For the boxer nicknamed "Matinee Idol", see Bobby Czyz

Matinée idol is a term used mainly to describe film or theatre stars who are adored to the point of adulation by their fans.

The term almost exclusively refers to male actors. Invariably the adulation was fixated on the actor's looks rather than performance. It differs from "sex symbol" (and is also faintly derogatory) in that it suggests the star's popularity came from the afternoon Matinée performances rather than the "big picture" evenings and, hence, a less discriminating audience.

Now a somewhat old-fashioned term, the phenomenon reached its height during the period from the 1930s to around the 1960s, a period extending from the beginning of the "talkies" to the development of pop culture. As a concept it was supplanted by the more music-led term, "teen idol".^{[citation needed]}

Television and film[link]

The Matinee Idol is also the title of a 1928 Frank Capra film,^[1] a 1933 UK film and a Rufus Wainwright song, which is supposed to have been written about River Phoenix, as well as countless articles and biographies concerning film and theatre actors.^[2]

Sports[link]

• Professional boxer Bobby Czyz, who fought and lost to Evander Holyfield, Mustafa Hamsho, and Virgil Hill, was nicknamed "The Matinee Idol".
• During the November 15, 2009, Sunday Night Football game between the New England Patriots and the Indianapolis Colts, Bob Costas used the term to describe New England Patriot's quarterback Tom Brady. The Colts went on to win by a score of 35-34.^[3]

Professional boxer Oscar Golden Boy Dela Hoya is also another fighter known as Matinee Idol

References[link]

1. ^ Matinee Idol, IMDB.com
2. ^ Idol Worship: A Shameless Celebration of Male Beauty in the Movies by Michael Ferguson (2003)
3. ^ Colts.com

External links[link]

• B-movie Beefcake

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (November 2011)

Robben Ford
Background information
Born	(1951-12-16) December 16, 1951 (age 60) Woodlake, California, United States
Genres	Blues, jazz/fusion, rock
Occupations	Musician, songwriter
Instruments	Guitar, saxophone
Years active	1969–present
Associated acts	John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, Yellowjackets, Chick Corea, Gregg Allman Band, L.A. Express
Website	Robbenford.com
Notable instruments
Baker Guitars Robben Ford Signature Model

Robben Ford (born December 16, 1951)^[1] is an American blues, jazz and rock guitarist. He was a member of the L.A. Express and has collaborated with Miles Davis, Joni Mitchell, George Harrison and KISS. He was named one of the "100 Greatest Guitarists of the 20th Century" by Musician magazine.

Early life[link]

Ford was born in Woodlake, California and raised in Ukiah, California. He began playing the saxophone at age 10 and the guitar at age 14. Ford and his brothers Mark (harmonica) and Patrick (drums) created a band and named it the Charles Ford Blues Band in honor of their father.^[2]

Career[link]

Ford has received four Grammy Award nominations   and was named one of the "100 Greatest Guitarists of the 20th Century" by Musician magazine.^[3]

At age 18 Ford and the Charles Ford Blues Band were hired as a backup band for Charlie Musselwhite.^[1] The band also recorded two albums The Charles Ford Band and Discovering the Blues. Ford recorded two albums with the Witherspoon's called Live and Spoonful'. The Ford Blues Band reunites periodically, and released live albums in the 1980s and 1990s. In the 1970s, Ford branched out into jazz fusion, and joined the band, L.A. Express ,^[1] led by saxophonist Tom Scott in 1974. That same year the band supported George Harrison on his American tour and Joni Mitchell's on albums, Court and Spark, Hissing of Summer Lawns and Miles of Aisles.^[1]

After leaving the L.A. Express in 1976, Ford recorded his solo album, The Inside Story with a band that later became the Yellowjackets.^[1] In 1982, Ford was one of several guitarists who appeared on the KISS album Creatures of the Night, playing the lead guitar on the songs "Rock And Roll Hell" and "I Still Love You".

Miles Davis & Robben Ford in Montreux in 1986

Ford worked briefly with Miles Davis in 1986;^[1] and can be heard on Davis' Montreux box set. Ford released his next album, Talk to Your Daughter in 1988. In 1989 he joined Philippe Saisse, Marcus Miller and J.T. Lewis in the cast of The Sunday Night Band for the second and final season of the late-night NBC television program, Sunday Night.^[4] In the 1990s he released the albums, Robben Ford and the Blue Line, and Tiger Walk. Ford continued his collaborations with bands and artists such as Jing Chi, Gregg Allman and Phil Lesh.

Equipment[link]

Ford uses Dumble Amplifiers and Celestion G12-65 speakers. When traveling abroad he uses Fender Super Reverb amplifiers along with a Zendrive overdrive pedal by Hermida Audio. Lately, Ford favors a vintage 1960 Fender Telecaster, Gibson Les Pauls and a custom-made guitar made by Taku Sakashta.^[5]

Personal life[link]

Ford is married to the cabaret singer Anne Kerry Ford. His nephew, Gabe Ford, is also a musician.^{[citation needed]}

Discography[link]

Solo albums[link]

• Discovering the Blues Live (1972)
• Jimmy Witherspoon & Robben Ford Live (1976)
• Schizophonic (1976)
• The Inside Story (1979)
• Love's A Heartache (1983)
• Keep on Running (1983)
• Talk to Your Daughter (1988)
• Robben Ford and the Blue Line (1992)
• Mystic Mile (1993)
• Handful of Blues (1995)
• Blues Connotation (1996)
• Tiger Walk (1997)
• Supernatural (1999)
• Sunrise (1999)
• A Tribute to Paul Butterfield (2001)
• Blue Moon (2002)
• Keep on Running (2003)
• Truth (2007)
• Soul on Ten (2009)

Live albums[link]

• Discovering the Blues Live (1972)
• The Authorized Bootleg (1998)
• Soul on Ten (2009)

Compilations[link]

• Blues Collection (1997)
• Anthology: The Early Years (2001)

With Ford Blues Band[link]

• The Charles Ford Band (1972)
• Reunion Live (1984)
• As Real As It Gets(1996)
• Hotshots (1994)
• Fords and Friends (1996)
• Ford Blues Band (1999)
• Tribute to Paul Butterfield (2001)
• In Memory of Michael Bloomfield (2002)
• Another Fine Day (2003)
• Centre Stage (2004)

With Mark Ford[link]

• Mark Ford and the Robben Ford Band (1990)
• Mark Ford and the Blue Line

Collaborations[link]

