Dear readers,
Klaus Nomi
Some of you might not have heard of the wondrous Klaus Nomi, but I implore you to find out more about him. I’m thinking about him right now after having watched his version of Purcell’s aria ‘The Cold Song’. I just think that the whole world should know who Klaus Nomi is/was.
From Wikipedia:
Nomi was known for his bizarrely theatrical live performances, heavy make-up, unusual costumes, and a highly stylized signature hairdo which flaunted a receding hairline. His songs were equally unusual, ranging from synthesizer-laden interpretations of classical music opera to covers of 1960s pop standards like Chubby Checker’s “The Twist” and Lou Christie’s “Lightning Strikes”. He is perhaps best remembered by the general public as being one of David Bowie’s backing singers during a 1979 performance on Saturday Night Live.
Here’s a video from YouTube of it. Apparently this was performed 6 months before he succumbed to AIDS. He was one of the first celebrities to succumb to the disease when it was still known as the “gay cancer”. RIP. This is such a beautiful piece of music that gives me the chills, and it’s sad to know that he was so ill. He would have been 65 on January 24th…
Here is the trailer for Andrew Horn’s 2004 documentary about him called The Nomi Song, which brought him to the attention of a lot more of the general public.
Another video of him, in this one he’s performing a cover of Lou Christie’s “Lightning Strikes”.
RIP Klaus, your contributions are not forgotten. Why can’t we have more decadence, creativity and true showmanship nowadays? You were quite the trailblazer.
Last but not least, here’s an interview with him on French TV. It’s originally in English. He seemed so human, unlike his stage persona.
Browse Timeline
Comments ( 2 )
You can read my story about Klaus Nomi here…
http://www.geocities.com/kahniverous/klausnomi.html
All the best,
Madeline
madelinex added these pithy words on
Jan 29 09 at
2:26 pm
Thank you so much for your link. What a great article. The links from the Blitz Kids site is filled with so much great information as well. I’ll be there for awhile.
Cheers,
June
June added these pithy words on
Jan 29 09 at
2:58 pm
