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... his cover of Jeff Buckley's cover of Leonard Cohen's ..." seems confusing. Is there any particular reason why Buckley's cover is mentioned?
Actually, RW has stated that he hadn't even heard Buckley's version before he wrote/recorded his own. However unlikely this sounds, we can't prove that RW's Hallelujah is NOT a direct cover of Leonard Cohen, especially since there are ties between himself and Cohen (he lived at the house of Cohen's daughter for a while, I think LC had his own appartment at the same place). It is even possible that both Wainwright and Buckley were inspired by another source, the song has been covered a fair few times...
Buckley's 'Hallelujah' is mentioned because (as the article states) Wainwright references it in the song 'Memphis Skyline', and 'Memphis Skyline' is the subject of the paragraph. - NeilH
Songwriting saved my life - Tomas Bartlett "I had to sing "Hallelujah" for "Shrek," and I recorded my version before hearing his version, and then I heard his, and it just dawned on me at that moment the incredible loss, and the incredible talent that he was. The opportunity for me to sing with him would have been mind-blowing." the full text may be read here: [1] -Danny
Should The McGarrigle Hour be listed in the discography? How? He was one of several performers (almost all related). -- Samuel Wantman 09:43, 11 Dec 2004 (UTC)
Somebody change the song title to Schooldays instead of Shooldays (I'm afraid to mess things up).
Other contributions (off the top of my head - which means correct but not complete):
maybe special attention can be paid to these two:
both songs are about Matthew Shepard -Danny
The name of the Antony and the Jonsons track RW sings on is What Can I Do, not What I'll Do.-- 81.79.173.138 17:31, 26 May 2006 (UTC)
Why is the fact that Rufus is "openly gay" the very first thing used to describe him? Shouldn't he be described as a "Canadian-American singer-songwriter" who is gay. -- michael zimmer 15:43, Jan 23, 2005 (UTC)
I agree. I removed "gay" from the introductory sentence. While i can think of some reasons for putting "gay" in the introduction, it is interesting to think about the fact that you never see a straight celebrity described as "straight," whereas a queer celebrity's queerness is often the first thing you hear about them. -- Something 19:57, 3 Mar 2005 (UTC)
It's the fact that he was the first artist to be openly gay before being signed. All other artists were 'in the closet' when signed and then later in their careers came out.
First of all, I can't think of any that were openly gay when they started their career, only those who came out later, or those who (tried to) live(d) a lie during their entire career. Nor has anyone I discussed this with ever offered any suggestions (not good ones anyway) or any of the writers who included this statement in their articles. Even if new acts wanted to, there is so much pressure put on them by the US record companies they depend on for their big break. (cf. British Pop Idol winner Will Young, who is openly gay now, who was asked by an American record company to start hiding his sexuality as a condition for a record contract. Young turned them down. New York-based Scissor Sisters have 3 gay members, their break came from a British record company.) Secondly, I think this is something Rufus himself claimed and it can be presented as such. Thirdly, although I understand that sexual orientation is only a small part of what makes a person who he/she is, there are precious few role-models for gay people and for kids, who need those most. -Danny
Also, please sign your name using the four tildes -like this: ~~~~ -- LittleRoughRhinestone 19:39, 5 November 2006 (UTC)
Jimmy Somerville/Bronski Beat, Andy Bell (Erasure), Two Nice Girls, Tom Robinson (in the 70s!), Phranc ... all were 'out' from the start of the careers. I'm sure there were many more too. Vauxhall1964 ( talk) 22:57, 26 November 2007 (UTC)
I am bothered by the following sentences found in the article: "In 1999, he told Rolling Stone that his father recognized his homosexuality early on. "We'd drive around in the car, he'd play 'Heart of Glass' and I'd sort of mouth the words, pretend to be Blondie. Just a sign of many other things to come as well." Is this an article on Rufus Wainwright, or "How to Tell if Someone's Gay?" Or "Rufus Wainwright's Guide to Knowing if Someone's Gay?" Rufus' father knew he'd be gay by what kind of music he liked as a kid? And both he and his father knew and understood these as "signs" of what was to come? Really? I thought homosexuality had to do with who you find sexually attractive, not what kind of music you listen to, but that's just me. Wainwright may be gay, and his father may have known, but I think these sentences try to apologize for that. What music one starts to like as a child has little bearing on what sex that person will prefer. These anecdotal sentences do more to strengthen gay stereotypes than tell about Rufus' sexual identity as a child IMO. (IE, he could have talked about who he found attractive, instead of what music he liked...) Stereotypes can also work in reverse; boys who grow up to be tough star athletes but hide in the closet because they don't want to disappoint their parents who have viewed them as "straight" from childhood.