• Minor Elegance (1990) with Joe Diorio, Gary Willis and Peter Erskine
• Jing Chi (2001) with Vinnie Colaiuta, Jimmy Haslip
• Jing Chi Live (2003)
• Jing Chi 3D (2004)
• Charlie Haden - Helium Tears (2006)
• Larry Carlton - Live In Tokyo (2007)
• Sonny Landreth - From the Reach (2008)
• With Michael Landau, Jimmy Haslip, Gary Novak - Renegade Creation (2010)

Albums played on[link]

• F-Zero Jazz Album (1992)
• Voodoo Crossing: A Tribute to Jimi Hendrix (2003) Message To Love
• Viva Carlos - A Supernatural Marathon Celebration (2004) Blues For Salvador
• A Guitar Supreme - A Giant Step In Fusion Guitar (2006) Village Blues
• Come Together 2; Beatles Guitar Tribute (2000?) Golden Slumbers

As sideman[link]

With Charlie Musselwhite

• Takin' My Time (Arhoolie 1056) (1973)
• Going Back Down South (Arhoolie 1074) (1975)

With Joni Mitchell

• Miles of Aisles (1974)
• The Hissing of Summer Lawns (1975)

With Tom Scott and the LA Express

• Tom Cat (1974)

With Dizzy Gillespie

• Rhythmstick (1990)

With Charlie Musselwhite

• Where Have All The Good Times Gone (1984)

With Jimmy Witherspoon

• Live at Monterey Jazz Festival (1972)
• Live (1976)
• Live at Notodden Blues Festival (1992)
• Ain't Nothing New About The Blues (1995)

With Kiss

• Creatures of the Night (1982)

With Georgie Fame

• Cool Cat Blues (1991)

With Rickie Lee Jones

• Pop Pop (1991)

With Bob Malach

• Mood Swing (1991)

With Miles Davis

• The Complete Miles Davis at Montreux (2002)

Instructional DVDs[link]

• The Art of Blues Rhythm
• Playing the Blues
• The Blues and Beyond

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website
• 2007 Modern Guitars interview by Brian D. Holland
• Interview at Digital Interviews
• 'Worried Life Blues' Performed Live in Germany 1994
• Blue Rock It

River Phoenix
At the 61st Academy Awards; Governor's House, March 29, 1989
Born	River Jude Bottom[1] (1970-08-23)August 23, 1970 Metolius, Oregon, United States
Died	October 31, 1993(1993-10-31) (aged 23) Los Angeles, California, United States
Cause of death	Drug-induced heart failure
Occupation	Actor, Musician, Activist
Years active	1982–1993

River Jude Phoenix (August 23, 1970 – October 31, 1993) was an American film actor, musician, and activist. He was the oldest brother of fellow actors Rain, Joaquin, Liberty, and Summer Phoenix. Phoenix's work encompassed 24 films and television appearances, including the science fiction adventure film Explorers, the coming-of-age film Stand By Me, the action sequel Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade and the independent adult drama My Own Private Idaho.

Phoenix began acting at age 10 in television commercials. He appeared in diverse roles, making his first notable appearance in the 1986 film Stand by Me, a hugely popular coming-of-age film based on a novella by Stephen King. Phoenix made a transition into more adult-oriented roles with Running on Empty (1988), playing the son of fugitive parents in a well-received performance that earned him an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor nomination, and My Own Private Idaho (1991), playing a gay hustler in search of his estranged mother. For his performance in the latter, Phoenix garnered enormous praise and won a Volpi Cup at the Venice Film Festival, along with Best Actor from the National Society of Film Critics. He was listed by John Willis as one of twelve promising new actors of 1986.

On October 31, 1993, Phoenix collapsed and died of drug-induced heart failure on the sidewalk outside the West Hollywood nightclub The Viper Room.^[2] Prior to his death, Phoenix had been in the middle of filming the currently unreleased Dark Blood (1993).

Early life[link]

Phoenix was born as River Jude Bottom^[1] on August 23, 1970, in Madras, Oregon, the first child of Arlyn Sharon Dunetz and John Lee Bottom.^[3] Phoenix's parents named him after the river of life from the Hermann Hesse novel Siddhartha, and he received his middle name from The Beatles' song "Hey Jude".^[4]

In an interview with People, Phoenix described his parents as "hippieish".^[3] His mother was born in The Bronx, New York, to Jewish parents whose families had emigrated from Russia and Hungary.^[5][6] His father was a lapsed Catholic from Fontana, California.^[5] In 1968, Phoenix's mother left her family in New York City and travelled across the United States, meeting John Lee Bottom while hitchhiking in northern California. They married on September 13, 1969, less than one year after meeting. In 1973, the family joined a religious cult called the Children of God as missionaries. While living in Crockett, Texas, their second child Rain Joan of Arc Bottom was born on November 21, 1972. Their third child was born on October 28, 1974, in San Juan, Puerto Rico, as Joaquin Rafael Bottom.^[7]

On July 5, 1976, Phoenix's sister Libertad Mariposa Bottom was born, after the family had settled in Caracas, Venezuela, where the Children of God had stationed them to work as missionaries and fruit gatherers. Although John Bottom was later designated the cult's "Archbishop of Venezuela and the Caribbean", their family received no financial support from the group and lived in poverty. Phoenix often played guitar while he and Rain sang on street corners for money and food to support their ever-growing family. Arlyn and John eventually grew disillusioned with the Children of God; Arlyn would later tell a journalist that she and her husband were opposed to the cult's practice of Flirty Fishing, stating: "The group was being distorted by the leader, David Berg, who was getting powerful and wealthy. He sought to attract rich disciples through sex. No way."^[8] Fearing the cult was moving in a negative direction, the Bottom family left the group and stayed for a period with a church in Venezuela. It was during the last years in South America that the entire Phoenix family converted to veganism, encouraged by River and Joaquin, who had witnessed local fishermen's methods of killing their catch.^[9]

The family eventually made the trip back to the United States by stowing away on a cargo ship. Upon their return, they moved in with Phoenix's maternal grandparents in Florida. On December 29, 1977, Summer Joy Bottom was born in Winter Park, Florida. On April 2, 1979, the family officially changed their name to Phoenix, after the mythical bird that rises from its own ashes, symbolizing a new beginning.^[10]

Acting career[link]

In Los Angeles, John Phoenix was working for a casting agent at NBC. He managed to secure his talented brood a meeting with top kids' agent Iris Burton, who was so charmed by the family that she agreed to take on all five Phoenix children. In 1980, Phoenix began to fully pursue his work as an actor, making his first appearance on a TV show called Fantasy singing with his sister Rain.^[7] In 1982, River was cast in the NBC short-lived TV series, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, in which he starred as the youngest brother, Guthrie McFadden. River, who arrived at the auditions with his guitar, promptly burst into a convincing Elvis Presley impersonation, charming the show producer.^[11]

