Name: Rufus Wainwright
Age: 35
Neighborhood: Chelsea
Occupation: Singer-songwriter, performing tomorrow evening at the McGarrigle Christmas Hour at Carnegie Hall.
Who’s your favorite New Yorker, living or dead, real or fictional?
Some gorgeous woman I once saw hailing a cab while walking out of her apartment on Fifth Avenue facing the park.
What’s the best meal you’ve eaten in New York?
I’m not saying this to be nice: my boyfriend’s Wiener … schnitzel. [Ed. note: He loves this joke.]
In one sentence, what do you actually do all day in your job?
Presently I’m orchestrating an opera, which means that basically every day is a board meeting with the dead. I do most of the talking, of course, still, I pay serious attention to notes.
Would you still live here on a $35,000 salary?
No way; this city is for the rich. Mind you, things could change very soon.
What’s the last thing you saw on Broadway?
August: Osage County — Estelle Parsons is a living legend.
Do you give money to panhandlers?
Yes, and always to someone singing or playing music. That could be me one day!
What’s your drink?
Tap water.
How often do you prepare your own meals?
I can’t prepare my way out of a paper bag.
What’s your favorite medication?
Clorox bleach, good for foot fungus. I’m a real blast, trust me!
What’s hanging above your sofa?
A Robert Wilson painting.
How much is too much to spend on a haircut?
A life.
When’s bedtime?
Usually after The Rachel Maddow Show or, if I’m adventurous, Amy Goodman on Democracy Now, which ends at 2 a.m.
Which do you prefer, the old Times Square or the new Times Square?
Every day I pine for the old Times Square, and I just got a tiny whiff of it in the late eighties. It must have been amazing.
What do you think of Donald Trump?
He should make friends with some decent architects.
What do you hate most about living in New York?
All those insane apartments going up everywhere that look like they should be in Toronto.
Who is your mortal enemy?
The Bravo Network. Bar-lowerer extraordinaire. And what an ironic name!!
When’s the last time you drove a car?
Last weekend. I tend to “weekend.”
Who should be the next president?
First things first.
Times, Post, or Daily News?
Times, but I only look at the pictures.
Where do you go to be alone?
My piano bench.
What makes someone a New Yorker?
Everyone in the world is a New Yorker!
