Talk:Darren Criss

Occupations

The intro was changed today to split "singer-songwriter" into "singer, songwriter", though the infobox still says "singer-songwriter". While the two need to agree, I think this is a good opportunity to discuss what both ought to say.

The list is currently "actor, singer, songwriter, musician, and composer". There are two sets of overlapping terms here now that "singer-songwriter" is split: singer and musician, and songwriter and composer. In both cases, the first term is a subset of the second: all singers are musicians, and all songwriters who write the music are composers. (I'm not positive that "songwriter" always encompasses both lyrics and music as it does for "singer-songwriter", but I suspect it does.)

So the problem is the list is a bit redundant now. You could use "singer" and "instrumentalist" rather than "singer" and "musician", which isn't redundant. As he isn't primarily known as an instrumentalist, I'd probably just drop "musician". However, I like that "singer" is separate from "songwriter", since he's very much known as a singer, and one who sings a great many covers on Glee that end up released as singles and sell tens of thousands of copies each. While he is an instrumentalist, I can't tell whether he is so at the level or importance of the other three: whether it's as independent of the others as acting, singing, and songwriting is.

I'd frankly drop "composer" in favor of the existing "songwriter", since he's primarily a songwriter. If he's done some scoring for the Starkid musicals—background music or instrumental interludes—they don't seem to be his main focus, and can be omitted from the intro and infobox, though they can be mentioned in the body of the article.

That leaves "actor, singer and songwriter", which I think summarizes what he does quite well, both what, and in order of importance/fame. Thoughts? BlueMoonset (talk) 15:29, 8 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi Blue!

Here is my reasoning for splitting "singer-songwriter" and the inclusion of "musician" and "composer":

First of all, I changed "singer-songwriter" to "singer, songwriter" because the definition on Wikipedia of singer-songwriter is "a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the folk-acoustic tradition...with the material angled toward topical issues—sometimes political, sometimes introspective, sensitive, romantic, and confessional." This does not relate to Criss. This is more Bob Dylan/50's, 60's era type of music.

Why I included "Composer": Darren not only composed the music (apart from the songs) for A Very Potter Musical, but also for A Very Potter Sequel and Starship - 3 out of the 4 musical productions StarKid has produced. He has previously referred to himself as "resident composer of StarKid" and has discussed writing the score and music for their productions in interviews. The chart success of StarKid albums on both Billboard and iTunes is definitely notable. He has been referred to a composer in numerous magazines and newspapers, including Billboard Magazine. He is also a member of the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers.

Why I included "Musician": He not only plays a variety of musical instruments, he also plays them at music events and at his own personal concerts. He also uses his instrumental ability to compose music.

Also, in interviews he refers to himself as both a composer and musician.

Singer/Musician - I find the wiki definition of musician confusing - "an artist who plays a musical instrument or sings." When I look up the term on a regular dictionary, it does not mention singing. If I'm not mistaken, I think most people relate the term "musician" to someone who can play a musical instrument, particularly when both "singer" and "musician" are listed as occupations - one can automatically distinguish between the two (i.e. John Mayer). Plus, there are numerous people on Wikipedia listed as both singers and musicians.

Songwriter/Composer: While I realize that "songwriter" and "composer" are closely related, I think it is necessary to point out that, in Darren's case, he writes his own personal songs (with music and lyrics), but also composes music (scores, background music etc. in addition to songs) for musical theater.--Mimi C. (talk) 03:47, 9 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi, Mimi. Fair warning: since I'm someone who is not only a musician but edits material on music and musicians, I'm fussier than most when it comes to matters like this. So apologies in advance if that gets the better of me.

I'm fine with eliminating "singer-songwriter". Splitting it into "singer" and "songwriter" causes other issues (see below), but "singer" is solid, as is "actor". Those are the two things he's most famous for.

"Musician" is someone who makes music. The wiki definition is absolutely correct: singers are included, and always have been. The problem: it is a general term, somewhat vague, and open to misinterpretation, as you have discovered. That's yet another reason not to use it.

"Singer" is someone who sings. "Instrumentalist" is someone who plays one or more instruments. They're not ambiguous. Combined, "singer" and "instrumentalist" (plus conductor and a few other unique odds and ends) form "musician". The problem with using both "singer" and "musician" is that latter completely encompasses the former, which you shouldn't have in lists. (It's the same theory as Wikipedia categories: you wouldn't have "New York residents" and "New York City residents" for the same person, since living in the city automatically means you live in the state.)

So where does that leave us? If you want "singer" and "instrumentalist", I'm fine with that. "Singer" and "musician" is not okay. Sure, he calls himself a musician, because he is one. That's the most general term. He's also a pop singer, and a television performer, and a whole bunch of other things from very specific to more general: dozens could be listed, but shouldn't be.

