Bowie: A Biography - JFK247

the black hair.”
Bowie ran through the vocals for the three tracks
he would be performing. Singing there in his rumpled
shirt and five o’clock shadow, it was still Bowie. He
could turn it on just by opening his mouth. “David
started singing, like, all of the material. It was, like,
literally a concert for Klaus and I. We were, like,
gagging a little bit, it was like we were being
serenaded by Bowie. We played it cool, though.”
Both men were starting to get famous on their
own. Arias was affiliated with the Italian fashion retail
outlet Fiorucci. He worked in the mid-town store and
modeled for various high-and low-end designers.
Nomi’s act was hot and label interest was already
there. This was a different level: a national television
spot … with David Bowie. Inside, they were barely
retaining their composure.
“I knew Laraine Newman, who was an original
[Saturday Night Live] cast member,” Arias says.
“We knew each other from the Groundlings improv
group in L.A. [where many SNL cast members
begin]. So I used to go to Saturday Night Live every
weekend and sit there with her and watch them
rehearse and watch the show. And I remember
asking Laraine, at one point, ‘If David Bowie ever
comes to this show, please, please, I gotta be here.
I’ll do anything but I’ve gotta see this man in person.’”
Bowie’s performance on SNL even shocked his
band. While they were not shocked to see a rumpled
version of their leader during the week of rehearsal
that led up to the live spot, he had not clued any of