Rufus Wainwright - "San Francisco"

[79diehl]

Rufus, you are a hoot, and a genius all wrapped up in "wax" paper...lol...love ya much....and my parents were wonderful to introduce me to jannette mcdonald and nelson eddy...God, love those wonderful old black and white movies....thank you for mentioning her...peace, jackie and the famous gaston <------gaston is my dog named after my father. :O)

[paulsheesley]

Rufus' Music Brings an urgency that is (to me) is irresistable and compelling! Whether he is covering this Standard or , especially, when he perform his own plaintive music. The more I listen, the more I am captivated . I am "swept up" in the urgency!

[RobertEllis2010]

He's very talented, much moreso than most singers today. However, Judy's songs require a HUGE voice, which his is not. He's not a belter, and of course, no one is compared to Judy.

Her voice was a trumpet, his is a piccolo. Just a comparison, my personal opinion.

[yam1200]

rufus love you

[clarabows]

Judy and Rufus. Love them. Bliss.

[nothingimportant55]

Awful. Judy would be turning in her grave

[rachaelbaker90]

He ALWAYS makes me chuckle :) :) x

[krisperkarl]

by comparison Rufus Wainwright is in kindergarten while Judy has a Masters Degree

[UnofficialGagaHaus]

You dont like his lisp? Get over it. I dont like urs either dude

[Dcdev]

I hate his lisp :P but other then that

[ctlaltdelete81]

@Dcdev He has a lisp?

[avishagor]

i love this guy

[handsdown101]

Is it odd that I think his mad scientist/wolverine hair is very sexy?

[lonestar2779]

@handsdown101 lol



[LimeGirl08]

marvellous! Fabulous! Rufus you make me happy! :)

[FetusLovesYou]

RUFUS I LOVE YOU!

TE AMO ~

THERESA

[DoNotObey1]

This guy is nonsense! ZERO! He's nothing! He's even worst than that! Public today is really fucked up and stupid! Rufus you suck!

[headstock48]

@DoNotObey1 Hi. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, of course. I'm not trying to tell you what to do. But I just discovered this guy, and this song is not at all representative of the other stuff he does. If you like good music, check out his performance of Hallelujah. It is NOTHING like this, which I also think is awful. Take it easy.

[octogarden72]

has'nt got the humour, or the volume to do a tribute. This is pure ego. It contributes nothing to art or judy.

[2000everett4]

wonderful, wonderful!

[Aerobarby08]

"Saaaaaaaaaaannn Fraaannciscooo" es excelente! ^^ una gracia!

[tromboneJTS]

"a dig" means, in this context, an attempt to get back at somebody by insulting them in a direct or indirect manner.

[daggettooo]

he somehow reminds me of johnny depp in sweeney todd o.O

[Forchuse]

@markinthecity and @leopoldhoob. You don't like it, don't comment. The fact that you even took the time to find this video, watch it, then comment on it completely undermines anything you have to say that is negative towards Rufus. Take your narrow, contemptuous exposition elsewhere, you disdainful wastes of space.

[CanadianBadAss999]

@Forchuse Bravo Forchuse!

[TroyDowling4]

Better than Liza... there... I said it.

[markinthecity]

What a stupid, boring, off-key, tone deaf, pompous creep.  I would rather have an ice pick in my ear than his totally flat, nasal, weak, reedy voice.

[EdNortonisMineLol]

You gotta love this man :)

[brontedesk]

'dig'! Ah now it makes sense to me! Thanks for clarification. I always thought he was saying dick too - lol. The whole DVD of this is a joy from start to finish.

[RobinPratt]

Oh dear...

[leopoldhoob]

pfffttttttttt !!......... at least drag queen Judy's have the humility to wear a ( bad) frock......what an overrated 'lounge' act..........RW should take a good look at himself.....and understand that he is a word of mouth 'Ooh look at him.arent we in the know?' performer.who can fill a london theatre with his mobile phone contacts.and nothing more........and everyones mother dies eventually Rufus.I choose to remember mine with dignity and a modicum of taste.

