OUR NEXT GUEST IS A GRAMMY NOMINATED SINGER SONG-WRITER
WHOSE LATEST ALBUM "UNFOLLOW THE RULES" IS OUT NOW.
THE TALENTED RUFUS WAINWRIGHT!
♪ ♪
THERE HE IS!
HOW ARE YOU, RUFUS?
IT'S SO LOVELY TO SEE YOU.
HOW ARE YOU DOING?
>> I'M DOING GREAT.
I'M UP THE STREET FROM YOU IN LOREL CANYON, SO, YEAH, VERY
HAPPY, IN MY MASSIVE LIBRARY.
>> James: IT'S AN IMPRESSIVE LIBRARY.
I LIKE IT.
IT'S EXACTLY WHERE I IMAGINED YOU WOULD BE.
>> YES, YES.
I'M HERE WHERE THERE'S A HARPS CORD, THERE'S CANDELABRAS, IT'S
GREAT.
NOT WEARING ANY PANTS.
( LAUGHTER ) >> James: AS I'VE TOLD YOU
PRIVATELY AND I WILL TELL YOU NOW, I THINK THE NEW ALBUM IS
ABSOLUTELY ASTONISHINGLY BRILLIANT, AND CONGRATULATIONS
ON THE GRAMMY NOMINATION BY JUST CAME OUT THIS PAST FEW WEEKS.
WHAT DID YOU THINK WHEN YOU HEARD THE NEWS?
>> I HAVE TO ADMIT, MY HUSBAND AND I, WHO IS ALSO MY MANAGER,
WHEN WE HEARD IN THE MORNING, WE STARTED CRYING, WE WERE SO HAPPY
BECAUSE ANY GOOD NEWS IS GOOD NEWS AND, CERTAINLY, AFTER THE
ELECTION, OUR SENSES WERE SOMEWHAT ADDLED, SO WHEN WE
HEARD ABOUT THE GRAMMY, WE WERE VERY, VERY EXCITED AND VERY,
VERY HAPPY.
MY DAD WON A GRAMMY A FEW YEARS AGO AND, SO, IT'S NECESSARY THAT
I AM NOMINATED.
>> James: WELL, OKAY.
WE'LL MAYBE DELVE INTO THAT ON A PODCAST.
I MEAN, THE ALBUM, WHERE DID THE TITLE "UNFOLLOW THE RULES" COME
FROM?
>> "UNFOLLOW THE RULES" CAME FROM OUR DAUGHTER VIVA WHO ONE
DAY WALKED INTO THE LIVING ROOM AND SAID, DADDY, SOMETIMES I
JUST WANT TO UNFOLLOW THE RULES.
AND I, OF COURSE, LET HER DO THAT, DIDN'T TAKE ANY NOTICE OF
WHAT SHE WAS TALKING ABOUT AND JUST WROTE A SONG AND STOLE HER
LYRIC.
>> James: IT'S SO GOOD AND THERE ARE SO MANY STANDOUT
SONGS.
THERE'S ONE PARTICULAR SONG WHICH I THINK IS THE LAST SONG
ON THE ALBUM, IS THAT RIGHT?
>> YEAH.
>> James: A SONG CALLED "ALONE TIME," WHICH I MIGHT HAVE
LISTENED TO A THOUSAND TIMES IN THIS PERIOD OF LOCKDOWN.
IT'S SO BEAUTIFUL.
WHAT WAS IT THAT INSPIRED THAT SONG?
>> YEAH, WELL, I WAS STAYING, ACTUALLY, WITH MY HUSBAND, WE
WERE STAYING WITH HELEN CARTER AT A BEAUTIFUL HOUSE IN LONDON
AND I THINK WE WERE ALL JUST -- AT THE TIME, SHE WAS WITH TIM
BURTON, AND ENG WE WERE JUST ALL SICK OF EACH OTHER'S SPOUSES OR
SOMETHING, AND, SO, I TOOK A WALK INTO CAMDEN DOWN TO AMONGST
HIPPIES AND, YOU KNOW, DRUG ADDICTS AND PEOPLE WITH WEIRD
HAIR, AND A SONG CAME TO ME.
IT WAS ABOUT, YOU KNOW, ESCAPING BELL SIZE PARK, BASICALLY.
>> James: I'M VERY, VERY FAMILIAR WITH THAT FEELING OF
ESCAPING BELL SIZE PARK SO MUCH SO THAT I MOVED HERE.
( LAUGHTER ) YOU RECENTLY POSTED, WHICH
PEOPLE SHOULD SEE, A PERFORMANCE OF YOU AND DARREN CHRIS SINGING
"BRIDGE OVER TROUBLED WATER" WHICH IS A GORGEOUS RENDITION.
HOW DID THAT COME ABOUT?
>> YOU KNOW, THAT SONG I WAS ALWAYS AFRAID TO SING AND, YOU
KNOW, I THINK IT'S CONSIDERED ONE OF THE GREAT BALLADS FOR A
MALE AND, SO, AND GARFUNKEL'S VERSION IS SO EPIC AND ICONIC
THAT I NEVER WANTED TO TOUCH IT.
BUT I KNEW AT SOME POINT I WOULD HAVE TO GIVE IT A SHOT AND, SO,
I DID, AND I ENLISTED DARREN CRIST TO HELP ME OUT.
BUT IT'S WEIRD BECAUSE IT FIT VERY WELL IN MY VOICE, AND IT'S
NOT AS HIGH AS I THOUGHT IT WAS.
SO MAYBE I'M JUST NOT AS HIGH AS I USED TO BE.
( LAUGHTER ) I FEEL LIKE I COULD PULL IT OFF.
>> James: WELL, CONGRATULATIONS ON THE ALBUM,
CONGRATULATIONS ON EVERYTHING THAT'S HAPPENING, IT REALLY IS,
AS ALL OF OUR ALBUMS ARE, AND I THINK YOU'VE NEVER SOUNDED
BETTER ON AN ALBUM AND IT'S REALLY GOTTEN ME THROUGH A LOT
OF MOMENTS THESE PAST FEW MONTHS.
CONGRATS.
WHEN WE COME BACK, RUFUS WILL PERFORM "ALONE TIME" RIGHT HERE.
COME ON BACK, EVERYONE