News Archive
2008 News
Rufus & family on The Martha Stewart Show!
Tune
into NBC TV's Martha Stewart Show on Tuesday, December 9, 2008 to see
the McGarrigle/ Wainwright clan bake ski biscuits with Martha.
In NYC, the show will air live at 11 am this Tuesday.
Please check your local listings for exact times.
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Rufus on BBC's "Five Minutes With"
Hear what Rufus has to say about gay marriage, Barack Obama, and his
opera, Prima Donna as host Matthew Stadlen from BBC News interviews him
for their program, Five Minutes With. Here's a link to the interview:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/7736275.stm 
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Grammy nomination!
Congratulations to Rufus for being nominated for the upcoming GRAMMY Awards! His album, Rufus Does Judy At Carnegie Hall,
has been selected for the Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album category.
The 51st GRAMMY Awards will air on CBS this Sunday, February 8th at 8pm
PST/EST.
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Note from Rufus!
Hello all,
Next
week on the 10th of December in Carnegie Hall at 8pm the third biennial
McGarrigle Hour Christmas show will take place. If it was a yearly
event I would probably convert to Hasidic Judaism, not only for the
assortment of hats, but also because a herculean amount of effort and
good will have been put into this brilliant extravaganza and all
concerned are spent with holiday joy. It's such a big show that Jesus
may be coming, and considering the choice line-up we have this year of
everyone from Emmylou Harris to Lou Reed (I guess that would be
Emmy-Lou-Reed), Laurie Anderson to Jimmy Fallon (now THAT'S a
juxtaposition) and of course the family amongst other fantastic guests,
frankly, Jesus should come! Jesus really needs to see this. This
weekend I'm driving up to Montreal to pick up Mom who has baked
hundreds of ski cookies for the higher priced cancer charity tickets
(check out my site for more info, tickets are still available and its a
great cause) and then the day before the performance my post modern
nuclear family and I, that is "sans father," will be on the Martha
Stewart show baking away and (the french verb to eat) MANGER! There are
still a variety of seats left, high falutan and non gluten and such, so
please come. You won't be disappointed.......AH! Speaking of
disappointed! I'm premiering a brand new song called "Christmas Is For
Kids" - it's about how jealous I am when Martha gets more presents than
I do. "It's easier to buy stuff for girls": THAT'S SUCH BULLSHIT!!!!!!
Love,
Rufus xxx
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Rufus on Spectacle: Elvis Costello With...
Soon you'll be able to view an interview and performance by Rufus
and Elvis Costello for Elvis' new talk show, "Spectacle: Elvis
Costello With..." This episode will air on January 14, 2009 at 9pm EST
on the Sundance Channel.
For more info, check out the show's website at http://www.sundancechannel.com/series/spectacle
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See Rufus on BBC1's This Week
Tune into BBC1 TV's This Week program tonight,
November 6th at 6:35pm EST / 11:35pm GMT to see Rufus and his thoughts
on this year's historic US presidential election.
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MILK (the film) and Blackout Sabbath
Nonprofit
organizations Blackout Sabbath Global Inheritance and are teaming up
with Focus Features to host a charity auction on ebay to support each
organization. Visit the auction here.
Be
the coolest person on the block, in the office or online when you
invite up to 50 of your friends to view an early screening* of Gus Vant
Sant’s film – MILK starring Sean Penn as Harvey Milk. The private
screening will take place at your local movie theater. This charity
auction begins on November 3rd and closes on November 11 at 11:00am
(PST).
100% of the funds raised will be split between the organizations.
Milk will begin playing select U.S. cities on November 26 . Check out the Milk Website : http://www.milkthemovie.com/
*
One (1) complimentary screening of the motion picture, “Milk” at
winner’s local theater for winner and up to 50 of his/her guests.
Screening includes theatre rental and print, both provided by Focus
Features. Screening must take place after November 26, 2008, and prior
to January 26, 2009. All expenses not specifically mentioned herein are
not included and are solely the winner’s responsibility, including but
not limited to: food, beverage, ground transportation to the Private
Screening and parking.
Screening
is subject to theater availability and limited release date of “Milk.”
Screening is for one (1) showing only. Screening must take place during
the time period established by Focus Features. No change, extension, or
substitution will be permitted once the screening date is determined,
except at Focus Features’ sole discretion
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Spend a special evening with your extended family, the McGarrigles, Wainwrights, and friends!
The
McGarrigle Christmas Hour featuring Rufus and his sister, Martha
Wainwright will be held at Carnegie Hall on December 10, 2008 and there
will be some very special guests. Kate and Anna McGarrigle are
thrilled to welcome Emmylou Harris, Lou Reed, Laurie Anderson, Jimmy
Fallon, Teddy Thompson, Justin Bond, Sloan Wainwright and more! It
will be a fun and festive evening with perhaps a few surprise guests
stopping by. For more info, go to rufuswainwright.com/mcgarriglechristmashour2008
Tickets
go on sale to the public on Wednesday, November 5th at 11am EST, but
Rufus fans can start purchasing tichkets Monday, November 3rd at 11am
EST! Get your pre-sale tickets online HERE or by calling the Carnegie Hall box office at (212) 247-7800.
A limited number of VIP packages are available by making a donation to the Kate McGarrigle Fund. The
Kate McGarrigle Fund is a not-for-profit partner of the McGill
University Health Centre Foundation and the Cedars Cancer Institute,
supporting cancer care and research in Montreal, Canada. These
packages include premium seats, a very special opportunity to meet the
performers after the show, a chance to attend an intimate taping, and
wonderful gift bags. For more information and VIP packages, visit www.muhcfoundation.com/mcgarrigle or call toll-free, 1-877-601-4536.

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The Moment You've Been Waiting For!
The time is here!! On Friday, October 10, 2008 at 10:00AM U.K.
time, you can be one of the FIRST to purchase tickets to Prima Donna!
Don't miss out on your chance to see Rufus' highly anticipated opera.
Manchester
International Festival has announced its commission for Rufus
Wainwright's debut opera PRIMA DONNA. Prima Donna is a portrait of a
fading opera singer, set in Paris and sung in French. This new opera is
directed by Daniel Kramer, conducted by Pierre-André Valade and
designed by Antony McDonald.
Bernadette Colomine is the co-librettist. Prima
Donna will feature the soprano Janis Kelly, taking the lead role
Madame, soprano Rebecca Bottone, tenor William Joyner and baritone
Jonathan Summers. Please note that Rufus Wainwright will not be
performing in Prima Donna.
There will be five
performances of Prima Donna at Manchester's Palace Theatre in 2009:
July 10th, 14th, and 17th (in the evening), as well as July 12th and
19th (matinee).
Tickets go on sale to the public on Friday, October 10, 2008 at 10:00AM U.K time online
HERE or by phone +44 (0)844 815 4960.
BUT WAIT! We have put aside some of the best seats in the house just for Rufus' biggest fans! Click
HERE to purchase your tickets. Use password 'stars'
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Exciting Rufus News-- On the Way!
Make sure to check back here on Thursday, October 9th at 10:00AM EST
for some very exciting news about Rufus' Opera, Prima Donna! You won't
want to miss this!
