2023-10-02 15:44:23
The eccentric German died in 1983: he reappears in 2023 thanks to reissues and an electro-oriented tribute album. What if his posterity began now?
He was born in Bavaria during World War II and died in New York at age 39 (like Boris Vian). He was as cracked as King Louis II, and definitely queerer than Lou Reed. A singular destiny than that of Klaus Nomi (1944-1983), an eccentric singer who was also a pastry chef in his spare time to earn his crust – his specialty was lemon tart. The testimonies do not say if he cooked desserts better than Cyril Lignac. As far as pop was concerned, in any case, he was much more talented.
Opener at the Berlin Opera, curiosity noticed in the gay clubs of the same city: Nomi might have stopped there and disappeared into the dustbin of history. In 1972, he crossed the Atlantic and tried his luck in the country of Andy Warhol. Between two pastries, he roams the New York clubs. There he met Keith Haring and Kenny Scharf, some credited him with a brief affair with Jean-Michel Basquiat. One thing is certain, Nomi already likes to make up, because as he said himself, a statement from which we should all take note when we get ready in the morning: “A man without makeup is like a cake without icing “.
PURE MOLIES
One night, at the Mudd Club, the Bavarian UFO meets the dandy Bowie. Neither one nor two: here Nomi finds herself providing backing vocals for Bowie in a famous Saturday Night Live number. It’s 1979, and Nomi doesn’t know it, but she only has four years to live. It’s time to accelerate. In 1981, he released his first album. He poses in his iconic tuxedo – undoubtedly one of the most beautiful covers in pop history. France gave him a warm welcome, and not only at the Palace where he caused a sensation. He found unexpected success thanks to “The Cold Song”, where he covers Purcell and shows that the 17th century can be more avant-garde than post-punk. He continued the following year with Simple Man, where we still hear pure madness, such as the song “Ding Dong”. Remember that in the same year 1982, Nomi was also a hip-hop pioneer by vocalizing the song “Six Simple Synthetizers” by Man Parrish.
Only those close to him know: in addition to their baroque theatrical vocation, Nomi’s disguises serve to hide the stigmata of a still little-known illness that is gnawing at him. He won’t last long. In 1983, he died of AIDS at the start of a career that looked promising. An enigmatic figure, the least militant man in the world, Nomi has since remained a name known only to those in the know. What if 2023 was finally his year? Sony reissues its entire catalog and releases a cracking tribute album featuring Arnaud Rebotini, The Hacker, Vince Clarke, Para One, Agar Agar… It sounds like Nomi produced in turn by Kraftwerk and The Yellow Magic Orchestra. We find his two faces there: his melancholy side and his fanciful side. This man who came from elsewhere had composed a song called “Total Eclipse”. After a period of occultation, it returns to full light.
Remixes
Klaus Nomi
(Sony Music)
By Louis-Henri de La Rochefoucauld
1696744583
#Album #month #Klaus #Nomi