The first posters on the subject hit it on the button; Rufus Wainwright is first of all a talented artist. Why is it that he is gay, and how why he thinks he was gay as a child and whether his father recognized it have to take the presedence in importance? I think Rufus Wainwright's music is beautiful and could care less who he f***s on the side. I listen to artists because they create music I like. When I listen to music I don't think "this music is nice. Who wrote it and is he gay or straight?" To the person who brought up the importance of gay rolemodels, I think it's kind of sad that the need for a gay rolemodel makes a person deaf to music and more receptive as to whether an artist is "gay" or not. If a person who is gay finds an artist and he happens to be gay, that is something to be happy about. I think it's kind of sad, almost disrespectful to listen to someone BECAUSE s/he is gay. Kind of like someone who listens "only to black artists" or "only to white artists." Music first. Sexuality, gender, race etc. are secondary... 113.34.33.154 ( talk) 05:03, 28 December 2009 (UTC)
You might want to add his two performances on the soundtrack. The first song is a cover of Roger Miller's "King of the Road" (with Teddy Thompson), and a good one at that. However, the second song "The Maker Makes" is an original, I believe. It may have even been written for this film. Either way it's classic, haunting Wainwright (to this non-Wainwright fan's ear).
The movie may or may not meet with wide acclaim or financial success, but it will undoubtedly be a milestone in mainstream cinema, at least for gay filmgoers. This was probably his motivation for contributing.
Whether or not the film or its actors do well during the awards season, the composer & arranger for the score (Gustavo Santaolalla) may receive a few prizes for good writing and bringing together a collection of iconic country and gay musicians as dichotomous as cowboys and homosexuals. 70.213.12.217 18:22, 17 December 2005 (UTC) T.Morris
I'm curious about the recent reversion of the Canadian-American label. Is he really not Canadian? Given that Kate McGarrigle is Canadian, he would automatically have Canadian citizenship under the rule of jus sanguinis (right of blood) at birth, even though he was born in the United States. Darkcore 22:45, 20 January 2006 (UTC)
I think much of the recent additions to the "Themes" section lacks NPOV and is original research. For example, I don't agree at all with the notion that becuase "many of his songs contain phallic references" necessarily makes "it largely impossible for anyone but a gay man to author or perform his songs." One, it doesn't seem accurate to state that "many" songs contain phallic references, and two, just becuase they have phallic references doesn't mean that only a gay man could write or perform them. -- mtz206 03:57, 1 March 2006 (UTC)
You may be right... As far as I can tell, there isn't much "research" when it comes to Rufus Wainwright. From what I have seen, however, the question of whether RW's songs do not reach wide spread appeal because a straight man and/or woman can't sing along without realizing that he/she has just said a very gay thing or not is much discussed. I think it is an important question and should be addressed in one way or another. As for "many phallic references" I could supply you with a list, but we're easily talking about 15-20%. That's a theme. I invite anyone to expand "themes" but when I arrived... there was nothing there of any worth. RW's themes are vitally important to understanding and appreciating his music and, really, what set RW appart. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Theowarner ( talk • contribs) 05:12, 4 March 2006 (UTC).
