You Don't Nomi

You can't beat a good documentary. They are the best form of escapism - allowing you to see inside someone else's life and mind - and somehow feel more "worthy" than watching films.

Last night I watched The Nomi Song for the third time. The subject is Klaus Nomi, a New York based German performance artist who sang new wave songs in a soprano operatic voice. He had a very stylised image, and a lot of his work focused on the idea that he came from outer space.

One of the sweetest moments of the film talks about a party that Klaus attended. His image was so extreme that the adults were too scared to approach him. A young girl of six went up and asked him if he came from outer space. He replied that he did, and the two of them sat and drank tea while the rest of the party carried on around them.

Most people of my age remember Klaus from an unforgettable appearance on The Old Grey Whistle Test when he appeared to sing Total Eclipse.

Rupert Smith perfectly describes the experience elsewhere on the web:

"... during an otherwise routine episode of BBC2's The Old Grey Whistle Test, a strange vision was beamed into British living rooms. A stark, angular figure - heavily made up, his hair teased into three points and wearing a high-fashion Blake's 7-style outfit - was dancing robotically in front of a nondescript band. Then he opened his mouth, singing in a heavy German accent about nuclear mutants. When the chorus came, he lifted his arms to heaven and soared into an ear-splitting operatic soprano. The song was called Total Eclipse, and the singer was Klaus Nomi."

Sadly the clip doesn't make it into the film, but the performance highlight is Klaus and, celebrated New York drag icon, Joey Arias appearing as backing singers with David Bowie on Saturday Night Live. The performance, amongst other things, involves Klaus pulling a toy pink poodle across the stage as Bowie is performing.

Sadly, Klaus contracted AIDS back in the early days of the disease when no treatment was available. The last clips of the film show him looking weak and frail on stage. He makes one of the last performances before his death accompanied by an enormous string orchestra.

The film closes, as it also opens, with a clip from an old science fiction b-movie. An alien is flying away in his space ship as his human friends sadly watch his exit ... "it wasn't the right time".