Date: Sun, 8 Oct 95 01:00:04 CDT From: numan@cs.uwp.edu Reply-To: numan@cs.uwp.edu (Gary Numan) Subject: Gary Numan Digest V1 #164 Gary Numan Digest Sun, 8 Oct 95 Volume 1 : Issue 164 Today's Topics: 10 Point Manifesto 10 Point Manifesto: Is A Deacon misguided? 11th point to the manifesto Answers to various questions in &163 Answer to Mike Haley's Qs Gary Numan Digest V1 #163 Gary Numan FAQ now online intro message music Outland and other stuff p.s. intro message The Numan Digest FAQ, version 1 Tshirts ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Date: Thu, 5 Oct 95 00:58:50 -0700 From: Gordon Van Huizen Subject: 10 Point Manifesto To: numan@cs.uwp.edu (Gary Numan) In Issue 162, Alexander Deacon offered the following points for discussion: > 1/ Next tour do Replicas minus excessive rock guitar solo > this really wasn't necessary given the infrequency with > which Numan plays this live. Disagree. Having been a Numan fan since 1979, I quite enjoyed the "ballsy" renditions on the _Dark Light_ CD, and -- oddly enough -- find Replicas a particular favorite. > 2/ Tone down the rock element throughout the shows, yes > early Numan has guitar in abundance but was it really > played like this originally. Again, I disagree. Does it matter what it was played like originally? I've quite enjoyed how the older material has changed over the years. If you're interested in faithful nostalgia, why not just spin _Living Ornaments_ over and over? > 3/ What is Dadadang and did we really care? Well, I don't care either but I'm not exactly burdened by their existence... > 4/ Reinstate the members of The Touring Principle band > and record the next album with them. Disagree. This period had a full life, and Numan doesn't seem too interested in recreating it. One of the things that I liked about _Sacrifice_ was that it used many of the old "classic" Numan elements in a new context. I'm more in favor of that than in re-creating the past. Again, _Living Ornaments_ and all the old albums still exist. > 5/ We need Numan to father the bastard son of Sacrifice and > Pleasure Principle, this certainly precludes any > excessive rock guitar. Disagree. I think Numan should father whatever he wants to father. If it were up to *me* he'd combine _Sacrifice_, _Replicas_, _Dance_ and _Telekon_ (with a touch of "Films"). Come to think of it, he did that on Sacrifice. :-) I don't mind the guitar at all...I think it adds an interesting edge. I like it *much* more when artists do what's true for them and take some chances. The new Bowie CD is a good example of that. So was _Sacrifice_. I have every confidence that Numan will do something interesting next time out. > 6/ The strangled saxophone was thankfully quiet on > Sacrifice, this is wise. Agree. > 7/ Ditto, female singers. This can be well-done or poorly-done. Numan's done each. I didn't mind any of the backing vocals on _Sacrifice_ (in fact I often quite enjoyed them). _Dream Corrosion_ was a different story, though... > 8/ We now as Numanoids have a reassonable collection of > anthemic woah-woah-woahs re: Absolution, Are Friends & > Love and Napalm We as Numanoids aren't in a position to define the content and quantity of techniques employed...that's the musician's job. From my vantage point, his use of this technique has never been more solid or purposeful than on _Sacrifice_ (second best would be _Telekon_, on my scale). I'm perfectly happy to see how Numan wants to handle this in the future, whether that means wallowing in it or ditching it completely. > 9/ Love and Napalm. I can't stand it. Disagree, although I must admit that on the first few listenings of _Sacrifice_ this seemed to be one of the weaker tracks for me. I didn't really care for the flashback guitar opening. Upon further listening the song has really grown on me and I think the arrangement holds up well. > 10/ Issues of unreleased early sessions and obscure live > recordings and oddities - there must be some, somewhere. The live versions of the _Dance_ material in 1982 (?) were pretty powerful. In particular, "This Is My House" kicked some serious butt. Whenever I play the studio CD, I EQ it and toss in dynamic range (the joys of having a digital audio studio) to emulate my recollection of it live. Other than that, I think there's a pretty hefty volume of live material and b-sides available. I'd rather hear something new. It's funny...I'm far from a blind supporter of anything Numan does. I found 1985-1992 to be pretty bleak. I just find that I disagree with most of the particular points raised in this "manifesto", and it sure doesn't speak for *this* Numan fan. Regards, Gordon ------------------------------ Date: 05 Oct 95 07:46:25 EDT From: Nigel Day <100675.1253@compuserve.com> Subject: 10 Point Manifesto: Is A Deacon misguided? To: "INTERNET:numan@cs.uwp.edu" I read with interest Mr A Deacon's comments in his 10 point manifesto and would like to make a few comments of my own: 1) Replicas guitar: I do agree here that the version of Replicas that was played on the Sacrifice tour was nothing short of a travesty. It sounded to me like Jon Bon Jovi had gotten his talentless little hands on it and had turned it from a moody new wave masterpiece into something approaching corporate MOR rock. Sack that damn guitarist now Gary!!!! Replicas can still be played a la sacrifice with Wavestations and JD800 sounds, no problem. What it does not need are those unsympathetic drums and that ........bloody guitar. Sorry, guitar fans. 2)Again the rock element should be zero. If I wanted to go to a rock gig I would go and watch Meat loaf not Numan. One of Gary's most original high points was the fact that he was so "unrock".He was one of the most original artists that the UK had produced in years, and to hear his "band" churning out the kind of sound that you could find in any back street dive in Britain was hair raising to say the least. I loved Sacrifice, so don't start accusing me of being a retro Numan fan, one of that sad breed who wants "CArs" and nothing else, and was one of the few, if not the only person in this neck of the woods , who played it to death despite the jeers from the lesser educated individual that resides in these parts, and it was that sound that I was expecting to hear during the Sacrifice tour. I reckon the show should have been just Gary, Ade and a drum machine. 