Gary Numan Digest Thu, 27 Mar 97 Volume 1 : Issue 316 Today's Topics: Gary Numan Digest V1 #315 Gary Numan Mailing List Gary on MTV's AMP GN's 'comeback' info about myaelf new to lis Numan fan Numan Q Tips, and Old Vs New Revisited. this is me... ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Date: Mon, 24 Mar 1997 09:32:52 +0000 From: stefano Subject: Gary Numan Digest V1 #315 To: Gary Numan Im fully agree with GN. Not releasing the album on an inappropriate label. GN could still reach the top the top all around the world, because all the world still know him for CAR. So the world is still waiting for a new Gary Numan release. Im sure that we can also appreciate a less impressive tour. I mean, I will also enjoy to see GN in a small place. stefano meneghetti stefano@glamm.com ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 24 Mar 1997 14:58:43 -0500 (EST) From: Drapop7085@aol.com Subject: Gary Numan Mailing List To: numan@cs.uwp.edu Hello, My name is Mark Poppleton. I'm an Equity actor-singer from New York City. I've been listening to Gary Numan since 1979, "THE PLEASURE PRINCIPLE". I was hooked right from the first cut on the LP. I have every release since, that I can get a hold of. As you know, it's not easy to find, even here in NYC. "RADIO HEART" is the only song of Gary's that I can't find on CD. Is it on any compilation that you know of? Here are some of my other favorite artists: MARC ALMOND, DEAD CAN DANCE, PETER MURPHY, STAN RIDGWAY, THOMAS DOLBY, MIDGE URE, MARY BLACK, KD LANG, SHIRLEY BASSY, MARIANNE FAITHFUL, KING CRIMSON, DAVID SYLVIAN, BENJAMIN BRITTEN (composer), KURT WEILL (composer), JOHN BARRY (composer), ANGELO BADALAMENTI (composer). Just a FEW of my favorites. CAN'T WAIT FOR GARY NUMAN TO TOUR THE USA!!!!! MAYBE THIS SUMMER SO RUMOR HAS IT ON THE NUMAN HOME PAGE!!! I HOPE!! Thanks for putting me on Gary Numan's mailing list. MARK POPPLETON Drapop7085@aol.com ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 23 Mar 1997 12:43:27 -0800 From: Randall Wolf Subject: Gary on MTV's AMP To: numan@cs.uwp.edu MTV has a semi-new show called AMP on Fri/Sat nights about 2:00am that attempts to recognize (finally) some of the best new and old techno,(only took them four years), like FSOL, ORB, iishi and others. Obviously someone there has either done their homework or is an actual (GASP), fan because unless I had had too many beers I thought I saw the CARS video in there, the best part is I was taping it. This program seems to not only cover the latest artists but also makes occasional nods to the gods of techno, like gary of course and kraftwerk. check it out. Randall Wolf Raleigh NC ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 24 Mar 1997 18:25:28 +0000 (GMT) From: "P.G. Whalley" Subject: GN's 'comeback' To: numan@cs.uwp.edu Hello everyone, A few thoughts about the months to come: On the face of it, the current hype surrounding Random, together with Gary's new 'representation' in the US, makes the next six months or so heavily pregnant with exciting possibilities. On the other hand, it also brings into play a situation of 'shit or bust' - if a tribute album by some of the UK's top stars doesn't generate enough interest for Gary to attract a decent deal to release his contemporary material, then it's back to the cottage industry of Numa for good, and the much-vaunted comeback is well and truly dead. Looking on the pessimistic side, it's disappointing to say the least that nothing came of the 'Exile' CD demo's. While we obviously don't know the full details, it appears that this trawl through the waters of the UK's A&R depts proved fruitless. However, this may not be as bleak as it first seems. Having dealt with A&R myself, I know that a lot of stuff comes their way which they really like, but which does not fit into the current marketing plans of their corporation. In such an instance, they always reject. I once received a reply from an A&R head, who started by saying that this demo was definitely not for his company, but who then went on at length about the demo, saying that he thought it was brilliant and that he was keeping the tape for his own collection. In the UK at the moment, we are being subjected to an endless stream of Spice Girls propaganda which has been constantly ongoing now for nine months (for those of you in the States - steel yourselves! It's only just started!) The level at which they operate is unbelievable - front page of at least one tabloid paper virtually every day. The point here is that what will make or break the Numan bandwagon in the UK is the attitude of the press. Many of the top stars today have to be MEDIA personalities, not just musicians. It's undoubtedly ironic that the music press could give Numan a hefty leg-up towards his goal of a second major music career. For years they lambasted him simply because his rise in 1979 was accomplished without their endorsement. It's the media possibilities that make the tribute album such a potent weapon. In addition, it is to be fortuitously released in the middle of a strange media backlash against this decade's prediliction for lampooning the 80's. While I'm not at all sure that Numan truly represents the 80's, if it helps to sell him in the 90's who cares? A very wise musician, Geoff Mann (now tragically deceased) once told me that the corporate music machine is like a huge cumbersome whale in a murky ocean. It has, in itself, no real direction but simply moves towards what appear to be shoals of activity, which may provide nourishment and means to self-preservation. Whichever shoal they are attracted to forms the basis of their label's marketing strategy. For anyone wanting to attract attention, they have to create the appearance of activity - a buzz, the sense of something