[octogirlpretty]

@binstence

Wow, binstence, you are amazing! Some very interesting facts and opinions you have provided. I will check that out, thank you!

[leopoldhoob]

awful drag queen impersonation.....without the gold lame.....

[Anavengertg]

He reminds me of Chris Crocker.

[oscarlover100]

@Anavengertg Ha ha. That's SOOOO funny!

[oscarlover100]

Awful.He has some okay moments, but frankly, his voice sounds whiny and this is an insult to Judy and all of her fans. Sure, everyone would want talent like Judy's and it's okay to sing a song of hers once, but to try to intimate her, and not to be even good at that? Insulting.

[CanadianDipper28]

is he gay? i like his music but....

[debrucey]

@CanadianDipper28 Of course he is gay

[dmperri]

@CanadianDipper28 uhhhhhhhhhhh.. seriously????? the needle on the gaydar is pegged! and he's singing "San Francisco" .. by Judy Garland!!!!! Does that really change your mind about his talent?

[MontgomeryMonteiro]

A very delicious thrill... Rufus! I love him.

[mypianoheadcase]

this is entertainingly awful

[americangalbasseyfan]

@mypianoheadcase Yes. This is 'awful.'  Who is he kidding? Horrible.

[wattever333]

He doesn't even know how Judy Garland actually made them laugh with the opening line. So he has to invent an angle and EXPLAIN IT! Terrible. Did he even see the movie "San Francisco" starring Jeannette McDonald to see if she actually sang in the ruins of the earthquake?

[mariacanela2010]

Es tan delicioso... Ya tenemos nuestro nuevo Frank.

[ConnerMatteBL]

lolol he's so deliciously obnoxious in this video

love him

[cbgbomfugrip2006]

his mother's favourite, grandmother's too, he'll break their heart and he'll break yours too

[CalifaJohn]

@cbgbomfugrip2006

He did not break my heart. He broke my eardrums and my hope that people are able to recognize real talent any more.

[cbgbomfugrip2006]

the first born son, always the one, the first to be called and the last to come

[cbgbomfugrip2006]

i knew you had it in you rufus

[babymoondancer]

He is Judy's reincarnation!! It's insane!!

[americangalbasseyfan]

Terrible.

[thecupdidit]

fairies is a term even gay ppl use to refer to themselves! lay off. it's fine! :p x rufus ftw! x

[discoguy20]

i like Rufus but this is terrible!

[rafaeltadeu88]

He's awesome

[ColumbusWasWrong]

Rufus. I love you.

[sophiam1234]

I cant decide whether i like him or not. :S

[luckystars32]

God, he's terrible. And what balls to do Judy's show.

Pathetic....

[IWhentOut]

what I wouldn't give to have pants like those?!

[onetrashdancer]

HA HA I new their were fairies on here HA HA you guys do stick together I will give you that !

[IWhentOut]

not a fairy here... just get off the comments and leave people alone... what you're doin is called harasment

[onetrashdancer]

Please and your force to read it HA HA almost like your force to hear old Rufus .

[onetrashdancer]

@IWhentOut sissy mary sissy mary ha ha how about a kiss

[superchabelo]

edward's haircut!

[mr40sfan]

wow! I love this well, for this time of year! It is almost Halloween and this is the Scariest thing I've seen yet!

[pianosinger745]

What kind of Kool-Aid does one have to drink to think this guy is serious? OMSFG!

[arielgirl]

Yeah hon, we don't drink Kool-Aid, how trashy. Plus too many carbs.

[onetrashdancer]

This guy needs to be touch by the good fairy one more time and ask for talent you big sissy mary

[jennysimply]

this is really annoying. fuck you rufus... you're not a real fan. its almost like your making fun of her.

[TheUndeadPuppeteer]

wow as of 5 minutes ago i am a fan of rufus wainwright

[CHMATOSO2]

Bravo!!!!

Thank you Donald (snowliontrax) for this wonderful gift.