3)Dada dang ....ok song good cause....Nothing else to add 4)Reinstate touring principle band for tour and album: Hmmm...a difficult one here. I do not wholly agree that reinstating these people would be a backwards step. After all recording the wretched "Outlands" was hardly looking to the future was it. If Gary's old band were any good on the first place ( and one suspects that they were) then surely they too will have moved on in their style just as Gary has moved on in his.I definitely reckon that Cedric Sharpely should return as a: He looked great with that cool hairstyle and b: That other drummer from the sacrifice tour had about as much rythmn as a broken drum machine. I daresay Billie Currie could do with the work as well. Or how about some new , younger synth players dragged off of the street. 5: The bastard son of the pleasure principle and Sacrifice would be a fine idea. Mind you, am I the only one who reckons that there is a great deal of The Pleasure Principle present in Sacrifice anyway. All you have to do is listen. 6:+7: 2 of the reasons why Numan wandered off into the wilderness from '84 till now. That appalling sax and that harridan "singing" in the background. I would really like to know why they are there in all those songs because as far as I can ascertain they add nothing whatsoever to the music or the general ambience of each track rather than to make each one sound terrifyingly crap.That was one of the reasons that I found Sacrifice so exciting and so cool ....No sax and very very little woman singer. MAybe Numan has re discovered subtlety. Let's hope so.If it's going to have sax on it...let's have Mick Karn on it. 8:Woah woah woah......read woe woe woe I can fully appreciate why a cult following needs a hook to cling on to whenever they get together for the annual bash, but witnessing the Woah woah woah's at the Sacrifice gig last year really did put me in mind of a Gary Glitter gig. The crowd may have well have been chanting Leader Leader Leader instead of Numan Numan Numan. It rendered me speechless anyway. Numan gigs from now on should be a Woah Woah Woah free zone. 9: Love and Napalm So stereotyped it sucks. The low point on the Sacrifice album and one which almost undid all the genius that went before and came after it. I reckon that this should have been dumped and "Absolution" stuck on in it's place. What I really hate about this one is the so obviously anthemic quality of the track. I've always found Gary to be at his worst when he is being obvious. I can almost feel all those Numanoids making Nigel Voodoo dolls up even now. Cool. Good lyrics though. 10: There has to be unreleased or different versions of stuff from '78-8? Lets have them now. How about an official version of the TUbeway Army live at the Roxy lp? Also where the hell can I get Numan Newman on video? Is Gary still making videos? Anyway I guess that some people may take umbridge over some of my comments, but I really do feel that Sacrifice was a brilliant album...only let down by 1 track, and I can understand why Gary released an extended version of it. I keep my fingers crossed that "Exile" is a further progression, and that Tessa Niles has not been allowed anywhere near the OUtlands studio. Yours NDD ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 05 Oct 1995 13:12:25 +0000 (GMT) From: Andy Subject: 11th point to the manifesto To: numan@cs.uwp.edu Point 11 in the manifesto... Please no more songs with lyrics like: I like this... I like that... Ive been here... Ive been there... I dont like this... I dont like that... I am this... I am that... I'm not this... I'm not that... and so on and so on.... ------------------------------ Date: 05 Oct 95 22:35:17 EDT From: Subject: Answers to various questions in &163 To: I'm just responding to a few of the points made in #163: ceetee@daemon.apana.org.au (Cameron Adams) said: >>I was once also a member of the official fan club before they went >> U.K. only. There have been no such restrictions for a couple of years. Get your dosh off to Beryl! haley@OREGON.UOREGON.EDU (Michael M. Haley) said: >> Since Gary is rather prolific in the number and variety of >> I think it would be great if there was a CD that had all of them >> collected into a single package. The Babylon series of CDs for Fan Club members will answer most of your needs. See previous digests for details. Note that "Play Like God" and Whisper of Truth" will be on Babylon 7! Best get your Fan Club membership in. >> What was "Radial Pair"? This was the soundtrack to a video about Gary's Flying. The first track "Mission" was used as the opener to the Dream Corrosion Tour. Most of the other tracks evolved into songs from Sacrifice. 1. Mission - parts went on to become Scar. 2. Kiss Me and Die - parts became A Question Of Faith. 3. Dark Rain 4. Cloud Dancing 5. Virus - parts were used in Desire. 6. Cold House - parts were used in Bleed. 7. Red Sky 8. Machine Heart - parts were used in Pray. r9itunit@internet-eireann.ie (R9) asked: >> does anyone know if there are any plans to release a >> video and /or CD from the next tour? Yes and Yes. These seem to be a good fun raiser in times when record sales are not as good as they could be. Numan concerts also happen to be some of the best around. >> Can anyone enlighten me about the rumours I heard a couple of years >> ago that Gary had turned down an offer to join Virgin Records. It is true. Basically, Gary had to weigh up the benefits - big name, higher profile and more publicity against lower commission and possible interference. Staying as he is means he gets more dosh, has total control and flexibility but less of a public profile (understatement of the year). Also, welcome to all the new members!! I recognise some as visitors to the NU-Zone Web site. