Klaus Nomi was a German opera/pop singer and one of the most visionary and flamboyant queer performers of late 70s/80s New York, until he died of an AIDS related illness in 1983. He was a backing singer for David Bowie’s seminal Saturday Night Live performance in 1979, alongside longstanding friend and collaborator Joey Arias. Now that Icy Gays will be celebrating Klaus’ life and work with Joey and songwriter Kristian Hoffman, here’s what Joey had to say about life with Klaus, New York and the upcoming gig…
Who is Joey Arias?
I’m a performer in NY who lives downtown and I’ve been through it all! I was first noticed when I performed on Saturday Night Live with David Bowie and Klaus. Then I started moving on and channelling Billie Holiday and I was in Cirque du Soleil for 6, maybe 7, years. And I guess years later they started calling me an icon!
How did you first get involved with Klaus?
I met Klaus through a dear friend of mine in the Lower East Side, Greenwich Village, on one of my first days in New York – literally the first week I met Klaus, Debbie Harry, so many people.
Is New York instrumental to your art in a way?
New York is like a gigantic battery, it’s full of energy and power and you’ve got to work with the vibrations of the city, you can’t change it because the city changes you. Every time I leave town and whenever I get back into Manhattan my whole attitude changes again, it’s very inspiring.
How did you get into show-business?
I didn’t get back into show-business until late ’78, when Klaus got invited by Kristian Hoffman, and Klaus said ‘we’re going to put a little band together, I’m going to write originals for you and we’re going to sing them’, and so we started playing around and we had these robot things and that’s how it started. And one thing lead to another and there were more shows and more shows and the next thing you knew I was on Saturday Night Live with David Bowie.
Tell us a little about Kristian Hoffman…
Kristian Hoffman is an amazing performer, songwriter and he was a big part of the scene in New York. He put out these songs like ‘Lightning Strikes’ and ‘The Twist’ and changed everything around. I never really hung out with Kristian that much, it wasn’t until years later that we really connected. And in this homage to Klaus, with the person who recorded with him and Klaus’ best friend, we’re the perfect team.
What was it like living through that period?
It was like the late 70s, into the 80s; when (our success) started happening we were all very poor and struggling and wanted things to start happening and taking off and Klaus got the record deal and his head got a little too big for everybody. We kind of broke off for a second and then he came back apologising and it was a point of victory, record and success but then he got sick also, so Klaus’ career was not that long when you think about it, it was very short. He was a bit of a diva, he was like ‘I can’t do all that, I can’t do this’, and so the 80s was: beginning, victory, and then everyone started dying.
Did you lose a lot of friends?
Oh yeah, Keith Haring, Jean-Michel Basquiat, my lover at the time, the list just goes on and on, I can’t even cry anymore.
Do you think about Klaus a lot?
I think about Klaus every day. There’s not one day I don’t think about Klaus. I think Klaus is over me so often. A psychic told me one time ‘Joey, once in a while you’re going to hear a song and Klaus will be talking to you through a song’ and every so often I’ll hear a song and I’ll be with my partner and we’ll go ‘was that from Klaus?’ You know…
But this upcoming gig is a celebration?
It’s a celebration. We’ve moved on from that sad time, and now we’re going to celebrate, and who better to celebrate him than the two people who were closest to him in his life?
• ‘Lightning Strikes: Kristian Hoffman and Joey Arias’ is on at the ICA (The Mall, St James’ Park, SW1Y 5AH) on Saturday 8th and Sunday 9th February at 8pm (doors 7pm). £25, early bird £20.
