Road Trip Elegies: Montreal to New York

Words + Music | Vol. 9

By: Rufus Wainwright

Narrated by: Rufus Wainwright

Length: 3 hrs and 29 mins

Publisher's summary

"It's very important that you go to college in music, but it's probably more important that you drop out." (Rufus' mother, Kate McGarrigle)

Celebrated singer, songwriter, and composer Rufus Wainwright knows exactly what to pack for his journey between St. Sauveur, Quebec, and New York City. He's intimately familiar with the route, from its topography to its emotional touchstones - each mile nearly etched into his psyche. The starting point, nestled in the Laurentian Mountains, is an hour northeast of Montreal and home to a large part of his fabled upbringing, with its rich maternal lineage and musical legacy. It's also loaded with some good ol' fashioned baggage. The end point, New York, like for so many before and after him, serves as a storied stomping ground for his rise as an artist and person, independent of his family. It's an ever-alluring but uneasy place, as it's dished out equal measures of validation and indifference throughout their testy relationship.

In Road Trip Elegies, Rufus sets out on the trek with his usual personal effects: a treasure trove of memories, a razor-sharp wit, and a big appetite for healthy self-reflection. But on this particular trip, he's packed two additional items to help navigate the experience: something to record himself with and someone to talk to. For the latter, Rufus has tapped his therapist. Yes, Mark the Analyst. (Hey, why not go for the best?) What ensues over the course of three one-hour episodes is a captivating, detailed, and candid coming of age story - an artist's awakening - shared by a man who uniquely understands from whence he came and how it's all played out ever since. As satisfying or soulful a premise that may be - Rufus is the consummate showman - Road Trip Elegies offers its listeners much, much more. 

If Elegies is anchored in Rufus' driving excavation as an artist and son (his beloved mother, Canadian folk icon Kate McGarrigle, is an essential and enduring force in his life), the title is truly lifted and made whole by its spectacular musical counterpart. Generously woven throughout the duration of the drive, each live cut (more than 20 tracks in total) is plucked from an exquisite, recent set of performances some 3,000 miles west. Captured at McCabe's Guitar Store, a music venue in Los Angeles, the three-night run was designed specifically to accompany and punctuate moments and themes derived from his Road Trip. Backed by a tight-knit four-piece band, including his sister, Lucy Wainwright Roche (vocals), and Petra Haden (vocals/violin), and featuring top-notch stage banter throughout, Rufus seamlessly moves between a sweeping breadth of songs that span generation, genre, and timbre. Many tunes were penned by his own notable family members, Kate and Anna McGarrigle, or his distinguished folk-writing father, Loudon Wainwright III; others are gorgeously Rufus-ized versions of standards from the stage, the Great American Songbook, or more modern classics. Cue: Dylan's "A Hard Rain's a-Gonna Fall" and Barry Gibb's always welcome "Islands in the Stream". Enveloped in the warmth of devoted fans and a host of admiring special attendees (Burt Bacharach, Jessica Chastain, Mike Stoller, Shirley MacLaine, Chris Guest, Darren Criss, Anjelica Huston, Jackson Browne, and Van Dyke Parks to name-drop a few), the performance, throughout, conveys a fantastic sense of both intimacy and electricity. 

By the time Rufus approaches the city, we've been richly serenaded with beautiful melodies courtesy of the West Coast and moving stories down the state thruway. Driving solo now (don't worry, his intrepid therapist was safely dropped off in Westchester), Rufus is admittedly fully loopy: emotionally drained but highly entertaining. The final leg has the remarkably palpable vibe of just Rufus and you, working in parallel, looking to land closure. Total catharsis is of course out of reach, but Rufus' Road Trip Elegies is a bold and beautiful testament to the power of not compartmentalizing our various parts or striving to disown our past, but rather, willfully embracing the full extent of us; seeking to grasp and contain even our most challenging of pieces to arrive, more completely, at peace of mind.