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Matthew Holbrook http://www.county.net/machman/numan.html machman@county.net ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 6 Oct 1995 14:51:39 -0800 From: dlangs@sunstroke.sdsu.edu (Derek Langsford) Subject: Answer to Mike Haley's Qs To: numan@cs.uwp.edu In # 163 haley@OREGON.UOREGON.EDU (Michael M. Haley) >Comment: One problem about being a possessive fan is that I buy >everything. Since Gary is rather prolific in the number and variety of >B-sides, I think it would be great if there was a CD that had all of them >collected into a single package. I really like many of them from the >'84-'91 era. Prior to '84, the newer releases from B.B. have the extra >tracks on the respective CDs now, so only '84-on would need to be covered. The tracks are dribbling out on CD but not in the way that most fans would really like most, which is what you suggested - one or two CDs of collected b-sides. A few of them have appeared on the two UK compilations from Receiver Records, "The Other Side of Gary Numan" and "Here I Am" (the latter is the better value). Otherwise, a more comprehensive but still frustrating approach is the "Babylon" series from the UK Fan Club. Virtually all Gary's post 1983 b-sides will be on these but they are spread across 7 CDs along with the 12" edits of the singles. They are hard to get hold of (see post from Ron Cole in #161) and will cost upward of $120 to get them to the USA. Something like the Pet Shop Boys' 2CD "Alternative" general release compilation would have been a much more convenient way for fans to obtain these songs on CD. The appearance of the tracks on Babylon I think precludes the chance of them appearing on future CD reissues of "Berserker", "The Fury" and "Strange Charm". >Question: Is there some way to still find the CD single for "A Question of >Faith"? I would like to hear "Play Like God" and Whisper of Truth". Let's >face it, Oregon is NOT music central, and thus getting imports here to >Eugene is a task! Any help on this matter would be appreciated A common problem is import stores not carrying stocks of Gary's material. Seems they are not willing to take a chance and order more than one copy of things for fear of gettting stuck with it on their shelves. try one of the on-line sources - e.g. cdnow (http://www.cdnow.com). Mike Ehli lives in Eugene and I thought has a store that gets him his Numan fixes. Mike E., are you out here still? >Two more quick questions: What was "Radial Pair"? What are the "Babylon" >singles? I've already described "Babylon". The "Radial Pair" CD EP Soundtrack is another UK Fan Club only release. It is the instrumental music Gary composed to go with the Radial Pair video. The RP is the name of the aircraft display team Gary flies in. The video and CD are both UK FC items only but contact Kristina Cole about getting them (details below). Those interested in being a member of the UK Fan Club and getting access to all the UK Fan Club items need to contact the Cole's either in writing or by FAX as follows: The address: Kristina Cole P.O. Box 1412 Ridgecrest, CA 93556-1412 U.S.A. The fax #: +1 619 384-2346 That's it. Derek -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Derek H. Langsford dlangs@sunstroke.sdsu.edu Dept. of Biology Tel. (619) 594 2885 San Diego State University Fax (619) 594 7831 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ Date: 05 Oct 95 07:05:06 EDT From: Nigel Day <100675.1253@compuserve.com> Subject: Gary Numan Digest V1 #163 To: "INTERNET:numan@cs.uwp.edu" Hi My name is Nigel Day and I live in the west of the UK-the real Outlands !!!! I am 32 and have been an ardent Numanoid from the moment that I first heard "Down in the Park" on Radio 1's Mike Read show way back in the late '70's. It's been up hill all the way since !! As an old punk, at the time I found what Numan/Tubeway Army wa doing was the next step on in the musical heirarchy, with the 2 Tubeway Army albums still being top of my playlist even today. I have followed Gary avidly ever since, although I have only been able to see him live twice: on the Dream Corrosion tour and the Sacrifice tour, both of which were excellent ( Apart from the truly appalling rock guitar. Sack the guitarist NOW!!!!!) I like all kinds of music besides Numan...Depeche Mode, Morrissey ( A friend of mine in Wantage has 300 Smiths/Morrissey records!!! Is this the ultimate collection?) I still listen to a lot of old punk stuff such as Wire, Buzzcocks, Penetration and I also like some of the more modern bands such as Suede and Elastica. I played keyboards for a band for a few years who were directly influenced by GAry's recording carreer ( The Lucas Patrol) and also worked with one Dave Complex, a local Gary Numan sound alike who recorded excellent versions of Me, I disconnect from you, Cars, Films amongst others. You should hear the tapes !!!!!! I look forwars to receiving the Numan digest and will be contributing my 10 pence worth every now and again .......starting with my comments on Mr A Deacons Manifesto !!!! Yours Nigel "OD Replica" Day ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 06 Oct 95 08:28:41 MDT From: numanoid@netway.ab.ca (Joey Lindstrom) Subject: Gary Numan FAQ now online To: numan@cs.uwp.edu Kay Teel's long-awaited Gary Numan FAQ is now complete and ready for public consumption. I'm certain that Kay has made arrangements to make it available via FTP from somewhere... but in the meantime, you can: 1) Check out the (VERY far from completion) World Wide Webb Page (title blatantly stolen from a suggestion in this forum, for which I am grateful). The URL is: http://www.netway.ab.ca/numanoid/wwwebb.htm >From there, you can choose to read the FAQ in either text or HTML format. 2) You can go get 'em directly, as: http://www.netway.ab.ca/numanoid/numanfaq.txt or http://www.netway.ab.ca/numanoid/numanfaq.htm Thanks very much to Kay Teel for organizing this, and to all the contributors of information to the FAQ itself. To everyone else: please enjoy! /--------------------------------------------------------- / Joey Lindstrom / numanoid@netway.ab.ca ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 5 Oct 95 20:03 +0100 From: 051082957-0006@t-online.de (Th. Dieckmann) Subject: intro message To: numan@cs.uwp.edu Hello Numan-Fans and Numanoids out there in the world! My name is Thomas Dieckmann, I live in Pattensen which is a little town south of Hanover, which most of you most likely have heard of because of its giant fairs ("Hannover-Messe" and "CeBit"). I am 31 now ("I'm old, so old, this infection of time"), married (we married in Minden, Nevada) and have a little son for 10 months now. I am a mechanical engineer, specialised in automotive technology. For 4 years I worked at the University of Hanover and since 2 years I am working at Continental AutomotiveSystems. Continental is a large tire company (for everyone over there in the States: look out for General Tire products to support my company!). I started to be interested in Gary in '79 with A.f.e? but I only bought his records from time to time. It was in '85 with Berserker and especially The Fury when I started to become a real fan. This was within a time when many Numan-Fans thought Gary should go back to his old style. For the first time I went to Hammersmith in '87 and I haven't missed any Hammersmith concert since then, I even went to the European Brussels gig. I am interested in lots of different kinds of music, but none of them with so much interest as Gary Numan. Unfortunately (or rather fortunately for my environment) I don't play any instrument. Apart from Nu-music I am intersted in automobiles, in politics and in modern technologies in general. I hope to hear from Fans from all over the world... Thomas ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 6 Oct 1995 11:27:42 -0400 (EDT) From: Glen Sutton Subject: music To: Gary Numan Digest Hi electric friends- Anyone know where I can find printed sheet music of Numan songs? Or has anyone done their own transcriptions that I might get copies of somehow? thanks! Glen PS: I am looking for song writing partners.....anyone interested? ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Zendrum Corporation e-mail:Zendrum@RandomC.com PO Box 15369 Atlanta, Georgia 30333 - the future of electronic drumming- (404) 874-6824 fax:(404) 425-0755 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 6 Oct 1995 15:09:25 -0800 From: dlangs@sunstroke.sdsu.edu (Derek Langsford) Subject: Outland and other stuff To: numan@cs.uwp.edu >In #163 r9itunit@internet-eireann.ie (R9) asked: >I have read some (but not all) of the archive digests. One of the >things that caught my attention was discussion on the Outland CD. >Firstly I was surprised at the apparent dislike generally for the CD >because it's one of my favourites (as I said in my intro >I don't have any problem with Mid - Late period Numan). Many of the people on this list are fans from the "olde days" and felt Gary's dabbling in Prince/JanetJacksonesque dance-type music was too much. It just wasn't what one expected from Gary, even though we know he changes his style and experiments continuously. Rather than charting new territory, I personally felt "Outland" was derivative rather than ground breaking. And in my case, I don't like modern top 40 dance music. >But what I wasn't aware of was that the album was somewhat >plagued by mishap and record company interference. Could >someone out there give me a potted history of the troubles which >beset this recording. Gary set up his Outland studio after "Metal Rhythm". It took a long time to set up and master. Then he had equipment problems during the recording sessions apparently caused by electrical problems (the house was no grounded properly). Gary was also being infulenced by a lot of outsiders, including Miles Coplend head of IRS Records. This strained Gary's artistic independance. Beryl, Gary's mother and head of the UK Fan Club, told me it was IRS who pushed it into a dance direction. Rumours are that the album was sent back to Gary four times for remixing. So it was never an easy album for Gary to record and he now looks back on it as being below par. It lacks the "Numanness" that people expect from Gary. This and the "Machine and Soul" album are why Gary secluded himself from outside influences in the recording of "Sacrifice" and the new album expected in February 96. Most fans think this has been a good decision for Gary's music. >Before I go does anyone know if there are any plans to release a >video and /or CD from the next tour. Also can anyone enlighten me >about the rumours I heard a couple of years ago that Gary had turned >down an offer to join Virgin Records (this would have been about >the time of the DC / OMD tours. I think Gary has every intention of doing so. THe idea is to play songs that have not been played before or put onto a live album so a new live album will be a good value for fans. He likes to video the concerts as well. It was only the unavalability of camera equipment that prevented a "Dark Light" Video from seeing the light of day (or should I say night? :-). Expect to see a live album and video for the spring 96 tour sometime next autumn. I cannot believe that Gary would turn down a deal with Virgin. They have distribution in the USA, Europe and Japan. That is exactly what he is after, unless Virgin placed too many requirements on him. Anyone know anymore? Derek -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Derek H. Langsford dlangs@sunstroke.sdsu.edu Dept. of Biology Tel. (619) 594 2885 San Diego State University Fax (619) 594 7831 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 5 Oct 95 20:48 +0100 From: 051082957-0006@t-online.de (Th. Dieckmann) Subject: p.s. intro message To: numan@cs.uwp.edu Hello again, silly me, I completely forgot to mention that Pattensen and Hannover are in Germany! Bye Thomas ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 5 Oct 1995 19:11:08 EST From: "Kay Teel" Subject: The Numan Digest FAQ, version 1 To: numan@cs.uwp.edu Welcome to the Numan FAQ, version 1. Before I post the FAQ itself, I'd like to explain how it was compiled and how it will be updated. I volunteered to compile the FAQ a few months ago. I asked the list for topics to include, and went over past digests. My arbitrary rule-of-thumb was that if a topic had been raised more than 3 times, it was a frequently asked question. I drew on the expert knowledge of many list members and consulted any reference sources I had (books, articles). Important note! Gary did not answer any of these questions himself. The FAQ predates Derek's Q & A sessions with Gary, so none of this info is straight from Gary. I plan to post the FAQ to the digest on a quarterly basis. It is also available from the ftp sites: cs.uwp.edu and mirrors.aol.com, and on Joe Lindstrom's webpage. Anyone else who wants to add it to their webpage is welcome to do so, but I'd appreciate it if you would let me know. I will include your URL in future FAQ postings. Updates: I'm sure there are questions missing from the FAQ you'd like to see. Or you may have additional info to include or corrections to make. Please send all of these to me so I can update the FAQ. I do read the digest but it's very easy to overlook something -- so if you send a FAQ correction, addition, question or answer to the digest, please cc: me, with Subject line: Numan FAQ. Thanks! Also, I know there are a lot of you out there who are much more knowledgeable than me. I would love to hear from volunteers willing to answer questions. This is YOUR FAQ. I'm just the typist. Please help it along by contributing! --Kay Teel teel@is.nyu.edu ------------------------------------ _The Gary Numan FAQ_ Version 1.0 Compiled by Kay Teel with input from various members of the Numan Digest mailing list . Special thanks to Derek Langsford and Brian Hammond . Report errors and additions to: Kay Teel . Much information was taken from: _Gary Numan: the Authorised Biography_ by Ray Coleman. !! Note: This