CH

[tphowle]

nice try..but still..pathetic..judy would make so much fun of you on jack paar over this travesty

[Nichole888]

His hair reminded me of Robert Pattinson's.

[emmloudavex]

true, but rufus has alot more talent that robert. x

[TheGaylol]

Sacrée performance ! Merci monsieur Wainwright !

[studdles2007]

Been a fan for a few years. Absolutely love this performance. I also love his sense of style. He's awesome

[Williedsel]

Where has this guy been? What a great voice. WOW!!! Will have to listen to all his music.

[gazzacymru]

He's great isnt he Willie only found him myself this year

[J03LequalsSTUPID]

well, I think he's great and has a great voice.

[lucyjon2000]

I saw him for the first time last night on a WTTW special and he CAPTIVATED me. Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!!!

[Revolutionidk]

The real talent of this man, is that he can unite art and fun, and still improve both :D

[laberkasten93]

he seems a bit like Captain Jack Sparrow...just the way he moves sometimes xDD

[DukeHyphington]

What. A. Legend.

[apple4238]

Trash, that's all I can say.  I don't know why he dared to attempt a remake of Judy at Carnegie, his vocal range and ability simply do not match those of the original. Maybe he should sing his own songs and leave Judy's alone.

[gazzacymru]

Isnt he bringing the songs and memory of Judy Garland to many who have never heard of her

[eutuve]

I would say that 's a great achievement, though some viewer called it pathetic...

Thanks, Rufus and scutmonkey ..

[Vengeance509]

I totally admire his guts and his intention, and "get" what he was trying to do. Big time kudos to Rufus, for that. I get it.

But this isn't going to "age" well. I guess it isn't meant to? But, anyhow, it's a novelty, and he doesn't have the voice to so blatantly imitate the original (down to the arrangements), and...it's cheezy.

[FinanceGal]

The best rendition of Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen was performed by Rufus Wainwright in the documentary I'm Your Man - the CD excluded it, maybe because it was SO fabulous he didn't release the rights. Get it if you can - he's fabulous.

[highflyer87]

God this man makes me smile.

[GUAlliance]

He is so adorable

[SOPHI3333333333333]

This may sound such a total stupid question but who is he? I'v herd of him but not sure about what he does?

[rainlovebear]

not stupid at all :) im sure plenty of people dont know him.

he is a musician, actually the son of another famous musician Loudon Wainwright. the entire family is incredibly talented. They were both in "the Aviator" if you ever saw that movie. he got his start in soundtracks...Moulin Rouge is one, he sang "Complainte de la butte" on that movie. hes so fun and beautiful :)

[SOPHI3333333333333]

Ohh! Thanks so much for telling me, I was kinda confused! I love moulin rouge, I'l look out for his voice the next time i watch it. :)

[beccadaisical]

Wow! This sort of song really suits his voice. Amazing! :D

[cosmosblue772]

He must have Judy's soul in him.

[pollypeppercorn]

well said - this is super 5 *****stars

[splendagrass]

@cosmosblue772 We all have Judy's soul in us.

[54spiritedwill54]

so wonderfull! his singing is breath taking!

[thefifthrutle]

lol. he says the same thing in the album. so i guess he repeated the same jokes in each and every concert =P.

they laughed on the album in that "whatever you people do" part. by the way, that crowd seemed more enthusiastic.

[iampshyk]

i noticed the same thing :D

[taratimbs]

he says it cuz Judy said it.

[voladora92]

Maravilloso! :D

[xxlornaluftfan4evaxx]

he's amazing <3<3 xx

[ZRedPoppy]

It's one of my dreams to see him live <3 He's such a fabulous artist (and dancer, haha).

[bloodiedXangel]

I love Rufus here. He's just so Rufusey. And his hair!!! A-dor-a-ble!!!

[roomto]

Climbed Nob Hill to watch Rufus in August '07 and he came so close to singing this song and then suddenly stopped after a few bars! I think it was just a teaser for his Hollywood Bowl performance the following month. I would give anything to hear him do the Judy concert at Carnegie again!

