Joaquin Phoenix Attempts To Rap, Falls Off Stage
Joaquin Phoenix, who famously announced to the world that he was retiring from the world of acting, announced last week that he was going to try and launch a career as a rap musician. Yeah. Over the weekend, Joaquin showed up in Las Vegas to show off his rap skillz in front of a large audience and, well, things didn’t go very well:
As forewarned, Joaquin Phoenix appeared at a Las Vegas nightclub this weekend to turn in his debut performance as the world’s newest actor-turned-rap-star. “This is me saying this is who I am. This is my story,” Phoenix announced before launching into his set. However, despite industry coaching courtesy of Diddy, a recent dance-off win under his belt and a couple Oscar nods, the would-be J. Pheezy’s performance failed to generate much more than a few embarrassing viral videos. While it wouldn’t be fair to say Phoenix totally crashed and burned, he at least accomplished the former. After a few semi-coherent songs, Phoenix closed the show by tumbling off the stage. Apart from the usual YouTube footage, the whole thing was caught on tape by Phoenix’s pal and brother-in-law, Casey Affleck — who, as previously reported, is helming a (fake?) documentary about Phoenix’s switch from A-list actor to fledgling musician. “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,” Phoenix said during his show. “When I was young I liked punk rock music but then I discovered rap. I love the storytelling aspect of hip-hop.” Since saying “Bye! Good!” to Hollywood in November, it seems Phoenix has at least been lucid enough to realize that most people aren’t taking his new career seriously (unless his new career is becoming the world’s foremost guerilla mockumentarian, in which case we’re totally taking him seriously. Somewhere under that musty toque and matted beard, we’re hoping Phoenix’s comedic mind cogs are simply a few steps ahead of the rest of us). “Are there people out there who think I’m a joke? I’m sure there will be,” Phoenix told People magazine backstage before the show — and, subsequently, before he (quite jokily) fell off the stage. “Are there people who think it’s going to suck? Probably, but I can’t worry about that.”
Either Joaquin absolutely knows what he is doing and has yet to clue us in on his grand scheme for his new artistic plans or he has plumb done lost his mind. Here is video of Joaquin rapping on stage in Vegas over the weekend:
It’s hard to make out what he’s rapping but I don’t think that comprehension is really what he is going for. After the jump, check out the other video of Joaquin taking an embarrassing spill off the stage and into the shocked and bewildered crowd …
Yes, in this second video he’s not rapping as much as he’s insanely jumping around on stage. This ridiculous period in Joaquin’s career reminds me of the time when Mariah Carey suffered her mental breakdown LIVE on TRL back in 2001 (after her movie Glitter failed miserably at the box office). Here’s hoping that Joaquin’s brush with seeming insanity is just as brief. Mimi managed to pull herself together and get her career back on track … it remains to be seen if Joaquin can do the same.
[Photo credit: Splash News; Source, Source, Source]
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January 19th, 2009 at 11:02 am
Ummmm please go back to acting, Joaquin.
January 19th, 2009 at 11:04 am
what the fuck happened to him?
From the highest paid actor to a dirty red head rapper
January 19th, 2009 at 11:12 am
i really think he’s going through something & i hope either him or someone close to him figure that out soon.
January 19th, 2009 at 11:12 am
he looks hideous…
January 19th, 2009 at 11:17 am
I love him…what is going onnnn!?!?
January 19th, 2009 at 11:21 am
HA! So THAT’s why Diddy looked at Joaquin like that in that other picture Trent posted! Ha ha! He had probably just told him he wanted to start rapping. I don’t even know what to make of this…
January 19th, 2009 at 11:30 am
OMG! sadness – i hope he finds the path that he needs to bring him back to humanity! but seriously i hope he is OK b/c he’s looking a bit lost right now…human as we all are with all of our frailties!
January 19th, 2009 at 11:32 am
Of course he’s up to something.
We will find out in a few months.
Believe me.
January 19th, 2009 at 11:38 am
His brother died from a drug overdose when will someone step in and help this poor fellow. What a waste of talent.
January 19th, 2009 at 11:57 am
Yikes. I was reminded of Matisyahu! HAHAHAHHAH. Matisyahu is way better! ;)
January 19th, 2009 at 12:08 pm
He’s gone Andy Kaufman.
January 19th, 2009 at 12:10 pm
Oh boy….
January 19th, 2009 at 12:18 pm
Yo, Maximus Dud?
I didn’t even recongnise him in that get-up.
January 19th, 2009 at 12:34 pm
The “odd factor” to it is Casey Afleck is going around recording all of this…so there is something to all of this.