FAQ does NOT include the complete Numan discography, which can be found in the ftp sites at: cs.uwp.edu and mirrors.aol.com!! Contents: I. Biographical and personal info II. Common questions (Personal, Lyrics, and Misc.) III. Collaborations IV. Covers of Gary Numan songs V. Numan and IRS Records VI. CD Releases VII. Numan Books VIII. Useful addresses Section I: Biographical and personal info: 1.) The basics Gary Numan was born Gary Anthony James Webb on 8 March 1958 in Chiswick Hospital near London, England. He grew up in Ashford and Wraysbury. Parents-- Beryl (Lidyard) Webb and Tony Webb. He has a younger brother (adopted) named John. Schools: Gary attended Town Farm Junior School, Stanwell; Ashford Grammar School; Stanwell Secondary Modern; and Brooklands Technical College, Weybridge, which he left at age 17. He held various odd jobs after leaving college. Flying: Next to music, Gary's passion in life is his flying. He earned his first pilot's license in 1980. In 1981-82 he made his problem-plagued round-the-world flight. He has flown in numerous air displays, released a video on his hobby, and remains actively interested in flying. First guitar: age 4. First electric guitar: age 13. Began writing songs around age 15. Bands: (1) Crimson Lake. When he was 15, he was in the band for about 1 month before being fired. (2) Black Gold -- for a couple of gigs only. The band split up. (3) Mean Street -- Gary formed this band, which went through many names until at last settling on Mean Street. The rest of the band kicked Gary out, an experience he recounts in the song "Mean Street." (4) The Lasers -- Gary joined this band and met bassist Paul Gardiner. They left the band shortly after, and recruited Gary's uncle Jess Lidyard on drums to form: (5) Tubeway Army. Tubeway Army were recording a demo tape at Spaceward Studios, Cambridge, when Gary happened across a synthesizer. He liked what he heard and changed the band's musical direction. Tubeway Army were signed to Beggars Banquet Records, an up and coming small label, in 1978. Tubeway Army released the self-titled first album (originally released in a limited edition blue vinyl pressing in a blue sleeve). The next album, _Replicas_ was released in the UK under Tubeway Army, but for all intents and purposes, Tubeway Army no longer existed at this point. 2.) Problems with the press From almost the start of his rise to fame, Gary has been beset by problems from the British music press. Bad reviews, misquoted interviews, and sniping comments were common. For a while in 1980-81, Gary refused to do any interviews, saying the papers would print whatever they wanted anyway. The press eventually went on to other targets, but the initial nastiness has meant a legacy of the British music press never taking Numan seriously. 2a.) Problems with the BBC The BBC boycott really took hold after 1980. As Numan has mentioned in one of the Images albums, "Down In The Park" was the one and only single of his to ever get good reviews. John Peel of BBC1 did like Numan and even allowed him to cut two Peel Sessions (most groups only got one). Numan's music was played on BBC1 during his peak years (1979-1982) but by _Warriors_ onwards, getting radio play became increasingly difficult. By the time he formed Numa Records in 1984, it was nigh impossible to get BBC1 to play anything more than once. Numan is left having to do promotional spots and interviews on independent radio in the UK because BBC1 still won't have anything to do with him. The only exception was the single "Radio Heart" which did get played a little bit. Section II: Common Questions: A.) Personal: 1.) Where did he get the name Numan from? Gary changed his last name to Numan around the time he formed Tubeway Army. He found the name by leafing through a London telephone directory and finding "Neumann," which he altered to "Numan." 2.) I have an old Tubeway Army single that gives his name as Valerian. Where did that come from? Valerian is a type of plant used in sedatives. Gary was on prescribed tranquilizers for a time when he was in college. He may have got the name Valerian from that. Probably the band was trying to use "futuristic" names. 3.) Has Gary ever composed music for commercials? In 1978 he wrote the music for a Lee Cooper Jeans advertisement, and in 1982 he wrote the music for a 7-Up ad (UK only). He also wrote music for a French perfume commercial in 1994. Some of that music ended up on _Sacrifice_. It was not used by the perfume company as it was considered too dark. 4.) Has Gary ever composed movie soundtracks? He did the soundtrack for the horror film, _The Unborn_ (1991). As of 9/95, the soundtrack has not been released, though the film is available on video. The soundtrack will be released by Numa Records in fall 1995, called _Human_. Also, several of Gary's songs have been used in films. 5.) When did Gary "retire" from touring and why? And why did he return to touring? In August 1981, Gary put on his highly-publicized farewell concerts at Wembley Arena, near London. He was still at his peak in popularity and had completed his very successful Touring Principle and Teletour tours. He lost money on all the tours, because of the huge shows he put on, but his main reason for announcing his retirement was pressure. He had risen to fame very quickly, and wanted to step out of the spotlight for a while. He wanted to concentrate on his music, and devote more time to flying. He also saw video as the future of music and planned to go into making short films but this never materialized. He returned to touring after the album _Dance_ was released. He missed it, and the fans had never stopped asking for his return. 6.) Has Gary had a hair transplant operation? He had one in 1982, and discussed it in detail in a _Smash Hits_ interview around that time. 7.) Didn't Gary live in America for a while? In 1982 he left the UK for tax reasons, and lived in Los Angeles for a year. 8.) Is Gary gay? Married? Gary is not gay, though some of his lyrics have been interpreted to contain gay-themed references. He is not married, and has been living with his girlfriend for several years. B.) Lyrics: 1.) Who was Jo the Waiter? Although "Jo the Waiter" is probably a fictitious character, Gary once dated a girl named Jo during the time he was keeping a notebook of story and lyric ideas. 2.) What are S.U.'s? According to the Coleman biography (p.70), S.U. was "a comment on his turbulent relationship at the time with Su Wathan, the press girl at Beggars Banquet." 