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Baker's Dozen

Want 13: Rufus Wainwright's Favourite Music
Barnaby Smith , March 11th, 2020 13:32

Ahead of the release of his new album Rufus Wainwright guides Barnaby Smith through his favourite music, from Leonard Cohen to Eurythmics and his abiding love of opera

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Bob Dylan - Blonde On Blonde
I had my operatic knowledge, and I had this interesting collection of artists I was dedicated to: Judy Garland, Nina Simone and so on – I could have put Nina Simone on this list – but this record by Bob Dylan was a way to relate to my parents a little bit. I wouldn't necessarily say I'm a huge Dylan fan, but I appreciate him, I understand his greatness, and it's really now that I'm starting to dig into his catalogue and cherish his existence. But in general, I'd say a lot of his recordings make me think of my dad – that's not the sexiest thing, but Blonde on Blonde broke through the barrier, and particularly the song 'I Want You' kept the thread going.