January 19th, 2009 at 12:34 pm
when i first saw the pictures i thought it was john goodman…
January 19th, 2009 at 12:43 pm
The people over at defamer say that he’s actually creating a mockumentary with Casey Affleck….
http://defamer.com/5133284/didnt-we-call-bullshit-on-joaquin-phoenix-already
January 19th, 2009 at 12:43 pm
Geez…what has happened to him?? He is such a talented person. Hopefully someone steps in to help him before its too late.
January 19th, 2009 at 12:49 pm
@L — yes, I’ve heard that too. I guess we’ll see … in the end, he’ll either be a genius or a proven crazy.
January 19th, 2009 at 12:51 pm
There is something fishy about all this…I was so shocked when I heard he wanted to be a rapper, I really thought when he said he was going into music it’d be more indie. And now with casey filming all of this…is this maybe just a big prank? All intended for a movie/documentary? OR he is actually having a breakdown, if so I hope someone helps him soon.
January 19th, 2009 at 12:53 pm
@L…didnt see that before I posted, thanks! I hope it is just for a mockumentary.
January 19th, 2009 at 1:04 pm
@It’s Trent, Bitch! and Rach – I hope they are right, too! The man is too hot to have become so furry.
January 19th, 2009 at 1:33 pm
He is a freak. I loved Walk the Line but he is CRAZY. He needs help. He’s resembling Amy Winehouse a bit.
January 19th, 2009 at 1:38 pm
its quite bad isn’t it…
January 19th, 2009 at 1:39 pm
Oh man, what’s happened? Does he have a drug or mental issue? This is so bizarre…
January 19th, 2009 at 1:46 pm
tracy has it right, this is total winehouse behavior….
January 19th, 2009 at 1:48 pm
poor guy.
January 19th, 2009 at 2:25 pm
mockumentary, i say
January 19th, 2009 at 2:25 pm
I’d still have his babies.
January 19th, 2009 at 2:25 pm
What happened? :(
January 19th, 2009 at 2:42 pm
it reminds me of a drunk hobo paid to make a fool of himself on stage.
I think i might cry… he used to be fantastic.
January 19th, 2009 at 7:23 pm
Yeah… I see this and it makes me sad… he was a terrific actor and clearly he’s got a few issues that are taking over his life. I was a huge fan of River back in the day and seeing this just makes me wonder if Joaquin is going to take a similiar path… I sincerely hope someone in his circle of family and friends gets their head together and gets him some help… he clearly looks like he needs it.
January 19th, 2009 at 7:54 pm
Totally making a mockumentary …
January 19th, 2009 at 8:07 pm
I can’t even bring myself to watch the videos. I hope this is a joke.
January 19th, 2009 at 9:21 pm
Why, Joaquin, why? Oh how I long for the days that you wore a tin foil hat to keep the aliens from reading your mind.
January 19th, 2009 at 9:53 pm
Hahahahahahahahaha
January 19th, 2009 at 10:46 pm
Im in denial. Its not happening, la la la la…
January 20th, 2009 at 3:15 pm
I’m just viewing the video’s today, I really don’t know what to say because, in spite of everything I’m a complete meat eater and in the program for beer, and I can’t make Hollywood, but I’m only attracted to Joaquin, he can go back to films, I know that, but it’s scary seeing him do stuff like this , is he trying to make hype about himself ,for him when he comes back to Hollywood, and he gets to be a stable guy again, with an interesting story or is he really sick like this , because any craft needs attention, like don’t laugh, I think I can sing like Steve Tyler, no matter how I could sound or write or play guitar, I would never do that in front someone, even with permission, because that was their craft, I have allot respect like that, Nicole has to do her own thing not someone else, I watched “Walk the line”, and to me personally if he took off with an album right after and just did it in country, he would have made millions upon millions of dollars, I’m very serious the way he came off, just spinning from what he did, he would have been producing himself by now! Just from that, he was real frigging gold, then he could have started mixing into other stuff slowly , because every art takes time and then you would really see a man singing and think OMG you have to buy this album and masturbate, but no, I’m really pissed off, like I wanted to have a great orgasm because I haven’t had sex in long time, and no, not tonight Darlene! Oh my, W>T>F__K and who cares from piddles!
January 21st, 2009 at 1:05 am
He is totally Zach Galifianakis’ twin!
http://nymag.com/daily/entertainment/images/zachg.jpg
January 27th, 2009 at 9:56 pm
He simply cannot sing…why does he want to give up what he does so well? You are Mr. Phoenix the actor not the rapper