Gary Numan Digest Thu, 1 May 97 Volume 1 : Issue 326 Today's Topics: A Profound Thought from Saffron Foo Fighters Gary's Hair Gary Numan Digest V1 #323 Gary Numan Digest V1 #325 Gravity Kills Album Introduction re Gary Numan London Evening Standard Mp3 Search Engine!! Numan Live in the UK Numan mentioned in Canadian political magazine Numan mention on MST3K Old fan club Wig wig ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Date: Wed, 30 Apr 1997 15:56:53 -0500 From: austinbaggett@ex-or.co.uk (Austin) Subject: A Profound Thought from Saffron To: numan@cs.uwp.edu (Gary Numan) A page long interview/feature on Numan/Random appeared in London's Evening Standard on Tuesday. It had a few quotes from Saffron (Republica) and Steve Hillier (Dubstar). ES brought up the standard subject of Gary's support of the Torys. Asked for her opinion on the great subject, Saffron said the most profound thing: "What's party politics when you're talking genius?" This profound thought has severely affected me, and I now promise not to be critical ever again.............well at least for a fortnight! Cheers.........Austin ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 28 Apr 1997 12:21:48 +0000 (GMT) From: Andy Subject: Foo Fighters To: numan@cs.uwp.edu For your interest, Foo Fighters have rereleased "Down In The Park" on the 2nd part of their new "Monkey Wrench" single. ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 27 Apr 1997 02:32:07 -0400 From: brezniakdavid@webtv.net (David Brezniak) Subject: Gary's Hair To: numan@cs.uwp.edu Will everyone tell me why you are so infatuated about Gary's hair? I feel if Gary likes it the way it is, Great!! It's time for Gary to do what he feels is right. Let's leave the hair thing alone unless someone can give me a real good reason. Criticism that is constructive is great, but picking on someone's hair style or transplant, please! We can use this space to encourage Gary and wish him the best. He's worked way to hard for us for over 18 years, instead of picking on his hair, thank him for all the listening pleasure he has brought us, or, give some constructive thoughts on his music career, not his appearance. Look at some of today's musicians out there now. Gary's hair, I think, looks quite handsome and has a masculine tone to it. He could dye it green and yellow and make it stand up straight for all I care, as long as he does what he does best. Enough said... Your comments are welcome. Dave Brezniak ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 30 Apr 1997 15:33:04 +1000 From: mark.taylor@deetya.gov.au Subject: Gary Numan Digest V1 #323 To: numan@cs.uwp.edu Regarding Simeone Hope's message to the Sun, 20 Apr 97 digest, Issue 323 >>Regarding Nick Fox's comments about Gary's appeal, career direction >and >>management, he is exactly right. But how to convince the man >himself? He's >>always been very sure of his own ideas, which has >sometimes worked but >>probably only about 25% of the time. He really >needs a good manager and to >>be willing to listen to people who know >about the business. No matter how >>experienced we are, having someone >else to give us good ideas/advice is >>always helpful. There's an old saying: "Always back the horse called self-interest. It always comes first" >>Since becoming a fan in 1979, I watched Gary's sales go steadily down, >>yet in interviews he never seemed too bothered. Some good >collaborations would have been worthwhile, plus (as Nick said) having a >weather eye >>on current and upcoming trends. It never did Bowie any >harm. Gary Numan, like any long-term artist, is now in a position where he needs to push out in new directions while still bringing with him what remains of his, what you quite rightly pointed out, was his once substantial fanbase. I don't think he can take his core of "loyalist" fans for granted, and I don't think he is, quite frankly. Gary tried to keep a weather eye on trends by emulating Prince etc., and look at the bucketing he copped on that score (refer to Premier Hits sleeve notes). Now with the release of Sacrifice and Exile he's turning back in on himself to his '79 days but with added ingredient of 90s technology injected to boost things along. As for Bowie, well I personally can't stand his latest incarnation/prodigy imitation and as for the Pet Shop Boys collaboration, Hello Space Boy - what a transparent ruse. Numan's career is always going to be tricky but thanks to his management, he will endure, if not thrive in the style that he had so early in his life become accustomed. In the end, Numan is an artist who tempers his creativity with harsh commercial realities. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 28 Apr 1997 08:26:45 -0500 From: austinbaggett@ex-or.co.uk (Austin) Subject: Gary Numan Digest V1 #325 To: numan@cs.uwp.edu (Gary Numan) >>"Pop Stars who vote Tory". Gary is pictured (circa 1991) with the simple >>caption "Well what did you expect". Whilst Gary's political declarations in the >>mid-80s were without a doubt the worst piece of PR ever in the history of >>pop, (and yes I am critical of his management for allowing this to happen). >Why blame the management ? True, GN himself perhaps should of known better. But popstars are eccentric and do like expressing their opinions. However, a good management or record company will protect the interests of their artists and tell them, when necessary, to shut-up. They will also actively go out and present their clients in a positive light to the powers that be (Radio 1, magazine editors, whoever). By surrounding himself with family-based management, GN never