"RW's songs do not reach wide spread appeal because a straight man and/or woman can't sing along without realizing that he/she has just said a very gay thing or not is much discussed." That just doesn't make any sense to me at all, and I still question the encyclopedic value of the sentiments of this section. -- mtz206 13:27, 4 March 2006 (UTC)
Yeah... let me try again. 1) Why is it that RWs songs are both critically successful and popularly unsuccessful? 2) One reason may be that some of RWs songs are about gay love. 3) But, wait a minute, saying, "I love you" is neither gay nor straight. 4) That may be true, but some times RW says, "I'm a man and I love a man." 5) Oh... I see. A straight man or woman can't identify with "I'm a man and I love a man," in the same they can identify with "I love you."
Maybe there's another section that this deserves to be in. Any ideas? But, that some of RW's songs are from a gay voice to a gay object is an undeniably important theme. It's got to go somewhere. -theowarner
IMO, the 11:15, March 13, 2006 edit by Theowarner does a good job indicating some of the themes, without opining/speculating as to their "possible implications" -- mtz206 18:02, 13 March 2006 (UTC)
How is Rufus's list of gay icons related to the themes of his songs? Could this information be removed? Unetta 13:32, 9 October 2007 (UTC)
I don't think it really matters whether he is singing about men or women. Love is a universal term that everyone can interpret in their own way... just a thought. -- Ignatiuswiki 02:14 2 March 2008 (UTC)
Not sure why RW's contribution to Craig Armstrongs Album has been deleted, but I've just added it back in Ninefish 01:48, 19 April 2006 (UTC)
This list is getting way too long. Is it really necessary to mention eg. the tv shows that have featured his music, or compilations that include music already on his studio albums? Unetta 11:29, 16 May 2007 (UTC)
To assert that father Loudon Wainright is a 'folk singer' is quite absurd (why? Because he plays acoustic guitar?) Wainwright himself has made fun of this stereotype on the song 'Taking New Bob Dylan Blues' in 1992. He's a songwriter who plays acoustic guitar. Folk? In 37 years I think he's done about 2 cover versions. User: Tim Gadd
There seems to be a bit of a dispute at the moment over whether or not "Gay Messiah" is a political song or not. Thoughts?
(I have no real opinion on the issue, so please do not direct your arguments at me. I can see it going either way - no, the lyrics aren't necessarily explicitly political, but even the title could be taken as a political statement.) -- DearPrudence 22:20, 25 May 2007 (UTC)
The "Themes" section seems to be missing quite a number of citations. While the content of some of his songs are obvious, the less obvious ones ("Tulsa" and "Matinee Idol", as examples) should have citations for their inspiration. Also, if there are rumors about Wainwright and Brandon Flowers being lovers, that should definitely have a cite, as that's potentially highly controversial. Parthenogenetic 21:54, 8 July 2007 (UTC)
I don't know how useful this may be to this article but I found this on one of the OK Go members' blogs. Rosa 03:34, 25 July 2007 (UTC)
ref: http://thewilltorock.blogspot.com/2005_11_01_archive.html
Rufus Wainwright hit on me. Swear to God. After telling him that the quality of his music and talent of his band was depressing me, he simply replied with, "Oh sweetie, I can make you happy." While he and I don't play on the same team, I can't help but think that getting hit on by a guy NME calls "one of, if not the best, songwriters of his generation" is a victory for Ol' Rusty. Rufus wins, too, because everyone knows that getting turned down by a member of OK Go is an honor in itself.
Didn't Rufus open for the Canadian band Sloan several times on their tour in either 1998 or 1999? I know he opened for them for three of four shows in a row performed at the Palais Royale in Toronto back in November of 1998 or so...Though none of his performances were recorded and added to the live Sloan double disc album "4 Nights At The Palais Royale". I was just wondering if this would be something to add to the article? (I'm not quite sure but I remember reading somewhere that he opened for them a number of other times before the Palais shows and this is why I'm bringing it up.)
