Rufus Wainwright

by Ben Sisario

The son of folk singers Loudon Wainwright III and Kate McGarrigle, Rufus Wainwright came in a wave of celebrity offspring that included Sean Lennon, Adam Cohen and Emma Townshend. But it quickly became clear that what was special about him had little to do with his lineage. He's a young, openly gay songwriter who finds a middle ground between Gershwinish show tunes and humble 1970s singer-songwriter folk. And like Stephin Merritt of the Magnetic Fields, his art is a dramatic dissection of gay life. In Elton John's day, the covert gay celebrity was an accepted cultural figure, a welcome talk show guest who provided songs for the mainstream while being a marginal participant in it. Now, braver singers like Wainwright and Merritt, totally out, make smart pop for the just-above-underground audience. No "Candle in the Wind" or dumb costumes--gayness is the sole focus. In songs like "Cigarettes and Chocolate Milk," "Poses" and "Rebel Prince," Wainwright sings about his life and sexuality with the same honesty that characterized the confessional song- writing of his father's generation. In a clever act of appropriation, he covers his father's "One Man Guy," and without changing a word converts it to a queer anthem. Takes balls. A-