Q: Hello to you Rufus. How are you?
A: Good. I’m in my apartment in Los Angeles.
Q: What can you see?
A: Palm trees.
Q: What did you have for breakfast this morning?
A: I haven’t had any. I’ve had four cups of coffee, of course. But no breakfast. But also no cigarettes, so that’s good.
Q: If you were in charge of this interview, what would you want to talk about? What’s on your mind today?
A: I would talk about Obama. I’ve become a very big Obama fan. I’ve decided to support him.
Q: Were you not a fan before?
A: No, I did support him, but I kind of wavered like most liberal-minded people. I really want this to work so badly that I’m just going to pretend it’s working — all of this liberal, lefty agenda, that’s probably not even there. But I want to enjoy this. I think the fact that he talked in his State of the Union address about wanting to stop America being this warring nation is pretty profound and also in terms of healthcare, though the saga is not finished, it was just so depressing when none of the Republicans would applaud for a woman’s health, or everybody being covered no matter how rich or poor you are. If anything, Obama’s really brought out the faultlines and you can really see who is on which side and that’s always helpful.
Q: Unfortunately we can’t talk about Obama, we must talk about you, Rufus. Earlier this year, you released your Best of. Contractual obligation or a nice way to mark this point in your career?
A: It’s not a contractual obligation, though I will say this being my last album on Universal is very handy because most of my albums were made under that umbrella. So, there is a practical reason because you don’t have to ask a million people what to do. So, there’s that. I’m set to write another opera that will premiere in 2018 about Hadrian. I’m working on that and I’m working on a lot of musical moments in film in Hollywood, and I now have a beautiful daughter and a wonderful husband so I’m in another dimension at the moment.
Q: Your last studio album was produced by Mark Ronson and peaked at No 5 in the UK. Who do you think you’d need to work with to get a No 1? Pitbull?
A: (Laughs) I have no idea. I’m at the Faustian bargain point in my life, where I just have to sell my soul in order to get to the top of the charts. I don’t know, the Devil?
Q: Would you rather work with the Devil or Pitbull?
A: Let’s say Pitbull could engineer but I think the Devil would be a better producer.
Q: A few years ago, it was almost law to ask musicians about their thoughts on Lady Gaga. Now it’s Miley Cyrus. So, what are your thoughts on Miley Cyrus?
a: Well, what can I say? She’s a pretty good singer. One of the most horrifying things I’ve seen in my life was her and Madonna singing together at the end of her Unplugged show. It was really, I don’t know, the overtones were way undertoned (laughs). I just need a little bit more in my life than that.
Q: Do you worry about her influence on future generations?
A: I have a daughter and she’s three, so I’m beginning to develop more protective instincts concerning her chastity and so forth, but on the other hand, I do feel like kids today are incredibly smart. They have a sensibility that is about survival and lasting. Growing up with this amount of negative energy about the environment and politics and pornography or whatever, you’ve got to be really smart to survive. I’m into challenges and these kids are being challenged.
Q: What’s a typical night out for Rufus Wainwright these days?
A: Well I’m in LA a lot at the moment. LA is great for my new life because it basically shuts down at 10pm. Last night I was at Chateau Marmont, so there’s a lot of dining. Sunsets and Malibu. Lots of trying to get into all the Oscar-nominated flicks.
I always imagine it’s just Lana Del Rey sat in the corner of the Chateau Marmont sipping a martini. It’s kind of like that. It’s usually Courtney Love or Lindsay Lohan, but I suppose Lana Del Rey is the answer to that equation.
Q: A lot of your songs in the past have detailed family fallouts and difficulties. Did you ever worry about revealing too much of yourself in your music?
A: I did a little bit. My father was not pleased at the outset, not so much with the songs but the fact that I thought that talking to a journalist was akin to a psychiatrist.
Q: But he wrote a song about you breastfeeding, so he can’t really talk.
A: Yeah, I know. There was a certain amount of payback for sure. I have always tried to maintain a positive spin on any negative song I’ve written, so there’s some silver lining. I let [Rufus’ sister] Martha do all the dirty work because she does not hold back, that woman.
Q: Your 13-CD, six-DVD collection House of Rufus is currently $357.63 (Dh1,313) on Amazon. Is it worth the investment?
A: Wow. Well it’s an amazing collection. I mean, there are pieces of my intestine in that box. Don’t worry, it’s dry. There are 19 discs, a book and it’s covered in velvet, so that’s about right.
Q: Can you explain what you mean when you say you’re a “complete libertarian”?
A: I don’t like telling anyone what to do really. I don’t feel like it’s very polite.
Q: Do you struggle with that as a father?
A: It is hard and you do have to lay down rules, but Viva has a great mum and I’ll let her do that. Someone’s got to be soft and cute.
Q: You performed with Robbie Williams on Swings Both Ways. Do you think he does?
A: I want to say that he has, and I think he wants to say that he has, but in reality he hasn’t.
Q: Is it true that sessions for your first album cost $700,000? What did you spend all the money on?
A: At least that. I was thinking it was more like a million. My producer was kind of gregarious and enjoyed the finer things in life. Basically turned the studio into a recovery room for other clients.
Q: What do you remember about your cameo in Absolutely Fabulous in 2002?
A: Oh god, not much, I was pretty off my rocker at that point.
Q: How did that come about?
A: They got in touch with me. My mother was in it as well. You know, like any properly brought up and well-intentioned gay man at that time, I was completely obsessed with that show and would have killed my mother in order to be on it.
Q: Do you miss your days of general debauchery?
A: I miss the idea of not having any sense of retribution and consequence. But life right now is much sweeter and much more fulfilling.
Q: What is the most embarrassing text message you’ve sent to the wrong person?
A: “Who are you?” I probably sent that to my sister.