Almost a year after Seven Brides for Seven Brothers ended in 1983, River found a new role in the 1984 made-for-TV movie Celebrity, where he played the part of young Jeffie Crawford. Although he was only on screen for about ten minutes, his character was a central role.^[12] Less than a month after Celebrity came the ABC Afterschool Special: Backwards: The Riddle of Dyslexia. River starred as a young boy who discovers he has dyslexia. Joaquin starred in a small role alongside his brother. In September, the pilot episode of the short-lived TV series It's Your Move aired. River was cast as Brian and only had one line of dialogue. He also starred as Robert Kennedy's son, Robert Kennedy, Jr. in the TV movie Robert Kennedy and His Times. After River's role in Dyslexia was critically acclaimed, he was almost immediately cast as a major role in his next made-for-TV movie, Surviving: A Family in Crisis. River starred as Philip Brogan alongside Molly Ringwald and Heather O'Rourke. Halfway during the filming of Surviving Iris Burton contacted him about a possible role in the film Explorers.^[13]

Phoenix and Martha Plimpton on the red carpet at the 61st Academy Awards, 1989

In October 1984, River was informed that he had been cast as the geeky boy-scientist Wolfgang Müller in Joe Dante's large-budget science-fiction film Explorers and production began soon after. Released in the summer of 1985, this was River's first major motion picture role. In October 1986, Phoenix co-starred alongside Tuesday Weld and Geraldine Fitzgerald in the acclaimed CBS television movie Circle of Violence: A Family Drama, which told the tragic story of domestic elder abuse. This was Phoenix's last television role he filmed before achieving feature film stardom. He had significant roles in Rob Reiner's coming of age picture Stand by Me (1986) which first brought Phoenix to public prominence; Peter Weir's The Mosquito Coast (1986), where Phoenix played the son of Harrison Ford's character; A Night in the Life of Jimmy Reardon (1988); and Little Nikita (1988) alongside Sidney Poitier. During this time, the Phoenix family continued to move on a regular basis and moved over forty times by the time Phoenix was 18. After completing his sixth feature film, Sidney Lumet's Running on Empty (1988) the family made their last move to Micanopy, Florida, near Gainesville, Florida in 1987. In early 1989, Phoenix was nominated for an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor (as well as for a Golden Globe) and received the Best Supporting Actor honor from the National Board of Review for his role in Running on Empty. That year he also portrayed a young Indiana Jones in the box-office hit Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. In 1989 reportedly Phoenix wanted the role of Neil Perry, the main character of Dead Poets Society, but the role was instead given to Robert Sean Leonard.

Phoenix met actor Keanu Reeves while Reeves was filming Parenthood with Phoenix's brother, Joaquin. The two starred together for the first time (along with Kevin Kline, Tracey Ullman and Joan Plowright) in 1990's I Love You to Death and again in Gus Van Sant's avant-garde film My Own Private Idaho. In his review for Newsweek, David Ansen praised Phoenix's performance: "The campfire scene in which Mike awkwardly declares his unrequited love for Scott is a marvel of delicacy. In this, and every scene, Phoenix immerses himself so deeply inside his character you almost forget you've seen him before: it's a stunningly sensitive performance, poignant and comic at once". For his role in My Own Private Idaho, Phoenix won Best Actor honors at the Venice Film Festival, the National Society of Film Critics and the Independent Spirit Awards. The film and its success solidified Phoenix's image as an actor with edgy, leading man potential. Just prior to My Own Private Idaho, he filmed an acclaimed independent picture called Dogfight co-starring Lili Taylor and directed by Nancy Savoca, in which Phoenix portrayed a young U.S. Marine on the night prior to his being shipped off to Vietnam in November 1963. Phoenix teamed up with Redford and again with Sidney Poitier for the conspiracy/espionage thriller Sneakers (1992). A month later he began production on Sam Shepard's art-house, ghost western Silent Tongue (which was released in 1994); he also was beaten out for the role of Paul by Brad Pitt in A River Runs Through It. He then appeared in Peter Bogdanovich's country music-themed film, The Thing Called Love (1993), the last completed picture before his death.

Music[link]

Although Phoenix's movie career was generating most of the income for his family, it has been stated by close friends and relatives that his true passion was music. Phoenix was a singer, song writer and an accomplished guitarist. He had begun teaching himself guitar at the age of five and had stated in an interview for E! in 1988 that his family's move to Los Angeles when he was nine was made so that he and his sister "... could become recording artists. I fell into commercials for financial reasons and acting became an attractive concept ..." Prior to securing an acting agent, Phoenix and his siblings had attempted to forge a career in music by playing cover songs on the streets of the Westwood district of LA, often being moved along by police because of the gathering crowds who obstructed the pavement.

While working on A Night in the Life of Jimmy Reardon in 1986, Phoenix had written and recorded a song, "Heart to Get", specifically for the end credits of the movie. 20th Century Fox cut it from the completed film, but director William Richert put it back into place for his director's cut some years later. It was during filming that Phoenix met Chris Blackwell of Island Records, this meeting would later secure Phoenix a two-year development deal with the label. Phoenix disliked the idea of being a solo artist and relished collaboration; therefore he focused on putting together a band. Aleka's Attic were formed in 1987 and the line up included his sister Rain.^[14] Phoenix was committed to gaining credibility by his own merit and so he maintained that the band would not use his name when securing performances that were not benefits for charitable organizations. Phoenix's first release was "Across the Way", co-written with band mate Josh McKay, which was released in 1989 on a benefit album for PETA titled Tame Yourself. In 1991 River wrote and recorded a spoken word piece called "Curi Curi" for Milton Nascimento's album TXAI. Also in 1991 the Aleka's Attic track "Too Many Colors" was lent to the soundtrack of Gus Van Sant's My Own Private Idaho a film which included Phoenix in a starring role. In 1996 the Aleka's Attic track "Note to a Friend" was released on the 1996 benefit album In Defense of Animals; Volume II and featured Flea of Red Hot Chili Peppers on bass.

Phoenix had collaborated with friend John Frusciante after his first departure from Red Hot Chili Peppers and the songs "Height Down" and "Well I've Been" were released on Frusciante's second solo album Smile from the Streets You Hold in 1997. The title track may also be an ode to Phoenix.

