SHOW BIZ KIDS: A Father and a Son

In 1998, two promising second-generation singers toured together to support their debut albums. One was yesterday's spotlight, Sean Lennon. The other had a less famous surname but came from an even richer musical gene pool. Rufus Wainwright would soon earn great acclaim for his operatic art pop, and keep the Wainwright name in the musical press.

Rufus' dad, Loudon Wainwright III, is known either for his 1972 hit "Dead Skunk" or from his recent contribution to the film Knocked Up, in which he also appeared. He was once proclaimed the Next Next Dylan, but was perfectly content to be something far original. Mixing Randy Newman's wit and Jackson Browne's naked emotion, he carved himself a nice little fan base, and even snatched the ultimate songwriter's prize when Johnny Cash sang one of his songs ("The Man Who Couldn't Cry").

Rufus is also an original, but in the opposite direction. While Loudon's music never strays far from his folk roots, Rufus' music isn't so earthbound. His opulently arranged baroque pop is grand and splashy, often beautiful and just as often bordering on camp. Of his six albums, I most visit 2003's Want One. It has a muscle and boldness lacking from Rufus' earlier work, and the focus his recent output has lacked.

The large and musical Wainwright family has had its share of dysfunction. Loudon divorced Rufus' mother, folksinger Kate McGarrigle, when the children were young. Rufus' sister Martha recently wrote a song called "Bloody Mother Fucking Asshole," which she has openly suggested is about her dad. "Dinner at Eight," from Want One, tells of a bitter dispute between Loudon and Rufus over the latter's higher profile.

Still, there is some affection between father and son. While his son was breastfeeding, Loudon penned the lighthearted "Rufus is a Tit Man." (Though the song grew an unintended ironic layer when Rufus turned out to be gay.) Rufus has admitted, in "Want," that he doesn't want to be an iconic songwriter like John Lennon or Leonard Cohen. "I just want to be my dad," he sings, "with a slight sprinkling of my mother." But I think Rufus' version of Loudon's "One Man Guy" best expresses the fragile unity of the gifted, explosive Wainwright clan. It's nice that Rufus recorded his dad's song, but if you look at the lyrics, it's all about the joys of time alone. Ouch.

TODAY'S RECOMMENDATION: "One Man Guy" by Rufus Wainwright
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