Klaus Nomi quotes:

Elvis Presley is my spiritual father, and as you may know Maria Callas is my spiritual mother.

When I was twelve, the biggest name in Rock and Roll was Elvis Presley. I bought an EP, "King Creole". I hid it in the basement, but my mother found it.

It was just as shocking for me to sing opera in a falsetto soprano in Germany.

I come as the wicked witch from the Barock era.

I do kind of transcend the song and give it a different meaning.

I think opera music is very conservative, and Rock and Roll music is conservative as well, and that's why I'm trying to make a bridge between these two elements.

There are moments in my show that are very moving as well as amusing.

I see myself as universal, not as a German, American, French or whatever, because we all live on this planet. We're all living on the earth.

I think I do have my own technique. I don't like to depend on teachers. So I'm walking on my own way, and I try to be as natural as I can. I think it's the only way to be yourself.

I want to accomplish my work and fulfill my dreams, and do something with my life, and I hope I'll be able to accomplish it. It's very much work, but I like it.

I'm from Planet Nomi where I wear black lipstick so you can see my lips and what I am doing with them.

People are so nice to each other on holidays...especially at Christmas. Why don't people beat up each other at Christmas? Now that would be fun!

People should allow me to be many things, really give me the room to put things in another dimension.

The urge to sing was so strong one day I performed in a club and it was very successful.

I did every thing, even dirty jobs like dishwashing or delivery boy for a grocer.

I feel threatened, and sometimes it makes me angry because I can't do anything about that, there's just too many issues. But in a way I think my work is meant to get people out of that.

A man without makeup is like a cake without icing.

Every time I bought a Rock and Roll record, I bought a classical record at the same time. I like each as well as the other.

I am singing in an operatic voice for the public, to bring something more to Rock and Roll. Because in a Rock and Roll performance, the singer talks to the public whereas in Opera the singer only talks to a character, inside a story. The public sees this as a picture, I want to transport this picture into the room where the public is.

I approach everything as an absolute outsider. It is the only way I can break so many rules.

I go on stage and people like what I look like; as soon as I'm outside I feel like I have to hide, because people laugh at me, because of the way I look. Now, I use this look, it works for me, I even exaggerate it. I used to hide my large forehead, but now I'm selling it.

I think it is nice to be a little magical. Today we need this. All that we can read in fairy tales or in books. I think somewhere it is all around us. But nowadays we can think that this magic has been killed and I am try to make it survive as long as possible.

I'd like to thank everyone for supporting me and making me believe in my work.

It is a very personal thing to me, because this is my basic voice, this is where I come from, and it is one of the oldest voice styles in human history.

My music is L-O-V-E because it's a gift, and you only give something when you feel it deeply.

People do accuse me of being just decorative or an escapist - well I am. That's what I do. I am other things as well. I transcend the song and give it a different meaning.

Sometimes I sing very honestly, really as moving as possible.

The way I look is part of it. It sounds affected but I do see myself as a piece of living art.

The way I look it is hard to look like a normal person. You know, in the streets when I was a kid, people always said I looked strange, and it made me feel unhappy.

Well, you know, I am in the business and I like to promote myself.

What makes life complicated is the things that are on me and it is very hard to keep things simple. I see it as I am complicated and there is innocence to this.