That is part of the story behind the musical Hedwig and the Angry Inch, but that is only the beginning. You see, the operation was botched, (described in great, harrowing, hysterical detail on the rocking "Angry Inch") and Hedwig finds herself alone, divorced, and in possession of "a Barbie-doll crotch." "Six inches forward and five inches back," she sings, "I've got an angry inch."

Our Hedwig is not a quitter though and she would not let some woes stop her. She hooks up with a protege who becomes a lover, Tommy Gnosis. Unfortunately, Tommy steals her songs and becomes a rock star in his own right. Hedwig and her band, The Angry Inch, follow Tommy's world tour from city to city, playing in strip-mall seafood restaurants, never giving up her pursuit of her dreams of stardom and of discovering love.

Forget Moulin Rouge. This soundtrack, which through its songs takes the listener along on Hedwig's journey in a way in which that film could only have dreamed, is an instant classic. While many will be quick to compare this soundtrack to that of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, there is truly no comparison. Where that was an album built around campy songs in one of the great cult films of our time, this is a rock and roll musical, built on wonderful, catchy tunes. The better comparison would instead be to Grease.

Most amazingly, this album does not forget its off-Broadway roots. "The Long Grift," "Freaks," and "Wig In A Box" are perfect examples of that. The same song that fits perfectly in the musical from which it came could also not sound out of place on a Meatloaf album (for example.)