The Nomi Song - The Klaus Nomi Odyssey
by Andrew Horn
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Ann Magnuson, David Bowie, David McDermott, Gabriele Lafari, Klaus NomiDirector: Andrew Horn
Brand: Universal Studios
Producer: Andrew Horn
Writer: Andrew Horn
Producer: Achim Michael Hasenberg
Producer: Anne Even
Producer: Annette Pisacane
Producer: Dietmar Post
Producer: Lucia Palacios
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 2.0; English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0; German (Original Language)
Format: Color, DVD, NTSC, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.85:1
Running Time: 98 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2005-06-14
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Palm Pictures
Product features:
- NOMI SONG, THE (DVD MOVIE)
Movie Reviews of The Nomi Song - The Klaus Nomi Odyssey
Movie Review: "If they saw my face would I still take a bow / Will they know me, know me, know me now"--The Nomi Song
Summary: 5 Stars
The Nomi Song is a wonderful documentary of a bizarre New Wave performer who may be more known for how he died than his musical innovations. Klaus Nomi (Klaus Sperber) was a German-born countertenor who, after working as an usher for the Berlin opera house, came to New York City in 1974 in the hopes of finding fame. He stunned the audience of the 1978 New Wave Vaudeville Show with his beautiful rendition of the aria "Mon caeur s'ouvre à ta voix" ("My heart opens to your voice"). In the next few years he developed an act combining opera with electronic pop while presenting a mysterious, otherworldly persona. Fans called his music "future wave" though he preferred the term "now wave". He was quite the phenomenon in New York and Europe but died before his career could really take off. This DVD includes footage from his New Wave Vaudeville performance as well as many other vintage clips. Those interviewed include songwriter Kristian Hoffman, manager/producer Ron Johnsen, art director Page Wood, photographers Anthony Scibelli and Michael Halsband, Ann Magnuson (who got him the New Wave Vaudeville gig), writer and original performer of "Lightning Strikes" Lou Christie (in the Extras), painter Kenny Scharf, friend Gabriele La Fari among others.
The documentary follows Nomi's brief career and also the New Wave scene in New York, particularly East Village. Clips of some of his performances include the "Fiorucci Celebrates the New Wave" show and he and Joey Arias's appearance with David Bowie on Saturday Night Live. The props used in his shows are described and Page Wood even has miniature cardboard cut-outs. Many people were involved in helping Klaus Nomi develop his image although, in interviews found elsewhere, he liked to take sole credit. In a French television interview, he claimed to be the designer of the Nomi badge and tuxedo outfit. This documentary credits others with helping to create those visuals. One contributor admitted Nomi had a powerful ego. Unfortunately, impatient for fame, Nomi would abandon some of those who helped him from the beginning, although their touching work in creating this film demonstrates they never lost their admiration for him. There is a brief discussion of Nomi's promiscuous lifestyle which lead to him contracting AIDS. His aunt shares a story of a rather, in retrospect, sad reunion with her nephew before he returned to New York for the last time.
Among the extras, it is learned that photos were taken of him in the hospital during the advanced stage of his illness (though they are not shown in this film). Also in the extras are full length performances, audio remixes, a slide show of childhood photos of Klaus, commentary by director Andrew Horn, trailers, etc. This reviewer would have liked an image gallery of Nomi as the case lists one among the special features but was not able to locate it (there is a brief film and slide show of East Village), the complete 10 O'clock News segment, and perhaps the TV Party appearance (the latter two are available elsewhere, though). If the viewer clicks on the pie icon on the Extras "Additional Footage" page, it opens up Klaus's lime tart recipe. Information on The Long Island Four would have been a welcomed addition to the extras as clips from that film were used in the documentary with no mention of the source save for the credits.
It is obvious that much effort, creativity and care went into this documentary. It begins and ends with scenes from the 1953 science fiction film It Came From Outer Space with Nomi superimposed in the footage. There is a shirtless man holding a white ball in the background of the Ira Siff's interview clips lending them some strange, artistic effect. The TV Party segment where Klaus gives his lime tarts lesson was damaged so, during the missing footage, it switches to two people adjusting the antenna of an old television set. Klaus's aunt was too shy to be shown in the film, so the creators went to great lengths creating a miniature dollhouse of her living room including the pictures she had on her walls with her as a cardboard doll that they also placed in a makeshift miniature garden which represented a favorite childhood spot for Klaus. One of the extras shows an amazing mechanical doll of Nomi built by a fan. He was and is definitely admired by his loyal friends and followers. Hopefully, he realized their devotion during his lifetime.
Summary of The Nomi Song - The Klaus Nomi Odyssey
NOMI SONG - DVD MovieBorn Klaus Sperber in Essen, Germany, Nomi dressed like an alien, sang like an angel, and electrified new wave-era New York. The classically trained tenor moved to the US in the 1970s. Influenced by Maria Callas, Marlene Dietrich, and 1950s sci-fi films, the "opera-singing pastry chef," as writer Glenn O'Brien described him, developed a unique look and sound that stood apart from every other act to emerge from the East Village. At the height of his fame, he caught the eye of David Bowie, with whom he performed on Saturday Night Live in 1979. Unfortunately, his AIDS-related death in 1983 curtailed any chance to reach a wider audience. Andrew Horn's evocative portrait rises above the ordinary by documenting a scene as much as its most original participant. Aside from a wealth of archival material, The Nomi Song includes interviews with Kenny Scharf and Ann Magnuson (but alas, no Bowie). --Kathleen C. Fennessy
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