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See Rufus in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania!
Be one of the first to purchase tickets to see Rufus perform in
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania at the Kimmel Center on February 14, 2009!
Pre-sale tickets go on sale today, October 6th, at 10:00AM EST until
Sunday, October 12th at 11:59PM EST.
Hurry and buy your tickets before they go on sale to the public on Monday, October 13th at 10:00AM EST.
Purchase pre-sale tickets HERE! Use the password: RufusFC
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See Rufus in Red Bank, New Jersey!
Rufus has just announced a show in Red Bank, New Jersey at the Count
Basie Theatre on February 12, 2009! Pre-sale tickets go on sale today,
October 6th, at 1:00PM EST until Wednesday, October 8th at 1:00PM EST.
Hurry and grab your tickets before they go on sale to the public on Wednesday, October 8th at 1:00PM EST.
Purchase pre-sale tickets HERE! Use the password: rufus
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Rufus' version of Hallelujah on the Late Show with David Letterman
On September 29th, the Late Show with David Letterman on CBS, put
together a very touching tribute to the late Paul Newman, using Rufus'
version of "Hallelujah" as the music.
To view the video, please go HERE. Please note, the actual tribute video does not begin until approximately seven minutes into the whole clip.
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Rufus Announces Another Israel Show!
On November 27, 2008, Rufus will be playing a solo show at Reading 3 in
Tel Aviv, Israel. Tickets go on sale Tuesday, September 23rd and can be
purchased HERE!
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Join Rufus in The Recovery Project Event In NYC!
A&E Network is launching The Recovery Project to help raise
national awareness that addiction is a treatable disease and recovery
is possible. The Recovery Project --inspired by the incredible
response to the Emmy-nominated documentary series Intervention --
strives to shed light on the scope of the addiction crisis, and its
impact on society.
The Recovery Project kicks off on Saturday
September 27th at 8:30am with a public celebration in New York City.
Thousands of people will join together for a symbolic walk across the
historic Brooklyn Bridge. The celebration continues in City Hall Park
where Rufus will perform a special solo musical performance after the
walk at approximately 11:15am.
Join us for this free event. Register today at www.therecoveryproject.com!
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Update on Judy Collins Tribute Show
We just wanted to let everyone know that unfortunately, due to
circumstances beyond his and anyone else's control, Rufus will NOT be
performing at the Tribute to Judy Collins on October 10th at the Public
Theatre. Apologies for any inconvenience this may have caused.
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See Rufus in West Palm Beach, Florida!
Be one of the lucky ones to buy tickets first to see Rufus perform in
West Palm Beach, Florida on November 9, 2008 at the Kravis Center for
the Performing Arts! Pre-sale tickets are on sale from Wednesday,
September 17th at 10AM EST until Friday, September 19th at 5PM EST.
Click HERE to purchase your pre-sale tickets! Use the password "POPERA".
Make sure you buy them before they go on sale to the public on Saturday, September 20th at 9AM EST!
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Update on Rufus' La Coruna Show!
Unfortunately, due to circumstances beyond our control, Rufus' show in
La Coruna, Spain is canceled. Instead, he will be performing a second
solo show in Malaga, Spain on October 3, 2008 at Teatro Cervantes.
Thank you for your patience and our deepest apologies for any
inconvenience this may have caused.
Tickets will go on sale on Thursday, September 18th at 10AM CEST. They can be purchased either HERE or HERE. 
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See Rufus in Melbourne, FL!
Don't miss out on your chance to buy tickets before everyone else to
see Rufus perform in Melbourne, Florida on November 7th, 2008 at the
King Center for the Performing Arts! Pre-sale tickets are on sale from
Saturday, September 13th at 10AM EST until Thursday, September 18th at
5PM EST.
Click HERE to purchase your pre-sale tickets! Use the password "crown".
Hurry and buy your tickets before they go on sale to the public on Saturday, September 20th at 10AM EST!
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See Rufus Perform a Song Live With Elton John!
On October 20th Rufus will be joining Elton John and many of today's
greatest singers and performers on stage at The New Amsterdam Theatre
in New York City. They will be performing Elton John's famed "Goodbye
Yellow Brick Road" from start to finish. Don't miss out on your chance
to witness this historic performance! Presale for American Express
cardholders ends Monday, September 22nd at 10:00PM EDT. Tickets go on
sale to the public this Tuesday, September 23rd at 10:00AM EDT. Click HERE to purchase tickets!
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See Rufus in Montclair, New Jersey!
Be one of the first to purchase tickets to Rufus' solo show at the
Wellmont Theatre on February 13th! A special batch of some of the best
seats in the house have been placed aside for Rufus' fans! Presale
tickets are on sale from 10AM EST on Tuesday, September 9th to 10PM EST
on Saturday, September 20th.
Click HERE to purchase your presale tickets. Use the password "stars".
Hurry and buy your tickets before they go on sale to the public on Saturday, September 13th at 10AM EST.
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Note From Rufus About the Opera
Hi,
Rufus
here on my way to Rhode Island. You might have seen or heard some
things written and mentioned in the media this past week about my
opera, "Prima Donna." I'd like to take this opportunity to set the
record straight. The 2009 Premiere is on schedule. There will be a
major announcement about it next month. I remain grateful to Peter Gelb
and the Met for their interest and encouragement but as the opera began
to take shape, it became apparent that as much as everyone loved the
music, we just could not agree on the language and the date for the
Premiere. I still look forward to working with the Met sometime in the
future.
See you soon!
Love, Rufus.
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See Rufus in Israel!
Be one of the first to grab your tickets
to see Rufus perform in Tel Aviv at The Mann Auditorium on November 26,
2008! Call 972+3-6045555 (or *8965) or click HERE to purchase tickets online.
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Rufus Announces Two More Spain Dates!
Don't miss out on your chance to see Rufus play in Spain! Catch him
October 3rd at Coliseum A Coruña in La Coruña (Public on sale HERE September 5th) and October 4th at Ciudad de la Luz Estudios, in Alicante (Tickets available HERE!). 
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Be part of the audience for Rufus' appearance on Elvis Costello's TV show!
UPDATE: as of today (Wednesday, Sept. 3rd), all available spots have been filled. Thanks for all your support!
___________________
Hello fans! Exciting news: Rufus will be appearing on
Sundance Channel's new show, "Spectacle: Elvis Costello with..." hosted
by Elvis Costello himself. The more exciting news: YOU can be a part of
the audience for the taping of this episode at the Apollo Theatre in
New York City! Here's the info:
Date: Monday, September 8, 2008
Time: Doors open at 6:45pm
Doors close promptly at 7:30pm
Location: The Apollo Theatre, 235 West 125th Street in New York City
Apply for tickets now! In your email ticket request, please include the following:
1.) Legal first and last name and, if requesting an additional ticket, the legal first and last name of your intended guest
2.) Your age, mailing address, email address, and phone number - include the same for your intended guest, if applicable.
Email ticket requests to:
rufustvtaping@gmail.com
By
Friday, September 5th, 2008, all confirmed ticket recipients
willreceive a phone call or email detailing the procedure for the
issuanceof tickets, as well as providing further information regarding
thisextraordinary event.
