Operatic aspirations and allusions of grandeur
By Larry Nichols
PGN Staff Writer
© 2007 Philadelphia Gay News

Rufus Wainwright is an artist who likes to push the envelope of pop music, whether it involves incorporating varied musical influences or pulling off a stunning live performance with layered orchestral influences.

The openly gay Canadian-American singer/songwriter, who can effortlessly transition between majestic piano balladry and psychedelic guitar rock, has spent the better part of the last decade creating critically acclaimed albums, including his most recent collection, “Release the Stars.”

The album is probably Wainwright’s most uplifting and introspective collection of songs to date and, according to him, his most urgent.

“The title is very symbolic because it basically pertains to my age,” he said. “I’m 34 now. What it means is it’s time to create your masterpiece. It’s time to love like you’ve never loved before or build your power or whatever. It’s a time of action. Let’s not be greedy with all your gifts and show the world. That’s the message of ‘Release the Stars.’”

Wainwright made it clear that he isn’t lamenting about getting older, because he believes he has better years ahead of him.

“I’m not so concerned with aging,” he said. “I’m more concerned with accomplishing all that I want to while I’m still in good shape and relatively fuckable just so it looks good in my biography. I’m not worried about aging, though, because I think in the arts, you do get better as you get older. In the classical world, all the great composers wrote their greatest music when they were about to die. So I kind of look forward to that kind of turnout.”

Wainwright is certainly on track to create an extensive and impressive body of work, having recorded five albums and contributed songs to numerous movies and television shows, which would lead one to believe that he is more at home in the studio than leading a rock-star life on the road.

“I would have to say recording,” he said when asked what he prefers. “Only because, for one thing, you’re staying in one place for a long time and you have the comforts of home and friends and family. You can delve into your subconscious stuff alone in a box. But that being said, touring is more of a way of life and traditional, so therefore you have to do it.”

Earlier this summer, Wainwright took part in a few dates on the maiden voyage of the True Colors Tour, where he performed with an impressive lineup of queer and queer-friendly artists like Cyndi Lauper, Margaret Cho, Debbie Harry and Erasure to raise awareness and funds for the Human Rights Campaign.

“They just called me to be on it,” he said. “Once I got the word from two of my greatest influences as a young gay toddler, Blondie and Cyndi Lauper, I couldn’t say no.”

While he found his participation in the True Colors Tour to be rewarding, Wainwright said he is too busy to even contemplate whether he’d sign on again if the tour returns next year.

“I have just so much on my plate right now,” he said. “It’s a lot of demand. I have to take it a month at a time, maximum.”

Which is no exaggeration on his part. Wainwright is scheduled to spend the better part of the next few months crisscrossing the United States and Europe on a tour, which will find him performing at the Mann Center for the Performing Arts on Aug. 17. He said that, even though there’s a heightened element of excitement when he performs for European audiences, his American shows feel more important to him.

“In Europe, I get a lot more attention from the press because I’m sort of new to them over there,” he said. “I’ve played some beautiful venues over there. [But] I always feel like I’m very needed in America. That’s the difference here. When I play, I really feel like people are definitely happy that I’m there just because the status quo is pretty low.”

Wainwright said that low status quo is the reason he puts in the extra effort for American audiences.

“I think, for me, it’s more about getting your money’s worth when you go out to a show. I think all these people who go pay hundreds of dollars to see Madonna lip-synch in a horrible-sounding venue where she’s the size of a thimble, it’s a waste of their life. I want to improve on that. When you come to my show, I’m going to really try to enrich you more than a lot of other performers.”

Part of that enrichment for Wainwright is attempting to faithfully execute the lush and complex melodies of the new album in a live venue.

“I have some amazing musicians with me,” he said. “There are eight of us on stage. I have a little horn section and two incredible guitar players. So with the right people, it’s a joy. But that’s not to say that it isn’t a challenge for me to sing the material every night, because it’s very, very demanding. But somehow, maybe because I’ve worshiped at the altar of Judy Garland, I’ve been able to do successive great shows. My voice is miraculous.”

Wainwright must be applying for sainthood at that altar, because he’s planning to perform a tribute concert where he will recreate Garland’s legendary 1961 concert at the Hollywood Bowl with the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra and a handpicked quartet.

“That was just a spark that turned into an atomic bomb,” he said of how the concert came together. “It was just a little idea that I had and then two people told two friends and so forth and the next thing you know, I was doing it. It was just running on its own steam. We’re doing it in Hollywood in September, which is really exciting because that’s where Judy was at her best.”

One could be forgiven for guessing that Wainwright has the bulk of the music for that show already committed to memory.

“We had to rehearse a bit,” he said. “You can’t rehearse a lot with an orchestra. We can only rehearse for one day. But I’ve rehearsed a lot. I’ve spent so much of my time doing music and singing that it’s almost become a bodily function at this point.”

Next, Wainwright said, he’s looking to expand his artistic palette beyond popular music.

“I’m writing an opera right now and that’s all that really matters to me. I’m pretty satisfied at the moment. It will take a couple of years, for sure. Don’t hold your breath. I intend to put all of my prowess and passion behind it when I finish the tour. It could be very minimalist and atonal. I have no idea. I have to write it first.”

Rufus Wainwright performs at 8 p.m. Aug. 17 at the Mann Center for the Performing Arts, 5201 Parkside Ave. For more information, visit www.manncenter.org or call (215) 893-1999.

Larry Nichols can be reached at larry@epgn.com.