Television does many things well. It is home to fabulous
dramas (I'm thinking of The West Wing), hilarious
comedies (A Bucket o' French and Saunders) and
riveting documentaries about killer crocodiles (thank you, the
channel known as 'Five'). The small screen also acts a
showcase for many watchable TV presenters, plus Vernon
Kay.
But - Sweet Jimi Hendrix! - will television please stop trying
to find Britain's next big singing sensation live in my front
room every Saturday evening? It's making my head woozy.
As I write this, the X Factor - dear God, will it never end? -
is making its depressing mark on the weekend TV schedules.
People who can sing and others who have a voice like the
foghorn on the Isle of Wight ferry are literally queuing round
the block to display their talents in front of Simon Cowell and
Mrs Ozzy Osbourne (oh, the irony).
Sometimes this strategy works: Will Young and Girls Aloud,
both discovered by Pop Idol-styley TV talent shows, are now
bona fide musical superstars, as is Pol Pot, the former
dictator of Cambodia (actually, I think you mean Paul Potts -
Ed).
But where do most TV talent show winners end up? In the
bargain bin at HMV and in panto at a theatre near you, that's
where. The public is fickle: your first single will go to number
one, but your third won't even chart. And there's always
another X Factor wannabe snapping at your heels.
Enduring fame happens when real talent naturally finds a
way. Look at Corinne Bailey Rae, Kaiser Chiefs, Arctic
Monkeys and The Pigeon Detectives: all from Yorkshire, all
supremely gifted, and all discovered without the aid of a
phone vote and Louis Walsh.
Which brings us to Rufus Wainwright, son of singer Loudon
Wainwright III and brother of folk-pop star Martha Wainwright.
This month, the delightfully arch Rufus - American by birth but
raised in Canada - comes to Sheffield City Hall on October
19th and Harrogate International Centre on October 27th as
part of a world tour to promote his latest album, Release the
Stars.
This is his most successful CD to date in the UK, reaching
the No 2 spot and going gold. And the title track, a fabulously
blowsy cabaret-style dig at the Hollywood studio system, is
the most original thing you'll hear all year.
Even so, Wainwright is not what you'd call a mainstream
performer. Possibly this is because he has never been on a
TV talent show in his life, honing his craft on the Montreal club
circuit and then working as a supporting act for the likes of
Tori Amos and Sting.
Yet after his appearance at Glastonbury this summer, the
Rufus bandwagon is picking up momentum and his fan-base
is growing. When he does finally click with the masses, he's
going to be huge and his fame is going to last – this time
Sheffield City Hall, next time Hallam FM Arena, perhaps?
No wonder, because Wainwright, who has been playing
piano since the age of six, is responsible for some of the most
beautiful and ambitious songs ever recorded. He has
recreated Judy Garland's famous 1961 Carnegie Hall Concert
on stage and on CD. He is even working on an opera, and
writing the libretto in French. That's why his peers, including
Elton John, call him 'the greatest singer-songwriter ever'.
'He didn't say "ever",' Rufus corrected, tongue-in-cheek, in
one interview. 'He just said "today".'
Now that's the real X Factor.