Stuff You Gotta Watch: The Nomi Song
When David Bowie performed "The Man Who Sold The World" on Saturday Night Live in 1979, many were hypnotized by a bizarre mise-en-scène that consisted of Bowie, dressed in a plastic tuxedo, transported down the stage by two robotic cabaret-like backup singers. One of these singers was New York-via-Berlin countertenor Klaus Nomi, who had been introduced to Bowie at the Mudd Club—one of many places where Nomi performed his operatic, vaudeville-like covers of pop classics and originals.
The story of Klaus Nomi is a tragic one, not only due to the lack of visibility customary for those ahead of their time, but also for having his career cut short due to his death at the age of 39, of AIDS-related complications. His legacy, however, would extend beyond the East Village art world, inspiring musicians such as Soft Cell’s Marc Almond and Ernesto Tomasini.
Andrew Horn's The Nomi Song, which the director describes as “part documentary, part music film, part sci-fi,” is greatly responsible for Nomi's posthumous recognition. Gathering interviews, live footage, and other seemingly unrelated visual references, the 2004 film is a fitting portrait of an artist who left an indelible mark on the early ’80s New Wave/punk scene.
Review by Ana Leorne. Check out the full archive of the Stuff You Gotta Watch column.