©2020 Rufus Wainwright (P)2020 Audible Originals LLC

A Keeper

A very different listen for me. Interesting perspective into a long, sometimes troubled life. Especially appreciated the music, both original and classic; it all fit me very well. I have very specific musical friends I’d enjoy sharing this with. Look forward to doing so. Really enjoyed the Rufus voice on the songs; wide talent range. A very brave story.

Really enjoyed this!

I haven’t heard anything like this before. If you’re a fan, I think you’ll love this. I also think casual listeners will find it enjoyable as well. This would be an interesting way to make albums in the future. Instead of just the tracks, you get an all encompassing story and a ton of insight into the songs. Just a thought.

Didn't know a lot of Rufus, but now I do.

Like the title said, I knew of Rufus Wainwright by name but not a lot about the man himself. This audiobook was very interesting in that I learned a lot about him, his family and his history. I really enjoyed this audiobook and would recommend.

Absolutely wonderful - raw and revealing....

The intriguing story flowed from song to song, unabashed and unafraid. Punctuated by many wonderful renditions of selections drawn from a myriad of genres culminating in a closing number that was haunting and magnifique...

That was fun!

Don’t listen to this one if you are wanting to drift off to sleep. It will keep you awake. I am old enough that I knew his parents’ music first. I love that the story is sprinkled through with history, some of which I needed to look up. Always nice to be entertained and also learn something. What a lovely guy. It does kinda fall apart at the end... I would listen to another road trip in a heartbeat, tho.

Been on my radar for just some time

Amazing evening. Many thanks..
Why does Audible require twelve more words, my charming and lovely, friends?

New to Rufus Wainwright

I was completely unfamiliar with the Wainwrights and McGarrigles- any of them- but what a fascinating audiobook. He’s so honest and funny and intelligent. This is no star whitewash- Every story was interesting and unexpected…. A beautiful voice, and such a worthwhile time spent learning of his life and art. I am now digging through all of the artists involved on Spotify, which has become another unexpected treasure. Brilliant.

interesting

Before listening to this audible production I'd never heard of Rufus Wainwright. My wife and I are wanting to do some road trips, Montreal is a city I'd like to visit someday and so, hey, why not give this 3 hour story a listen.

I was pleasantly surprised. Something to be said about being able to take your therapist on a road trip from Montreal to New York City while examining different aspects of your life. Rufus throws in a bunch of songs from different genres, some he, his mother, his father wrote and some famous people wrote a few. It was a good mix.

I've never lived in the influence of the Big Apple, New York City but I've known some who have and they are like those from LA, they think the world revolves around their setting. Rufus' mother was a would be singer/songwriter from Quebec that ventured to New York in the summers at a young age in the beginning of her quest to make it big. In doing so she met another musician who she married and had two children, one being Rufus. The marriage didn't last and Rufus was raised outside Montreal but his father, from NYC, stayed in the picture somewhat and took him to Broadway plays and such and between the parents they developed a love for music with Rufus and he decided he wanted to pursue it for a career in music himself. He has ha some claims to fame although, as stated, I had never heard of him so we'll leave it at that.

But I did add Rufus to my Pandora stations plus a couple of the people mentioned in the tale.

What a wonderful journey

I love it. I enjoyed hearing about the trip and hearing about his journey through life. And I loved the music!

I love Cole Porter and he did a beautiful job with night and day.

I wanted him to keep going. I’m sure he has lots of other great stories to tell.

So much nostalgia!

As an Adirondack resident who is pretty familiar with the entire Montreal to NYC corridor, driving up and down 87, and as someone who has listened to a ton of music from Wainwright and his family, this is just beautiful and so nostalgic

I love the music he added throughout, what a gorgeous recording of Mendocino among others

You can hear cars driving by, they pay tolls, and he gives us a really intimate look at some moments of his life and im sure some of us can find at least something to relate to

For me, that something was the concept of being able to transfer your grief into something, anything, until you can't anymore - and then you realize just how sad you are! I have never heard anything more true in my life after dealing with precisely this, except it was an unexpected death. it's just, so sad

Anyway, a lovely recording through and through and totally recommend this one for anyone even remotely interested