Jake Shears, lead singer of New York's flamboyant, retro-dance group Scissor Sisters, calls from his Manhattan apartment.

He happily launches into a 20-minute interview that starts with him coyly, humorously revealing he's in his underwear. Such funny revelations fit his anything-goes personality.

Mr. Shears, 28, is a former go-go dancer at I.C. Guys in New York's East Village. His band's music is as influenced by burlesque, drag queens and glam-rock as it is by Elton John's melodies, the Bee Gees' harmonies and Paul McCartney lyrical elements.

Touring behind its second CD, the irresistibly fabulous Ta-Dah, Scissor Sisters is beginning to reap the rewards of its groundswell of popularity. The band is huge in the United Kingdom, where it signed a recording contract, and the U.S. is finally taking notice.

Bolstered by critical acclaim and a next-big-thing buzz, the 2004 self-titled debut has sold 302,000 copies in the states, according to Nielsen SoundScan. The sophomore disc, 2006's Ta-Dah, broke into Billboard's Top 20 upon its release in September. It has since moved 144,000 copies.

Mr. Shears and his four bandmates perform tonight at the Palladium Ballroom.

We asked for his Top 5 answers to a series of fun categories related to him and the group:

1. Radio

2. London

3. You're always on your toes trying to not be hit by cars. It keeps you alert.

Joseph Cultice

Lead singer Jake Shears, front and center, and the Scissor Sisters have an album in Billboard's Top 20.

4. Pizza Express, a chain restaurant

5. Nighty Night on the BBC

1. "Love Song" from Tumbleweed Connection

2. "I Don't Care" from A Single Man

3. "The Bitch Is Back"

4. "I Think I'm Going to Kill Myself" from Honky Château

5. "Madman Across the Water" (10-minute extended version)

1. "Uncle Albert"

2. "Let 'Em In"

3. "Picasso's Last Words (Drink to Me)," from Band on the Run

4. "Venus and Mars"

5. "Temporary Secretary" from McCartney II

1. "Way Out" by Ellen Allien

2. "Constantly No Respect" by Black Devil Disco Club

3. "Pictures" by Sneaky Sound System

4. "Downtown" by Peaches (remixed by Simian Mobile Disco)

5. "From Here to Eternity" by Giorgio Moroder

1. Getting shocked by an electrical wire hanging down from the ceiling while dancing in silk gear. That was the shock of my life!

2. The night that Justin Bond, one of the best performers in the world, walked into the bar and acknowledged me across the room.

3. A man tipping me $50 down each one of my socks. That was my biggest tip ever.

4. My jug of Gatorade next to my feet. I would dance for hours and always had my jug of Gatorade next to my feet. It was a big jug, with the handles and everything.

5. Always the men that would come to the bar and tip me. They would never talk to me, really, or touch me or even look at me. But every few minutes they would tip me. I always wondered what their stories were.