Under the addiction subheading, it's mentioned that during his debaucherous week, Rufus "played a drug addict in a cameo role in a UK comedy television programme 'Absolutely Fabulous.'" I have just seen the cameo in the episodes entitled 'Gay' and his role is less than five seconds, and only consists of him small talking with Patsy, echoing her drunken mannerisms. Am I missing something? I will retool the reference. Kurtto ( talk) 15:56, 19 November 2007 (UTC)
Is there a source for his nationality? TIA -- Tom 14:47, 9 January 2008 (UTC)
The article currently says that the sexual assault at age 14 "postponed his becoming promiscuous", whilst the cited article says that at first "Wainwright's first homosexual experience traumatised him so much, he embarked on a promiscuous spree." This earlier article explains how he later ended up staying celibate for so long: "I was out for sex, and boy did I get it," he says. "It was insane, and basically I ended up thinking I had AIDS for the next seven to ten years." I believe this fear should be added because it plays quite an important part in his work (most notably in Barcelona, it also nudged him further towards opera; he would "write little operas, and I wrote a requiem for myself.") —Preceding unsigned comment added by SubtleKnife00 ( talk • contribs) 20:54, 5 December 2008 (UTC)
[Loudon Wainwright III (a direct descendant of Peter Stuyvesant, the last Director-General of New Netherland.]
What does this mean? If he is a "direct descendant of Peter Stuyvesant" in the male line, then why isn't his surname Stuyvesant? If he is not a descendent in the direct male line, what is he? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 124.176.5.121 ( talk) 12:43, 5 February 2009 (UTC)
Just for the record, in case this information pertains to an "impact" section for the article, following is a list of artists that have covered Wainwright:
Feel free to add to the list if more covers emerge in the future! -- Another Believer ( Talk) 03:14, 23 April 2009 (UTC)
-- Another Believer ( Talk) 16:50, 11 October 2011 (UTC)
There should be something here about the Shakespearian sonnets he was commissioned to score for a play in Germany that debuted recently. 66.41.253.22 ( talk) 22:33, 6 June 2009 (UTC)
This article isn't structured such that it has a personal life section, so I am not sure how to include this. Roscelese ( talk ⋅ contribs) 05:05, 19 February 2011 (UTC)
-- Another Believer ( Talk) 20:32, 2 March 2012 (UTC)
So why aren't you so kind and tell us what you want to be sourced? What in that paragraph do you doubt? It's just ordinary data, nothing controversial. No reader will stumble upon this thinking, "oh is this really true". That stupid button does help nothing at all.-- Sylvia Anna ( talk) 18:08, 9 October 2012 (UTC)
The least would have been to explain on the talk page what in that paragraph you think should be sourced. I don't know if there is a policy here that requires one to do so, but it would have been a reasonable and helpful thing to do. Just putting in a badge and moving on is not quite helpful. Those "editors concerned with article clean-up" would certainly appreciate it, too. Apart from that, they have probably better things to do than to look for sources for something that has not and probably never will be challenged. And readers seeing that badge may thnk that there is something wrong with the information in that paragraph, although there actually is no reason to doubt that information. IMO, a badge like the one you used makes only sense if you have reason to believe that the information given is incorrect.-- Sylvia Anna ( talk) 20:38, 10 October 2012 (UTC)
I don't know why people keep changing it. Rufus is American-Canadian. He is both of American and Canadian descend and he has dual citizenship. I'm adding a reference from a Vanity Fair article where he comfirmed dual citizenship.-- Sylvia Anna ( talk) 18:25, 8 August 2013 (UTC)
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... his cover of Jeff Buckley's cover of Leonard Cohen's ..." seems confusing. Is there any particular reason why Buckley's cover is mentioned?
Actually, RW has stated that he hadn't even heard Buckley's version before he wrote/recorded his own. However unlikely this sounds, we can't prove that RW's Hallelujah is NOT a direct cover of Leonard Cohen, especially since there are ties between himself and Cohen (he lived at the house of Cohen's daughter for a while, I think LC had his own appartment at the same place). It is even possible that both Wainwright and Buckley were inspired by another source, the song has been covered a fair few times...
