Klaus Nomi-Here For A Little While
F. S. Barton-Coleman | Tampa, FL | 09/06/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Caught this film a couple of months ago at an independent film workshop and could hardly hold back the tears. I saw Klaus Nomi in Columbus, Ohio during his whirlwind tour of the Midwest and still have my red and black button with the Nomi profile. It sure was different back then-the folks in Akron were so enchanted by this strange little man that he ended up on the cover of the Akron Beacon-Journal Sunday magazine-holding a huge oversized old boot from a flea market and smiling the most bemused little grin of astonishment. Through the interviews and private film footage on this DVD we get to see a little bit of the man beneath the make-up. The segments in Aunt Trudi's dollhouse almost broke my heart as she talked about what a happy little boy he had been and how all the children would come running when he came for a visit-contrasted with the way he died-alone and friendless as did so many others in the early 80's.
Buy this as a souvenir of a time that was filled with so many possibilities and so much tragedy. Klaus's life was certainly filled to the brim with both."
Bravo! Bravissimo!
Randy Buck | Brooklyn, NY USA | 09/06/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I knew Klaus in 70's New York, and am delighted to see him preserved for other generations in this wonderful documentary. Particularly pleased by two things: there's lots of wonderful performance footage of him, so you can get a clear idea of what his stage persona was all about. And the film also shows his sweet side, literally and figuratively. Klaus, underneath the persona he so brilliant constructed, was actually rather shy, very dear, and was a TERRIFIC pastry chef -- how wonderful that talent's documented here, too! Highly recommended to anyone with even a casual interest in the downtown art scene of thirty years ago."
Portrait of A One-of-a-Kind Artist in a One-of-a-Kind Decade
Dorian Tenore-Bartilucci | Whitehall, PA USA | 07/17/2005
(4 out of 5 stars)
"My husband and I were eagerly anticipating THE NOMI SONG, Andrew Horn's by-turns witty and poignant documentary about Klaus Nomi, the German singer/performance artist with the multi-octave range who took New York and then the world by storm for a brief, exciting period in the late 1970s and '80s. Nomi, with his outer space alien persona, was so avant-garde that even the avant-garde set wasn't quite sure what to make of him, but loved him all the same before his tragic death from AIDS (this was back when AIDS was still new and scary and known as "gay cancer"). Our 8-year-old daughter liked Nomi's "high, high voice" and kooky costumes. We adults liked the interviews with Ann Magnuson and other scene-makers from the era, as well as the chance to see such rarities as Nomi's 1979 performance with David Bowie on SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE (which I remember seeing during its live broadcast back in the day). THE NOMI SONG also sports a treasure trove of DVD extras, including full-length musical performances, an Easter Egg feature for part-time pastry chef Nomi's lime tart recipe, and Lou Christie talking enthusiastically about Nomi's cover of his classic "Lightning Strikes Again" (Christie kinda starts talking about himself, too, but it's interesting and endearing). If you like 1980s New Wave music and all things offbeat, THE NOMI SONG is well worth seeking out."
Good Documentary on The One And Only Nomi, the Singing Alien
Tsuyoshi | Kyoto, Japan | 11/05/2005
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Don't say you're not interested in Klaus Nomi. If you never heard of him, it doesn't matter. If you want to hear something unique and extraordinary, here's Nomi, whose genre-defying, mind-bending mixture of styles is simply captivating. And here's a documentary about his tragic short life, which itself is as captivating as his songs.
Born Klaus Sperber in Germany, Nomi became part of New Wave movement in New York in the late 70s. And his eccentric style is still amazing to see. Tightly clad in the bizarre costumes coming directly from grade-B sci-fi films with completely white-wasked face, Nomi appears as if giving an oracle, and when he starts to sing, what a song! His is curious blend of pop and opera with beautiful falsetto. He is literally a singing alien.
This documentary consists of the interviews with those how knew Nomi. What is revealed here may not be surprising to the viewers who have some knowledge about Nomi, but to the people like me, who are interested in the 70-80s, the comments and footages about him and the surrounding NY club scenes are still precious. Sure, most of the footages are private films with bad image and sound quality, but they still vividly bring the feeling of the times to life.
Probably the most interesting moment in the film would be the song of David Bowie on Saturaday Night Live in 1979, in which Klaus Nomi appears one of the backsingers. Clearly this is, or should be, the turning of Nomi's career, and after this point, many interviewees, quite honest about Nomi's complex personality, are not always kind to his behaviors.
Though Nomi is gone forever, his originality can be still felt if you watch the film. With the lack of some materials (for instance, Bowie or the artists in Japan who briefly worked with him), and with less than satisfactory comments from Nomi himself, 'The Nomi Song' may not be as incisive as it should be, but still intriguing even for non-fans of Nomi. Watch this, and buy his CDs if you want something very different.
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