Phoenix was an investor in the original House of Blues (founded by his good friend and Sneakers co-star Dan Aykroyd) in Cambridge, Massachusetts, which opened its doors to the public after serving a group of homeless people on Thanksgiving Day 1992.^[15]

Activism[link]

Phoenix was a dedicated animal rights, environmental and political activist. He was a prominent spokesperson for PETA and won their Humanitarian award in 1992 for his fund-raising efforts.^[16] Also in 1990, for Earth Day, Phoenix wrote an environmental awareness essay targeted at his young fanbase, which was printed in Seventeen magazine. He financially aided a slew of environmental and humanitarian organizations and bought 800 acres (320 ha) of endangered rainforest in Costa Rica.^[17]

As well as giving speeches at rallies for various groups, he and his band often played environmental benefits for well known charities and also that of local ones around Gainesville, Florida.^[18]

Death[link]

The Viper Room on Sunset Strip, where Phoenix collapsed on the sidewalk

Prior to his death, Phoenix's image —one he bemoaned in interviews— had been squeaky-clean, owing in part to the public discussion of his various social, political, humanitarian and dietary interests not always popular in the 1980s. As a result, his death elicited a vast amount of coverage from the media at the time.^[19]

On the evening of October 30, 1993, Phoenix was to perform with his close friend Michael "Flea" Balzary from the Red Hot Chili Peppers onstage at The Viper Room, a Hollywood night club partly owned at the time by actor Johnny Depp.^[20] Phoenix had returned to Los Angeles early that week from Utah to complete the three weeks of interior shots left on his last (and, as of late 2011, unfinished) project Dark Blood.^[21] His younger sister Rain and brother Joaquin had flown out to join him at the Hotel Nikko (now the SLS Hotel) on La Cienega Boulevard. Phoenix's girlfriend, Samantha Mathis, had also come to meet him, and all would be present at the scene of Phoenix's death.^[22]

At some point in the evening, Phoenix went to the bathroom to take drugs with various friends and dealers.^[23] It is frequently reported that an acquaintance or dealer offered him Persian Brown (a combination of heroin and methamphetamine,^[24] which is commonly snorted); however, his autopsy report revealed lethal doses of cocaine and morphine (which is what heroin metabolizes into and shows up as in the blood). His blood also contained diazepam, ephedrine and marijuana.^[25] Soon after consuming a combination of heroin and cocaine he became ill, and somebody reportedly gave him diazepam, as it is commonly used to counter-act the effects of a stimulant overdose. However, because he had consumed heroin the treatment is thought to have been counter productive, as diazepam further enhances the effects of heroin.^[23] During the early morning hours of October 31, 1993, Phoenix collapsed outside the club from a drug overdose of heroin and cocaine (known as a speedball) further amplified by the administration of diazepam. He convulsed for five minutes. When his brother Joaquin called 9-1-1, he was unable to determine whether River was breathing. Sister Rain Phoenix proceeded to give mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, to no avail.^[26]

During the episode, Johnny Depp and his band P (featuring Flea and Phoenix's friend Gibby Haynes of the Butthole Surfers) were onstage. According to Haynes the band was in the middle of their song, "Michael Stipe", which includes the line "but we didn't have a part, not a piece of our heart, not Michael, River Phoenix or Flea or me", while Phoenix was outside the venue having seizures on the sidewalk.^[27] When the news filtered through the club, Flea left the stage and rushed outside. Paramedics had arrived on the scene and found Phoenix in a flatline state, and they administered drugs in an attempt to restart his heart. He was rushed to the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, accompanied by Flea, via an ambulance. Further attempts to resuscitate Phoenix were unsuccessful. He was pronounced dead at 1:51 a.m. PST on the morning of October 31, 1993.^[28]

The following day the club became a makeshift shrine with fans and mourners leaving flowers, pictures and candles on the sidewalk and graffiti messages on the walls of the venue.^[29] A sign was placed in the window that read, "With much respect and love to River and his family, The Viper Room is temporarily closed. Our heartfelt condolences to all his family, friends and loved ones. He will be missed."^[30] The club remained closed for a week. Depp continued to close the club every year on October 31 until selling his share in 2004.^[31] Phoenix was described by one writer as "the vegan James Dean", and comparisons were made regarding the youth and sudden deaths of both the actors.^[32]

Unrealized film projects[link]

Phoenix's sudden death prevented him from playing various roles for which he had already been cast:

• Phoenix was due to begin work on Neil Jordan's Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles (1994) two weeks after his death. He was to play Daniel Malloy, the interviewer, which then went to Christian Slater^[33][34]- who donated his entire $250,000 salary to two of Phoenix's favorite charitable organizations Earth Save and Earth Trust.^[35][36][37] The film has a dedication to Phoenix after the end credits.
• Izzy Singer, the son of Susan Sarandon's character in Safe Passage (1994), which then went to Sean Astin.^[33] Joaquin and Rain Phoenix were in LA the evening Phoenix passed away because they each had auditions to play his siblings in the film that coming week.^{[citation needed]}
• Phoenix had signed onto the lead role in Broken Dreams, a screenplay written by John Boorman and Neil Jordan (to be directed by Boorman). The film was put on hold due to Phoenix's death and has yet to be made.
• Gus Van Sant had gotten Phoenix to agree to play the role of Cleve Jones in Milk when he was originally planning on making the movie in the early '90s.^[38] The role was eventually played by Emile Hirsch in 2008. Van Sant also planned a biopic of Andy Warhol with River Phoenix in the lead just before his death.
• In 1988, Phoenix was reported by a magazine to have been carrying around a copy of the 1978 memoir The Basketball Diaries. He had heard a movie version was in the works and wanted to play the role of Jim Carroll. The film was sent into hiatus on numerous occasions, with each occasion Phoenix being cited as the main contender for the role. The Basketball Diaries eventually went into pre-production in 1994 with the role going to Leonardo DiCaprio.
• According to close friends and family, Phoenix had something of an obsession with the 19th century poet Arthur Rimbaud. At the time of his death he had been researching the poet for over a year in hopes of portraying him in the upcoming biopic Total Eclipse (1995) by Polish director Agnieszka Holland.^[33] Phoenix died before the movie was in the casting stages, with the role eventually going to Leonardo DiCaprio.
• In a 1998 interview, James Cameron admitted that he had wanted Phoenix in the role of Jack Dawson in Titanic (which, again, went to Leonardo DiCaprio).

References in popular culture[link]

River Phoenix's status as a teen idol, a promising young actor and subsequent premature death made him a frequent subject in popular culture media. He first gained references in music with Brazilian singer Milton Nascimento writing the song "River Phoenix: Letter to a Young Actor" about him after having seen Phoenix in The Mosquito Coast (1986). The song appears on the 1989 release Miltons.^[39] Phoenix's friends, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, wrote a few lines for him in the song "Give It Away" from the 1991 album Blood Sugar Sex Magik: "There's a River born to be a giver, keep you warm won't let you shiver, his heart is never gonna wither..."

