News: Rufus Shares Confessional Tori Story

Rufus Wainwright, who opened for Tori on her 2001 Strange Little Girls tour, recently told the Advocate that being in Tori’s presence during that time helped him recover from a sexual assault he suffered in London. Follow the links, above or below, to see what he said. Thanks to Emmanuel and Tony for this one.

Rufus: Tori Amos helped me deal with rape

Rufus Wainwright’s rape in London as a teen was a troubling ordeal that, he said, he was able to resolve after meeting Tori Amos. In an exclusive interview with Me-Me-Me.tv, the singer spoke about facing his past.

“I was touring with Tori Amos for about two months in America and she had her organization called RAIV—which is Rape and Incest Victims—and she would do this whole thing where after each show she would talk to people who had been abused as young people,” Wainwright said in the interview. At first, he said, he ignored her outreach to others. However, he realized his inability to maintain a successful relationship was probably linked to his being raped at age 14.

“I never went to one of those meetings and talked to her about it. But it did open my eyes,” he said in the May 15 interview. Wainwright also discussed a stint in rehab after his crystal meth use, therapy sessions, and an odd meeting with Céline Dion.

“I met her once at the [Juno Awards],” he said. “Someone introduced us and said, ‘Céline, this is Rufus Wainwright; Rufus, this is Céline Dion,’ and the only thing she said to me was, ‘That shirt looks yellow on TV,’ and then walked away. But she was right, it did look yellow. I don’t think it was a question of being a bitch or anything—she’s just such a mechanical show business creature.” (The Advocate)