RULES:
- Tickets are limited and
will be distributed on afirst-come-first-served basis – please, respond
ONLY if you areabsolutely certain of your ability to attend.
- You must be at least 18 years of age to be considered (proper ID will be required)
- Ticket requests are limited to two (2) per person
-This
is an exclusive event wherein the buying and selling of ticketscan and
will result in the forfeiture of said bought and/or sold tickets.
For more info on the show, check out:
www.sundancechannel.com/series/spectacle
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Read Rufus' article in Die Zeit Magazine!
By Rufus Wainwright
(Appears in the magazine Die Zeit, August 21, 2008)
This
is the third time I've written this article. To begin this (hopefully!)
final session I have just put on Das Rheingold, the first opera of
Wagner’s Ring Cycle and by the way things seem to be going I'mjudging
Valhalla should start crumbling at around 3am. To explain toyou the
beginnings of this, MY epic cycle, once upon a time a kind and generous
newspaper called Die Zeit sent me to Bayreuth to see Stefan Herheim’s
controversial production of Parsifal in order to writesomething about
it. And now, comfortably sitting in my bright livingroom in New York
City a week later with a deadline tomorrow I'm facedwith a dilemma: two
approaches have been unsuccessfully tried, bothdiametrically opposed in
terms of culture and era. One is a straight uptry at an old fashion
review (my mom likes this one) and the second ismore of a personalized
blog (my hip and gorgeous boyfriend likes this one). The first attempt
goes, and yes I'm trying to fill up space here,like this:
"The
town of Bayreuth is famous for two theatres.Most people know about the
Festspielhaus, a huge 19th century opera house built by King Ludwig II
of Bavaria to present Wagner’s massive works, which over the years has
been both the glory and bane of Germany's cultural existence. The other
theater, located in the center of town, is much smaller and from a much
more refined period, "a better time" as Evelyn Waugh once said, the
18th century. Let's begin with the big one. I held a pretty sacred
view of the place when two years ago I first went there to see
Christoph Schlingensief incredible production of Parsifal, but this
year on returning to see the newproduction by Stefan Herheim I had
developed a more critical stance towards the Festival. Due mainly to a
book about Winifred Wagner byBrigitte Hamann (suggested reading by a
prominent member of the Wagner family, kudos to them!) I had learned
about the festival's extreme Nazipast and on driving up the "Green
Hill" after visiting Villa Wahnfried,Wagner's old home which is now a
museum, I was a little miffed that inthat "museum" there had not been
one single picture of Adolph Hitler.The reason I bring all this up,
aside from the fact that it shouldalways be pointed out in such a
hallowed place, is that if I had seenany other production of any other
Wagner opera, or ANY opera for that matter, there could not have been a
more important and moving stageshow than the one I saw that evening by
the great director Stefan Herheim."
I think this is pretty
good! And perhaps if I was agreat newspaper critic, of which there are
hardly any, I could havedriven it home. But as the piece continued it
became inflated andpretentious and by the end was something only a
mother could love, andI'm not talking about my mother (she actually
re-wrote the end, which Iwill definitely be trying to put in somewhere
to make things easier onmyself). Anyway, at this point you may be
asking yourself "what thehell is he going on about?" Especially since
I've totally given awaythe fact that I have a tight deadline to stuff
with a lot of words, butlet me assure you, there is a method to this
madness, and in my humbleopinion there is no other subject in the world
more deserving of thescattered, unorthodox and free style examination
that you are goingto get than that of the extreme art and personality
of the greatRichard Wagner.
CLANG!!!!! In my sound system it
seems Wotanhas just struck the rock with his spear, the Rainbow Bridge
hasappeared and Das Rheingold is coming to a close. For good measure
(andto fill space), here's the beginning of the next version I wrote
afterreading my first try and hating it. Let us cross the Rainbow
Bridge byway of "blog" into Valhalla:
"This is the second time
I'vewritten this article. The first was an attempt to encapsulate my
tripto Bayreuth in a succinct and critical fashion with explanations
ofwhat I believed to be deep thoughts on the physical place, its
dubioushistory and the thick rope that binds them. Speaking of ropes,
and notonly in terms of hanging myself, I think I thought I was a Norn
(a Wagnerian mother time creature who lives in the earth in
Gotterdammerung) sifting through the various threads of German
historyfrom the 19th century to today, revealing to my poor readers
strikingsimilarities that can only be viewed through the passage of
years,blind and moaning, cursing the fact that nothing ever changes.
Well, onre-reading what I'd done, I was quite disappointed, well
actually, Jornmy German boyfriend (thanks guys!!!) in true Berlin
fashion wasn'treally that impressed. Basically I sounded like an
American teenagerwriting about his trip to Europe back to mom in the
Mid West whereeveryone is still really excited about NASCAR and having
won World WarII. Don't get me wrong, it's still important to mention
the fact thatin Villa Whanfried, Wagner’s old home which is now a
museum dedicatedto the festival, there is not one single picture of
Adolf Hitler, whoactually back in the day lived next door and tended to
pop over quite abit. Still, speaking of pop, for a pop musician, even a
rathersophisticated pop musician like myself, tackling the Third
Reich'sconnection to Bayreuth is way out of my league and for this
secondattempt I will focus more on my impressions, but don't worry, I
tend toget very impressed."
I'm not sure if anything you've
read sofar has anything to do with anything. At least it disseminates
someinformation. But for classical form, let us turn to the Master
himselffor inspiration, specifically Das Rheingold, and like the opera
DasRheingold let’s consider everything you've read so far merely
aprologue, and that at least I've created some kind of atmosphere. Or
asJudy Garland once said: "I don't know if anyone's interested, BUT I
AM!"
