Home is…
Los Angeles, but I’ve made a few records in London and I did a musical here, so I’ve put in my London time.
Where do you stay when you’re in London?
I always seem to go super central. I’m a big fan — when I can afford it — of the NoMad hotel because I love opera, so I like to be as close to Covent Garden as possible so I can just shoot over and hit Act III. If I had the time and ability to stay in one city for more than a week, I’d stay in Islington. There’s that area with all the little tiny streets that looks like something out of Dickens and this row of parks where I’ve got lost in the middle of the night… I’ve blocked some of that out of my mind…
Where do you go for a first date?
Well, after you’ve met the person at the park then we’d go for a little tour of the Royal Academy; a little art, then go to the Wolseley.
What’s the best meal you’ve had?
I love the Delaunay in Covent Garden. It’s a very old-fashioned place; I like that it’s relatively quiet but also grand at the same time. A lot of my life right now, being a musician of a certain age, revolves around my hearing and being more sensitive to it, so I like to be in a place where we’re not doing battle with knives and forks. But then I’m also obsessed with Leong’s Legend. I like the dumplings, I like the dim sum, I like to look at my friends through the see-through crystal noodles.
What shops do you rely on?
There’s an amazing brooch shop, Christopher St James, on Cecil Court that I’ve bought many ridiculous objects from; a lot of bling. There’s a whole thing on the internet now about all the men wearing brooches at the Oscars, but I started the trend in the 1990s. Oh, and the crowning glory is a walk through Liberty: I go there to regulate my system, to get the right smells in there, get the right visuals, get the cosy sense of false security…
Who’s the most iconic Londoner?
It’s a toss up between Oscar Wilde and Noël Coward, but I’ll say Noël Coward because he really was English as opposed to Irish. He was someone who spanned the gap between the 19th century and the 20th century and is so eternally modern and progressive and funny and intelligent beyond measure. And he was gay and had a lot of sex and wasn’t the most attractive person in the world, so hats off.
Where do you let your hair down?
I’ve had fun at the Vauxhall Tavern. I like how it’s a wonderful cross-section of old gays and new gays. I’ve also been known, back in the day, to stay a little too long at the Groucho Club. I’ve had some memorable evenings there — or unmemorable evenings, I should say.
What’s the best thing a cabbie has said to you?
Well, my handle on Uber is just the letter R, and I went into a cab once and the driver said, “R, what’s that stand for?” And I said, “Rufus.” And he said, “Oh, like Rufus Wainwright? I wonder what happened to him?” I just went along with it…
What’s your biggest extravagance?
Probably presents for my sister Martha. I’ve enjoyed buying her a fantastic pair of shoes or some sort of frock and dressing up my sister like any normal gay toddler would — but now I can do it with serious cash.
What are you up to for work?
I’m doing the final Judy show [Rufus Does Judy at the Royal Albert Hall] for its 20th anniversary shebang and then that’ll be it for that show. I wanted to do it as a cap to what, in my opinion, was a very successful venture. I became an interpreter of Judy Garland songs and I’m very fortunate to now be considered one of the keepers of Somewhere Over the Rainbow as a tune, which is probably one of my greatest accomplishments as a singer. The Royal Albert Hall has always been this strange portal for me to another world of music and spirits and Judy died in London, which is why I’m driven to end it here.
Who’s your hero?
At the moment, probably the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky. It’s so insane the way the tides have turned and now America has to ask him for advice about drone attacks. He’s a voice of reason and a force for good in this really dark, politically confusing time. I don’t know of any other leader who I can really trust right now.
What would you do if you were Mayor for a day?
I would throw a bash in the cast rooms at the Victoria and Albert Museum and everybody would have to do acid — except if you’re under six. People would hold hands and pray for the aliens to come take us away from the blob. This is why I’m not in government.
Have you had a run-in with the police?
Unfortunately no, but I’ve certainly tried.
