Klaus Sperber was born in Immenstadt, southern Germany, in 1944. As a teenager, he discovered his love for opera and also pop music. In the early 1970s, he moved to New York and soon found many friends among the East Village artists there. Around this time, he started using the pseudonym Klaus Nomi, an allusion to the American SciFi magazine Omni and an anagram of the Latin word omni(s) (all, every). David Bowie discovered Nomi in 1978 and helped him sign with RCA records two years later. But Nomi’s musical career was cut short when he was diagnosed with AIDS – an illness virtually unheard of in those days. He died in New York on August 6th, 1983, at the age of 39 – two years before Rock Hudson’s death raised public awareness of this new illness. His ashes were scattered over New York City.
Klaus Nomi’s musical style was undoubtedly unique: he combined opera and New Wave pop music and performed his music in elaborate stage shows reminiscent of retro-futuristic Science Fiction visions of the 1920s: face painted white in Kabuki style, black lips, extravagant clothes and hairstyles inspired by Cubism. One of his most famous live performances is Total Eclipse from the music film Urgh! A Music War (1981).
The B52s invited me to go to Max’s Kansas City in NYC to see a new artist called Klaus Nomi. I got to the club early and was able to save a table for the Bs, who arrived with their new friend, Steve Mass of the soon-to-be-opening Mudd Club.
Klaus strode on stage in front of a live band, accompanied by two sidemen, Joey Arias and Adrian, who were dressed and acted like robots.
Joey Arias, wrapped in Saran Wrap, performing in mime at Max’s, during Klaus Nomi’s world debut. Joey was wonderfully capable of making extraterrestrial voices.
Adrian, Joey Arias and Klaus walked through a heavy snowstorm, with overcoats on over their spaceman costumes. Joey and Adrian were wearing big silver balls completely over their heads in the beginning of the show.
I think on of the high points of my observations of Klaus’s performances in NYC, was the show he put on at Xenon’s.
Xenon was the closest thing to competition that Studio 54 had, but there were not usually live acts at
Studio 54.The show at Xenon’s was the first big stage production I had seen Klaus stage. Klaus belonged on a big stage, he was larger than life.
Klaus’s other memorable show was the show at Hurrah’s. Hurrah’s was a fashionable, New Wave and Punk club on the lower Upper West Side. It was at Hurrah’s, that the B52s “broke out” and it turned out to be the same for Klaus. There were 3000 fans or “fans to be”, blocking the sidewalk on the block surrounding the club.
Besides the great performance by Klaus, Joey and Adrian, my memory of the evening is, when I finally got up to the end of the admissions line and faced the famous doorman, Howie Montaug and told him that I was on the guest list.
He said, “Sorry, The famous Lil’ Sis, I don’t remember her actual function, but having a function was apparently beside the point, it was all about "the look”. I think that is the famous techno-genius Man Parrish in the background.George DuBose has already gone in.“
Yuki Watanabe, Michael O'Brien and I were staging "New York Nights” once a month at different niteclubs in Boston. We had showcased Madonna, Man Parrish, Johnny Dynel, The NY Break Dancers and other New Wave artists.
Klaus had just returned from his first European tour. When I heard that he was back in town, I called him to tell him that we wanted him to come to Boston and could pay him $3000.
Klaus told me that he wouldn’t be able to perform in Boston.
I said, “Why not?” Klaus said, “Because I am sick.”
I said, “Well, when you get better.” He replied, “I am not going to get better.”
Klaus was the first person I knew that had AIDS. He died in 1983.
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