From the New York Times
Text and interview by AMY BARRETT
Published: March 14, 2004

Rufus Wainwright, the singer-songwriter, 30, learned from his performing parents Kate McGarrigle and Loudon Wainwright III that the music business can be tough. So he just dumped his expensive rental and bought a 425-square-foot one-bedroom on Gramercy Park in Manhattan.

Morning routine: When I'm not touring or working a lot I usually get up at 11. I sleep in the nude and I walk around nude in my apartment, so I'll make coffee and then sit at the piano. I usually play piano for a good two hours in the buff. There is no view from any of my windows, just a view of building walls, which most people might feel closed in, but the fact that I'm such a ''naturalist'' and a musician, the privacy is just great. Then I watch C-SPAN for like an hour and a half, get dressed up and go for a long walk around the city. And that's usually when I write a lot of lyrics.

What the apartment needs: A chandelier. I'd put it right over my bed. And I'd like a fake fireplace -- a marble one -- in the living room. And I need a flat-screen TV.

Superstitions: Definitely the ''bad sound check, good show'' and the ''good sound check, bad show.'' That's a classic.

Person he most identifies with: Gena Rowlands. I think we both have an unconventional beauty.

Talent he wishes he had: I wish I was an acrobat, a professional gymnast.
Next big purchase: A big harp. I don't know how to play. It would be purely decorative.
Music he's listening to a lot: I mainly listen to opera, but I've been listening to Chicks on Speed for fun. ''We Don't Play Guitar,'' I love that song.

What he's reading: ''The Magic Mountain,'' by Thomas Mann. It's pretty engrossing. My favorite line from it so far is ''It is forbidden for life to understand itself.''

Workout: Occasionally I'll go to abs class and look ridiculous. But mostly I get my exercise from walking -- which doesn't do a damn thing.

Favorite place to shop: I don't do a lot of shopping, but people seem to want to give me stuff. A lot of designers, like Gucci, Ted Baker. Miss Sixty just recently gave me all these ladies' pants. So I'm sort of a clotheshorse by default.

Favorite living musician: My friend Beth Orton is really great. And I think Bjork is pretty amazing. I'm also a huge Leonard Cohen fanatic.

Worst habit: Cigarettes and chocolate. I've cut down a lot, though. I smoke a pack every two days.

Most-valued possession: My guitars, because I actually bought them. I have five or six. One is a Lowden guitar. I bought it initially because Lowdens are great guitars. The fact that it's called Lowden, like my dad, is just added value.

Hero: Verdi. This is a bust of him. He's my favorite composer. I'd like to follow the examples he set in his career, writing opera that was at the same time very popular and deep and very moralistic and righteous. And he wrote his best work when he was in his 70's. There was this steady climb. And in the opera world, you have to call him Papa Verdi.

Favorite household chore: Doing your own laundry is one of the greatest mentally stabilizing activities known to man.

Least favorite chore: Dishes. I would love to have those sent out. And I hate vacuuming -- the machine, carrying it around.

Favorite religious artifact: I have a vague obsession with the Virgin Mary. I bought this Virgin Mary on the street, and I sort of felt that it guided me through a very difficult part of my life. I'm actually not Catholic, and I was never baptized. But I was brought up in a very Catholic atmosphere in Quebec. I'd go to church a lot and could never take any of the sacraments. And I always liked the Virgin Mary because I always felt like she didn't care either way.
What's always in the fridge: Lots of bottles of Perrier water and chocolate ice cream. That's about it. That's my diet.

Hobbies: I draw and paint. And I do all the drawing on my records. I went to art school for a while, in Montreal.

Song he wishes he wrote: ''Ol' Man River.'' Just the structure of it -- on the one hand the simplicity and on the other hand complexity -- the subtlety that's formed in that is amazing.

Favorite city: Montreal. I was born in the United States. And I've always felt like more of an American than a Canadian, even though I was brought up in Canada. But above being an American I feel like a Montrealer. It's a very cosmopolitan, beautiful city. There's something about French Canadians; they're kind of like aliens.

Best gift he received recently: Origami flowers. A fan gave them to me. They're so delicate and beautiful, I put them in a vase.

Old nightlife routine: I would pretty much go out every night until really late. I did that for a good 10 years. And I had a wonderful time. I highly recommend it, but there just comes a point when you have to take care of yourself.

Travel activities: Now that I'm not drinking so much, I'd like to start drawing when I'm on planes. I used to love getting trashed on planes. So now, I want to get a little plane easel. But I don't know if you can carry that on without someone arresting you for attempted terrorism.

Favorite honor: I got a proclamation from the city of San Francisco, where June 3, 2002, was officially Rufus Wainwright day. They just called me up one day and said we'd like to officially honor you for all you have done for the gay community and for the city of San Francisco. It's only that day -- it's not every year.

Favorite stage: The first show I did at the Fillmore was in 1999. And someone there had this framed for me, which is one of the best things about playing that place -- they always make a really good poster.

What he takes with him on tour: On tour, the less you have with you, the better. At the end of the tour you always end up with crateloads of junk. People give you a lot of stuff on the road. If you ask for something onstage, it usually shows up at your hotel the next day.

The last thing he asked for: Underwear. And a lot of underwear would be thrown at me when I was onstage. Right now I'm trying for a flat-screen TV, a fireplace and a chandelier.