Buckley's 'Hallelujah' is mentioned because (as the article states) Wainwright references it in the song 'Memphis Skyline', and 'Memphis Skyline' is the subject of the paragraph. - NeilH
Songwriting saved my life - Tomas Bartlett "I had to sing "Hallelujah" for "Shrek," and I recorded my version before hearing his version, and then I heard his, and it just dawned on me at that moment the incredible loss, and the incredible talent that he was. The opportunity for me to sing with him would have been mind-blowing." the full text may be read here: [1] -Danny
Should The McGarrigle Hour be listed in the discography? How? He was one of several performers (almost all related). -- Samuel Wantman 09:43, 11 Dec 2004 (UTC)
Somebody change the song title to Schooldays instead of Shooldays (I'm afraid to mess things up).
Other contributions (off the top of my head - which means correct but not complete):
maybe special attention can be paid to these two:
both songs are about Matthew Shepard -Danny
The name of the Antony and the Jonsons track RW sings on is What Can I Do, not What I'll Do.-- 81.79.173.138 17:31, 26 May 2006 (UTC)
Why is the fact that Rufus is "openly gay" the very first thing used to describe him? Shouldn't he be described as a "Canadian-American singer-songwriter" who is gay. -- michael zimmer 15:43, Jan 23, 2005 (UTC)
I agree. I removed "gay" from the introductory sentence. While i can think of some reasons for putting "gay" in the introduction, it is interesting to think about the fact that you never see a straight celebrity described as "straight," whereas a queer celebrity's queerness is often the first thing you hear about them. -- Something 19:57, 3 Mar 2005 (UTC)
It's the fact that he was the first artist to be openly gay before being signed. All other artists were 'in the closet' when signed and then later in their careers came out.
First of all, I can't think of any that were openly gay when they started their career, only those who came out later, or those who (tried to) live(d) a lie during their entire career. Nor has anyone I discussed this with ever offered any suggestions (not good ones anyway) or any of the writers who included this statement in their articles. Even if new acts wanted to, there is so much pressure put on them by the US record companies they depend on for their big break. (cf. British Pop Idol winner Will Young, who is openly gay now, who was asked by an American record company to start hiding his sexuality as a condition for a record contract. Young turned them down. New York-based Scissor Sisters have 3 gay members, their break came from a British record company.) Secondly, I think this is something Rufus himself claimed and it can be presented as such. Thirdly, although I understand that sexual orientation is only a small part of what makes a person who he/she is, there are precious few role-models for gay people and for kids, who need those most. -Danny
Also, please sign your name using the four tildes -like this: ~~~~ -- LittleRoughRhinestone 19:39, 5 November 2006 (UTC)
Jimmy Somerville/Bronski Beat, Andy Bell (Erasure), Two Nice Girls, Tom Robinson (in the 70s!), Phranc ... all were 'out' from the start of the careers. I'm sure there were many more too. Vauxhall1964 ( talk) 22:57, 26 November 2007 (UTC)
I am bothered by the following sentences found in the article: "In 1999, he told Rolling Stone that his father recognized his homosexuality early on. "We'd drive around in the car, he'd play 'Heart of Glass' and I'd sort of mouth the words, pretend to be Blondie. Just a sign of many other things to come as well." Is this an article on Rufus Wainwright, or "How to Tell if Someone's Gay?" Or "Rufus Wainwright's Guide to Knowing if Someone's Gay?" Rufus' father knew he'd be gay by what kind of music he liked as a kid? And both he and his father knew and understood these as "signs" of what was to come? Really? I thought homosexuality had to do with who you find sexually attractive, not what kind of music you listen to, but that's just me. Wainwright may be gay, and his father may have known, but I think these sentences try to apologize for that. What music one starts to like as a child has little bearing on what sex that person will prefer. These anecdotal sentences do more to strengthen gay stereotypes than tell about Rufus' sexual identity as a child IMO. (IE, he could have talked about who he found attractive, instead of what music he liked...) Stereotypes can also work in reverse; boys who grow up to be tough star athletes but hide in the closet because they don't want to disappoint their parents who have viewed them as "straight" from childhood.