new going down. Some artists are very astute at doing this, the latest example over here being the rash of bands from the Glasgow 'scene', carefully engineered by the Khemical Underground indie label. These include Bis and Kenickie, who have both attached themselves to the rising Numan star. Will 'Random' create enough of a buzz to attract attention? A key player in all this is GN himself. While it's good to see him in the likes of 'Q' magazine again, I still have doubts about his potential to reinvent himself as a media personality in the 1990's. In the 'Q' photo with Beck, he didn't look right, both image-wise and in himself. The hair is still preposterouly black, and although the quiff is better than the sculptured side-parting, it still needs sorting out. He admits to not being comfy in the pretentious world of showbiz. OK Gary, fair enough and good on you, but there's a game to be played here. Even the most hardened showbiz veterans like their nights-in with the feet up watching telly, but this doesn't form the basis for their public persona. The whole Numan package for 1997 has to be water-tight in its coherence. The image, the music, the man. It's something which, to my mind, has never been properly thought out since Replicas. With that album, everything fitted. The nearest to any coherent marketing package since has been the Metal Rhythm project. Here he looked good, the photo's were imaginative and creative with their use of light and exposure and the music was tight, punchy and melodic, with the strong choruses complimenting a more minimalist verse structure. OK, Metal Rhythm was very 80's, but it nevertheless points the way forward to a strategy for 1997. I only hope that this side of things is given more attention than in the past. He can't rely on past glories and a tribute album for anything. To get a deal, he has to prove that he is a viable marketing proposition in his own right. Talented as Gary is, I feel that he has been found wanting in this area too many times, and it's something of VITAL importance in the coming months. For once, Gary Numan and the ZEITGEIST may come into contact, and he has to meet the challenge. Maximum respect to all you USA fans who are coming over for the UK tour. Here's hoping that the American tour comes off, because you guys deserve it. Keep the faith, Phil. [Why do people put quotes here?] ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 24 Mar 1997 17:43:30 -0800 From: anastasios mistos Subject: info about myaelf To: numan@cs.uwp.edu hi, i've been a numan fan since 1979, my first Numan record I got for my birthday. I was 17, and I just played that record over and over again till I had to buy another one. Since then I've seen Gary in concert twice. Teletour'80. The Skin Mechanic tour' in London. This year I'm planning to see his last show of the Exile tour in Nov. My All time Fav. song of Gary was up to now Everyday I die Live'80. But Bleed has now come atop of Everyday I die. Especially the live version of Bleed. I think its the best. I do like other groups other than Gary, but many friends of mine, think iI'm just nuts. I can honestly tell you that I never leave home without a numan tape in my walkman, or there is not one day that goes by without listening to Gary. Other groups I like are: Depeche Mode, Souixsie, Toyah, Dead Can Dance, Cocteau Twins, Pet Shop Boys. Till The next time. Taso ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 23 Mar 1997 23:57:22 -0500 (EST) From: Weldbd@aol.com Subject: new to lis To: Numan@cs.uwp.edu Hi yall just thought i would say yall I am synth musician who enjoys numan, jarre, vangelis, senergy, and 80's synth pop. I write myself and have a studio I look forward to the numan news Nice to meet yall Weld Friends...................electric!!!!!!!! ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 24 Mar 1997 03:20:45 -0500 (EST) From: LarryTCJ@aol.com Subject: Numan fan To: numan@cs.uwp.edu Good morning, I have been listening to Gary ever since I saw him on Saturday Night Live. I had heard 'Cars' on the radio up to then but had not really gained the full impact of seeing the man himself. I found the music quite innovative and his stage presence striking. I was starting to listen to the Police, which soon became my most favourite band and most collected as well, but never really got that image of Gary out of my head. Gary simply faded from the scene in America after his one hit but I couldn't shake him quite that easily. After not listening to any of his music for years, one day I simply had to know why I continued to look at the old Numan albums everytime I went into a used record shoppe. I bought a used promotional copy of Replicas and was forever hooked. Within a month I had purchased every album I could get my hands on and began making inquiries into other albums. Unfortunately, I lived in a cultural ditch and was very limited in what I could lay my hands on. Even information about what was availible was not easy to come by. I went to San Francisco and had them order me a copy of Berserker. This I had them send directly to my house. I paid hansomely for it but was not dissatisfied. >From then on out, I was the one individual that listened to Gary in and among all the people I knew. No one could understand why it was that I listened to his music. In my early twenties, I did a short stint as a disk jocky on a very small station. Gary enjoyed the air time that I could give to him. I played more of his music than ever hit the airwaves in this cowtown and I was glad to do it. Over the years, I have attempted to keep up on everything he has done, but found that I was forever about a year or two behind. My collection is still not complete. Hell, I had been asking every dealer I came in contact