moved from recent viewings because I wanted to adda few videos One of the great concert movies ever is "UURRGH a music war" which is still unreleased on DVD I think. It shows minute long clips of all the most colorful acts of the late 70's early 80's punk new wave scene. I must have watched it a thousand times. one ofthe best remembered segments is Klaus Nomis "Total Eclipse of the Sun", a corny sort of disco space rock number that perfectly showcases nomi's extreme vocal range. A "contra tenor", nomi could ably sing both alto and a very femine sounding soprano in a way that made him sound like a castrati or an alien.
Simply a guy who enjoyed opera, Nomi and his friends built an act around a one off performance at a sort of punk talent show where he had badly upstaged the very amateurish acts on the bill (one group lip synced with rubbery guitars). Not Unlike fellow NY ers Blondie, Nomi decided at some point to parlay his underground success into something more professional which is where he was when "total eclipse" (which is replayed here from the Urrgh segment at the wrong speed and badly mixed) came out. An Appearnce with Bowie on SNL and further success in Europe pointed to a bright future but it was not to be as Nomi was one of the first performers to die of the AIDS virus. His opera flavored songs are I think his real legacy and its quite remarkable the way he puts them in a pop context. his more new wavey material is fun but a little silly.