The first posters on the subject hit it on the button; Rufus Wainwright is first of all a talented artist. Why is it that he is gay, and how why he thinks he was gay as a child and whether his father recognized it have to take the presedence in importance? I think Rufus Wainwright's music is beautiful and could care less who he f***s on the side. I listen to artists because they create music I like. When I listen to music I don't think "this music is nice. Who wrote it and is he gay or straight?" To the person who brought up the importance of gay rolemodels, I think it's kind of sad that the need for a gay rolemodel makes a person deaf to music and more receptive as to whether an artist is "gay" or not. If a person who is gay finds an artist and he happens to be gay, that is something to be happy about. I think it's kind of sad, almost disrespectful to listen to someone BECAUSE s/he is gay. Kind of like someone who listens "only to black artists" or "only to white artists." Music first. Sexuality, gender, race etc. are secondary... 113.34.33.154 ( talk) 05:03, 28 December 2009 (UTC)
You might want to add his two performances on the soundtrack. The first song is a cover of Roger Miller's "King of the Road" (with Teddy Thompson), and a good one at that. However, the second song "The Maker Makes" is an original, I believe. It may have even been written for this film. Either way it's classic, haunting Wainwright (to this non-Wainwright fan's ear).
The movie may or may not meet with wide acclaim or financial success, but it will undoubtedly be a milestone in mainstream cinema, at least for gay filmgoers. This was probably his motivation for contributing.
Whether or not the film or its actors do well during the awards season, the composer & arranger for the score (Gustavo Santaolalla) may receive a few prizes for good writing and bringing together a collection of iconic country and gay musicians as dichotomous as cowboys and homosexuals. 70.213.12.217 18:22, 17 December 2005 (UTC) T.Morris
I'm curious about the recent reversion of the Canadian-American label. Is he really not Canadian? Given that Kate McGarrigle is Canadian, he would automatically have Canadian citizenship under the rule of jus sanguinis (right of blood) at birth, even though he was born in the United States. Darkcore 22:45, 20 January 2006 (UTC)
I think much of the recent additions to the "Themes" section lacks NPOV and is original research. For example, I don't agree at all with the notion that becuase "many of his songs contain phallic references" necessarily makes "it largely impossible for anyone but a gay man to author or perform his songs." One, it doesn't seem accurate to state that "many" songs contain phallic references, and two, just becuase they have phallic references doesn't mean that only a gay man could write or perform them. -- mtz206 03:57, 1 March 2006 (UTC)
You may be right... As far as I can tell, there isn't much "research" when it comes to Rufus Wainwright. From what I have seen, however, the question of whether RW's songs do not reach wide spread appeal because a straight man and/or woman can't sing along without realizing that he/she has just said a very gay thing or not is much discussed. I think it is an important question and should be addressed in one way or another. As for "many phallic references" I could supply you with a list, but we're easily talking about 15-20%. That's a theme. I invite anyone to expand "themes" but when I arrived... there was nothing there of any worth. RW's themes are vitally important to understanding and appreciating his music and, really, what set RW appart. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Theowarner ( talk • contribs) 05:12, 4 March 2006 (UTC).
"RW's songs do not reach wide spread appeal because a straight man and/or woman can't sing along without realizing that he/she has just said a very gay thing or not is much discussed." That just doesn't make any sense to me at all, and I still question the encyclopedic value of the sentiments of this section. -- mtz206 13:27, 4 March 2006 (UTC)
Yeah... let me try again. 1) Why is it that RWs songs are both critically successful and popularly unsuccessful? 2) One reason may be that some of RWs songs are about gay love. 3) But, wait a minute, saying, "I love you" is neither gay nor straight. 4) That may be true, but some times RW says, "I'm a man and I love a man." 5) Oh... I see. A straight man or woman can't identify with "I'm a man and I love a man," in the same they can identify with "I love you."