3.) Where did MachMen come from? MachMen was an abbreviated form of Machine Men, taken from a comic strip Numan used to read. 4.) What is the Japanese bit in "This Wreckage?" Transliterated as: "wakareyo", it can be translated as "I am going to leave" or "I am going to part company [with you]." 5.) What were "letters like D.E.B." in "We Take Mystery (To Bed)"? Another comment on a girlfriend, Deb. C.) Misc: 1.) Has Gary been influenced by William S. Burroughs? Numan started reading Burroughs after hearing others talk about his writings. Numan is quoted in the Coleman biography (p.68) as saying, "I couldn't figure out Burroughs' books at all, but I did find I could get so many ideas from page to page." 2.) Has Gary been influenced by Philip K. Dick? Gary read the books by science fiction writer Philip K. Dick, and got many ideas from them. The title "Are 'Friends' Electric?" was probably modeled on _Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep?_. Also, _Bladerunner_ (based on this novel) is one of Numan's favorite films, and he has used samples from the film in several songs. 3.) Who were his other influences? Other influences he has mentioned are: Marc Bolan, David Bowie, Ultravox with John Foxx, Kraftwerk. He mentions modeling his early, androgynous look on Bolan and Bowie. His Warriors image was drawn from Mad Max, and his Dance and I, Assassin image from watching old Humphrey Bogart films. 4.) What happened to Paul Gardiner? Paul Gardiner released a solo single, "Stormtrooper In Drag" backed with "Night Talk" (from _Dance_) which was a collaboration with Numan. Unfortunately, his addiction to heroin led him away from Numan, and in 1984 he died of an overdose. His single "Venus In Furs" was released posthumously on the Numa label. 5.) What is the symbol on the _Sacrifice_ album? It is a caduceus, a wing-topped staff with 2 snakes winding about it, carried by Hermes in Greek legend. To the Greeks, it symbolized fertility, sun-gods, wisdom, and healing. It is a common symbol for the medical profession. 6.) What is the album _Photograph_? It was a German compilation album released in 1980, apparently without Numan's consent. For whatever reason, it was quickly deleted and has become a collectors' item, although it does not contain any rare or unreleased tracks. 7.) Is that really a sample from Tears For Fears song on "I Wonder" ? That really is a sample of Tears For Fear's "Shout" on there. In an interview with TFF's Roland Orzabal some years ago, he stated that he lifted the part himself by programming his Drumulator drum machine to play the same part played by a human in the song "Seen and Not Seen" on the Talking Heads album _Remain in Light_. 8.) Is it true Numan is planning a ballad album and an "unplugged" album? Yes, it seems so. We wait. Section III. Collaborations: Billy Currie, keyboardist/violinist from Ultravox, played on The Pleasure Principle and toured with Numan on the Touring Principle tour. Chris Payne, one of the co-founders of the New Romantic group Visage, joined Gary for The Pleasure Principle. He went on to co-form the group Dramatis with Rrussell Bell, Denis Haines and Cedric Sharpley. Dramatis recorded "Love Needs No Disguise," with Numan on vocals, released one album (_For Future Reference_) and a few singles. In 1980, Australian pop singer James Freud traveled to England to work with Numan. Although it was planned that Numan would produce Freud's album, this fell through. Freud is credited ("handclaps") on the album _Telekon_. He later went on to join the group The Models, as did Roger Mason, who toured with Numan on the Teletour. The group Simple Minds are credited on the album _Telekon_ ("handclaps"). Numan co-wrote the songs "Johnny and Mary" and "Style Kills" with Robert Palmer. Palmer did a cover of "I Dream Of Wires" on his _Clues_ album. Mick Karn, bassist from the group Japan, played on Dance. So did Japan ex-member, guitarist Rob Dean, and Japan's publicist Connie Filapello provided the Italian spoken parts in "Boys Like Me." Pino Palladino played fretless bass on _I, Assassin_ (1982). He was quoted once in an interview as saying he is most proud of his work he did for Gary Numan on the _I, Assassin_ album. Roger Taylor, drummer from the group Queen, played on _Dance_. Nash the Slash, Canadian keyboardist/violinist and member of the on-again/off-again group FM, toured with Numan in 1980, playing electric violin on the song "The Joy Circuit." He also appears on the _Dance_ album (1981) on the songs "Cry, The Clock Said," "You Are You Are," and "Moral," and toured with Gary on the _Dance_ tour. Nash The Slash had a brief solo career (1977 - 1985) in which he released a few LPS, 12" and 7" singles. The duo Dollar appeared in the song "Bridge? What Bridge?". Bill Nelson provided backing vocals to the song "Poetry and Power" and was involved with the production on the _Warriors_ album. Nelson had his name removed from the credits thought because by the end of the sessions Nelson had "artistic differences" with Numan and did not want his name on it. In 1985-89, Numan worked with Bill Sharpe from Shakatak to put out four singles ("Change Your Mind," "New Thing From London Town," "I'm On Automatic" and "No More Lies"/"Voices") and an album _Automatic_. He may have helped on Sharpe's solo album _Famous People_, the CD of which contains the 12" version of "Change Your Mind." Claire Hamil Yen (produced a few tracks) Big Noise (produced a few tracks) Most of the Numa label artists of 1984-87 Radio Heart: Appearing seemingly out of nowhere (though they come from Scotland), Radio Heart managed to get such big names as Gary Numan and Elton John to help them out on their first (and only) album _Radio Heart_. After three singles were released, an LP and CD of the album came out with Numan prominently pictured on the sleeve and with his name in big letters. This cover created the illusion that this was a Numan album when in fact it was not. Numa got mad and apparently had the clout to pull the plug on the whole deal. A good number of LPS had been released at this point but very few CDS made it out and it is now quite a rare find. The writers of _Radio Heart_'s music were two men named Hugh and David Nicholson. After _Radio Heart_ faded into obscurity, in 1994 a song called "Like A Refugee (I Won't Cry)" was released by a group called Da Da Dang. It was written by Hugh and David Nicholson, and produced by Numan. The single was released to raise money to aid Bosnia. Numan co-wrote the song "Shame" with Nick Beggs (ex-member of Kajagoogoo). Generator, formed