As you say, "songwriter" and "composer" are closely related. In fact, "composer" covers both. There are classical composers who write their own lyrics, and they're still just called "composer". If you want composition in there, that's fine, but it encloses songwriting, so both should not coexist on that list. He writes music: songs, musical scores, background music, and so on. That's the definition of a composer. Again, it's a matter of emphasis: you can call him a composer or a songwriter, but you have to pick one.

For now, I'm going to separate "singer-songwriter" in the infobox so it matches what you've done in the intro; the two lists disagree at the moment, and they shouldn't. However, the ultimate list should not have "musician" on it for the reasons explained above, and "composer" and "songwriter" are too similar to both be included. I think you know the extent of Darren's work better than I so you can better choose which term reflects his work most accurately. One other edit I'm remaking: you link to Starkid twice in the intro, which is against Wikipedia policy, so I'm again going to remove the second of those links. BlueMoonset (talk) 04:45, 9 March 2012 (UTC)

I'm glad to know that you are a musician because I find these terms all quite confusing! Thanks for your explanations. I changed "musician" to "instrumentalist". I am still not sure how to correctly use "songwriter" and "composer" in Darren's case. The wiki definition of songwriter says "not to be confused with composer". In my interpretation, a songwriter writes lyrics and music for a particular song (a lyricist and a composer in one) and a composer (even though they can be songwriters) can also be interpreted as exclusively focusing on the music of a play, movie, opera etc.. (i.e. the wiki description of Cole Porter). Or am I incorrect? When a person writes the scores for musical theater productions (omitting songs) are they not exclusively called composers? The term "composer" encompasses so much that I want to find a way to distinguish between scoring a musical and writing a song, since they are two differrent skill sets.(i.e. Stephen Sondheim - he is described as both a composer and lyricist - one could argue that their is no need to put down "lyricist" since "composer" covers that. Yet using both terms to describe him makes sense to the general public since he is a famed lyricist). I think as long as the differences between the two terms are described in the article (as in the case of Cole Porter), then both terms can be used as different occupations. Let me know what you think.

I'm afraid I have to give up for the night. Every time I try to reply, you've made a tiny adjustment to your already published comments, and it gives me an edit conflict. I'll try again tomorrow when the page is stable. BlueMoonset (talk) 05:56, 9 March 2012 (UTC)

Oops, sorry:) Have a good night!

Glee albums

Do you have a source that Criss is credited as being on the album? The credits listed on Allmusic do not include him, a couple of other cast regulars like Morris and Shum, or any of the recurring guest stars except for Overstreet. Absent a reliable source, it should probably be removed. BlueMoonset (talk) 13:57, 30 May 2012 (UTC)

The Allmusic website incorrectly credited Lea Michele, Cory Monteith, Chord Overstreet, and Amber Riley

on the song "Good Riddance" as lead vocalists. It is actually a duet between Cory Monteith (Finn) and Darren (Blaine).

References: http://www.thewrap.com/music/column-post/glee-cd-review-pomp-and-circumstance-themed-graduation-album-39811 and ::http://www.buddytv.com/articles/glee/glee-listen-to-songs-from-seas-45786.aspx

Darren and the rest of the cast are also featured on background vocals on some of the songs of the Graduation Album, but they are only credited under "Glee Cast".--Mimi C. (talk) 21:57, 8 June 2012 (UTC)

Removing Non-professional credits from the professional credits section

I just removed all non-notable credits for Mr. Criss that he did while in college. The Star Kid stuff has been established as notable, however his roles as a student, must be notable to be included. And regardless, are non-professional credits. -Aaron Booth (talk) 03:32, 31 May 2012 (UTC)

Edit request on 10 March 2013

' 'Starring Daniel Felipe Garzon Callejas Bogota, Colombia www.twitter.com / danielcallejasg increased participation lies in the FOX series Glee Danielcallejasg (talk) 03:34, 10 March 2013 (UTC)

Please give edit requests in the form of "change X to Y". - Camyoung54 talk 15:08, 10 March 2013 (UTC)

Personal

Darren Criss has an older brother named Charles (Chuck) Criss. He is engaged to Mia Swier.

Change Of "Eurasian"

Why Mimi C. reverted my edit, I change "Eurasian" to "mixed-race" because "Eurasian" is informal and I can't say that Barack Obama is Eurafrican that's not fair, where the races equality ? there is no vague definition after just few words there his descent --POTDL (talk) 22:24, 27 August 2014 (UTC).

National Latin Exam Award?

