Watch Nico sing a hauntingly beautiful rendition ‘New York, New York’
In 1982, iconic chanteuse Nico was featured in the avant-garde theatre production Mr. Dead and Mrs. Free. A collaborative work directed by Hungarian director Andrei Serban and written by American playwright Jeff Weiss, the play explored various themes, including political and social issues, through a unique and experimental theatrical style.
The Squat Theatre, known for its unconventional and boundary-pushing performances, provided a platform for experimental artists like Andy Warhol, Sun Ra and The Lounge Lizards, and productions during the 1970s and ’80s in New York City’s downtown arts scene. Mr. Dead & Mrs. Free itself was characterised by its non-traditional narrative structure, incorporating elements of absurdism and surrealism.
The play’s content also reflected societal critiques and challenged conventional norms, making it a notable piece within the experimental theatre movement of that era. The Squat Theatre’s contributions to avant-garde and experimental theatre continue to be remembered for their innovation and willingness to push the boundaries of traditional storytelling and performance art.
In the play, it’s not until halfway through that we meet the formidable Nico in person. By 1982, she was deeply immersed in heroin addiction, resulting in her performances becoming erratic and frequently melancholic. However, in this instance, the singer, the song, and the influence of addiction seem to merge into something remarkably flawless in its world-weary and haunting essence.
For those who navigated through the city’s more sombre moments, the lyrics of ‘New York, New York’ held a deeper resonance. Nico’s rendition adds a unique layer to the song that resonates with the frenzied aspects of Manhattan: “These vagabond shoes,” she sings, “They are longing to stray /Right through the very heart of it /New York, New York.”
There’s also an intriguing blend of hope and darkness, a unique mix that only Nico could truly embody. Maybe it’s a quality inherently woven into her vocal expression, shaped by her tumultuous past. However, despite the messy antics and self-destructive tendencies, Nico’s legacy is also one sprinkled with gold dust. Her voice, for example, was once described as like “a body falling through a window”, and her lyrics are dark and chilling in a way that makes your skin tingle.
Former Velvet Underground band member Graham Dowdall once remembered her as someone who was also refreshingly easy to work with: “I remember playing with her, and the mic was broken, but Nico started to sing acoustically. Every hair on my body stood up,” he said, adding: “Her voice was huge and resonant with all the weight she carried. She also taught me instantly to deviate anything; she was a trooper – no mic, no problem.”
See the performance below.
