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Klaus Nomi
Background information
Birth name	Klaus Sperber
Born	January 24, 1944
Origin	Immenstadt, Germany
Died	Aug 6, 1983 in New York, NY, USA
Genre(s)	New Wave, Synth pop, Disco, Experimental music, Dark Cabaret
Occupation(s)	Vocalist, Producer
Instrument(s)	Vocals
Years active	1981 to 1983
Label(s)	RCA
Associated acts	David Bowie Man Parrish Joey Arias

Klaus Nomi (1944-1983) was a German countertenor noted for remarkable vocal performances and an unusual, elfin stage persona. Nomi is remembered for 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 classic opera to covers of 1960s pop standards like Chubby Checker's "The Twist" and Lou Christie's "Lightning Strikes".

Contents 1 Personal life 2 Influence and cultural significance 3 Discography 3.1 Albums 3.2 Singles 3.3 Videos 4 Trivia 5 External links

Nomi was born Klaus Sperber in Immenstadt, Germany. His birthday is commonly observed as January 24, 1944, though the director of The Nomi Song stated at the New York City premiere of the documentary that Sperber's exact birthday is unknown.^{[citation needed]}

Nomi moved from Germany to New York City in the mid-1970s. He began his involvement with the art scene based in the East Village. After a chance meeting in a nightclub, David Bowie hired Nomi and Joey Arias as back-up singers and consultants on costume design for a performance on Saturday Night Live which aired on December 14, 1979. Nomi also collaborated with producer Man Parrish. The 1981 rock documentary film, Urgh! A Music War features Nomi's live performance of Total Eclipse.

Nomi died on August 6, 1983 in New York City, one of the first celebrities to die of an illness complicated by AIDS.

Klaus Nomi is considered an important part of the 1980s East Village scene, which was a hotbed of development for punk rock, music, the visual arts, and the avant-garde. Nomi's work was not met with wide spread commercial success at the time, but he garnered a cult following, mainly in New York and in France.

Andrew Horn directed a 2004 feature documentary about Nomi's life The Nomi Song released on Palm Pictures. The documentary helped spur renewed interest in the singer.

British pop icon Morrissey used the song "Wayward Sisters"* as an introduction prior to appearing on stage to begin a concert for his Kill Uncle tour. Morrissey included Nomi's song "Death" in his compilation of influential songs titled "Under the Influence".

Austrian composer Olga Neuwirth wrote a "Hommage à Klaus Nomi" for countertenor and chamber ensemble.

• Klaus Nomi 1981
• Simple Man 1982
• Encore 1983
• In Concert 1986

• You Don't Own Me / Falling in Love Again (1981)
• Nomi Song / Cold Song (1982)
• Lightning Strikes / Falling in Love Again {1982)
• Simple Man / Death (1982)
• Ding Dong / ICUROK (1982)
• ICUROK / Ding Dong (Canadian 12")
• Za Bak Daz / Silent Night (CD single, 1998)

Urgh! A Music War (1982)

• A fictionalised version of Klaus Nomi appears in a two-part episode of animated comedy/adventure series The Venture Bros. In "Showdown at Cremation Creek (Part I)," he appears as one of David Bowie's bodyguard henchmen (alongside an animated Iggy Pop, another Bowie collaborator). "Klaus" attacks his opponents with ultra-high-pitched singing and the over-sized bowtie of his famous costume, spun and ejected as a battering weapon. In "Showdown at Cremation Creek (Part II)," "Klaus" seems to have been killed after betraying Bowie in order to become a henchman of a villain known as The Phantom Limb.

• Nomi's flamboyant cover of Leslie Gore's 50s hit "You Don't Own Me" was sometimes featured on The Rush Limbaugh Show as the "Homosexual Community Update" [1] This was done after Gore's original was for a time adopted as the Feminist Update. Nomi does not change the lyrics (e.g. "Don't say I can't go with other boys") His album is actually featured for sale on the Rush Limbaugh website.[2]

• Fred Durst stated Klaus Nomi was one of his influences while making the Limp Bizkit album "Significant Other".^{citation needed}

• Klaus Nomi Home Page
• Cult Cargo Review
• The Nomi Song, a documentary feature film devoted to the life of Klaus Nomi
• Review of the film on Laura Hird's website
• http://www.roctober.com/roctober/greatness/nomi.html
• http://www.psychotica.net/evb/nomi/
• Blog entry detailing Nomi's life and Internet resources
• Reminiscences of a friend/collaborator of Nomi
• Interactive Animation of Nomi's "3 Wishes"
• Eternal Alien http://www.chrisis.org/chr_oddballs/nomi.html