The
amazing opening string line of Die Walkure is blasting through my
speakers and like that opera's mandate, it's time to get down to
business. I first really got into Wagner after going to rehab, and the
opera I most became fixated on was Tannhauser. I strongly related to
the tale of the errant knight who had tasted the forbidden pleasures of
Venusberg and like him was trying desperately to live a good clean
life, despite, like him, an ego the size of Everest. I actually
envisioned my drug cravings in the form of nymphs and fauns dancing
around naked in an Arcadian paradise just under the sidewalk. That's
what is so fascinating about Wagner, unlike Puccini, Strauss, Mozart
and Verdi (who I must note is still my favorite, I will always be a
child of papa Verdi) Wagner’s characters are always mythological
archetypes who represent not so much people or Gods, but different
philosophies in motion. And on going to Bayreuth this time to see
Parsifal there were several philosophies I had in motion. One was my
love of the work, the other was my amazement/ disgust after reading the
Hermann book on Winifred Wagner, and thirdly was the fact that my
mother has cancer. This was my second trip to the festspielhaus, my
first had been to see the incredibly moving and abstract Parsifal by
Christoph Schlingensief and at that time my mother was in the hospital
undergoing exploratory surgery which later revealed a malignant lesion
on her liver. It was the hardest time of my life, especially since I
was working in Europe and she was in Canada, I felt horribly guilty
about not being with her and until those first miraculous strains of
the Parsifal overture began, nothing on earth could compare with the
depth of my sorrow. By the end of the opera I was completely riveted,
and would at this point like to thank Christoph for aiding me through
this difficult period with his beautiful work. At that time the story
of Parsifal, the other errant knight, or actually more specifically the
story of Kundry, the Mary Magdalene figure who is doomed to live for
500 years for laughing at Jesus on the cross and aches for death, was a
perfect legend to focus on when faced with serious illness: the message
I got was that in the end, death is but a beautiful release. Well, my
mother didn’t die and judging by her present state she's sticking
around for a while. (I have to note that at this point in the Ring
Cycle Brunhilde has appeared on the wings of the majestic valkyrie
theme, of course! Basically, Brunhilde is my mom). So, with this
experience under my belt, this time going to Bayreuth I was outwardly
prepared to write a gloomy article about finally bringing my mother
there as the end of a kind of quest where together we watched the opera
and broke down simultaneously as the final strains musically revealed
the cosmos. This didn't happen for three reasons. One was that Die Zeit
only gave me one ticket and I couldn't sit with her (kindly Stefan
Herheim the director gave us a couple of comps, so she sat with my
boyfriend in much better seats). The other was that Herheim’s
production had nothing to do with death but more with the recent
history of Germany and thirdly was that the dark horse whose ghost
still haunts the town of Bayreuth; Winifred Wagner was lurking in my
thoughts.
On
sitting down this time to see Parsifal with high intensions of writing
about the purifying power of Wagner’s music when faced with death,
Winifred's voice was in the back of my head saying about the murder of
four Israeli athletes during the Munich Olympics, and I quote: "we've
often tried to imagine how Adolf would have dealt with the killers....
as it is, they did only half the job all eight of them should have been
shot." I really had to change my line of approach.
The stereo
beckons: the mischievous Brunhilde is being chastised by her father
Wotan and will soon be put to sleep and made a mere mortal and in this
story, my cycle, revue, blog, WHATEVER, a conversation about Stefan
Herheim’s amazing production of Parsifal is warranted. And by the way,
I'm never going to say anything bad about people's work in my reviews
because I know how bad it feels to read it.
The production
essentially solved my dilemma. As mentioned above SOMEWHERE, we had
visited Villa Wahnfried earlier that day and instead of medieval Spain
where the opera is supposed to take place, the whole piece was set on
the grounds of the Wagner family estate, and was packed with references
both to the family and Germany as a whole. The whole experience was
frightfully eerie. All of the issues I had been struggling with after
reading the Winifred Wagner biography were being grappled with on
stage. For example, the third act was the bombed out mansion and the
destroyed areas of the set were the very same spots our tour guide had
shown us many moments before by pointing out the different stone work
after reconstruction. The large circular fountain I had admired earlier
suddenly became first a Knight's round table and then amusingly an
Ester Williams (yes! I've always wanted to mention her in something)
swimming pool for Kundry's sexy ladies in waiting. The prompter's box
could have possibly been Wagner's tomb but that I think would have been
a bit too literal (the Master prompting the singers what to do from the
grave!). But for me most importantly, due to my aforementioned state of
mind, huge Nazi flags descended during the famous spear catching moment
and momentarily, just long enough to really sear the retina, stayed
there and then suddenly tumbled to the ground while an audible gasp was
heard and felt by the entire audience.
No uptight Bavarian dare boo after that ending of Act Two, and in terms
of looking for some kind of purification ritual to face facts, it
really hit the spot. All the nasty thorns in such a beautiful artistic
bed of roses that is Bayreuth were not quite being removed but were
definitely being pointed out. Of course it was no answer to my queries,
but definitely a large blaring question mark and as everyone knows, you
can't have the former without the later. And here's the kicker: by the
end, not only was I sitting with my mom and boyfriend due to the
miraculous appearance of an empty seat right in front of them, but the
three of us witnessed in my opinion one of the great theatrical
experiences of all time. The stage, which was no longer Wahnfried but a
replica of the German Parliament dramatically became a huge rotating
mirror in the shape of the earth (and practically the size of it!), and
to the exquisite last strains of the opera movingly revealed to us, yes
US! The audience basked in light from a single white dove at the top of
the theater. I know it sounds really corny, but hell, it really worked.
OK, at this point in the Ring Cycle I'm somewhere near the end of
Siegfried and I don't know what the hell is going on. I'm going to
start Gotterdammerung and hopefully I won't have lost my eyesight by
writing this article. You guys, The Ring is like (insert electric shock
here) 16 hours long. And wait a second.... oh my God! Here come the
fucking Norns!
Around the first time I first mentioned the
fucking Norns I also mentioned a delicate little 18th century theater
we saw that day before the opera. The Markgrafliches Theater, located
in the center of town, is the last remaining painted baroque wooden
theater left in Germany. It is hauntingly beautiful. That day our guide
had given an adequate and enthusiastic tour of Wagner’s home, but once
inside this little gem you could immediately tell where her passions
and expertise lay. Her eyes immediately lit up as she began to explain
its meaning: It was built by the aristocracy to give the court a type
of Arcadia, a paradise on earth far from the everyday world were no
windows or clocks existed bothering one with a sense of time and the
privileged could just lounge about not thinking a bit of the outside
world and its harsh realities. Though the inside is wooden the outside
is stone, as if to represent a shell like protection of one's fantasies
and both the stage and the audience face the King and Queen, thus
making THEM the focal point and thanking them for creating such a
glorious and elite form of escapism. This concept of what a theater
once represented really struck me after seeing Herheim’s production of
Parsifal. My mother, Jorn and I were staying in the fantastic Pflaums
Posthotel Pegnitz Hotel where every room was a freaky testament to west
Germany's finest hour, the '80s. Be it weird angular sculptures
clashing with airbrushed posters of naked women with bad hair, or day
glow shag carpet mixed with absurd countryside wooden rocking chairs,
this place makes the New York Chelsea Hotel look minimalist. The night
before the opera we had the most delicious 4 course meal there
(ironically called the Gotterdammerung dinner, not gonna finish the
Ring Cycle folks, thank God!) For the whopping cost of about 500
Euros, yikes!!! I get paid in American dollars. And the next day was
spent in a villa, then at the opera and finally driving home in a
rented black Mercedes Benz. How things have changed. Before the theater
was a place to escape from the real world and bury your worries in make
believe and luxury, now we try to bury ourselves in make believe and
luxury and go to the theater to understand the real world. I don't know
if this is a good or bad thing, but at least in our time, unlike that
of Winifred Wagner’s, one of those elements is trying to tell the
truth.
All right, here's what my mother wrote:
Meanwhile,
over on the other side of town, built in brick, that building material
which through man's cleverness lies somewhere between stone and wood,
i.e., between the schloss and the chaumiere, between the prince and the
peasant...Wagnerian opera was in full swing and, judging by the
production I saw of Parsifal that night and the burgers who were
present, the aristocracy is indeed over and the "common man" is very
much with us, to be interpreted and reinterpreted however one sees fit:
long live Wagner's Bayreuth.
RUFI'S ORIGINAL CHOCOLATE COVERED PARSIFAL...
I think the last phrase is a reference to Easter.
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BLOOM October Perfomance In The UK Featuring Original Scores By Rufus!
On Tuesday, October 7th, and Wednesday, October 8th, the Stephen Petronio Company--known
for a body of work that melds movement and form with the diverse worlds
of popular culture, rock music and fashion--will perform the modern
dance piece BLOOM as part of the annual London festival of Dance
Umbrella . BLOOM is a piece about transformation and awakening that is
performed to a commissioned Rufus Wainwright score and complemented by
the uplifting voices of a local children's choir performing live.
BLOOM will be performed at 7:45PM both nights in the Southbank Centre's Queen Elizabeth Hall, Belvedere Road, SE1 8XX.
Tickets for these performances range from £12-£25 and are available through the Dance Umbrella or Southbank Centre's websites.
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See Rufus in Hammond, Indiana this October!
Be one of the first to purchase tickets for Rufus' solo performance at
The Venue at the Horseshoe Casino on October 17th! Presale tickets are
on sale from 10AM CST until 10PM CST on Thursday, August 14th.
Click HERE to purchase your presale tickets. Use the password "venue".
Hurry and buy your tickets before they go on sale to the public on Friday, August 15th, at 10AM CST!
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See Rufus in Royal Oak, Michigan in October!
The early bird gets the ticket, as they say! See Rufus perform solo at
Royal Oak Music Theatre on October 18th. Presale tickets go on sale
Wednesday, August 6th, at 12PM (noon) EST until Friday August 8th at
12PM (noon) EST.
Click HERE to purchase your presale tickets. Use the password "romtlive".
Hurry and buy your tickets before they go on sale to the public on Friday, August 8th, at 5PM EST!
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See Rufus' Performance, Live From The Verbier Festival
Rufus' performance at the world renowned classical festival in Verbier
on July 30th is now available for viewing online as a live rebroadcast.
The
part containing Rufus' performance starts in the third portion of the
set. Other performers include: Gabor Takacs-Nagy (conductor), Barbara
Bonney (soprano), Angelika Kirchschlager (mezzo-soprano), Simon Lepper
(piano), and the UBS Verbier Festival Chamber Orchestra.
Click HERE to watch!
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Help Nominate "Zing! Went The Strings Of My Heart" For Best Male Video On MTV!
This year, MTV is asking viewers to select the nominees for the Best
Male Category category for the 2008 Music Video Awards. We are proud to
announce that Rufus' video for "Zing! Went The Strings Of My Heart" is
a part of this special list!
Support Rufus by clicking HERE to cast your vote before the deadline this Wednesday, July 23rd. Official nominees will be announced on Friday, July 25th. 
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Join Rufus and the Human Rights Campaign in Denver during the Democratic National Convention this August!
Join us for an evening to celebrate gay, lesbian, bisexual and
transgender equality with "Rock To Win" on August 26, 2008 at the
Fillmore Auditorium. The line-up will feature a special performance by
Rufus along with performances by Melissa Etheridge and Cyndi Lauper.
Other special guests will be announced in the days to come.
This is sure to be one of the hottest tickets in town! Click HERE to get your tickets today!
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Rufus comes to Miami Beach in November!
Be one of the first to purchase tickets to Rufus' live solo performance
at The Fillmore Miami Beach at Jackie Gleason Theater on November 8th.
Presale tickets will be available from 10AM EST on Wednesday, July
23rd, until 10PM EST Thursday, July 24th.
Click HERE
to purchase your presale tickets. Use the password "panther." To
properly process your presale, please choose the Ticket Rush box when
purchasing your tickets.
Hurry and buy your tickets before they go on sale to the public on Friday, July 25th at 10AM EST!
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See Rufus live in Minneapolis this October!
Be one of the first to purchase tickets to Rufus' live solo performance
at the State Theatre in Minneapolis on October 16th. Presale tickets
will be available starting at 10AM CST on Thursday, July 17th and
ending at 10PM the same day. Here is the link to purchase these
presale tickets: http://www.ticketmaster.com/promo/h0t8cq. Use the password "ZING."
Get your tickets before they go on sale to the public on Friday, July 18th at 11AM CST!
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Recap: Blackoutsabbath 2008
Dear All:
At the moment I'm sitting in a cute little riverside
cafe with the magnificent city of Porto, Portugal lazying behind me in
the summer sun, a perfect time and setting in which to reflect. It's
been a week since Blackoutsabbath (almost to the second, it's about
11:45 right now on a Saturday) and many thoughts have filtered in and
out of my busy head and later I will tell you which ones stuck. But
first, let me tell you how my time went. In Berlin, the night before
the
event, Jorn and I went over to discuss logistics at our friends'
beautiful apartment where the next evening we were to celebrate the
Sabbath. They live in a very famous building, one of the old Communist
towers on Karl Marx Allee, where all the posh GDR folk used to live.
The whole area looks very Pet Shop Boys Soviet chic. It soon became
apparent that the two big issues were this: getting my guitar over to
their place so that I didn't have to carry it across town, and ice - a
warning to all you chilled out, tumbler drinking Eskimo wannabes.
Europe doesn't do ice in a bag - way too uncool (ha! Ha!). So after
setting up a game plan which included dropping off the guitar that
night, Jorn and I finding ice the next day, and during the Sabbath, my
going down and up five flights of stairs on the hour to meet people at
the door so that they wouldn't use the buzzer (phew!!!!). We went to
our favorite restaurant (Borchards) and ate a couple of pounds of white
asparagus, which Europe DOES have unlike the U.S where we have fiddle
heads which Europe (I think) does not have. The next morning, Sabbath
day, I woke up pretty early because I had a rehearsal at 10:00 AM with
a string quartet for my Berlin show. Yes! Right up until noon I was of
course working my ass off, which is good, but after what happened to
poor Tim Russert, I think it's just as important to take time off:
THANK GOD FOR BLACKOUTSABBATH!!!!
Anyway,
at the stroke of noon (bad choice of words), I dismissed the string
players, finished up the last bit of caviar in the fridge, unplugged
and turned off everything and waited for Jorn to return with some kind
of creamy sweet shrimp thing for lunch. He arrived with the shrimp
(which was absolutely delicious), and we made plans to go to several
museums that day in order to buy cool fridge magnets for the party. But
first we decided it would be nice to take a little half an hour nap
before going out....we slept for three and a half hours! When we did
finally wake up, we decided to at least go to one museum - the newly
renovated Bode Museum on the Museum Island. What an incredible place. I
especially liked the ancient (as in 2000 years old) Babylonian pinball
machine and the ugly baby Jesus....go there (at least virtually) and
try to find out what I'm talking about - THE FUN NEVER STOPS!!!!! Then,
as the evening progressed, we started to make our way over to the
monolithic area of Karl Marx Alle. On the way, we bought some cheesy
Berlin beer mug magnets (just to dumb it down a bit) for the folks and
then suddenly the one and only blemish occurred in the whole day
(something else dark occurs later on but I'm not referring to it now so
that it remains a surprise): WE COULD NOT FOR THE LIFE OF US FIND ANY
ICE!!!!!!
All I can say is God bless Korea.....the corner
stores of Europe are pretty mincy affairs. Sometimes it's like, "where
the Hell is Marco Polo when you need him???" Or I guess in this case it
would be some Viking dude. Anyway, after begging fish mongers and even
thinking of raiding McDonalds with large cups, Jorn and I separated at
which point I went to the party to greet guests and my dear German
Wundermensch of a boyfriend went on a hunt for ice cubes. He really is
the best! Fortunately, all this was rectified, ironically, BY A GAS
STATION!!!
So let's push ahead a couple of hours now to the festivities and the
secret dark surprise which I won't tell you about so you're shocked
later because you know nothing of it. Most of the guests arrived, night
fell, candles were lit and DRINKS WERE CHILLED!! Due to the loss of the
electric sound system, I, inbetween the "on the hour" trips to retrieve
people downstairs sang a few songs from my upcoming Shakespeare project
with Bob Wilson - Rufus and Will together again but this time by candle
light! It was utterly enchanting if I do say so myself! So upon leaving
to go pick up some latecomers downstairs, I was confident that I had
left behind an atmosphere strewn with languid contentment. But when I
returned a few moments later with my friends David the cellist and his
lovely violinist fiancee Rachel (both bearing their instruments), that
languid atmosphere had dramatically morphed into a panic stricken
frenzy! My sense of smell immediately gave it away. It smelled of
burning plastic! (Aren't you happy I warned you?) I thought maybe it
was a plastic bag or a cup or something that had caught fire, but no!
Wonder of wonders: IT WAS THE TOILET!!!! A candle which had been placed
on the ever stylish yet plastic Euro toilet had practically burned the
whole waste apparatus down to the ground. It looked like something the
*** would have done to a Marcel Duchamp art piece in the 30's, or
better yet, it looked like an actual art piece of today! Everyone was
quite shocked, but considering that one could argue that in fact the
fire hadn't spread DUE to the toilet and thus it is possible to say
that we were all actually saved BY the toilet, the party went
on.......thanks to the toilet.
The air was somewhat refreshed
by David and Rachel who played a beautiful Ravel duo that once again
reminded me of how little I know about music, and then with about
twenty minutes to go, I rallied the troops together singing
"California" on my guitar (which was saved by a toilet) and we all got
down to the business of writing lists. Now let me tell you: the crowd I
hang out with in Berlin is pretty blase - think a kinder, gentler Otto
Dix painting: eye glasses sans heroin needles. One of the guests had
just finished a book about her elderly grandparents fulfilling a
suicide pact. Another had just directed Tristan und Isolde. Needless to
say, I felt a bit dorky strumming on the guitar and asking everyone to
change their lightbulbs, especially since Germany compared to the US is
miles ahead in terms of energy conservation. Still, I was tolerated and
at midnight we all put our completed lists on the fridge at the same
time in a symbolic gesture and noticing that most of them were in fact
lists (a select few were drawings), I was satisfied at a job well done.
I could ramble on about the rest of the night and in fact continue this
story to the present day, but that would give away the fact that it's a
week later and I'm now on a boulevard in Portugal. I TOLD YOU I HATE
WRITING EMAILS!!!!
So here are some points I want to throw out
there before I throw in the towel (not on the Earth of course!...both
ON and ON....figure it out). But before I do, thanks to all those who
participated. It
really means a lot to me. POINT TIME:.
*I THINK THE BLACKOUTSABBATH PARTIES SHOULD BE RATHER SMALL,
INTIMATE AFFAIRS. TOO MANY PEOPLE MAKES IT HARD TO FOCUS.
*NEXT YEAR WHEN I DO IT AGAIN I WANT TO HAVE AT LEAST ONE PERSON
THERE WHO KNOWS A LOT ABOUT CONSERVATION, HAS PREPARED SOME INFO AND
CAN KINDA MODERATE THE DISCUSSION. YOU KNOW: YOUR CRAZY HIPPIE
FRIEND!!!!
*THE ACTUAL LIST ONE WRITES ON THE NIGHT IS ACTUALLY A SKETCH TO
GET YOU STARTED. ANOTHER LIST SHOULD LATER BE THOUGHT OUT AND WRITTEN
AND THE FOLLOWING YEAR BROUGHT TO THE NEXT BLACKOUTSABBATH NIGHT.
That's
all for now. Let me know about your Blackoutsabbath. Please post your
stories on the website. Take care and good luck!!!!!
Love
Rufus. X
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Rufus To Headline The Watermill Concert 2008
On Saturday, August 30th, Rufus Wainwright will headline The Watermill
Concert 2008: Last Song of Summer, which Summer will bring together
three artists exceptionally capable of channeling emotion in their
music, offering audiences an opportunity to experience them in the
singular environs of The Watermill Center, Robert Wilson’s secluded
Southampton laboratory for the creative process. Rufus, with his
special guest Jessye Norman, will headline the concert, with songwriter
and singer Daniel Knox opening the event. This concert is a fundraising
benefit for The Watermill Center’s Artist Residency Program.
The
Watermill Center is located at 39 Watermill Towd Road in Watermill, New
York. The evening will begin with cocktails at 4:00 P.M. Daniel Knox
will perform at 4:30 P.M., followed by Rufus Wainwright with Jessye
Norman at 5:30 P.M.
Tickets for this benefit range from $125 to $500, the latter price including access to a
backstage meet-and-great with the artists after the show. For tickets,
please call the Byrd Hoffman Watermill Foundation at 212.253.7484 ext
10.
The
Watermill Concert 2008: Last Song of Summer is sponsored by L’Oreal and
Sotheby’s, with additional support from Brooks Brothers. Drinks will be
provided by Peroni, VOSS Water and GUS. The event’s co-chairs include
Lisa Anastos, Martin Dawson, Amanda Hearst, Tobias Meyer, Shamim M.
Momin, Dalia Oberlander and Viktor & Rolf.
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See Rufus Receive His GLAAD Media Award On Bravo TV!
Tune in to Bravo TV at 7pm EST/PST on Friday, June 27th, to see Rufus
and fellow celebrities that were honored at the 19th Annual GLAAD Media
Awards in Los Angeles last April.
Rufus received the Stephen F.
Kolzak Award, which is presented to an openly lesbian, gay, bisexual or
transgender media professional who has made a significant difference in
promoting equal rights for the LGBT community.
For more information click HERE. 
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Reminder From Rufus
Hey all!
This will be the last reminder before the first annual Blackoutsabbath
ritual takes place on Saturday, June 21st 2008 from noon to midnight
all over the World. I'm assuming you folks out there haven't been
bombarded with promo concerning the event: this is precisely my
intention! I didn't want to push this project too hard and make it
seem like some kind of media fad. Like the low grade fever that grips
our planet, we need a low grade answer (not necessarily dramatic, but
a CONSTANT reminder) to combat the marathon machinations we are about
to experience, not to mention what we are experiencing right now!
