rufus

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“Why does it always have to be fire?/Why does it always have to be brimstone?” sings Rufus Wainwright on “Do I Disappoint You”, the opening track of the Canadian-American songwriter’s first comprehensive assault on the mainstream. If it is always high drama round Rufus’s way, that is because he encourages it, packing both his life and his music with unabashed pomp and theatrical flourishes.

Currently composing an opera for the New York Met, the 33-year-old also recently performed an acclaimed tribute show to the gay icon Judy Garland. He has appeared on his album sleeves dressed as a pre-Raphaelite maiden, and now here he is in hilariously camp monogrammed lederhosen. The over-egging of puddings rarely ceases.

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