Maybe there's another section that this deserves to be in. Any ideas? But, that some of RW's songs are from a gay voice to a gay object is an undeniably important theme. It's got to go somewhere. -theowarner
IMO, the 11:15, March 13, 2006 edit by Theowarner does a good job indicating some of the themes, without opining/speculating as to their "possible implications" -- mtz206 18:02, 13 March 2006 (UTC)
How is Rufus's list of gay icons related to the themes of his songs? Could this information be removed? Unetta 13:32, 9 October 2007 (UTC)
I don't think it really matters whether he is singing about men or women. Love is a universal term that everyone can interpret in their own way... just a thought. -- Ignatiuswiki 02:14 2 March 2008 (UTC)
Not sure why RW's contribution to Craig Armstrongs Album has been deleted, but I've just added it back in Ninefish 01:48, 19 April 2006 (UTC)
This list is getting way too long. Is it really necessary to mention eg. the tv shows that have featured his music, or compilations that include music already on his studio albums? Unetta 11:29, 16 May 2007 (UTC)
To assert that father Loudon Wainright is a 'folk singer' is quite absurd (why? Because he plays acoustic guitar?) Wainwright himself has made fun of this stereotype on the song 'Taking New Bob Dylan Blues' in 1992. He's a songwriter who plays acoustic guitar. Folk? In 37 years I think he's done about 2 cover versions. User: Tim Gadd
There seems to be a bit of a dispute at the moment over whether or not "Gay Messiah" is a political song or not. Thoughts?
(I have no real opinion on the issue, so please do not direct your arguments at me. I can see it going either way - no, the lyrics aren't necessarily explicitly political, but even the title could be taken as a political statement.) -- DearPrudence 22:20, 25 May 2007 (UTC)
The "Themes" section seems to be missing quite a number of citations. While the content of some of his songs are obvious, the less obvious ones ("Tulsa" and "Matinee Idol", as examples) should have citations for their inspiration. Also, if there are rumors about Wainwright and Brandon Flowers being lovers, that should definitely have a cite, as that's potentially highly controversial. Parthenogenetic 21:54, 8 July 2007 (UTC)
I don't know how useful this may be to this article but I found this on one of the OK Go members' blogs. Rosa 03:34, 25 July 2007 (UTC)
ref: http://thewilltorock.blogspot.com/2005_11_01_archive.html
Rufus Wainwright hit on me. Swear to God. After telling him that the quality of his music and talent of his band was depressing me, he simply replied with, "Oh sweetie, I can make you happy." While he and I don't play on the same team, I can't help but think that getting hit on by a guy NME calls "one of, if not the best, songwriters of his generation" is a victory for Ol' Rusty. Rufus wins, too, because everyone knows that getting turned down by a member of OK Go is an honor in itself.
Didn't Rufus open for the Canadian band Sloan several times on their tour in either 1998 or 1999? I know he opened for them for three of four shows in a row performed at the Palais Royale in Toronto back in November of 1998 or so...Though none of his performances were recorded and added to the live Sloan double disc album "4 Nights At The Palais Royale". I was just wondering if this would be something to add to the article? (I'm not quite sure but I remember reading somewhere that he opened for them a number of other times before the Palais shows and this is why I'm bringing it up.)
