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 breathecomposeconcern Change image and share on social
You know the question: 'How do you get to Carnegie Hall?' Answer: 'Practise?' Well, in my case, I got there by not practising. I didn't finish my music degree. And when I got into the pop world, I decided not to conform because I figured that the point of being an artist was that you shouldn't be like anyone else. Rufus Wainwright answerartistcarnegie share on social
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 hardnightopen Change image and share on social
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 illnesslotpresent Change image and share on social
Life is a game and true love is a trophy. Rufus Wainwright gamelifelove Change image and share on social
My mother and father could not handle even me being gay. We never talked about it, really. Rufus Wainwright fathergayhandle Change image and share on social
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 bigburneedward share on social
Some people go to Berlin to get more cutting edge; I went and started wearing lederhosen and going to visit baroque palaces. Rufus Wainwright baroqueberlincut Change image and share on social
When I wrote the opera, I made a deal with myself that for at least an hour a day I would work on it, even if it meant just sitting on my piano bench, staring into space and thinking about it. It's about keeping it regular, like your bowel movements - let's get real: it's your bodily artistic movements! It comes from the same place. Rufus Wainwright artisticbenchbodily share on social
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 areaattentionfinal share on social