with for a copy of Berserker or Live White Noise on CD for years. I always got the same answer. About two years ago I got Live White Noise when it simply was sitting on a shelf in a nearby town. I imediately began asking for Berserker once again, only to be told that it was not availible. About six months ago, I finally got it. Now that I am on the net, I realize that this is a re-release and that is why I was able to special order it. I have ordered Dark Light and the Dream Corrosion video through the Numan world home page and am glad to have the opportunity to gain information about Gary through this medium. I hope you found this interesting, as I tend to go on a bit. Thanx for your time. Yours Aye, Larry ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 23 Mar 97 22:39 GMT0 From: rupertg@cix.compulink.co.uk (Rupert Goodwins) Subject: Numan Q Tips, and Old Vs New Revisited. To: numan@cs.uwp.edu, rupertg@cix.compulink.co.uk In-Reply-To: <199703231624.KAA19245@cs.uwp.edu> Odd things are going on in the media -- not one but two photographs of Our Hero in the latest Q Magazine (a UK glossy music publication for 25-45 year olds who used to read NME when they were spotty oiks). One's in the news section, where he's shown downing a small soft drink in the company of Beck -- the accompanying text mentions the Random album. The other has him posing in front of his mansionette and slippery white car grinning like wot he never used to, and is part of a longer feature on rock stars who used to support the Tory Party (a rather unpleasant group of people who've been in power since I was a spotty oik). There was also a photo (from the Telekon Tour) of himself in Mojo, a UK glossy sister mag to Q, aimed at 35-55 year olds who always thought everyone who read NME was a spotty oik. He's in a list of artists who were influenced by Krautrock (Can, Faust, Amon Dul, Kraftwerk und alles), but the text is typical snide. I keep seeing and hearing incidental references in many other places including the national press; I'd say that Numan's profile is higher now than for many years, and given that if the music is mentioned at all it's exclusively the older stuff (*) the timing of Random couldn't be better. I keenly await its arrival. R (*) I know that he disagrees, but the early stuff *is* objectively better than the newer. It may well be true that Replicas was written "by a very young (Nu)man with an isolated and unworldly point of view that can never be repeated because I've had such a full life since then and I no longer have those interests, opinions or points of view.", but there was a unique atmosphere and appeal to the music for precisely those reasons. As for its simplicity and sparse production values: since when has lush complexity been ipso facto good? Those days and that music shouldn't and can't be repeated. For a while, it looked like the music was going to evolve into new and delicious directions: I still think of Dance as a promissary note from a parallel universe of delights. Instead... well, I've never really been able to work out why I was supposed to like much of the newer stuff. I was at the warm-up gig for V96 (been there, done that and most certainly got the T-shirt :) and it was... turgid. Not much beauty. Not much variation. Not much but power rock unencumbered by virtuosity. There is a great irony in that Gary's discarded 'interests' which inspired much of Tubeway Army, Replicas and Principle -- the worlds and obsessions of Philip K Dick, Burroughs, Ballard and so on -- are becoming more and more important to us, as our technical creations give us more and more power to change ourselves, to alter our identity and our way of life. I don't know why he's got bored with all that. These are the great themes of the post-nuclear age... and they're played out every time any of us sits down at our computers and joins the cyberscrum. I wouldn't dare to suggest what Our Hero should do next musically: that's his job. But it would be grand if he found something that genuinely scared him, something dark and new, and wrote its theme tunes. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 24 Mar 1997 10:20:12 -0500 From: barb & trevor Subject: this is me... To: numan@cs.uwp.edu > Welcome! > > You have now been added to the Gary Numan mailing list. Please send an > introduction message to the mailing-list (numan@cs.uwp.edu, not the > sender of this message). In this message, please let us know who you > are, who some of your favorite artists are, how long you have listened > to Gary Numan. Let us know if you play any instruments or anything else > that might come to mind. Hello... As per the request above, I will attempt to tell you a little bit about myself. My name is Trevor. I live in London Ontario, Canada. I am a married, unemployed radio operator/producer looking at going to a recording school in the fall. Some of my favourite artists besides Mr. Numan include The Cure, the Cranes, Catherine Wheel, Spirit of the West, Adam Ant (and the Ants), Ride, Verve, Gene, U2, Low, EBTG, Depeche Mode, NIN, Queen, Chemical Brothers, Leftfield, Moby...basically anything British (where the best music comes from)! I have been listening to Gary Numan since "Cars" in '79, but have been a serious collector of all things Numan since '85. Must admit to never seeing Gary live, but am very excited at the prospects of a North American tour. I play bass and keyboards and drums (but not since highschool). I was in a band that broke up 3 years ago, but things are looking like we may start things up again. I look forward to hearing news and starting possible correspondence with other Numan fans around the world. cheers, Trevor. ------------------------------ End of Gary Numan Digest ******************************