Rufus Wainwright: The Greatest Love Of All

The Canadian-American singer-songwriter turns out to be a relaxed interviewee who is a master of the efficient one-liner (“What advice would I give to my younger self? Work on your abs”). He positively enjoys talking to groups, playing up to his audience for shock effect, remarking variously that the fad for selfies means that fans’ mobile phones should come with “deodorant sticks”, that he is fortunate not to have a huge gay following because “gay men have terrible taste in music” and that he is grateful to have recently fathered a daughter rather than a son because he would “hate to be attracted” to a son.

What? You can’t say that. I’m not even sure you can think it. “I don’t think it would happen,” he laughs in response, explaining that it’s just that “when I’m old and he is 35 and gorgeous... Well, he would probably look like me. And I would be like, ‘Oh my God! I’m falling in love with myself!’”

Rufus Wainwright is interviewed by The Times.

The joke police won't like this, Rufus!

Rufus Wainwright: You Know Where I Went Wrong

Being human, all too human, Fagburn often gets things wrong, and he was so wrong about Rufus Wainwright.
On reflection, he's pretty pretty pretty good.
Had a car-crash of an interview with him, many moons ago, and thought he was a pompous arse, but this is the story of my life... x

PS She has a new Best Of... album out today!

Thought For The Day: Rufus Wainwright

I can highly recommend growing up surrounded by lots of women. My sisters, mother [the late folk musician Kate McGarrigle], aunts and grandmother were all fascinating to me. I basked in the attention as the only male and I was pretty gay from a young age – into cut-out dolls, Judy Garland, dressing up. They fussed over me a lot.

It's The Observer's turn to get Rufus today.

Thought For The Day: Rufus Wainwright

“For all the time spent writing songs, I sometimes wish I’d spent at least a quarter of that playing sports or climbing mountains, developing more of a physique. Being a gay man and hitting 40, I’ve woken up immediately to the fact of, ‘oh my God, I’m no longer this fresh-faced blushing rose’. And now I gotta get steroids!”

Rufus Wainwright profiled (badly) in The Independent.

He is currently whoring his new Best Of... album, Vibrate.

Here is an "interactive sampler".

Rufus is also doing What I See In The Mirror in Guardian Weekend...

People who wrestle with megalomania, as I do, see two people in the mirror. Depending on the day, I see myself as a 17-year-old supermodel mixed with a bit of Beethoven genius, or a disgusting 65-year-old dilettante with delusions of grandeur. Of course, in reality, I am somewhere in the middle.

Matthew Mitcham: Crystal Myths

AUSTRALIAN 10-metre platform diver Matt Mitcham says he battled a methamphetamine addiction in 2011 that almost derailed his career and his life, but the 2008 Beijing gold medallist will be free to compete on future Australian Olympic teams. 
In a book to be released on Monday, ``Twists and Turns,'' Mitcham reveals his battle with low self-esteem, anxiety and depression, panic attacks and repeated self-harm as a teenager, which helped begin his dependence on crystal meth... 

The Australian (and all gay media).

Now, far be it from me to accuse Matthew Mitcham of making this up just cause she's got a book to sell, but it does seem odd that his "addiction" to crystal never showed up in any of the random and frequent drug tests professional athletes have to undergo. 
Still, if I was a minor celebrity gayer, and was trying to make my rather dull, bourgeois and vanilla life sound interesting I'd probably make up a story about how "I battled a Tina addiction", too.
Like what that Rufus "My In-No-Way-Made-Up Drugs Hell" Wainwright did...

Thought For The Day: Boy George

"A bunch of us were with Boy George in New York State recently.
"My friend said to Boy George: ‘You should really support this congressman we have here because he’s anti-death penalty and pro-gay marriage.’
"Boy George replied: ‘Aren’t they the same thing?’ ”

Rufus Wainwright in The Times.
Tee hee. 
Poor Rufus - the only interesting thing he says in an interview is someone else's gag.

John Grant: Professional Drama Queen

It was a low point — a syphilis diagnosis on the day that all the student doctors were in. “Twelve or thirteen of them!” beams John Grant. “Actually, I’d gone in to get treated for alcohol addiction but the nurse noticed this rash . . . ” It was just another day in New York for the singer, who had sunk into obscurity after the breakup of his band, the Czars, in 2004 and was trying to kick alcohol, cocaine and crack all at once, while waiting tables and sleeping on people’s floors.
The nurse was quite taken with her gentle, soft-spoken patient and offered to become his sponsor for Alcoholics Anonymous. In the absence of drugs and drink, Grant ramped up his addiction to unprotected gay sex. “I loved it. It was a great way to play Russian roulette,” he admits now. “I really dodged a bullet there.”

John Grant in The Times.
Fagburn isn't sure what he makes of John Grant - I quite like his album, but Grant keeps coming up with "Oh pity me please, I have been to gay hell and back" Rufus Wainwright/Judy Garland crap like this.
So you've taken drugs and had bumsex.
Big fucking deal!

I've pasted the interview in the comments section - take that Rupert Murdoch and your stupid paywall!