David Byrne: Your mom used to criticize you're writing and playing. Did you ever think she was wrong? Rufus Wainwright: There were times when I thought she was wrong. But I'll tell you, that wasn't very often. What she really criticized was my piano playing, and with that, she was pretty much always right in terms of it being way too complicated. 'Cause it's quite complicated now but it was way more than that before. It was just ridiculous. It was silly. So, she was pretty much right. As far as contacts and where I was going and what I was writing about, that was pretty much my own. David Byrne: She stayed clear of that? Rufus Wainwright: Well, she'd say what she wanted to, but I pretty much ignored it. And I love her for that. But she's really the type of woman who always has an opinion on everything with everybody. She's one of those talky, heavy women, which is way better than a wallflower but, you want to shoot them sometimes, but pretty nice. David Byrne: For awhile, you were at a music school in McGill? Rufus Wainwright: Yeah, in McGill. David Byrne: Didn't work out? Rufus Wainwright: No, I was too lazy to do my homework. David Byrne: You wanted to go out to clubs? Rufus Wainwright: Well, there weren't enough cute boys in music school. David Byrne: At McGill. Rufus Wainwright: No. I hate to say it, I mean I admire what people in music school do and the technique. You have 18 Japanese girls playing Rachmananoff with these tiny little hands. It was mind boggling. David Byrne: Something else missing? Rufus Wainwright: It's a bit of a factory. It's like an engineering school. I was really shocked by how they just churn out these amazing musicians. David Byrne: Julliard does that here. But some parts of Julliard, you can sense they're definitely choosing their students by how they look. Rufus Wainwright: Oh yeah. I did a few things there. I studied both piano and composition a little while and then I went into opera for a bit. I was thinking of going into opera and singing. Yeah, they basically didn't accept me because of how I dressed. They thought I was too weird and they would talk about me behind my back. The professors would walk in there and be like, "Oh hi, well see you later." And then I'd hear whispers with the opera faculty, "We don't like his clogs." Or, "His socks are funny." And that was a major problem 'cause I think a lot of that has to do with the classical because it's kind of an archaic form of music, it really stems back basically to, if you were a musician, you were a prostitute. You know, that old school. So, you have to be as respectable as possible. David Byrne: To overcome that? Rufus Wainwright: Yeah, to overcome that stigma. I don't think that exists anymore. David Byrne: It's still not everywhere treated with respect, same kind of respect as, say, a doctor or whatever because it's considered that you're -- what you're providing to society isn't absolutely necessary. And that's where I think they're wrong. I think it is absolutely necessary. Rufus Wainwright: But I like being a prostitute, too. You got to be a little funky.
Filler: Ebbet's Field, 1974
Filler: Ebbet's Field, 1974
Filler:
*** CD 2 ***
1/27/85 Great American Music Hall, San Francisco, CA:
3/20/85 Birchmere, Washington DC:
Circa March, 1979 KPFA FundRaiser:
Circa February 1979, KPFA Fundraiser:
12/81 Great American Music Hall, San Francisco, CA:
Circa Early 80's:
Kate Wolf's Home Circa Early 80's, Close To You Rehearsals:
Unknown Date, Calgary, Canada:
Circa 1978 Seattle, WA:
Circa 1979 Cornell, NY:
Circa October 1985 Berkeley Community Center:
Circa November 1980 Green Bay, WI:
Ford James:
