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When I'm in the classical world, I really treat it as exactly classical and I don't try and spruce it up or jazz it up or make it easier for the masses. -- Rufus Wainwright
I've written songs for Shirley Bassey, Marianne Faithfull, and Linda Thompson. I sort of focus on these wonderful, aging divas. But maybe that's because I think I'm Christina Aguilera. -- Rufus Wainwright
Faith is a bluebird you see from afar, it's for real and as sure as the first evening star. You can't touch it or buy it or wrap it up tight, but it's there all the same, making things turn out right. -- Rufus Wainwright
I wish I could just relax sometimes and make some money, but I always feel like I have to prove some kind of big, profound point. -- Rufus Wainwright
My love of maple syrup. I've been known to knock back a can over a couple days: A swig here, a swig there, and next thing you know it's gone. It's a habit I have to stave off. I don't want to lose all my teeth. -- Rufus Wainwright
There's prejudice everywhere. I don't think the music industry is as bad as the movie industry. But I have taken a few hits over the years for my sexuality, and for being honest about my life. In the end, it's the music that rules the roost. -- Rufus Wainwright
In retrospect, I'm really shocked at how far I put my heart out there on the line with 'Prima Donna'. I seem to have this knack for being able to accomplish that. -- Rufus Wainwright
Cigarettes and chocolate milk These are just a couple of my cravings Everything it seems I like's a little bit stronger A little bit thicker A little bit harmful for me. -- Rufus Wainwright
These are just the rules and regulations Of the birds, and the bees The earth, and the trees, Not to mention the gods, not to mention the gods. -- Rufus Wainwright
The operas I listen to aren't in English, and I want to listen to my opera after I'm done with it. I want to have the desire to play it on the stereo. To me, the language is part of the mystery. -- Rufus Wainwright
I really do fear that I'm dying I really do fear that I'm dead I saw it in your eyes what I'm looking for I saw it in your eyes what will make me live. -- Rufus Wainwright
I don't want to hold you and feel so helpless I don't want to smell you and lose my senses And smile in slow motion With eyes in love. -- Rufus Wainwright
Opera needs to be a total escape from real life. To relate to what we're going through today is fine and dandy, but it's really about being transported and completely swept away by a romantic notion. -- Rufus Wainwright
Wouldn't Ponochio II be a great musical, now that he has to face the real world and get a wife ... job. Now he wants to be a toy again. -- Rufus Wainwright
I'm not a terrible smoker, actually. My major addiction, which is horrible, is straight boys. -- Rufus Wainwright
I will take my coffee black / never snack / hang with the wolves who are sheepish. -- Rufus Wainwright
I'm definitely a fan of juxtaposition. Using the most beautiful line to say the most horrific thing - I think one of the main things in songwriting is definitely friction between the words and the melody. -- Rufus Wainwright
The mind has so many pictures Why can't I sleep with my eyes open? The mind has so many memories Can you remember what it looks like when I cry? I'm trying, trying to tell you All that I can in a sweet and velvet tongue But no words ever could sell you Sell you on me after all that I have done. -- Rufus Wainwright
I find so many songwriters today are missing an element ... either the production is amazing but the songs aren't, or it's the other way around. -- Rufus Wainwright
Growing up, for years and years I had no idea what the plots of operas were, and that's part of what fascinated me - I could make them up and learn bits and pieces of what was going on over time. There's something about it being always a step away that makes it more fun to chase. -- Rufus Wainwright
I very much faced my mother's death with hard, arduous and time-consuming labor. The more I would do, the less I would feel. -- Rufus Wainwright
Certainly in terms of my life - anybody's life - you go through death, childbirth and marriage, glory and defeat, and so on. -- Rufus Wainwright
I do not consider myself a guitar player. My father is a guitar player - I'm not. -- Rufus Wainwright
My dad and I have always been somewhat competitive. -- Rufus Wainwright
I'm not born again, I'm not Kabbalah, God forbid, but I did have an experience hitting 30 that I needed to lean on something that assured me that everything is going to be okay. I had to regain a lot of my belief in fairy tales, in happy endings. -- Rufus Wainwright
I'm your knight in shining armor. I'm here to save you from Linkin Park. -- Rufus Wainwright
I think my mother, more than anyone, knew the importance of inspiration. If it was occurring, you had to use it. -- Rufus Wainwright
I'll always be a boulevardier. I have an extreme reverence and romantic longing for all that is decrepit and fatalistic. -- Rufus Wainwright
I think we could all be a bit more elitist. -- Rufus Wainwright
Let the little fairy in you fly! -- Rufus Wainwright
I was in the forest jumping around daffodils while everyone was high on heroin. -- Rufus Wainwright
Crazy as it sounds, I'm a believer in destiny and serendipity, and I have had cosmic experiences all my life. Something told me I was meant for greater stuff. And look, I've had a baby! And I've written an opera! -- Rufus Wainwright
I made the decision to take on board the critical feedback. Reviews are something you can easily ignore as a performer or writer but I chose to not ignore them here and I think that I benefited. I think I'm stronger for it - and I have a tougher skin as a result. -- Rufus Wainwright
I definitely have a Luddite's approach to what's going on. I find that as I get older, I get stupider. -- Rufus Wainwright
I've developed into quite a swan. I'm one of those people that will probably look better and better as I get older - until I drop dead of beauty. -- Rufus Wainwright
What I love about my daughter is that she is going to definitely allow me and force me to change my life and slow down and make it more about the real things in the world. -- Rufus Wainwright
There's no life without humour. It can make the wonderful moments of life truly glorious, and it can make tragic moments bearable. -- Rufus Wainwright
Guess the world needs both sun And the moon too Sad with what I have except for you. -- Rufus Wainwright
All these poses of classical torture ruined my mind like a snake in the orchard. I did go from wanting to be someone, now I'm drunk and wearing flip-flops on Fifth Avenue. -- Rufus Wainwright
It seems like the older I get, the more unreal the world becomes. -- Rufus Wainwright
If I had had more of a strategic attitude towards how to reveal my sexuality, and if I'd even played with it a little more, I could have sold a lot more albums and been a lot more famous. -- Rufus Wainwright
I've paid the price; I definitely have a reputation that precedes me, and there is a camp that plots my demise. But then again ... it's funner that way. -- Rufus Wainwright
Climate change has always been sort of my main focus. I think also with [what happened in Fukushima, Japan] there's still a lot to think about in terms of what's coming down the pike into the world's oceans, too. -- Rufus Wainwright
Some people go to Berlin to get more cutting edge; I went and started wearing lederhosen and going to visit baroque palaces. -- Rufus Wainwright
I bemoan the fact that all my famous friends have places in St. Bart's and I have to go to Montauk. -- Rufus Wainwright
Life is a game and true love is a trophy. -- Rufus Wainwright
I like to think of myself as a combination of Sid Vicious and Virgil Thompson -- Rufus Wainwright
A diaper is as inspiring as a drink. -- Rufus Wainwright
One day you will come to Montauk and see your dad playing the piano And see your other dad wearing glasses Hope that you will want to stay for a while Don't worry I know you'll have to go -- Rufus Wainwright
I've been thinking of trying my hand at rap. I've been recording snippets on my BlackBerry. -- Rufus Wainwright
I am undefinable. I don't fit into any particular category. -- Rufus Wainwright
And I am left behind Corrupted crushed and blind All for a dream That in truth was never really mine. -- Rufus Wainwright
I don't really have a relationship with the guitar; it's like my slutty lover, whereas I'm married to the piano -- Rufus Wainwright
I'm a big fan of the Pre-Raphaelites. Millais, Edward Burne-Jones, and I realised recently that my music is Pre-Raphaelite in a certain way, in that it reinvents an older era and romanticises it, puts it in this gilded frame. -- Rufus Wainwright
My mother had a lot of parties when I was a child. There'd always be a moment when she would place me on the upright piano and have me sing Somewhere 'Over the Rainbow'. -- Rufus Wainwright
I strive for what you do find in Shakespeare's work - that there is a definite humanity and a definite character behind the writing in the sonnets, and it's very real because it's so deeply personal. I try to aspire to that in what I do. -- Rufus Wainwright
Putting all of my time In learning to care And a bucket of rhymes I threw up somewhere Want a locket of who Made me lose my perfunctory view Of all that is around And of all that I do. -- Rufus Wainwright
For better or worse, I've always been curious musically. Whether it's opera or Judy Garland or pop, I've deliberately sought those things out. I've never wanted to do the same things over and over. Some think I've accomplished what I set out to do, and others consider me a dilettante. -- Rufus Wainwright
Every video I do is over budget by the time I walk on set. I am massively extravagant in my personal habits. -- Rufus Wainwright
I have an ounce of Lady Gaga's full-bodied ambition. -- Rufus Wainwright
Writing an opera and premiering in England, you could say I was going right into the eye of the storm and I came out successfully. A little tattered and bruised, but so what, I made it. -- Rufus Wainwright
I am under no illusion that I will ever be the greatest opera composer in the world, with Wagner and Verdi and Strauss before me. I think my work could fit very nicely into musicals, though. -- Rufus Wainwright
All humans realize they are loved when witnessing the dawn; early morning is the triumph of good over evil. Absolved by light we decide to go on. -- Rufus Wainwright
I really need to know I may just never see you again, or might as well You took advantage of a world that loved you well I'm going to a town that has already been burnt down I'm so tired of you, America. -- Rufus Wainwright
I like to sing to Verdi, I like singing to Sibelius, and Mahler maybe. -- Rufus Wainwright
When it comes to sitting down and composing, there is no hesitation, no concern, no critics breathing fire down my neck. For me, writing a song is the purest part of all. No one can mess with that. -- Rufus Wainwright
I've always gravitated towards opera, and the Royal Opera House is quite possibly the greatest opera house on earth. -- Rufus Wainwright
In the present world, this technological, psychotic, politicised, nonsensical world, you have to believe that the good guys are going to win! That evil will be banished somehow! -- Rufus Wainwright
I don't know if it will be my big comeback, but I think it is a statement - that I am a self-sustaining, vibrant, long-term artist, and I'm not going away! And if you don't give me credit, then the musical gods will! -- Rufus Wainwright
I have a lot of advantages: I'm not addicted to horrifying pills. I also have surrounded myself with far more caring and upright individuals. And I wasn't abused as a child, so I'm doing okay! -- Rufus Wainwright
I have earned hundreds of thousands of pounds, but I can't seem to get to grips with money. -- Rufus Wainwright
I'm very much a romantic. I'm highly attuned to an older sensibility, which I believe is alive and well. We're not that far ahead of the Romantic Age in society. -- Rufus Wainwright
I may not lead the most dramatic life, but in my brain it's 'War and Peace' everyday. -- Rufus Wainwright
When it came to using elements of your personal life in your work, my mother was the master, or the mistress. There were three or four songs she wrote about my father - songs about failed love. -- Rufus Wainwright
I still believe that love is the most powerful force in the world, even though I am yet to experience it fully. -- Rufus Wainwright
One of the main destructive forces within our family has been these runaway egos. I think if you look at any show business family, that struggle exists. -- Rufus Wainwright
I have managed to eke out a good and substantial existence. I'm not shoveling gold bricks or anything, but I do very, very well. -- Rufus Wainwright
I want to carve out a serious period of time to focus on the next opera without any distractions. And to do that you need money. -- Rufus Wainwright
You had to be an over-the-top, demanding, dramatic figure in order to progress as a woman in Europe over the last few hundred years. Now people say, "You're being such a prima donna," meaning you're being hard to deal with or crazy. It's a bit sexist. -- Rufus Wainwright
And you will believe in love And all that it's supposed to be But just until the fish start to smell And you're struck down by a hammer. -- Rufus Wainwright
When I was signed, at the age of 23 ... the fact that I presented myself as an out gay man was very, very unusual. -- Rufus Wainwright
Once illness strikes, you realize there's not a lot of time for you to do what you really need to do. And there's no time like the present. -- Rufus Wainwright
The artist who gave me the most inspiration and direction, especially as a singer - and I absolutely consider myself a singer, 100 percent - is Nina Simone. She's my ultimate pianist-singer-type person. -- Rufus Wainwright
Looking back, one of the things I love most about my mom was that she never, ever relented. She stuck to her guns right up until the end. She wasn't abusive, but she was never that thrilled that I was gay. -- Rufus Wainwright
Being uncool is being pretty much the coolest you can be. -- Rufus Wainwright
I love being not cool. -- Rufus Wainwright
I knew I was gay when I was around 13. There wasn't the internet, there weren't support groups, AIDS was everywhere. I mean, it was really dark. -- Rufus Wainwright
That will to love is very powerful. But it doesn't always win. -- Rufus Wainwright
I think the minute you mention death, people run for the hills - unless it's heavy metal. People do not like death. -- Rufus Wainwright
Mowing your lawn is against nature. -- Rufus Wainwright
Everything I do, I feel is genius. Whether it is or it isn't. -- Rufus Wainwright
I have a three-year-old daughter, which makes me more environmentally conscious. For me, it's about the future. -- Rufus Wainwright
There is this church that I go to a lot in New York. I'm not religious but I love lighting candles and stuff. I find it useful. -- Rufus Wainwright
The more hedonistic you were, the better ... I very much subscribed to that as a young artist. -- Rufus Wainwright
I would love to have a number one hit. The truth is if I don't get one, I'll be fine, but at the same time, the truth is that I'm dying for one, as well. -- Rufus Wainwright
The thing I hate most is false modesty. The artists who are, like, 'Oh, you know, I'm really not that good. Oh, I can't believe I'm here.' I find it vaguely sinister, even. -- Rufus Wainwright
As an artist, you put so much into what you do and it can all be torn down in a nanosecond. -- Rufus Wainwright
Madonna created a monster that sucks up souls. -- Rufus Wainwright
My greatest experiences in the theatre and the most religious experiences in my life - of which going to the opera is one for me - have been with the Romantic composers' repertoire: it's Wagner, it's Strauss, Verdi, Puccini. That era gets me every time. -- Rufus Wainwright
Unless I have my aunt or my boyfriend to take care of me, I'm a little pathetic. -- Rufus Wainwright
My mother and father could not handle even me being gay. We never talked about it, really. -- Rufus Wainwright
I'd be hanging out in my bathrobe all day, stinky, just writing, and my mom allowed me to do this-as long as I was writing songs. She said, 'As long as you're seriously working on music, I'll support you. Don't get a job, because if you work, it will crush you. -- Rufus Wainwright
Being with the president's daughter, no matter who the president is, you are connected to the most powerful political force on earth, and that's scary. And when you mix crystal meth and alcohol with that, it's ... kind of exciting. A little too exciting. -- Rufus Wainwright
I have this horrible, horrible habit of going on YouTube and checking out comments about what I do. -- Rufus Wainwright
I definitely try to broaden the scope of music. I don't know if it's pop or classical or what, but I'm religiously challenging myself all the time, for better or for worse. -- Rufus Wainwright
I'm very fit on tour. I try to eat well, try to sleep. But it's still rock n' roll. -- Rufus Wainwright
Premiering a new opera is probably one of the hardest things in the world to do, and opening nights of any opera are always pretty stressful. -- Rufus Wainwright
My cheeks explode when I smile. That's why I have to look so nonplussed. -- Rufus Wainwright
I could always escape into this demi-monde of homosexuality, which I feel really indebted to. It stopped me being a 'mummy's boy.' -- Rufus Wainwright
I think my imagination and my passions are still firing away, but it's really the body that starts to make up the rules. It's not a major problem; it's just when you get a little older you realize how much your body thanks you when you are good to it. -- Rufus Wainwright
My parents were serious working musicians, but they were not stars - not like pop stars that you have now. They had to make a living and that meant touring, working hard, going on the road - and we were roped in. -- Rufus Wainwright
The Germany I was enthused with was more old fashioned and kind of romantic. I just got there, and the next thing you know, I had this huge gilded album. It was kind of an amazing experience because I didn't intend it to be that way. -- Rufus Wainwright
I definitely consider 'Poses' - the whole album in fact - to be kind of a miracle. Like the last breath of that moment when decadence is healthy, 'Poses' encapsulates that feeling. It's a kind of song and a kind of album that I'll never be able to repeat. -- Rufus Wainwright
You get to a certain age, and you feel the need to reward yourself just for existing. -- Rufus Wainwright
I am always writing; if you want to survive in this business, you need to keep working, keep creating and never stop the output. -- Rufus Wainwright
I just think it's better to have ideas. I mean, you can change an idea. Changing a belief is trickier, people die for them, people kill for them. -- Rufus Wainwright
Life is the longest death in California, -- Rufus Wainwright
I was reared on folk music. -- Rufus Wainwright
I'll be honest, I worry sometimes about what I've done. I have tied my whole person to my art and, whatever it takes to get that hook, I will go there and do it. -- Rufus Wainwright
I am regarded as a usurper, as an imposter and dilettante, because I do technically come from the wrong side of the tracks in musical terms. -- Rufus Wainwright
To me, songs come of their own volition - and with an open-ended philosophy. -- Rufus Wainwright
Once you've fallen from classical virtue, won't have a soul for to wake up and hold you. -- Rufus Wainwright
There is actually a great book called Prima Donna by Rupert -Christiansen that deconstructs the myth. In fact, many of the women who were prima donnas were feminists and incredible forces for their time. -- Rufus Wainwright
I like to try new things. -- Rufus Wainwright
I have never cooked a meal in my life and always end up paying for dozens of people to eat with me. -- Rufus Wainwright
Why be in music, why write songs, if you can't use them to explore life or an idealized vision of life? I believe a lot of our lives are spent asleep, and what I've been trying to do is hold on to those moments when a little spark cuts through the fog and nudges you. -- Rufus Wainwright
I'm hyper light-sensitive and must sleep in the equivalent of a sealed tomb. -- Rufus Wainwright
Well, my great lesson with that was I went to the same production twice - once completely high and once completely sober - and both times were equally wonderful. -- Rufus Wainwright
Places that have experienced great defeat experience a kind of rebirth, which I think America has to do - unless we want to get more decrepit. I don't think we have to destroy the place totally. -- Rufus Wainwright
Somebody curse the light And take me far away from myself -- Rufus Wainwright
I should write a musical. That is probably one of the final areas that I should pay attention to, because it does kind of involve everything. It's got theatre, it's got young, pretty people ... And it's got money! -- Rufus Wainwright
Musically I'm able to keep going, because it's not about money and it's not about success. It's a challenge. -- Rufus Wainwright
But I want to deepen as an artist, and working with Shakespeare definitely points in that direction. -- Rufus Wainwright
After years of hotels, I'm horribly inept at cleaning up after myself. -- Rufus Wainwright
The moment something happens to one you love, it's twenty times more intense. You experience pain and enlightenment on a much vaster scale. -- Rufus Wainwright
I think everybody identified at a pretty young age that I was fairly entranced with myself. And that I had to be tempered. -- Rufus Wainwright
I think I've done a pretty fantastic job, but of course I want to sell millions of records. -- Rufus Wainwright
New York is not the centre for American culture and art that it once was because of the forces of conservatism. Giuliani, capitalism - and then there was 9/11. I really believe that if I leave, it will suffer! Maybe that's why I love it here, because I feel wanted. -- Rufus Wainwright
I personally don't have the ability to lie about my life, for better or for worse. -- Rufus Wainwright
I came out of the closet very young, and I had to cut my teeth pretty fast. -- Rufus Wainwright
But I don't even think you hear me at all Under your medieval ceiling behind your biblical wall -- Rufus Wainwright
Yes, I'm a homosexual and I like to shock people with glamour. -- Rufus Wainwright
For me, the iPhone is harder than reading Faust. -- Rufus Wainwright
I have a good face for what I do. -- Rufus Wainwright
'Prima Donna' is my kind of love song to opera but it's not the full experience. -- Rufus Wainwright
I believe in freedom Freedom's apparently all I need But who's ever been free in this world? Who has never had to bleed in this world? -- Rufus Wainwright
I like to make the mundane fabulous whenever I can. -- Rufus Wainwright
