Watch David Bowie Bring Joey Arias & Klaus Nomi To SNL

David Bowie had cleaned up and moved to Berlin but returned to New York to perform on Saturday Night Live. Always alert to stirrings in pop culture’s avant garde, he brought with him Joey Arias and Klaus Nomi, both leading lights of downtown New York’s performance art scene. Nomi was so impressed with the costuming that he adopted the huge plastic tuxedo Bowie wears during “The Man Who Sold The World” performance. Bowie launches next into Station To Station’s “TVC-15” in a skirt and heels, while Nomi and Arias drag around a pink plastic poodle. Bowie’s performance of “Boys Keep Swinging” was particularly remarkable as it featured Nomi and Arias on vocals. Bowie also performed in a green screen suit with a body puppet superimposed over top of him, cutting edge technology for that the time. He infamously ended the performance by flashing the puppet’s penis. The episode hosted by actor, Martin Sheen. Watch the performances below.

“The Man Who Sold The World”


“TVC-15”


“Boys Keep Swinging”

Aired: 12/15/79

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