Don't get me wrong, the bigger the gesture the better. Still, any
shift must last and in essence become a solid part of our lives. The
other day I saw some guy on TV (wish I could remember his name)
talking about how it is the simple organisms that survive on this
planet, and that history is laced with examples of species dying out
because they failed to cut back when their habitat required them to.
On one hand it's frightening, but on the other it's possibly a
testament to the greatness of humanity if we act on the fact that we
as a species might actually have to de-evolve in a way in order to
survive. IT'S REVOLUTIONARY, and has never been done in the whole
history of the earth! Still, I would bargain to say that not only the
earth but in fact the entire Universe has never witnessed such a thing
as "human beings" and that even if they can get a bit screwy, our
brains are still our greatest asset. So good luck with your day off,
do what you can, but most of all, keep trying.
Love, Rufus
P.S. This message was pretty dry in terms of the comedy section, so
below I attached a couple of emails, one from my mom and one from Jorn
so you guys can chuckle a bit. (See the following two news posts.) Also, don't forget to visit the site blackoutsabbath.org to get the specifics. Adios!
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Reminder From Kate
From Rufus' mother, Kate McGarrigle:
blackoutsabbath:TUNE OUT!!!!! TURN OFF!!!!! DROP IN!!!!! TUNE
OUT all Blackberrys, computers, cell phones etc..TURN OFF all lights
and electrical appliances, host a blackoutsabbath DROP IN: preferably
outdoors...just like the old celebration of the solstice - burning the
fire from sundown to sun up in order to keep the day from dying and
starting anew! In Quebec, we do the St. Jean which is an ancient
Celtic (Breton) celebration...don't use anything ELECTRICAL or
ELECTRONIC.....show your ELECTRONS some love: give them the DAY OFF!
For advice on how to prepare, go to our very own RABBI
SCHLOMO.....whose people have lots of experience (thousands of years)
doing sabbath - how to prepare, what to eat etc...however since this
has nothing to do with WORK, I suggest a hearty BBQ - fire is allowed,
coals are allowed - fun is allowed! NO ELECTRONIC SOURCES OF SOUNDS -
make your own music....beat a drum, strum a guitar, plink a piano,
blow a horn!
____________
mother's blackoutsabbath update:
what was
TUNE OUT TURN OFF DROP IN
is becoming
TUNE UP TURN OFF DROP IN
i
have decided i'm observing the BLACKOUTSABBATH '08 in St. Sauveur where
a small gathering of like-minded folks are invited to bring ACOUSTIC
INSTRUMENTS (hence the TUNE UP)... we'll BBQ, cook on camping stoves,
whatever...however we are STILL TUNING OUT....WE ARE STILL GIVING OUR
HARD-WORKING ELECTRONS THE NIGHT OFF!
remember - we're trading 60 cycles for sexy cycles....bicycles....
POWER SHUTS DOWN AT 12PM NOON....
NO CARS IN DRIVEWAY...
POSSIBILITY OF TENTING...
********To get ready*******
PREPARE TO UNLOAD FRIDGE!(this also means freezer)
you can do this anytime starting.......NOW!
or later BUT by the 21st, all food is out of fridge (unless you want serious disaster)
as the POWER GETS SWITCHED TO OFF AT 7PM
Here are some household hints:
You can make a REFRIGERATOR SOUP, or you might attempt a REFRIGERATOR SALAD with cooked veggies...or
START THE COUNTDOWN WITH A MELTDOWN...
AN ICECREAM MELTDOWN....empty those haagen-daaz (or however you spell it)
serve it as an APPETIZER - put ice cream to the FRONT of the menu instead of the BACK...
Ice cream and rum - YUM...Ice cream and wine - DIVINE.....
I shall add to this as we get closer....
yours in darkness and tranquility...
kate
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Reminder from Jorn
This message from Jorn Weisbrodt has been translated from German:
Heyho fellow Germans,
A new thing is coming from the US again and you will be able to
experience it first hand. It is not the new Sex and the City which is
already so out of date when you watch it and the only new thing about
it is that there are no ads in between but the whole film is a
constant ad, it is not the new Iphone although I am sure there is one
and not the new Ipod that has a bigger music capacity than a person's
average lifetime but it is blackoutsabbath. Yes, you heard right, it
is something that sounds dark and gloomy (something that American were
leaving up to the Europeans in the past) and it comes from the US. It
does sound a little bit like recession and yes, that is also something
new that we have to share. But the great thing is that the new thing
comes with two well known things or better people; Rufus who will be
in Berlin for a while working on something as over as Shakespeare's
Sonnets and me. Blackoutsabbath is on the 21st of June and the only
thing that you have to do to be part of it is: nothing. That sounds
easy so far. You have to make sure though that nothing comes out of
anything that you do or that you need nothing to do what you are
doing. What does this mean? Turn of your power! Create your own
blackout. And yes, it is a Saturday and the 21st of June happens to be
summer solstice, the longest day during the year and in New York there
is the Upper West Side and before I moved to New York my friend
Adriana tried to explain to me all Jewish holidays and now I wish I
would be working for a Jewish company because one gets 13 (yes,
thirteen) holidays more in that culture, so now I am sure you also
understand why it is called Blackoutsabbath. So you must not do
anything that day and must not rely on energy. How is that possible?
How can you get through these frightening 12 hours? By coming to the
party that Corinna, Georg, Rufus and myself are organizing at 7PM. You
have to ring the doorbell that says Diez. Hang on a minute...Ring a
doorbell? No, you can't!
We will come up with a device how we upstairs will notice that you
downstairs want to come up. And you will have to use the stairs
because remember no power, no elevators. Rufus already volunteered
that he will come down each time someone is ringing (let us just call
it that for the ease of the communication sake) because climbing
stairs makes your butt pop out. You cannot use your car or the subway
to get here because everything is not working anymore during a
blackout. You could drive over here before noon and hang around
wasting your time (which would be a good thing to do that day).
Also hitchhiking, subway, even sharing cars with lots of other people
does not work. You could use your horse or other animals that you can
ride on or just a bicycle. Bring a candle (as it does get dark and
again, there is no power for 12 hours) and ideas to talk about what
one can change or wants to change about ones life, consumption and
behavior. We will then write everything down and Rufus has really
relentless fans that give him anything from scarves to brooches to
toys (not THOSE toys) to fridge magnets that will make sure that our
thoughts and ideas will stay with us for a year until the same thing
happens again and we can have new ideas that come out of absolutely
nothing. I wish his fans would also give us more useful things like
new bowls (help, we really need some for cereal in the morning!), a
beautiful day blanket for the bed (and I mean BEAUTIFUL not like the
scarf that he got on April 1st after this one show). I even had to get
my own juicer because I waited for three years and no fan was ready to
give us one.
Why am I in this relationship? But let us stay on the topic.
It would be an honor if you would want to celebrate this evening with
us. It will also be one of the few changes for me to see you again and
vice versa even though after a certain hour we will not see that much
anymore.
Please let me know if you are attending and if you bring someone. You
can only bring one person and that should be the one you have the most
regular sex with (and no sex is not regular).
Lots of love,
Jorn
P.S. And who still did not get what this is about please go to www.blackoutsabbath.org
where this text will end up too probably eventually.
