended he downplay the gay thing - which he emphasises to excess, all the time, and interminably - and just deliver the music." This upset Neil Weiss, who wrote: I understand where you are coming from, Richard, with your mindset being to help an artist achieve the maximum level of success that he/she can. But what price success? The suggestion that Rufus should keep his homosexuality to himself in order to sell more records is just the kind of crap that gives the record industry a bad name. What I did suggest was NOT that Rufus stay in the closet; anyone who meets him, sees him on-stage, or spends more than five minutes with him will get the message that he's gay. I did suggest, in a world that is still mostly straight, that Rufus' "guns-a-blazing" approach - which may or may not qualify him as, in Neil's phrase, as "a fucking hero" - has damaged his commercial prospects. That's the fault of society as a whole rather than of Rufus. Recognizing this, I would have said: "Rufus, you're gay. Enjoy. But a lot of people are going to have trouble dealing with this. Don't hide it - it's who you are. But don't throw it in peoples' faces." I have a pretty secure feeling that Lenny Waronker and Mo Ostin probably told him the same thing... But if Dreamworks DID spend a million bucks on this, and if it's true that it has sold a paltry 35,000 copies, I wouldn't expect another major investment in this artist in a hurry, and we'll all be the poorer for it. Audience members who are gay - instantly recognize "their own" and enthusasitically support them; k.d. had a gay audience from the get-go, long before she came out. Ditto Dusty Springfield, ditto Elton John, ditto George Michael. I must say that I found Neil's final line - "Would you suggest that James Brown be less Black, or Oasis less British?" - rather offensive. Of course not; James Brown IS black, Oasis IS British. And while Rufus is indeed gay, and that sensibility informs his music, I still think he and his music would have gained wider acceptance if he hadn't flaunted it so loudly, so interminably, and so insistently. Once he's made "star" he can do what he wants; till then, a bit of discretion may help. And if that's "the sort of crap that gives the record industry a bad name" I'm sorry... Cheers, Richard
Re: Rufus Wainwright
I must say that I found Neil's final line - "Would you suggest that James
Brown be less Black, or Oasis less British?" - rather offensive. Of course
not; James Brown IS black, Oasis IS British. And while Rufus is indeed
gay, and that sensibility informs his music, I still think he and his music
would have gained wider acceptance if he hadn't flaunted it so loudly, so
interminably, and so insistently. Once he's made "star" he can do what he
wants; till then, a bit of discretion may help. And if that's "the sort of
crap that gives the record industry a bad name" I'm sorry...
Cheers,
Richard
Wasn't Wainwright's musical agenda intent upon including his gay perspective
from the start? His lyrics do not cover up or belie his lifestyle ("Danny
Boy", "April Fools" etc;) and it seems to me that he wants to acquire an
audience based upon a more personal knowledge of his lifestyle and
acceptance of same. We all wear a badge of some sort which we either
proudly or unconsciously display to the world. Maybe this is the one
Wainwright chooses to wear. Seems to me being honest from the start is more
acceptable than playing the media games which the likes of Elton John tried
to support with his "marriage" or the frequent dodging seen by k.d. lang in
the past or the awful "I'm Bi" press from David Bowie and all that truth or
lies rumor-mill talk about Bowie and Jagger those years ago. Michael Stipe
hasn't seen his bands popularity wane due to his "tagging" and lack of
defensive posture regarding it. But, therein lies a a part of the
argument -
Stipe and band as well as John, lang and others haven't highlighted their
gayness as a raison d'etre for their musical pasts, while Wainwright pushes
the stereotypical boundary of acceptable pop/rock teenage/young adult
idolism with it. I have no doubt in my mind that you are correct in saying
that highlighting his lifestyle will cause him a loss of potential fans and
yet, somewhere deep within me I find myself saying that real art, that which
comes from the soul and the complete experience and emotion of a human
being; that which is honest and unpretentious and devoid of sublimation in
personal truism is the echelon of wisdom we were put here to aspire to, to
attain and to share. If Wainwright suffers a loss of public acceptance it
is only through his honesty, a decided attempt to break down barriers and
with knowledge that in doing so he will be subject to
controversy and negative criticism. It was his choice afterall.
