'80s Icon Klaus Nomi Is Remembered in 'The Nomi Song'

New York City's East Village scene in the '70s and '80s had its fair share of quirky characters breaking down every musical, cultural and political wall imaginable. One such person, more weird and wonderful than many of the others, was Klaus Nomi. The German-born singer first moved to New York in 1972 with dreams of singing opera, but after discovering the glitz and glam of the New Wave movement, Nomi proceeded to shatter the glass ceiling of his favorite musical genre. What made him particularly distinct was his unflinching penchant for adding synths to classic opera arrangements and infuse a taste of pop standards, not to mention don some of the oddest-looking stage costumes ever seen in public.

In the documentary 'The Nomi Song,' filmmakers dive into the early experiences that shaped Nomi's life -- from his arrival to New York to his immersion in the avant-garde art scene -- before tracking his rise to fame, which culminated in singing backup for David Bowie on 'Saturday Night Live.' Sadly, the film also has the dark task of tracking Nomi's fall, as the cultural icon died of AIDS in 1983. Mixing up archived performance footage and interviews, 'Nomi Song' features anecdotes from important New Wave figures like Ann Magnuson, Man Parrish and David Bowie himself. If you'd like to find out more about this true pioneer, check out the film after the jump, courtesy of our friends at SnagFilms.