MUSIC
Join us fo r our
Crystal ball
Christmas
Freshly rehabbed from a m eth addiction,
Rufus W ainwright peers 5 0 0 years in to the fu tu re
by J im
Celebration
R a ix ) sta
ariah Carey, eat
your heart out. Two
days after the noto
riously sketchy
songbird flutters into the
Schmtz bragging about how
she made it “Through the
Rain” following her in
famous meltdown on live
television, another gay icon
will take to the stage across
the river. And his skin is just
a little hit thicker.
Rufus W ainwrights dar
ingly baroque latest album,
Want— a la Q uentin Taran
tino’s Kill Bill — is being
released in two editions,
with a more “lavish and
obtuse” follow-up slated for
next spring. In a telephone
interview with Just Out, he
sings the praises of Portland,
assesses his toxic past and
gazes far into the future.
Jim Radosta: You make
a reference to Portland in
the song " 1 1 :1 1 .” Was that
inspired by any particular
experience?
Rufus Wainwright: Port
land is one of my favorite
cities on the West Coast
because, at least at the time
Rufus Wainw right
of when I wrote that song, it
seemed to be one of the least sort of gentrified
places left— at least [compared with] Seattle and
San Francisco. Yeah, I’ve certainly had a couple
of crazy nights in that town with all of your
wacky inhabitants. It was a lot of fun.
JR: W hen I saw you in concert a few
years back, you mentioned a critic who com
plained that you were “ too gay.” H ave things
changed since then, or do you still encounter
this kind of ignorant homophobia?
RW: It doesn't really register on my radar. I
haven’t really dealt with it all that much. It does
happen occasionally, hut 1 just sort of dismiss it.
JR: Now that you’ve put out three well-
received albums in a row, do you see a time
coming when you’ll just stop paying attention
to critics?
RW: I’m trying to get there. I’m trying not
to read my criticism at all, only because you
can read 10 great critiques and you’ll read one
bad one, and it’s like you’ve been condemned
to a life sentence.... But every once in a while
I peek— kind of like peeking at a horror movie.
JR: You remade “ T he Origin of Love” for
the Hedwig and the Angry inch tribute
album Wig in a Box, which was produced by
a Portlander. How did you get involved in
that project?
RW: 1 know [Hedtcig writer/director/star]
John Cameron Mitchell, and he asked me to do
it, and it’s also for a really good cause. And I also
don’t get the chance often to really, like, rock
out to«) m uch...so 1 liked to d o that as well.
JR: In light of the state of the world t«xiay,
do you find yourself increasingly drawn to
causes that will make the world a better place?
Christmas
Sunday, Dec 21
Meditative Service 9:00am
Celebration Service 10:00
with Chancel & Handbell Choirs
Christm as Eve, Dec 24
Family Service 7:00pm
Candlelight Service 11:00pm
with Chancel & Handbell Choirs
Southminster
Presbyterian Church
M em b er o f the C o m m u n ity ot
W elcom ing C o ng reg ation s
www.southmin.com
1 2 2 5 0 S W D e n n e y Rd
B e a v e r t o n , OR | 5 0 3 . 6 4 4 . 2 0 7 3
plays the Aladdin in Portland on Dec. 11 and The Shedd in Eugene on Dec. 12
RW: Definitely, in terms of saving the world
or whatever, now is the time to do it. 1 think
we’ve sort of lost the sense of bliss, or ignor
ance, or blissful ignorance I’d say, especially
after 9/11. All those predictions I had growing
up about, you know, by the year 2000 this and
this and this will happen— well, it’s 2003, and I
think it’s probably more time to act now.
JR: I n interviews you’ve been candid
about your past use of crystal meth. I’m curi
ous what convinced you to go into rehab—
was it strictly the physical effects, or did it
also have something to do with turning 30 or
world events like 9/1 1 and the war?
RW: I just couldn’t take it emotionally, and
certainly the drug itself is— in my opinion, any
way— above and beyond most other experi
ences I’ve had with narcotics.... So that was
the main reason. B ut...I felt like in terms of
arguing about what was going on in the world,
I really had to get my own house in order, in
order to really be effective.
JR: This might be a rather naive question,
but what exactly made somebody as beautiful
and talented as you feel like you needed a
drug to make yourself feel sexy and secure?
RW: I don’t kn«>w. I think a lot of it has to
d«> with the nature of the attention that I get,
which is on one hand very compassionate and
honest and real but also from 20 feet away. It
was that classic Janis Joplin line, “For 40 m in
utes you’ve got all the love in the world and
everybody's around you, and then for the rest
of the time you're completely alone." There
was a backlash to that kind of atten tio n ....
And also it was that I have been so dedicated
to my music, my art, that sometimes I forget
that I’m actually a human being.
JR : I love the tracks you recorded for the
soundtracks to Moulin Rouge and Big Daddy.
Are there any other projects or collaborations
you’re dying to work on— a James Bond
theme, a duet with Liza?
RW: I do want to write an opera at some
point. And I’m just saying that a lot because
it’ll force me to do it. /Laughs/ I’d love to write
a really crazy opera that is performed for anoth
er 500 years.
JR : Both of your show s in O regon are
going to be all-ages, and y o u ’ve got a really
strong connection w ith your young fans.
D o you th in k th e y ’re draw n to you
because y o u ’ve been ou t since you were a
teen-ager?
RW: That may be an element. I think the
main thing is that there has to be a fallout from
the present music era. There’s not a lot of alter
natives (H it there for kids, and so I’m sort of
banking on the fact that there are ones out
there that are interested in depth. I ¡Mugful And
I’m not saying that I’m the only [deep] musi
cian at all, but there’s not a lot that arc given
the amount of attention that I’m given.
JOIN
PORTLAND CENTER STAGE ON
DEC.9 af 7pm
for GAY & LES B IA N A U D IEN C E N IG H T
after the showing of
OiOAiPA
ir DAVID SCOARIS
. .A CHRISTMAS MEMORY
ir TRUMAN CAPOTE
with special hostess Poison Waters,
sponsored by: j U S t m i
call
JR: W hat other “deep” musicians are on
your radar right now?
RW: I’m thinking a lot aKnit, of course,
Elliott Smith, because he died. I like Beth
O rton as a songwriter, and I’m one of those
Radioheads as well.
503 / 274-6588
jn
R ufus W ainwriumt plays Portland’s Aladdm
Theater, 3017 S.E. Milwaukte Ave., at 8 p.m.
Dec. 11 and Eugene's The Shedd, 285 E.
Broaduuy, at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 12. Tickets are $25
from Tnketmaster (PintLmd) and $22.50-$32.50
fn im 541 -687-6526 (Eugene).
l i l t Southwett
BROADWAY
• ••■ PC S arf