'THOTH' EXPLORES PERFORMER'S BRAVE ORIGINALITY.

Byline: David Kronke TV Critic

WHEN I SAW THOTH, the willful eccentric who serves as the subject of Sarah Kernochan's Oscar-winning documentary short subject of the same name, stand alongside the filmmaker at the March awards ceremony, and as she somewhat pretentiously sang his praises, my reaction was no doubt similar to many viewers: Boy, they'll give trophies for just about anything these days.

It gets worse: He performs in bangles and loincloths what he calls ``soloperas'' or ``prayformances,'' playing a violin and singing from soprano to baritone, in a language he's devised.

The good news is the guy's perfectly sane; he knows what he's doing and is simply adept at eliciting the responses he gets. Had someone suggested his career path, he admits, ``It would have horrified me beyond belief.''

His mother was the first African-American to perform with the New York Philharmonic and was later fired from the San Francisco Symphony; his father was a Russian Jew whose family objected to his marriage and who left his wife after a tragedy. Thoth's music is an attempt, however obscure, to eradicate the racism he experienced growing up.

Hence, ``Thoth,'' which debuts tonight on Cinemax, is not simply a politically correct feel-good portrait of a gifted innocent. It's a probing look at identity, the tolls that ambition exacts and a glimpse at a guy simply trying to make his way in the world with his curious gifts.

At 47, Thoth - born Stephan Kaufman (he took his name from Egyptian culture, because Egypt ``was the center of people of mixed race'') - is a classically handsome guy with the physique of someone half his age. He's a bisexual with a girlfriend living in San Francisco, a transvestite who once attempted suicide and played in a band that made the Village People look more aggressively heterosexual than Spinal Tap.

Nowadays, he lives with his mother in New York, who wonders, understandably, ``Boy, when will they ever grow up?'' Kernochan's cameras capture a lot of incredulous responses at his public performances: ``I don't know what that was, but it looked retarded,'' declares one Central Park onlooker; another simply declares, ``He looks gay.''

There's a crucial disconnect in the film - it doesn't explain the leap between the man and his art (why, for example, the fabricated languages?) - but God help me, I came away from ``Thoth'' with the impression that the guy is a genuine visionary.

THOTH - Three stars

What: Oscar-winning documentary about a street artist who is equal parts eccentric and life-affirming.

Where: Cinemax.

When: 7 tonight; also Aug. 29.

In a nutshell: A sensitive, fairly revealing portrait of a singular artist.