Tera
RE: Rufus Wainwright
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 youre 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. Thats why Best Buy has designed the "Find Em First" campaign. Well 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 thats 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 Buys 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 Id 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, Wainwrights mother asked if hed 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 Montreals McGill University for a brief time, but found the academic approach to music stifling. He then dove into Montreals café scene by writing, performing and partying the nights away. Wainwrights father eventually passed a tape of his sons 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, hes 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. Wainwrights 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/
Re: Rufus Wainwright
I've been following this thread and trying to keep a lid on my temper, since I know that Richard was addressing career strategy and didn't mean his comments to sound the way they did - personally, when I hear someone say "flaunting it" and "shoving it in people's faces," the subtext that comes across is that gays should be shamed, thus discreet. And of course rock stars flaunt their heterosexuality all the time, so the double standard is annoying. But I know Richard was talking about a homophobic social context and talking about what RW should do to "make it." Ok, let's look at it that way. First of all, as Richard said, it takes (at most) five minutes to know that Rufus is gay - both in person and on record. So people who aren't open to a gay artist aren't going to like him, no matter what he says or doesn't say. This is important: Rufus really is bringing gay culture to the straight music world in the most blatant way, with the most label support and acclaim, that one can imagine. So the outcome will be telling. (New Wave etc. was full of queer music and subtexts, but that was tied to its Underground status, whereas Rufus is positioned as a mainstream, though left-of-centre, artist. And people like the Pet Shop Boys are very Britishly ambiguous and coy in their way of presenting sexuality, anyway.) But, more relevantly, Rufus's music is very dense, complex, with many non-rock influences (cabaret, show tunes, opera -- all very gay-identified too). I gather that both he and the record company are happy with sales so far, and that sales have been gradually picking up speed. The optimistic thing about Rufus's position from an industry point of view is that Dreamworks consciously signed him as a "career artist," accepting that it might take a few albums before he builds up a solid audience, and that he might never be a real hit-parade quantity. And this is ok with them, apparently, entrusting to Rufus's charm, looks, etc. that he'll get and hold a strong cult following. This is where his sexuality comes back in - Rufus can't afford to be more discreet and shy. A lot of the reason that his inaccessible music can be embraced by a pop audience, potentially, is that he is a very distinctive and attractive personality and performer. To downplay that personality - which would certainly be necessary if he wanted to tone down his gayness - would be to toss one of his main assets away. And considering the screaming young girls I saw at his show Tues. night here, I don't see the evidence that he's alienating "straight audiences." Might I gently suggest that to a large proportion of the younger audience, straight and not-so-straight, his sexuality is simply not that big a deal (or even a bit titillating)? Consider that experimentation with bisexuality etc. is fairly accepted, even fashionable, in liberal-arts schools in the late 90s - there might be a slight generation gap showing in Richard's analysis. Ultimately, I think opera is much more alienating to a pop audience than homosexuality is to college students. But if Rufus keeps expanding his status as an idol of that younger crowd, then he can afford to wait out the word-of-mouth process and let the mainstream pop world catch up later. Without having to compromise or dissemble about who and what he is. Carl W.
Re: Rufus Wainwright
Carl: Ultimately, I think opera is much more alienating to a pop audience than homosexuality is to college students. But if Rufus keeps This is very true At this point in time, with all the "out" performers there are, etc., I really wonder whether being out is a career detriment for artists. I kind of doubt it. Opera-association is the quickest way to deep-six a career though, for sure (can you say Michael Bolton? g). Seems to me that being out is not very alienating to most pop audiences (CW is another matter...), and a number of performers successfully use gay audience appeal to launch major hits (like Cher's "Believe"). I mean, how are you supposed to have a dance hit these days without the gay audience supporting you? So Carl, I'll go with your point that Rufus is representing a further stage of mainstreaming, following on the more "veiled" New Wave practices, etc... That's a good thing g. --junior npihm: visions of zillions of straight Americans at sporting events every day chanting lines from Gary Glitter and Queen songs g. Work it, baby!!