by Numan guest guitarist Kipper, had Gary do voice-overs on their cover of "Are Friends' Electric?" in 1994. Gary produced two remixes of "Are Friends' Electric?" with UK band Nancy Boy in 1995. Section IV. Covers of Gary Numan songs: Robert Palmer: "I Dream Of Wires" (Clues LP) Caroline Munro: "Pump Me Up" (Numa Records 1984 on 12" and 7") Tik & Tok: "A Child With The Ghost" (Intolerance LP 1984) Christian Death: "Down In The Park" (live) (The Iron Mask CD) Kool G Rap & DJ Polo: "Cars" (Road To Riches CD (contains samples from "Cars")) Sir Mix-A-Lot: "Rippin'" contains samples from "Cars" (Swass LP) Sir Mix-A-Lot: "Lockjaw" contains a sample from "Zero Bars: ["Your silence is my trade"] (Mack Daddy CD) Jack'O'Nuts: "My Shadow In Vain" ("Taking Him Over" 7") Generator: "Are 'Friends' Electric?" ("Are 'Friends' Electric?" CD single (two versions) with Numan contributing to the two spoken parts) Nancy Boy: "Are Friends' Electric?" [Parts 1 and 2] (UK CD single 1995) Judybats: "Cars" ("Daylight" CD single 1991) Big Hair: "Cars" ("Shall I Pee On Your Face and Make It Stick" 7" EP (Energy Records 1993)) Marilyn Manson: "Down In The Park" ("Lunchbox" CD single 1995) Hole: "Cars" (performed live during 1995 tour) Smashing Pumpkins: "M.E." (performed live during 1995 tour) And many, many, up-and-coming bands are covering Numan songs (or using Numan samples in their songs). Apparently a journalist for an American magazine went to interview Trent Reznor (of Nine Inch Nails and Marilyn Manson) at his studio and found him in the process of recording a version of "Metal." Section V. Numan and IRS Records: In 1987, Numan penned a deal with long-time fan Miles Copeland to produce _Metal Rhythm_ on Illegal Records (U.K.'s IRS counterpart). However, Gary's 3 record contract with IRS expired upon the release of _Outland_ and Gary was left without a U.S deal once again. For _Metal Rhythm_, Gary wanted to call it "Cold Metal Rhythm" but was told it was too long a title. The UK release was the only one that contained Gary's own choices for the album. The US, continental European and Japanese releases of the retitled album _New Anger_ had two tracks omitted, 3 songs remixed, and two tracks from _Berserker_ added, one of which was remixed. Gary was not happy with this level of interference in his artistic conceptions. Miles Copeland (head of IRS) exerted too much influence over Gary's material. This undermined Gary's artistic independence. Beryl has said it was IRS that pushed _Outland_ in a more "dancy" direction. IRS did not want to release the soundtrack Gary did for the movie _The Unborn_. This upset Gary as he was proud of the work he did for it and thought IRS would jump at the chance of putting out an album of music that has a film to advertise it. Gary wanted IRS to help fund a US tour to promote the US album releases of _New Anger_ and _Outland_. IRS would not. The lack of any advertising or promotion apart from a brief visit to New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco made Gary feel IRS were not serious about him as an artist on their label. Even the attempt at issuing a US single from _Outland_ was half-hearted. The "My World Storm" US remix only appeared on 12" when CD5s were the more popular format for singles and the T-shirt offer associated with it fizzled with none being printed. It is not clear whether IRS fired Gary or he left or it was a mutual parting of ways. Gary does not speak highly of IRS in interviews so we know he was not happy. Section VI. CD Releases: A.) UK CD release of _Living Ornaments_ (BEGA 155CD): Yes, it was planned but Beggars Banquet could not find the tapes for the 1980 show. They wanted to put a full 75 mins of each concert on CD. Beggars Banquet told Numan that they would pair the Wembley 1981 farewell concert with _Living Ornaments '79_ instead. There has been no sign of this set yet. 70+ mins of the _Living Ornaments_ concerts can be found on the Japanese _Asylum_ Volume 3 CD. Even though '79 is edited down they merged it with '80 so it sounds almost like one concert. The omitted tracks are present as bonus tracks on other _Asylum_ Vol. 1 discs. B.) _Berserker_ CD: A _Berserker_ CD (with the cassette extended mixes) saw a limited 2000 disc release via the UK-only Gary Numan Fan Club in 1991. It was Numa's first release after the split with IRS but occurred before the distribution deal with Pinnacle which now distributes all Gary's Numa material. So only a few copies found their way out of the UK. The initial pressing ran out in 1992. In August 1995 Gary told Derek that a new pressing of _Berserker_ on CD was already in process. C.) Derek Langsford's CDiscography: !! For full discography, visit the ftp site at: cs.uwp.edu or mirrors.aol.com!! All within categories are in chronological order of original release rather than CD release. Current status is indicated at left. Solo album CDS STATUS -------------- ------ UK CD compilations (2 albums per CD: some tracks omitted) Tubeway Army & Dance DELETED Replicas & The Plan DELETED The Pleasure Principle & Warriors DELETED Telekon/I Assassin DELETED Replicas UK budget rerelease CURRENT Asylum 1 (1st 4 BB albums + bonus tracks) Jap 4CD Collection DELETED Asylum 2 (2nd 4 BB albums + bonus tracks) Jap 4CD Collection DELETED Asylum 3 (Living Ornaments 80 + some of 79) Jap 1CD Collection DELETED Tubeway Army & Dance UK 2CD (+ bonus tracks) CURRENT Replicas & The Plan UK 2CD (+ bonus tracks) CURRENT The Pleasure Principle & Warriors UK 2CD (+ bonus tracks) CURRENT Telekon/I Assassin UK 2CD (+ bonus tracks) CURRENT Berserker (extended mixes) UK Fan Club-only CD out of print (but due to be available again in fall 1995) White Noise UK 2CD Live CURRENT The Fury UK CD album out of print Strange Charm UK CD album out of print Ghost UK 2CD Live CURRENT New Anger (US version of Metal Rhythm) US/Ger/Jap CD Album DELETED Metal Rhythm UK CD album DELETED The Skin Mechanic all markets CD Live DELETED Outland all markets CD Album DELETED Machine and Soul UK CD album CURRENT Machine and Soul Extended UK CD album CURRENT Dream Corrosion UK 2CD Live CURRENT Sacrifice UK CD album CURRENT Sacrifice Extended UK CD album CURRENT Dark Light UK 2CD Live CURRENT Compilations ------------ Exhibition UK/Ger/Can/Jap 2CD DELETED The Collection UK CD Compilation CURRENT Isolate UK CD Compilation CURRENT Document Series presents Gary Numan UK CD compilation CURRENT The Other Side of Gary Numan UK CD compilation DELETED The Best of Gary Numan 1978-1983 UK/Ger/Jap 2CD CURRENT Here I Am UK CD compilation