Lucy Dacus and Rufus Wainwright Talk with Amanda Petrusich | The New Yorker Festival

Meeting and Milestones

• 💡 Lucy Dacus first saw Rufus Wainwright perform in 2012 at Wolf Trap, being captivated by his songs as a teenager.
• 🎤 Rufus Wainwright met Lucy Dacus at the Grammys, where she and Boygenius "protected" him from rap stars, and he later presented them with their first Grammy.
• 💍 Lucy Dacus has become legally ordained and performs weddings on stage, marrying numerous couples, many of whom are queer, due to concerns about the future of marriage equality.

Love, Marriage, and Identity

• ❤️ Lucy Dacus's song "Best Guess" explores the idea of uncertainty in love, viewing a partner as "the best guess at the future" rather than a soulmate.
• 👰 Rufus Wainwright, married for 13 years, advises newlyweds that marriage requires hard work and a continuous fight to make it last, emphasizing that it's "forever."
• 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Both artists discussed family dissonance related to their queer identity, with Rufus recalling his parents' negative reactions during the AIDS era and Lucy sharing her accidental coming out via NPR.

The Creative Process

• ✍️ Rufus Wainwright found early career challenges in the grunge era, learning to overcome resentment towards other artists like Jeff Buckley after a positive personal encounter.
• 🚶‍♀️ Lucy Dacus finds inspiration for songwriting in "emptiness and liminal spaces," particularly while walking, which she believes stimulates both sides of the brain.
• 🤫 Both artists emphasize the critical role of "quiet" and "silence" as a creative tool, describing it as the space where everything truly happens in music.
• 🎭 Songwriting for Lucy Dacus is a way to discover what she thinks and feels, while Rufus Wainwright views it as a spiritual, almost possessed experience, though he also recognizes it as a craft.

Artistic Evolution and Commercialism

• 🔄 Artists manage reinvention by accepting that evolution is natural and inevitable, as Lucy Dacus states, "the evolving just comes for you anyways."
• 💰 Rufus Wainwright's early career was "spoiled" by a DreamWorks Records deal, creating a misconception about commercial success and the need for hits.
• 💖 Lucy Dacus approaches the marketplace by making things "with heart" and hoping people incorporate them into their lives, rather than focusing solely on commercial gain.
• ⏸️ The Boygenius hiatus was planned from the start, allowing them to set boundaries, say no to opportunities, and maintain healthy relationships.

The Enduring Power of Songs

• 🎶 Both artists discussed the profound influence of Leonard Cohen's work, with Rufus highlighting the importance of lyrics and Lucy appreciating his blend of darkness and humor.
• 🎤 The "truest version" of a song is debated, with Lucy Dacus suggesting it's the relationship between every iteration (live, recorded, covers), allowing a song to have its own life.
• ✅ Knowing when a song is finished varies; Lucy Dacus balances persistence and knowing when to stop, while Rufus Wainwright often knows it's complete when he feels a "little emotional tear."