Phoenix has been the subject of numerous tributes in song and other media. The band R.E.M. dedicated their album Monster to Phoenix, and their song "E-Bow the Letter" from 1996's New Adventures in Hi-Fi is said to have been written from a letter Michael Stipe wrote to Phoenix but never sent because of the actor's death. Musician Sam Phillips has the dedication "For River" on her album Martinis & Bikinis. Again, Red Hot Chili Peppers, paid tribute with the song "Transcending" on 1995's One Hot Minute being written about him. Other songs inspired by Phoenix include Dana Lyons' "Song For River Phoenix (If I Had Known)," Grant Lee Buffalo's "Halloween," Natalie Merchant's "River" for her 1995 album Tigerlily, Ellis Paul's song "River," found on his 1994 release Stories,^[40] Rufus Wainwright's "Matinee Idol", Nada Surf's "River Phoenix" and Stereophonics's "Chris Chambers." In her 1996 album Woman & A Man, Belinda Carlisle referenced River in the song "California". The song opens and closes with the line "I remember I was in a tanning salon, when I heard that River Phoenix was gone." In Jay-Z's album, Kingdom Come, the lyrics of "Hollywood" list him as one of the many fatalities of the pressures of Hollywood. New York band Japanther featured a song on their album Skuffed up my Huffy (2008) entitled "River Phoenix," which is about certain events in his life and delivers the chorus "River Phoenix didn't mean it". In the song "The Viper Room," Wesley Willis takes an abrupt turn from an otherwise glowing account of the club by noting Phoenix's death, stating that he "...collapsed and died like a Doberman."

The Family Guy episode "Three Kings", which was parodying Stand by Me ended in a synopsis of what the actors who originally played the characters in the movie went on to do. When he gets to Quagmire, who was parodying the character who was originally played by Phoenix, the narrator states, "Quag grew up to become a famous Hollywood actor. Unfortunately, about a week ago, he took an overdose of designer drugs at the Viper Room. He died, on the curb outside. And now we are left with a harelipped reminder of what might have been. " A picture of Joaquin Phoenix, River's brother, fills the screen, accompanied by a Benny Hill-style trumpet sound. After the commercial break, Peter's first line is, "Joaquin Phoenix, if you are still watching, you're a good sport, and a trooper. And you passed our test. And you can be our friend." On the controversial episode, "I Dream of Jesus," Jesus says he raised Phoenix from the dead, only to have him overdose again in front of the Viper Room.

Gus Van Sant, with whom Phoenix worked in the film My Own Private Idaho, dedicated his 1994 movie Even Cowgirls Get The Blues as well as his 1998 novel Pink to him. Experimental Santa Cruz filmmaker Cam Archer also produced a documentary called Drowning River Phoenix as part of his American Fame series.^[41] During performances on November 13^[42] and November 15, 1993,^[43] and February 12, 1994,^[44] and one of Nirvana's last USA shows in Seattle on January 7, 1994,^[45] Kurt Cobain of Nirvana dedicated the song "Jesus Don't Want Me For a Sunbeam" to Phoenix (among other celebrities who died young), just a few months before Cobain's death. Tom Petty dedicated "Ballad of Easy Rider" to Phoenix when he played in his and Phoenix's hometown of Gainesville, Florida in November 1993.

The British band Manic Street Preachers mentions River in their song "Ifwhiteamericatoldthetruthforonedayitsworldwouldfallapart" (from the album The Holy Bible, 1994) in the following line:"...I'm thinking right now of Hollywood tragedy; big mac; smack; Phoenix.R; please smile y'all..." Phoenix was the subject of a controversial song by Australian group TISM. Titled "(He'll Never Be An) Ol' Man River" the single originally featured a mock-up of River Phoenix' tombstone as its cover art in 1995. The chorus features the line, "I'm on the drug that killed River Phoenix."^[46] On the song "Love Me, Hate Me" by rapper Ja Rule, he numerates different ways he could die as a celebrity, and one of the lyrics says "I might OD in a club off drugs like River Phoenix". In the 1997 musical, The Fix, Phoenix is alluded to in the song "Mistress of Deception" in the lines, "Hot young actor died last night at an L.A. club./ecstasy and booze/and too much nyquil./had the sweetest face,/warm and shy and innocent; sexy in that careless kinda way./the newsman said his heart just stopped like that...." The Hugh Cornwell song 'Rain on the River' from his 2009 album Hooverdam is directly about the death of Phoenix,as his sister Rain sits over her dying brother on the sidewalk outside The Viper Room.^[47]

A lesser known reference to River Phoenix was Final Fantasy VIII's main protagonist Squall Leonhart. Tetsuya Nomura, the lead character designer for the game, stated he modeled Squall on River's visage during development, and even gave Squall the same birthdate.^[48]

The scene of Phoenix's death also merits several mentions in William Gibson's book Spook Country.

Honors and rankings[link]

Phoenix has been ranked numerous times on a number of lists recognising his talent and career. He was listed as one of twelve "Promising New Actors of 1986" in "John Willis' Screen World" (2004). Phoenix was voted at #64 on a "Greatest Movie Star of All Time" poll by channel 4 television in the UK. The poll was made up wholly of votes from prominent figures of the acting and directing communities. He was ranked #86 in Empire Magazine's "The Top 100 Movie Stars of All Time" list in 1997.

His life and death has been the subject of an E! True Hollywood Story, an A&E Biography and an episode of Final 24, which contains a dramatic reconstruction of his final hours and death. He was also referred to as "This Century's James Dean" in episode 10 (Mi Casa, Su Casa Loma) of the first series of Being Erica. His death was listed as #16 in the top 101 events in E! Television's "101 Most Shocking Moments in Entertainment". In 2010, Phoenix was voted by GQ Magazine as one of the "50 Most Stylish Men of the Past Half Century".

Filmography[link]

Further reading[link]

• Glatt, John. Lost in Hollywood: The Fast Times and Short Life of River Phoenix. ISBN 1-55611-440-0. 
• Furek, Maxim W.. The Death Proclamation of Generation X: A Self-Fulfilling Prophesy of Goth, Grunge and Heroin. ISBN 978-0-595-46319-0. 
• Lawrence, Barry C.. In Search of River Phoenix: the Truth Behind the Myth. ISBN 0-9672491-9-8. 
• Robb, Brian J.. River Phoenix: a short life. ISBN 0-06-095132-X. 

