LUCID FORGE

I curled up with a cup of tea to watch The Late Show With David Letterman last night. Not a regular viewer by any means, I was lured by the prospect of seeing a favourite actor give what I figured might be a bizarre interview. Yes, I'd read about Joaquin Phoenix's supposed transition from actor to hip-hopper. And I'd seen the photos of the once-delicately-beautiful actor with the intense gaze now bearded, dirty and unruly, like a modern-day Jim Morrison, determined to wipe that St. Sebastien-esque beauty right out of history and the minds of every person (like me) who could claim pre-Gladiator memories. But I'd questioned the sincerity of the whole thing since a/ he seems like a pretty smart guy, in every interview I'd seen or read, quoting poets, referencing obscure films, and genuinely coming off as smarter (if more scarily insecure) than the average Hollywood star; and b/ he's being followed around and filmed in this transition by Casey Affleck, best friend and brother-in-law.

Ever since inscribing GOOD-BYE! across his knuckles last October to announce his retirement from the film industry, rumours have been flying around about his the truth behind his decision. Is it a genuine desire to explore new creative terrain, or an elaborate, dada-esque performance art joke? While he received huge acclaim for Walk The Line (for which he garnered his second Oscar nomination, the first was for his scary turn as the Emperor Commodus in Gladiator), I was personally non-plussed; sure, he captured music legend Johnny Cash's dark spots, but the voice failed to impress, and the eyes lied. He was always too delicate to be doomed, that sensitive face too expressive to capture Cash's hardness, the voice a Captain Beefheart-esque bellow that bellied a more contemplative (if nasal) tenor. He was playing at being Cash, but looked uncomfortable; now it seems he needs practise at being himself.

 

And so now he's directing his talents not into singing but rhyming. Phoenix's January 16th Vegas appearance shows him, bearded and shaded, with ill-fitting trousers and a lax posture, accompanied by a ho-hum droning beat underlining his mainly-unintelligible verses. If there was a manual on "Career Suicide" and this is, in fact, the real deal (as Phoenix's publicist insists) the actor/rapper seems to be taking it as gospel, performing every deed to the letter. Actor converting to singer, check. Falling off stage before cameras at first music appearance, check. Letting physicality go to pot, check. And now, bizarre appearance on popular late-night talk show, check. Letterman noted, acidly, that Phoenix made dizzy Farrah Fawcett look like a good interview.

Speculation is rampant that the interview was all part of an elaborate publicity hoax, that Phoenix was chanelling the spirit of legendary comic-of-discomfort Andy Kaufman with his short answers and nonplussed reactions. Host Letterman, clearly annoyed, tried to first cajole Phoenix out of his silent funk by pouring compliments on him, before insulting him and shooting out mockery in the form of sarcasm: snarky comments about hanging out with the Unibomber and chewing gum were met with what appeared to be hurt, befuddlement, and annoyance by Phoenix. But was it genuine? That's the question everyone who saw the interviews is asking themselves today. Is Phoenix mocking the system, and providing rich fodder for Affleck's documentary, or is he actually melting down? The reasoning behind this fascination isn't solely for the staring-at-a-car-crash attraction, either; those of us old enough to remember brother River Phoenix's incredible body of work, followed by his sudden death, wonder if Joaquin is determined to follow in his footsteps. Breathless questions of "was he high?" are being bandied around the internet today, followed very closely by excited trills of "brilliant hoax!" Whatever the case, it's got us talking -about the nature of fame, the position of celebrities, and the whys and hows of where they get positioned in our lives.

If Phoenix's transition from acting to music is real, it's sad. If this is a hoax, it's still sad... but it's also brilliant.