[Picardy]

He is great, like Judy!!!!

[newlrf]

Jeanette McDonald was in an old melodramatic film called "San Francisco" about the earthquake. In the film she literally "stood there in the ruins and sang" - not this song though!! I love Rufus's gay moves and I love his voice:) Check him out singing "Minuit Chretiens" Its a fantastic bit of singing.

[resell4]

Is he gay?

I saw some gay moves from him at the beginning...

[bundleofstix]

Of course he's gay, he's always been completely open about it.

[danishtremill]

Just look at him. He's so gay, and he's such a genius.

[thefifthrutle]

dude. he's a dude. singing judy garland. what do you think?!

[grai]

Love him but I'll stick to the original!! - he's WAAAYY out of his depth vocally

[oranger2525]

he's one of a kind.

and i mean that in a (very)good way.

[octogirlpretty]

1:35

I don't understand what he means

"I would interpert this next line as a dick"

What does he mean?

[thescutmonkey]

I think he said "dig", as in a jibe.

[chocolateizzy]

@thescutmonkey I think he says "dick" because the next line "just to think of her gives my heart a pang" (pang: ache)

[chocolateizzy]

@thescutmonkey 

[CalifaJohn]

@octogirlpretty

.... as a DIG, not a dick. It was a personal dig meaning a slight or a comment meant to ridicule Jeanette MacDonald a bit.

[octogirlpretty]

@CalifaJohn

Aww ok. I have never heard the word "Dig" used in that manner. Thank you :)

[Picardy]

Dramatic and wonderful!

[BeAlive06]

I love this man.

I want to keep him at home so I can listen to him all the time, and also so I can run my hands through his hair.

:P

[salamisan]

"Ssssssannnnn Frannn...cisss...coooo, right when I arrive, I really come alive," He fucking IS Judy in that moment, eyes closed, fist clenched. Or she's in him Patrick Swayze/Whoopi Goldberg style.

[Indpndntthnkr]

oh my god you're soo right :)

[lalalafayette]

thanks so much for this deliht tidbit of rufuie!

[foreverforgiving]

He actually reincarnates Judy... and I don't think you girls can have him. lol

[thenightband]

so wonderfull! his singing is breath taking! great job!!!!!

[MusicCentral93]

His voice is good, and I know he is gay and I could care less, but a little bit too girly in his body movements.

[TheLogicalGod]

He's trying to channel Judy Garland

[TheLogicalGod]

Successfully might I add =)

[DandGFAN]

because he did a double night thing, this was the first night, the second night he recorded the CD

[ImportanceOfWhatever]

it sounds different on the cd... why?

[thescutmonkey]

That's because the CD recording is from his performance at Carnegie Hall in New York whereas the DVD recording is from his performance at the London Palladium.

[shivaniprincess]

God. I want him

[kevMAN20]

I want him and I'm a straight man... haha. I actually just want to lock him up for my own personal listening pleasure haha

[octogirlpretty]

I only have the album,not the DVD.I like the album better,the people seem more..ALIVE! :)

[stacie6666]

fukin amazing!!!!!!!!

[sndlwd]

is this on a dvd? i want.

[SuperMarcel]

Yeah. "Rufus! Rufus! Rufus! does Judy! Judy! Judy!"

[SuperMarcel]

Rufus is so talented!

Thumbs up!

[HilarySwankfan24]

Amazing performance. Love him.

[princessjoots]

one LITTLE thing that would have made this whole show better, would be if the audience knew all the songs...you know how everyone used to cheer wildly when judy did the first line of sanfansisco: they got so excited cus they loved that song? well i miss that here. but its still a great performance. ok how long is this comment

[goldnight]

It's like that on the album, but this show was a different day, so maybe you'd like the album more. Plus, depending on which version of the Judy album you've heard, you might have been hearing the faux audience included to pep things up for the record, it has since been removed.

[princessjoots]

o right. i was actually thinking of judy concerts ive seen on dvd, eg. at the london palladium....wasnt thinking of an album. but cool to know, thanks!