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: River Phoenix

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: River Phoenix

• River Phoenix at the Internet Movie Database
• River Phoenix at AllRovi
• The Lost Boy: The Legacy of River Phoenix
• River Phoenix at Find a Grave

Rufus Wainwright
Wainwright in 2010 at the Metropolitan Opera opening night of Das Rheingold
Background information
Birth name	Rufus McGarrigle Wainwright
Born	(1973-07-22) July 22, 1973 (age 38) Rhinebeck, New York, U.S.
Origin	Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Genres	Baroque pop, operatic pop
Instruments	Vocals, piano, guitar
Years active	1993–present
Labels	Geffen Records Dreamworks Records
Website	www.rufuswainwright.com

Rufus McGarrigle Wainwright (born July 22, 1973) is an American-Canadian singer-songwriter and composer. He has recorded seven albums of original music and numerous tracks on compilations and film soundtracks. He has also written a classical opera and set Shakespeare sonnets to music for a theater piece by Robert Wilson.

Life and career[link]

Early years[link]

Wainwright was born in Rhinebeck, New York, to folk singers Kate McGarrigle and Loudon Wainwright III.^[1][2] His parents divorced when he was three, and he lived with his mother in Montreal for most of his youth. Wainwright has dual US and Canadian citizenship.^[3] He attended high school at the Millbrook School in New York (which would later inspire his song "Millbrook"), and later briefly studied piano at McGill in Montreal. He began playing the piano at age six, and started touring at 13 with "The McGarrigle Sisters and Family", a folk group featuring Rufus, his sister Martha, his mother Kate, and aunt Anna. His song "I'm a-Runnin'", which he performed in the film Tommy Tricker and the Stamp Traveller at the age of 14, earned him a nomination for a 1989 Genie Award for Best Original Song.^[4] He was nominated for a 1990 Juno Award for Most Promising Male Vocalist of the Year.^[5]

Wainwright acknowledged that he was gay while a teenager.^[6] 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."^[7] Wainwright later said in another interview that his "mother and father could not even handle me being gay. We never talked about it really."^[8]

Wainwright became interested in opera during his adolescent years, and the genre strongly influences his music. (For instance, the song "Barcelona" features lyrics from the libretto of Giuseppe Verdi's opera, Macbeth.) During this time, he became interested in Édith Piaf, Al Jolson, and Judy Garland.

At 14, Wainwright was sexually assaulted in London's Hyde Park after picking up a man at a bar.^[8] In an interview years later, he described the event: "I said I wanted to go to the park and see where this big concert was going on. I thought it was going to be a romantic walk in the park, but he raped me and robbed me afterwards and tried to strangle me".^[9] Wainwright states that he survived only by pretending to be an epileptic and faking a seizure.^[10] He has been reported to have stated that he remained celibate for five, or seven years, after the incident, and eventually became promiscuous.^{[6][8][9][10]}

In 2009 the unofficial biography There Will Be Rainbows: A Biography of Rufus Wainwright and the story of Loudon Wainwright and Kate McGarrigle by Kirk Lake documented Wainwright's early struggles.^[11]

Rise to fame, debut album[link]

Through weekly shows at Cafe Sarajevo, Wainwright was on the Montreal club circuit and eventually cut a series of demo tapes produced by Pierre Marchand, who later produced Wainwright's album Poses. The resulting tapes impressed his father Loudon, who passed them on to his friend Van Dyke Parks. Parks sent the recordings to Lenny Waronker, the DreamWorks executive who eventually signed Wainwright to his label.^[12] Waronker stated the following of Wainwright: "When I was about to listen to his tape, I remember clearly I was thinking, 'Gee, if he has the mom's musicality and smarts, and the dad's smarts and voice, that'd be nice.' Then I put it on and I said, 'Oh, my God, this is stunning.'"^[12]

The singer moved to New York City in 1996, performing regularly at Club Fez. He relocated to Los Angeles that year and began his first studio album, 1998's Rufus Wainwright. Waronker paired Wainwright with producer Jon Brion, and the two spent most of 1996 and 1997 making the record. Wainwright recorded 56 songs in total, on 62 rolls of tape. The sessions cost $700,000.^[12]

Wainwright's self-titled debut received critical acclaim; Rolling Stone recognized it as one of the best albums of the year, and named the singer "Best New Artist" of the year. Wainwright was nominated for four awards by the Gay & Lesbian American Music Awards, including Album of the Year, Pop Recording of the Year and Video of the Year, and won for Best New Artist.^[13][14] Rufus Wainwright won a GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Music Album and a Juno Award for Best Alternative Album.^[5][15] However, commercial success of the album was limited; the debut failed to chart in any country, though he ranked No.24 on Billboard's Top Heatseekers chart.^[16]

Wainwright toured with Sean Lennon in 1998 and began his first headline tour later that year. In December 1998, he appeared in a Gap commercial directed by Phil Harder, performing Frank Loesser's "What Are You Doing New Year's Eve?". In March 1999, Wainwright began a headlining tour at Maxwell's in Hoboken, New Jersey.

[edit] Poses and struggle with addiction

Wainwright lived in the Chelsea Hotel in New York City for six months, during which he wrote most of his second album. On June 5, 2001, Wainwright's second album, Poses, was released to critical acclaim but limited sales. The album ranked No.117 on the Billboard 200 and No.1 on the Top Heatseekers chart.^[16][17] Poses won a GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Music Album, a Juno Award for Best Alternative Album, and was nominated by the Juno Awards for Best Songwriter ("Poses" / "Cigarettes and Chocolate Milk" / "Grey Gardens").^[5][18] From 2001 to 2004, he toured with Tori Amos, Sting, Ben Folds, and Guster, as well as headlining the 2001 and 2002 tour in support of the album.

Wainwright became addicted to crystal meth in the early 2000s and temporarily lost his vision. His addiction reached its peak in 2002, during what he described as "the most surreal week of my life." During that week, he played a cameo role in the UK comedy television program, Absolutely Fabulous, spent several nights partying with George W. Bush's daughter Barbara,^[19] enjoyed a "debauched evening" with his mother and Marianne Faithfull, sang with Antony Hegarty of Antony and the Johnsons for Zaldy's spring 2003 collection, and experienced recurring hallucinations of his father throughout. He decided after that he "was either going to rehab or I was going to live with my father. I knew I needed an asshole to yell at me, and I felt he fit the bill."^[20]

[edit] Want albums

Wainwright in concert in Chicago

In 2003 Rufus released the full-length "Want One". Then Wainwright's album Want Two, from which four songs were released as the EP Waiting for a Want, was released by DreamWorks/Geffen on November 16, 2004. Afterward, a live iTunes Sessions EP entitled Alright, Already: Live in Montréal was released on March 15, 2005. A DVD entitled All I Want, featuring a biographical documentary, music videos, and live performances, was released internationally in 2005. That same year, Wainwright made two major contributions as a solo vocalist to a pair of records: the Mercury Prize-winning Antony and the Johnsons' I am a Bird Now and Burt Bacharach's At This Time.

