That notorious first "Late Show" appearance came a month after video of Phoenix giving a shaky rap performance in Las Vegas and falling off stage hit YouTube. The Oscar-nominated Phoenix, best known for roles in Gladiator and Walk the Line, in which he starred as Johnny Cash, kicked off his strange journey by announcing in October 2008 that he was retiring from acting to become a rapper. The appearance will be Phoenix’s first since the bizarre 2009 "Late Show" interview in which a dishevelled Phoenix - sporting sunglasses and a wild beard - mumbled brief answers to Letterman’s questions and claimed that he was retiring from acting to pursue a career as a hip-hop artist. He looked like he had gained a little weight.ACTOR Joaquin Phoenix will return to the scene of an infamous and rambling TV interview he gave last year on the "Late Show with David Letterman" as a return guest later this month. He was dressed very laid back, a beachy vibe with loose pants, a big sweater and a cap on most of the time. "I was surprised by his appearance," Snedegar said, referring to Phoenix's bushy beard, dark shades, baggy sweater and torn gray knit cap. "It just depends on how people accept him." "He's definitely going to make waves with his performance because people are curious," he said. About 500 people - some fans, some skeptics - turned out for Phoenix's first performance, he said. Snedegar thinks people will tune in, at least initially. This is my story."īut will people want to hear what he has to say? "After all the years of reading scripts and reading lines, this is my chance to do something straight from the heart and put it out there," he told People. I love the storytelling aspect of hip-hop." Not so, he explained to People magazine: "When I was young I liked punk rock music but then I discovered rap. Hip-hop may seem like an odd fit for Phoenix, who, three years ago, received an Oscar nod for his portrayal of singer Johnny Cash. Are there people who think it's going to suck? Probably, but I can't worry about that." He told People magazine before his performance: "Are there people out there who think I'm a joke? I'm sure there will be. "Then, there were moments he seemed to be very serious."Īpparently Phoenix was prepared to not be taken seriously. There were moments when I looked at him and I thought, 'I can't believe he's doing this,'" he said. Snedegar told that he had his doubts about Phoenix's intentions. Several other rappers contacted by refused to go on the record commenting about Phoenix's new career path. At first his rep said she was unaware of his involvement but later she sent an e-mail saying, "I cannot comment on this at this time." "He intends on exploring his musical interests despite speculative, negative or positive reactions."Ĭasey Affleck is helming a documentary about Phoenix's foray into music and was in Vegas, along with two other cameramen, shooting Phoenix's performance.Īccording to media reports, Diddy is producing Phoenix's rap album. It should come as no surprise to anyone that Joaquin came from a musical family, in addition to winning a Golden Globe for his portrayal of Johnny Cash," Patricola wrote in an e-mail. "The transition from one career to another is never seamless. Phoenix's rep, publicist Susan Patricola, released a statement at the end of January saying the actor's rap-star dreams are real and he will continue to pursue them despite naysayers. My experience afterward was I had a lot of dudes come up and say, 'We really respect you for doing it, putting yourself out there, and going with it.' Because I think true hip-hop heads know that it's hard, it's going to be a hard transition, and people are going to be lining up just to make fun of me."Īfter the performance, some wondered whether Phoenix was carrying out some kind of elaborate ruse. "Unless, of course, it's a pretty big place, and maybe it was happening," Phoenix added with a laugh. "It was much better in the club, and I don't know who said that people were booing … because that was not happening." "It sucks that, yeah, the footage is out there as like this incredibly bad sound, and you literally can't hear what's happening," he told the AP. Phoenix contends the live show was much better than footage posted on the Internet.
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