Under the addiction subheading, it's mentioned that during his debaucherous week, Rufus "played a drug addict in a cameo role in a UK comedy television programme 'Absolutely Fabulous.'" I have just seen the cameo in the episodes entitled 'Gay' and his role is less than five seconds, and only consists of him small talking with Patsy, echoing her drunken mannerisms. Am I missing something? I will retool the reference. Kurtto ( talk) 15:56, 19 November 2007 (UTC)
Is there a source for his nationality? TIA -- Tom 14:47, 9 January 2008 (UTC)
The article currently says that the sexual assault at age 14 "postponed his becoming promiscuous", whilst the cited article says that at first "Wainwright's first homosexual experience traumatised him so much, he embarked on a promiscuous spree." This earlier article explains how he later ended up staying celibate for so long: "I was out for sex, and boy did I get it," he says. "It was insane, and basically I ended up thinking I had AIDS for the next seven to ten years." I believe this fear should be added because it plays quite an important part in his work (most notably in Barcelona, it also nudged him further towards opera; he would "write little operas, and I wrote a requiem for myself.") —Preceding unsigned comment added by SubtleKnife00 ( talk • contribs) 20:54, 5 December 2008 (UTC)
[Loudon Wainwright III (a direct descendant of Peter Stuyvesant, the last Director-General of New Netherland.]
What does this mean? If he is a "direct descendant of Peter Stuyvesant" in the male line, then why isn't his surname Stuyvesant? If he is not a descendent in the direct male line, what is he? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 124.176.5.121 ( talk) 12:43, 5 February 2009 (UTC)
Just for the record, in case this information pertains to an "impact" section for the article, following is a list of artists that have covered Wainwright:
Feel free to add to the list if more covers emerge in the future! -- Another Believer ( Talk) 03:14, 23 April 2009 (UTC)
-- Another Believer ( Talk) 16:50, 11 October 2011 (UTC)
There should be something here about the Shakespearian sonnets he was commissioned to score for a play in Germany that debuted recently. 66.41.253.22 ( talk) 22:33, 6 June 2009 (UTC)
This article isn't structured such that it has a personal life section, so I am not sure how to include this. Roscelese ( talk ⋅ contribs) 05:05, 19 February 2011 (UTC)
-- Another Believer ( Talk) 20:32, 2 March 2012 (UTC)
So why aren't you so kind and tell us what you want to be sourced? What in that paragraph do you doubt? It's just ordinary data, nothing controversial. No reader will stumble upon this thinking, "oh is this really true". That stupid button does help nothing at all.-- Sylvia Anna ( talk) 18:08, 9 October 2012 (UTC)
The least would have been to explain on the talk page what in that paragraph you think should be sourced. I don't know if there is a policy here that requires one to do so, but it would have been a reasonable and helpful thing to do. Just putting in a badge and moving on is not quite helpful. Those "editors concerned with article clean-up" would certainly appreciate it, too. Apart from that, they have probably better things to do than to look for sources for something that has not and probably never will be challenged. And readers seeing that badge may thnk that there is something wrong with the information in that paragraph, although there actually is no reason to doubt that information. IMO, a badge like the one you used makes only sense if you have reason to believe that the information given is incorrect.-- Sylvia Anna ( talk) 20:38, 10 October 2012 (UTC)
I don't know why people keep changing it. Rufus is American-Canadian. He is both of American and Canadian descend and he has dual citizenship. I'm adding a reference from a Vanity Fair article where he comfirmed dual citizenship.-- Sylvia Anna ( talk) 18:25, 8 August 2013 (UTC)
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Hi Anachronist,
I see there was some confusion about why I undid your edit that set the display format for the image File:Rufus Wainwright Sundance.jpg to upright. To clarify, for some unknown reason, this image does not render properly for me when it is set to upright. Instead I get a version of the image that is stretched and rotated 90 degrees counterclockwise. I confirmed the issue in two different browsers, Chrome and Microsoft Edge, which is why I assumed it was a wider spread bug. Upon further testing, it does not render incorrectly in Microsoft Explorer or if I access the page on Chrome mobile. Even more strangely, every other image that is set to upright on this page renders correctly.
I would be curious if any other users are seeing this error.
--- VarjoGr Ay Jay — Preceding undated comment added 15:57, 23 February 2021 (UTC)