Want One and Want Two were repackaged as Want for a November 2005 release to coincide with the beginning of a British tour. This version of Want One contains two extra songs: "Es Muß Sein" and "Velvet Curtain Rag". The Want package in the UK has two bonus tracks: "Chelsea Hotel No. 2" (a Leonard Cohen cover) and "In With the Ladies", which replace "Coeur de Parisienne – Reprise d'Arletty" and "Quand Vous Mourez de Nos Amours" from 2004's augmented edition.

[edit] Release the Stars and Rufus Does Judy at Carnegie Hall

Wainwright's fifth studio album, Release the Stars, was released by Geffen on May 15, 2007. The album was produced by Wainwright and featured Richard Thompson, friend Teddy Thompson, sister Martha Wainwright, mother Kate McGarrigle, Neil Tennant, Joan Wasser, Julianna Raye, Larry Mullins (professionally known as Toby Dammit), and actress Siân Phillips.^[21] It reached No.2 on the UK Albums Chart, and debuted at No.23 on the Billboard 200. The first single, "Going to a Town", was released on April 3, 2007 in the iTunes Music Store. The second single released was "Rules and Regulations", and the third single was a 500-copy (12" vinyl) release of "Tiergarten", a one-track EP with the Supermayer remix of Tiergarten, which was released exclusively through iTunes and 7digital on October 29.

	Rufus Wainwright: "Banks of the Wabash" (1997) noicon 30 second sample of Rufus Wainwright singing a cover of Paul Dresser's "On the Banks of the Wabash, Far Away" (1897) for the soundtrack to the 1997 film The Myth of Fingerprints.
Problems listening to this file? See media help.

Two video clips were released for the album: "Going to a Town", directed by Sophie Muller, and "Rules and Regulations", directed by Petro Papahadjopoulos and styled by J.W. Anderson. Release the Stars was certified gold in the UK. The accompanying world tour saw Wainwright visit North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia, ending on February 14, 2008 with a concert at the Radio City Music Hall in New York City.

On June 10, 2006, NPR's Weekend Edition Saturday broadcast an interview of Wainwright by Scott Simon. The segment concerned Wainwright's sold-out pair of Carnegie Hall shows on June 14 and 15, 2006 in which he performed the entire Judy Garland concert album that was recorded there in 1961.^[22] He later repeated his performance at the London Palladium, the Paris Olympia, and the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles.^[23] Live CD and DVD recordings of the concerts were released on December 4, 2007. The DVD is entitled Rufus! Rufus! Rufus! Does Judy! Judy! Judy!: Live from the London Palladium. The CD album, Rufus Does Judy at Carnegie Hall, is a recording of his show at the legendary New York venue.^[24] In 2008, Garland's daughter Lorna Luft expressed strong approval of Wainwright's recordings of her mother's songs.^[25] The album was nominated for a 2009 Grammy Award for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album.^[26]

[edit] Blackoutsabbath and Prima Donna

Wainwright in 2008.

Wainwright created the concept of Blackoutsabbath in early 2008. In an attempt to become more environmentally conscious, participants are asked to live "off the grid" as much as possible on a designated date by unplugging appliances, walking or cycling for transportation, turning out lights and decreasing energy usage in any other ways possible.

As the sun sets on the evening of Blackoutsabbath, participants write ways they can contribute to the Earth's well-being throughout the rest of the year. Annual benefit concerts take place to raise awareness of the cause. Special guests performing at the concert included Joan Wasser, Jenni Muldaur, and friend and fellow singer-songwriter Teddy Thompson.^[27] The organization's official site contains updates about the program and contains links to various tools, green products and services, studies, and groups that promote energy conservation and environmental protection.^[28]

Following his 2007–2008 tour, Wainwright began writing his first opera, Prima Donna, about "a day in the life of an opera singer", anxiously preparing for her comeback, who falls in love with a journalist.^[29][30] There are four characters, and the libretto is in French.^[31] The opera was originally commissioned by Metropolitan Opera general manager Peter Gelb. However, because of a dispute over Wainwright's decision to write the libretto in French and the Met's inability to schedule an opening in the 2009 season, Wainwright and the Met ended their relationship.^[32] Instead of a New York opening, Prima Donna was staged during the Manchester International Festival, where the first performance took place at the Palace Theatre on July 10, 2009.^[33][34] Reviews for the performance were mixed, with one publication suggesting Wainwright "may struggle to convince critics he is worthy of a place among the greats".^[35] Prima Donna won a Dora Mavor Moore Award for Outstanding New Musical/Opera in June 2011.^[36]

In December 2008 Rufus performed alongside his sister, Martha Wainwright, and mother Kate McGarrigle as well as many more of his family at the Knitting Factory in downtown Manhattan. Joined by other artists such as Grammy Award-winner Emmylou Harris, Velvet Underground front man Lou Reed and famed performance artist Laurie Anderson, the eclectic cast performed original and traditional Christmas-themed songs. In November 2009 Revelation Films released the concert on DVD.

[edit] All Days Are Nights: Songs for Lulu and birth of daughter

In November 2009, Wainwright announced that he had finished recording his sixth studio album, and was calling it All Days Are Nights: Songs for Lulu.^[37] The album was released on March 23 in Canada, April 5 in the UK and April 20 in the US, with the first single "Who Are You New York?".^[38]

In December 2009, Wainwright appeared with sister Martha Wainwright and mother Kate McGarrigle at the Royal Albert Hall in London, raising $55,000 for the Kate McGarrigle Fund, which was established in 2008 to raise awareness of sarcoma, a rare cancer that affects connective tissue such as bone, muscle, nerves, and cartilage. It was the last performance made by his mother before her death in January 2010.

Wainwright and his partner, German arts administrator Jörn Weisbrodt, in 2010.

In late 2010 Wainwright became engaged to his partner Jörn Weisbrodt.^[39] The couple moved to Toronto, Ontario in early 2012 after Weisbrodt was named artistic director of Toronto's annual Luminato festival.^[40]

In 2011, Wainwright announced that he and Leonard Cohen's daughter, Lorca Cohen, had had a child. He announced on his website: "Darling daughter Viva Katherine Wainwright Cohen was born on February 2, 2011 in Los Angeles, California to proud parents Lorca Cohen, Rufus Wainwright, and Deputy Dad Jorn Weisbrodt. The little angel is evidently healthy, presumably happy, and certainly very very beautiful."^[41]

In July 2011 a 19-disc box set called House of Rufus containing all his studio and live recordings as well as previously unreleased material was released.^[42]

[edit] Out of the Game

Wainwright has recorded a new album with producer Mark Ronson. He claims the new material is more "danceable" than his previous material.^[43] The album, titled Out of the Game will be released in late April 2012 in the UK and Canada and in early May in the US.^[44][45]