And because this was so much fun here is the same letter in Chinese
(just kidding, but they would actually need this)
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Get your tickets now for Rufus in Albany, NY!
Fan pre-sale tickets available now to see Rufus Wainwright perform a
special solo show in Albany at The Egg on Saturday August, 16, 2008.
Call the box office at 518.473.1845 and get your early bird tickets now!
Password is ROSES. 
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Get your tickets early to see Rufus in Berlin!
Tickets go on-sale tomorrow at 10am CEST for Rufus' solo show in
Berlin, Germany on July 3rd. He'll be performing solo at Admiralspalast
Studio. Here's your chance to purchase great seats right as they go
on-sale! Click HERE for the ticket purchase website. 
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Rufus to appear on the Jo Soares show tonight!
Tune into Globo TV's Jo Soares Show late tonight at 12:20am (in the
midnight hour) to see a live performance and interview from Rufus while
in Brazil! Click HERE for more details. 
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A night of Rufus on Sky Arts!
Tune in this Friday night, April 25, 2008 to Sky Arts, UK's leading TV
channel dedicated to the arts, as they host an exciting night in honor
of Rufus Wainwright!
Spend the evening getting acquainted with
Rufus and enjoy two live performances - Wainwright's genius Judy
Garland recreation and his intimate 2007 Switzerland gig.
Rufus Wainwright Sings Judy Garland Live 8:00 PM
Rufus Wainwright: All I Want 9:30 PM
Rufus Wainwright: Plays Avo Session 10:20 PM
For more information, click HERE.
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Rufus on Sunday Arts!
Rufus will be featured on ABC TV Australia's "Sunday Arts" program!
Tune in next Sunday April 20, 2008 at 5:30PM AEST to see Rufus' special performance.
For more information go here.
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Magnets for Blackoutsabbath
Thank you to everyone who donated magnets for the Blackoutsabbath
awareness concert on March 19. They were distributed to the concert
goers so they can post their list on their fridge. We no longer need
magnet donations.
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Rufus live at the Kenwood House in London in July!
It's official: tickets are now on sale for Rufus' upcoming solo
performance at the beautiful Kenwood House on July 5, 2008 in
Hampstead, London. English Heritage 2008 Kenwood Picnic Concerts are
delighted to have Rufus be one of their featured artists for the picnic
concert. The concert series is supported by Jacques Cider with Fruit’
To purchase tickets to this special show, click HERE

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Rufus Wainwright selected to play Hampton Court Palace Festival! Get pre-sale tickets!
The Hampton Court Palace Festival is in it's 16th year and this year
they are having a very special guest. Our very own Rufus Wainwright!
Please
check back Wednesday, March 12, 2008 at 9AM GMT for more details on the
fan pre-sale for Rufus' special solo performances at the Hampton Court
Palace Festival on June 3 and June 4, 2008.
Tickets will be available here.
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BLOOM is back!
This is your chance to see one of the many ways Rufus Wainwright contributes to the art world.
The
celebrated contemporary dance company, Stephen Petronio, collaborated
with Rufus on BLOOM. Rufus composed music that swoons and swells with
young love. set to poetry by Emily Dickinson and Walt Whitman.
Petronio's dazzling, high-energy dancers celebrate the openness of
youth.
BLOOM will be showing April 1 to 6, 2008 at The Joyce Theater - 175 8th Avenue. New York, NY 10011.
Rufus'
original music for BLOOM will feature a children's chorus in a lyrical
underscoring of Petronio's savvy, proactive and physical movement.
Rufus will not be performing at these shows, but don't miss a night of dance and his music.
Tickets and more information available here.
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Rufus Asks To Hear From You: Blackoutsabbath
Rufus Wainwright has announced an intimate performance in New York City
to benefit Blackoutsabbath, a new energy conservation initiative that
he will spearhead.
Angel Orensanz Foundation
172 Norfolk Street in NYC
MARCH 19th, 2008
Doors at 7PM/ Show at 8PM
Edit: THIS SHOW IS NOW SOLD OUT.
Rufus
is asking his fans to send refrigerator magnets for distribution as
part of his Blackoutsabbath initiative. You can send them to Rufus c/o
MCT Management, 520 8th Avenue, Suite 2001, New York, N.Y. 10018.
If you're coming to a show, bring the magnets with you and personally give them to Rufus.
"We've moved on from brooches to refrigerator magnets," Rufus says.
He'd be happy to meet you and accept donations of all magnets.
Please visit www.Blackoutsabbath.org for more information.
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Valentine's Day show at Radio City: Almost SOLD OUT!
Move quick ladies and gents, or you will miss out on the last stop of
the Release The Stars tour. Bring someone special and let Rufus and his amazing band romance you one last time!
Get your ticket before they are all gone here.
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Rufus gets two nods from Canada's Juno Awards
News just in! Rufus Wainwright has been nominated for two awards this
year: Songwriter of the Year and Adult Alternative Album of the Year.
You can see what the Junos are all about here.
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Tanktop designed by Rufus in H&M stores this week!
The tanktop that Rufus designed for H&M's "Fashion Against Aids"
campaign will be available in H&M retail stores this Thursday,
January 31st. There will only be a limited number of tanktops made, so
make sure to get yours before they run out!
Please visit the H&M website for more information. 
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Do you want to perform live on stage with RUFUS?
Going to a Town to see Rufus? Want to perform the spoken word part of
'Between My Legs' live on stage with Rufus? Rufus will select a special
guest for all of his shows in Australia (January 27, 29,
30th...February 1, 2, 7, 9) except his solo dates. He will also be
choosing a special guest for his shows in LA (February 12) and NYC
(February 14).
Go to Rufus Wainwright Tour Auditions on You
Tube and post your best rendition of the spoken word part (only!) from
'Between My Legs' and you could be selected to meet and perform with
Rufus in your town. You must already have a ticket to the show.
Entries must be posted no less than five days prior to the show. No
band members or their families are eligible.
Please follow
the link: (http://www.youtube.com/group/rufuswainwrighttour) to upload
your video (60 seconds or less). Send your full name, email address, phone number, name
of your YouTube video (think of a unique name!) and link to your video,
and which show you will be attending to: releasethestars2@gmail.com.
Good luck!
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Rufus Nominated for Brit Award!
Rufus has been nominated for a BRIT Award for Best International Male Solo Artist!
The list of nominees will be posted later today on the BRITS Awards website:
http://www.brits.co.uk/
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Rufus' show at the London Palladium airs again!
Channel 4 in London will be airing Rufus! Rufus! Rufus! Does Judy!
Judy! Judy!, Rufus' show at the London Palladium Saturday January 12,
2008 at 12:20am GMT.
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Rufus is coming to Los Angeles!
Happy New Year!
After his run of dates in Japan in Australia,
Rufus and his band will be heading to Los Angeles, CA to perform at the
Wiltern on February 12th. The general on-sale is this Saturday, January
12th. You can purchase tickets through the fan pre-sale which begins at
10am Pacific Time this Thursday, January 10th and ends at 10pm Pacific
Time on Friday, January 11th.
Click HERE for the pre-sale link. Password is "roses".
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