Joaquin Phoenix supposedly has quit acting to become a rapper, a fact he made abundantly clear on an awkward Letterman appearance Wednesday night.
You may have heard about the career change already. Phoenix’s public appearances, including a poor debut in Las Vegas of all places, have been making the rounds on the Internet for a couple weeks now.
Some people suspect this is a big joke, and point toward the fact his brother-in-law, actor Casey Affleck, is filming Phoenix’s “reinvention” for a documentary.
It seems like a Borat-styled stunt, a Kaufman-esque ploy. After all, Phoenix is a two-time Academy Award nominee. One of those nods was for playing, yes, a drug addicted country star. He’s good at pretending.
Anyway, check out the uncomfortable interview with Letterman below, as well as some genuine music clips.
Joaquin Phoenix – Interview – Late Show with David Letterman
Here are some questions to ponder as you watch this interview: Phoenix has said he’s not a good rapper — so why would the relatively private man want to preserve his bumbling steps into the music industry on film? And why is Affleck — one imagines a busy man, and one also imagines a guy who isn’t rooting for his brother-in-law to fail — filming it all for public consumption? And finally, if Letterman is genuinely annoyed, why doesn’t he ask Phoenix about the speculation that the rap career is all a giant put-on? There’s no way Letterman’s producers didn’t brief him on that. It’s almost as if the late night host is in on the joke.
Ra Ra Riot – “Can You Tell” – Video
I wasn’t crazy about this disc when it came out, but I will say this: The guys have been releasing their best songs as singles — “Dying Is Fine,” for example. The new video for “Can You Tell” finds the group playing violin, guitar and drums outside a house at night.
Peter Bjorn and John – “Nothing to Worry About” – Video
Members of an Asian greaser gang go dance in the streets in this clip from Peter Bjorn and John, the guys who brought us the ubiquitous whistle of “Young Folks” in 2006. It is even weirder than that sounds. Enjoy.
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