I don't understand how a minor scholastic achievement is noteworthy enough to include on a wiki page for a professional singer. The National Latin Exam is a high school Latin test. I don't see National Honor Society included on this list either; surely, following the same logic, that warrants inclusion on this list as well? I don't think this is germane for a wiki page of a musician or even a Classics professor at Harvard. So, I don't think it should be included in the awards section here. Sorry to be so insistent, but this inclusion in the awards section detracts from the seriousness of the page itself. It makes me question the worthiness of the page in general. To me, seeing National Latin Exam award is like one of those bumper stickers that say "My child is on the honor roll at Local Town Middle School". It's completely unrelated to the interest of the article and makes the article look strangely sycophantic. Is there, perhaps, a reason for this addition that I am unaware of? Adam.goldfarb (talk) 21:35, 22 May 2015 (UTC)

I agree. It's trivial and not worth mentioning. Hostgeeky (talk) 22:41, 8 September 2015 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 13 September 2015

Under "Advocacy and charity work," please update "Public School Arts" to "P.S. ARTS" and, if possible, link to https://www.psarts.org/

Thank you! 75.142.100.199 (talk) 18:15, 13 September 2015 (UTC)

Not done: please provide reliable sources that support the change you want to be made.   — Jeff G. ツ (talk) 04:23, 14 September 2015 (UTC)

Emmy Nomination citation needed

Glee (2010-2015) Criss was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics for writing "This Time". this is the official link

Glee Awards and Nominations. http://www.emmys.com/shows/glee Retrieved April 29, 2016

Andrearinak (talk) 01:40, 29 April 2016 (UTC)

External links modified

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Discography

On March 8th, Darren and his brother Chuck (member of the Freelance Whales) released an EP entitled Lost Boys Life. This was also the debut of their new band Computer Games.--Kellyjg98 (talk) 20:24, 13 March 2017 (UTC)

External links modified

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Sword of Damocles (Rufus Wainwright song)

Not sure, should mention of Sword of Damocles (Rufus Wainwright song) should be added to this article? ---Another Believer _(Talk) 00:10, 1 November 2018 (UTC)

Marriage to Mia Swier

Darren's relationship status needs to be updated - as of February 16th, he is married to Mia Swier! Their ceremony was in New Orleans.

Sakuura-x (talk) 01:48, 17 February 2019 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 15 December 2019

CHANGE "X": "On November 8, 2019, he was starred on the Roland Emmerich’s blockbuster movie Midway, guest starring Ed Skrein, Patrick Wilson, Luke Evans, Mandy Moore, Aaron Eckhart, Nick Jonas, Dennis Quaid, Woody Harrelson." ..TO "Y": "On November 8, 2019, he appeared in Roland Emmerich’s blockbuster movie Midway, starring Ed Skrein, Patrick Wilson, Luke Evans, Mandy Moore, Aaron Eckhart, Nick Jonas, Dennis Quaid, and Woody Harrelson."

BACKGROUND DISCUSSION: In the "Film Debut" section, the second paragraph (concerning the 2019 movie "Midway") is worded sarcastically or "tongue-in-cheek," in that it names Criss as the "star" of the film, followed by a list of well-known "A"-list and "B"-list actors as the film's "guest star" (i.e. "supporting") actors. In reality, it is the opposite: it is those actors (e.g. Woody Harrelson, Dennis Quaid, Aaron Eckhart, etc) who portray the main protagonists/central characters in the movie, with Criss playing a character who only appears for a few minutes and who is a supporting role-- one of seemingly hundreds of other supporting characters in this epic film. Again, my guess is that the author [Rémy Ryan Robert] intentionally worded things that way, jokingly, as a fan of Criss's, or perhaps just to "play" and see if anyone would notice. In any case: I am reporting this since-- in its present form-- that entry would definitely be misleading to any reader who either (a) does not happen to know or have seen the 2019 movie "Midway"; AND/OR, (b) is unfamiliar with the "Who's Who" among contemporary Hollywood actors. 2601:14C:4303:7C30:D8FE:E6EC:F2C7:3F49 (talk) 04:33, 15 December 2019 (UTC)

 Removed. You're overcomplicating the matter; it's unrelated to the section it was placed in. –Deacon Vorbis (carbon • videos) 16:17, 15 December 2019 (UTC)

All You Ever Wished For (2018) Should Be Included in Filmography

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9149786/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_9

I watched it, he is in it. It's on IMDB. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Cadanernm (talk • contribs) 22:41, 21 December 2020 (UTC)

Reorganization of career section

I reorganized the career section in my sandbox to try to streamline things; I also copyedited the Glee section to reduce the amount of duplicate sentences. Before I moved this over the article, I wanted to get people's opinions before making such a large change to the structure of the article. Thoughts? Rfl0216 (talk) 22:20, 18 February 2023 (UTC)

If no one has any thoughts, I'm going to shift over the rewritten content sometime this weekend. Rfl0216 (talk) 20:56, 23 February 2023 (UTC)