Wain's World - Wainwright set to rock Shriver hall

Romantic, operatic and so-damn-handsome Rufus Wainwright is playing in Shriver Hall on Friday evening, courtesy of the HOP (and at $3, no less). Get on it, kids; Wainwright's music is spicy, lush, and poignantly sassy -- everything you'd expect from a reformed club kid with a classical music education and an outspoken approach to politics, art and life.

Raised mainly in Montreal and currently spending most of his time in New York City, Wainwright is the son of folk musicians Loudon Wainwright III and Kate McGarrigle. Drawing influence from sources ranging from opera to Middle Eastern to surf pop to Judy Garland, Wainwright doesn't shy away from an ambitious approach. Wainwright established his elegant, bold style on his self-titled debut and has continued to deliver on his three subsequent albums and other creative efforts.

Wainwright's voice, with its sleepy, soaring expressiveness, would make a recitation of the Hopkins Compendium captivating, and his lyrics run from bittersweet poesy to biting wit to formidable, aching brilliance. Blessing modern pop with stand-outs such as "Cigarettes and Chocolate Milk," "Danny Boy," "Gay Messiah," and a feisty cover of Seth Swirsky's "Instant Pleasure" that appeared (weirdly) on the Big Daddy soundtrack, Wainwright has been a prolific presence in recent pop music.

Running his mouth on desire, identity, and the current state of politics, Wainwright speaks his mind both in and out of the studio. Having come out in his early teens, Wainwright makes no secret of his conflicted opinion on contemporary gay culture, where he finds both great inspiration and disappointment. While still searching for his place in both the gay community and the greater scope of mainstream culture, Wainwright's fan base has broadened considerably in the past few years. In the April 2004 issue of Interview, he speaks of his initial fan base to Elton John, saying, "the main audience that eventually sought me out was girls -- young, emotionally sensitive and maybe slightly damaged girls who really looked up to me as this beacon of compassion. I always loved that relationship."

Since then, Wainwright has found greater footing and admiration in both the gay community and mass media - his cover of the Beatles' "Across the Universe" brought a new tenderness to the original and was featured on the I Am Sam soundtrack. The cover has been revived in a Canon television commercial, proving once again that no matter how good a piece of art is, there's a product somewhere that can trivialize it.

So there's every reason to come to the show on Friday night - Wainwright is reported to be a hypnotizing live performer and Shriver can be an unexpectedly intimate venue. And since he's constantly moving up and up on the public radar, there's a chance that a year or two from now, seeing him in concert will be near impossible.

And if you don't come because you haven't heard Wainwright's music, that's cool -- just know that you'll probably regret it in a few months. Because what with the soundtracks, commercials and TV appearances under his belt (and more to come), you won't be able to avoid him much longer.