Political[link]

Wainwright identifies as "a complete libertarian", and has stated, "I don't think any government should encroach on what goes on in the bedroom at all."^[46]

In April 2010, Wainwright came out publicly in favor of legalizing same-sex marriage in the United States because he wishes to marry his partner, Jörn Weisbrodt. Wainwright stated, "I wasn't a huge gay marriage supporter before I met Jörn because I love the whole old-school promiscuous Oscar Wilde freak show of what 'being gay' once was. But since meeting Jörn that all changed."^[47]

Music[link]

In addition to his tenor^[48] singing voice, he plays piano and guitar, often switching between the two instruments when performing live. While some songs feature just Wainwright and his piano, his later work is often accompanied by rock instrumentation or a symphony orchestra, displaying complex layering and harmonies with an operatic feel. Wainwright is an opera fan^[49] and likes Franz Schubert's Lieder.^[50] Some of Wainwright's songs are described as "popera" (pop opera) or "baroque pop". Many of his compositions are densely packed amalgams of strings, horns, operatic choruses, ragtime rhythms, with a warm vocal timbre.^[51]

He often performs with his sister, Martha Wainwright, on backup vocals. Despite critical acclaim, Wainwright has experienced limited commercial success in the United States, although the release of Release the Stars saw increased media attention there, as did the associated 2007 U.S. tour.^[52]

Themes[link]

Wainwright's oeuvre contains several recurring themes: opera, literature, pop culture, politics, and love (often unrequited love). "Foolish Love" and "Danny Boy" are about a crush he once had on a straight guy.^[53] Other songs address full-blown love and the consequences of falling out of love ("This Love Affair", "Leaving for Paris", and "Peach Trees").

Wainwright also sings about his family relationships. "Beauty Mark", "Little Sister" and "Martha", and "Dinner at Eight" address, respectively, his experiences with his mother, sisters, and father.

The song "Matinee Idol" was written about River Phoenix.^[54] "Memphis Skyline" is a tribute to the late singer Jeff Buckley, whom he met briefly in the 1990s when Wainwright was an up-and-coming act. By this time, Buckley had already released his first album Grace, and was well on his way to stardom. The two met several months prior to Buckley's drowning, during a gig by Wainwright. The song references "Hallelujah", a Leonard Cohen song covered by Buckley (and later by Wainwright).^[55] "Nobody's Off the Hook" is written to close friend and fellow musician Teddy Thompson.^[56]

Several songs deal with his experiences with addiction ("Go Or Go Ahead" and "I Don't Know What It Is").

Work in film, television, and theatre[link]

Wainwright at the Sundance Film Festival in 2006

Wainwright has appeared in the films The Aviator and Heights in addition to his role in Tommy Tricker and the Stamp Traveller but said in a 2010 interview "I definitely enjoy seeing myself thirty feet high, but it’s not something that I’m running toward passionately".^[57] He has also recorded tracks specially for films, including Brokeback Mountain, I am Sam, Moulin Rouge!, Shrek, Meet the Robinsons, Big Daddy, Zoolander, and Leonard Cohen: I'm Your Man. His recording of "Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered" plays during the closing credits of the film The History Boys. He is seen in the Denys Arcand film, L’Âge des ténèbres, performing two arias.^[23]

The All I Want DVD, released in 2005, features a full-length documentary (A Portrait of Rufus Wainwright), performances at Central Park SummerStage and Cambridge Corn Exchange, studio sessions, music videos, and two bonus Easter eggs: a 12-minute documentary from 1998, featuring Wainwright and his family, and a short tribute to the McGarrigle sisters featuring Rufus and Martha.

In February 2005, the Pennsylvania Ballet premiered a ballet by Matthew Neenan that was set to Wainwright's music.^[58] The Pennsylvania Ballet has performed the work (titled 11:11) several times, including during an eponymous program in June 2006.^[59] It has been an audience favorite,^[59] although critical reviews have been mixed.^[60]

Stephen Petronio commissioned Wainwright to write a score for his dance production BLOOM, which was performed at Joyce Theater in New York in April 2006. For the lyrics, the two selected poems by Walt Whitman and Emily Dickinson, and Petronio arranged for the Young People's Choir of New York to sing them.^[61]

In May 2006, Wainwright was one of three guests (along with Robbie Williams and Frances Barber) to star with the Pet Shop Boys in a concert at London's Mermaid Theatre. He covered the Pet Shop Boys' "Casanova in Hell" (from Fundamental). The critically acclaimed show was broadcast on the UK's BBC Radio 2 and repeated on BBC 6 Music, and released as a CD (Concrete) in October 2006.

In June 2007, Wainwright was a part of the multi-artist True Colors Tour, which traveled through 15 cities in the United States and Canada. The tour, sponsored by the Logo channel, began on June 8, 2007. Hosted by comedian Margaret Cho and headlined by Cyndi Lauper, the tour included Debbie Harry, The Gossip, the Indigo Girls, The Dresden Dolls, The MisShapes, and Erasure. Profits went to the Human Rights Campaign. In August 2007, Wainwright said that he considered it a "great honor" to perform on the gay rights tour.^[62]

Wainwright continued to tour during 2007 and embraced forms of expression not usually part of mainstream American music concerts. These included dressing in red lipstick and stiletto heeled shoes to perform Judy Garland songs, and expressing his concerns against the current U.S. political situation. His performances were critically acclaimed.^[63]

In April 2009, Wainwright worked with the Berliner Ensemble and the avant-garde director Robert Wilson, who hired Wainwright to supply the music for a joint staging of Shakespeares Sonette based on Shakespeare's sonnets.^[64]

Discography[link]

• Rufus Wainwright (1998)
• Poses (2001)
• Want One (2003)
• Want Two (2004)
• Release the Stars (2007)
• Rufus Does Judy at Carnegie Hall (2007)
• Milwaukee at Last!!! (2009)
• All Days Are Nights: Songs for Lulu (2010)
• House of Rufus (2011)
• Out of the Game (2012)

Awards and nominations[link]

Rufus Wainwright portal

Rufus Wainwright won two Juno Awards for Best Alternative Album, one in 1999 for Rufus Wainwright and one in 2002 for Poses.^[65]

At the age of 15, in 1989, he was nominated for a Genie Award for Best Original Song.^[66] A year later he received a nomination for a Juno Award for Most Promising Male Vocalist.^[65] He was also nominated for a BRIT Award for Best International Male Artist in 2008^[67] and a Grammy Award for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album in 2009.^[68]

Further reading[link]

• Kirk Lake: There Will Be Rainbows. A Biography of Rufus Wainwright. Orion Publishing Group, London 2009, ISBN 0-7528-9838-8.

References[link]