In Your Ear

ORIGINAL CAST RECORDING, "HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH" (Atlantic)
OUT Magazine March, 1999
By Smith Galtney

Now I know a lot of you out there conside Rent to be a raw and gritty thesis on bohemian living. I know others think Jesus Christ Superstar really rocks, and I know there's even more of you who cradle fond childhood memories of Hair. But let's face it; We've never heard anything quite like the off-Broadway musical Hedwig and the Angry Inch, which flaunts such a pure rock 'n' roll spirit that it's 12 songs can't help coming off like a genuine album instead of a cast recording. With gems like the roadhouse-tinged glam theme "Sugar Daddy" and the downright Ziggy-esque closer, "Midnight Radio," it's safe to dub this the catchiest opus we'll ever hear about a German-born trailer-park has-been-who-never-was sporting clay tits and a severed penis.