CURRENT CD singles/EPs -------------- Peel Sessions UK CD5 Studio Live unknown Selection UK CD5 EP out of print Exhibition Jap CD3 EP out of print New Anger UK CD5 Single DELETED America UK CD5 Single DELETED Heart UK CD5 Single DELETED Emotion UK CD5 Single CURRENT ? The Skin Game UK CD5 Single CURRENT ? Machine and Soul 1 UK CD5 Single CURRENT ? Machine and Soul 2 UK CD5 Single CURRENT ? Cars EP UK CD5 EP CURRENT Dream Corrosion Live EP UK CD5 EP CURRENT A Question of Faith UK CD5 Single CURRENT Absolution/Magic UK CD5 Single CURRENT Dark Light Live EP UK CD5 EP CURRENT UK Fan Club-only music releases ------------------------------- Berserker (extended mixes) UK Fan Club CD out of print Radial Pair Video Soundtrack UK Fan Club CD CURRENT Babylon vols 1-7 back catalogue issues UK Fan Club CD due Jun-Nov 95 Human music from _The Unborn_ soundtrack sessions due fall 1995 Interview CDS ------------- Images 1 & 2 due from UK 2LP Interview Fan club Images 3 & 4 in the near 2LP Interview future Images 5 & 6 2LP Interview Images 7 & 8 2LP Interview Images 9 & 10 2LP Interview Images 11 CD Interview (from UK Fan Club) Interview (b&w Fury era cover) CD Interview out of print Collaborations -------------- albums Automatic (with Bill Sharpe) UK CD Album out of print All Across the Nation (with Radio Heart) Holl CD album only a few exist singles I'm On Automatic (with Bill Sharpe) UK CD5 out of print No More Lies (with Bill Sharpe) UK CD5 out of print Voices (same tracks as No More Lies) Ger CD5 out of print All Across The Nation (Radio Heart) UK CD5 impossible to find Adrenalin (Numan/Yen) UK CD5 out of print Like a Refugee (with Da Da Dang) part 1 UK CD5 CURRENT Like a Refugee (with Da Da Dang) part 2 UK CD5 CURRENT Are 'Friends" Electric? (with Generator) UK CD5 CURRENT Are Friends' Electric? Parts 1 & 2 (Nancy Boy) CURRENT There are also numerous various artist compilations which feature Gary but mostly the tracks are "Are Friends Electric?" and "Cars." "Change Your Mind" with Bill Sharpe never had a CD single release but the 7" version is on the Canadian Polydor release of "Exhibition" along with "No More Lies" and "Voices." The "Change Your Mind" 12" mix can be found on the Canadian compilation "Hardest Hits, Volume II" CD. This series supposedly had a US release in 1995. Section VII. Numan Books: 1.) Coleman, Ray. _Gary Numan: The Authorised Biography_. London: Sidgwick & Jackson, 1982. 128 pages, b&w ill. ISBN 0283988762 The best and fairest assessment of Numan's life and work, but sadly out of date. 2.) Vermorel, Fred & Judy. _Gary Numan By Computer_. London: Omnibus Press, 1980. b&w and color ill. A shoddily-created book of photographs and quotes. 3.) _The Gary Numan Songbook, vol. 1_. London: Chappell Music Ltd., 1982. 79 p., b&w and color ill. Sheet music for 1978-1979 songs (covers songs on the 1st album, _Replicas_ and _The Plan_). Also contains a few reprints of articles. As far as is known, there were never any more volumes published. 4.) _Electric Shadows_. circa 1984. A scrapbook-like compilation of magazine articles and clippings. Section VIII. Useful addresses: Gary Numan UK Fan Club Gary Numan Fan Club, P.O. Box 14, Staines, Middlesex TW19 5AU There is no official connection with anyone outside the UK and Ireland. Beryl does work with a few select individuals in other countries who collect orders from others in those countries. She does not respond to individual membership requests from outside the UK and Ireland. Gary Numan North American Fan Club (Official) Ron Cole has an agreement with Beryl to run UKFC memberships for people in the USA. He can be contacted at zippy@ecst.csuchico.edu. Gary Numan North American Fan Club (Unofficial) Contact: Jim Napier, 165 Enfield Center Road East, Ithaca, NY 14850. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 5 Oct 1995 10:44:52 -0400 From: Dangerimp@aol.com Subject: Tshirts To: numan@cs.uwp.edu thanks to everyone who has ordered a Tshirt; people are quite funny in this group -- you whackos know who you are! ]:) this is an update on the NUMAN DIGEST Tshirt offer. i am posting this for several reasons: first, there are many new members (and more joining every day) who did not see the initial offer i made in ISSUE #154. also, there are folks who have been members for a long time, but for one reason or another, did not SEE the offer. furthermore, i have already received about 30 orders, and want those hesitant "lurkers" to know that this is legitimate... < ok? come out of the woods, man. we won't shoot! > BTW, i have been discussing ways to make this more accessible and of interest to EVERYONE, with derek. we decided that it might be helpful if i created the artwork, and uploaded a GIF or JPEG file to the digest. this would allow everyone to download the shirt artwork, if so desired. without further ado, here is the offer: i plan on producing high-quality, 100% cotton Gary Numan Tshirts, with the NUMA logo on the front, and the DIGEST NETAD on the back. by popular demand, this shirt will be black with white artwork. other important tidbits: due to our wonderfully wide membership (pun intended), i will be producing two different sizes: XL and 3XL (yes, 3XL). i, myself, do not require a 3XL, but i prefer them (the floppier, the better). furthermore, i received a surprising number of orders from people who simply MUST have a 2 or 3XL. and, since most people prefer XL, these are your options. *IMPORTANT* if you have ALREADY PLACED AN ORDER, i will assume that you want an XL, unless you email me and specifically request a 3XL. don't worry if this is absolutely unacceptable for you, personally. i am quite accomodating. just let me know. in regards to the COST (several people have expressed concern), i want you all to know that, provided all goes well (i.e. more people order them), the cost of the shirt should be approx. US$10. if there aren't as many, or i get an onslaught of european orders (expensive shipping), the price will go up for EVERYONE. do not be alarmed, though. if it'll cost US$15+ to do this, i probably WON'T, since people are hesitant. [let's not forget, you couldn't get a numan shirt at a STORE for less than US$15, even *IF* a store carried NUMAN merchandise!]. if anyone is unsure, you should know that we intend to put one of these babies in GARY's hands. jeez, if that's not enough of an impetus... ]:) until next rhyme, imp out. p.s. any questions, or ORDERS should be addressed to: Dangerimp@AOL.com ------------------------------ End of Gary Numan Digest ******************************