Rufus Wainwright - April Fools

What this video is

Released in May 1998 on DreamWorks Records, 'April Fools' was the sole music video produced for Wainwright's self-titled debut—an album described as an unclassifiable amalgam of folk, rock, cabaret, and opera released against a mainstream dominated by post-grunge and hip-hop. The video's operatic death-prevention narrative reflected the album's neo-baroque theatricality and queer artistic sensibility at a moment…

Why it matters

The video is a landmark artifact of late-90s neo-cabaret and queer baroque pop, documenting the rare intersection of opera-camp visual language and alternative rock celebrity culture in a promotional format. As the only video from Wainwright's debut, it served as the primary visual introduction to…

The director

Sophie Luise Elisabeth Muller (born 31 January 1962, London) is an English music video director who has directed over 300 music videos. She won a Grammy Award for Annie Lennox's 1992 Diva video album and an MTV Video Music Award for Lennox's 'Why.' She won a…