"looks like an alien and sounds even weirder"

I've got a soft spot for that Klaus Nomi fellow, and I'm not sure why.  Perhaps it's the singing voice, maybe it's because he seems somehow a little reserved, maybe because I know how he dies in the end of his story.  But damn, talk about range.  I'm floored. I don't really think he sounds "weird" either, I just liked that quote.  Something I found that I thought was interesting was that after their SNL performance, Klaus was so taken by Bowie's funky "tuxedo" suit that he had one made for himself.  He wore it a lot, too, until he started getting sicker and went back to performing mostly operas and wearing his baroque costume. 

While Klaus was highly publicized as one of the first celebrities to die of AIDS, Bowery kept his own battle silent so that his illness didn't overshadow his work.  It seems to me like Bowery had a pretty rough go of it most of his life, despite a few bright patches here and there and some incredibly brilliant work.  He had some deeply rooted insecurities that he never really was able to shake.  The way he dealt with this was what led him to create much of what he did.  Rather than trying to hide from the world, he threw himself in its face, and used his outlandish costumes to distract from what he didn't like.  I think his costumes are pretty fantastic; really really interesting, but some of his performances are a little contrived.  I have yet to check out any of his short-lived band's music, but I intend to; I'm pretty curious.

I'm in love with Laurie Anderson.  I don't really know what else to say about her.

Joseph Beuys is seriously interesting to me.  Everything about his work is symbolic or has a personal meaning, and I like that.  With his sculptures, it's the materials he uses that have deeper meaning.  His performances are really what I enjoy, though.  Something I found interesting: we discussed in class that Beuys refused to come to America while the Vietnam war was happening, and I read that when he actually did come, he never really set foot on American soil.  He wanted it to be a totally isolated experience, and was driven in a veiled car to and from the airport directly to the gallery.  The only physical contact he had was with the coyote (which he hugged at the end of the performance).  Love it.  Really interesting guy.