had a professional to look after him. Tom Robinson's advice to Numan couldn't of been more accurate! >In the last digest Austin managed to dig some more dirt on Gary which forms >the basis of my article. I was merely relaying two quite funny, and quite harmless, stories from NME. OK, the NME were taking the piss - but it was only ever so slightly. Infact, I thought the NME refered to Numan in quite an endearing way. Its not a question of me digging more dirt. Come on, lets get our heads out of the sand. Austin Baggett ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 30 Apr 1997 13:10:16 -0700 From: Neil Mitchell Subject: Gravity Kills Album To: numan@cs.uwp.edu For whoever is in the slightest interest in what I think, I purchased the Gravity Kills Album last week and personally think it's excellent. Very powerful and catchy. I also purchased Marlyn Manson "Anti-Christ Superstar" hated it. Interesting? Maybe not, but there you go. Neil ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 27 Apr 1997 16:32:25 -0400 (EDT) From: KGood32@aol.com Subject: Introduction re Gary Numan To: numan@cs.uwp.edu Hi Switching servers !!!!!!!!!!!!!!, I have been a numan fan since 1979 , after seeing Tubeway Army play on TOTP , since then I follwed Numan, bought Numan ,meet Numan !. I have a pretty varied taste in music and I also play the keyboards, all be it badly. I am a big collector of Numan records and merchandise I would be interested to hear from any Numan fan to hear what is out in the collecting world,Ihave some very rare records myself but always need more to boost the collection(running at 530 at mom!) Thats really it for the introduction look forwrd to hearing from you in the future and anyone else conected with Numan ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 30 Apr 1997 10:18:15 +0000 (GMT) From: Andy Subject: London Evening Standard To: numan@cs.uwp.edu There was a cool full page article on Gary, and the Random project in last night's London Evening Standard, featuring a lot of background stuff we already know, as well as short interviews with Gary, Saffron, and Dubstar. The article finished with a bit of an anticlimax though with a rather pointless chat with some Numan wannabe, which helped throw away any credibilty that the rest of the article held ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 29 Apr 1997 12:17:54 -0500 From: THE MAN Subject: Mp3 Search Engine!! To: numan@cs.uwp.edu Hello! If you like mp3 files, please check out: http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Towers/7560 for a MP3 SEARCH ENGINE!! Also check out MY music and mp3's See YA! THE MAN Danyel Ramelow ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 27 Apr 1997 21:17:01 -0400 (EDT) From: BDay0000@aol.com Subject: Numan Live in the UK To: numan@cs.uwp.edu OK, so the man is getting married. So he could not secure a US record deal. So he is fed up with his fans craving the retro sound. Am I the only one that feels that this may be one of the last few chances we will have to see his show live? Like I've said all along, I am still on for the trip from the US to the UK to catch a couple of shows. I hope that I am not alone in this. I'm sure that some new faces in the crowd would do a world of good for Gary. I urge the US fans waiting on a US tour to give it a rethink. The worse that could happen is that you spend some money getting yourself to England to see Gary and then having to see him all over again in the US. Don't mean to preach... Brad Day Atlanta, GA ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 28 Apr 97 17:58:25 From: "Joey Lindstrom" Subject: Numan mentioned in Canadian political magazine To: "numan@cs.uwp.edu" My good buddy Racey Sealock spotted this article in the April 21st edition of "Alberta Report", a right-wing conservative politics-oriented newsmagazine published within the province of Alberta (that's "Canada" for those of you in Rio Linda). Not sure what the original source for this snippet is, but it makes a reference to Q Magazine and definitely seems written by a Brit (exactly what does "dross" mean?) ====================================================================== ================ ECLECTICA (as compiled by Kevin Michael Grace) BEYOND THE PALE Every entertainer from Barbara (Streisand) to (Jon) Bon Jovi campaigned for Bill Clinton's re-election last year. It's always an easy write for a reporter looking for a little election colour to contrast the show biz luminaires assembled by the left - the cream - with those assembled by the right - the dross. But as the April Q reports, the stars may be acting less from idealism than from self-preservation. Englishman Gary Numan, who enjoyed a brief vogue last decade with his catchy synthesizer tunes, once made the mistake of admitting he admired Margaret Thatcher. Retribution was swift. "The printers who handled his fan club newsletter [refused] to do so [and] the weekly music press were merciless." It was a sobering experience for Mr. Numan. "I had a much kinder vision of what people were like then, because I didn't expect you could get into trouble by your choice of voting. It wasn't like I was voting for the Let's Rape Our Children Party. But I was still naive and silly, and unable to grasp the big picture." Mr. Numan now describes himself as an "ex-Conservative." Like everyone else in Britain, it seems, he is supporting Labour leader Tony Blair. /--------------------------------------------------------- / Joey Lindstrom numanoid@netway.ab.ca lindstrj@cadvision.com / http://www.netway.ab.ca/worldwidewebb/ / "There's a reason 'Wheel Of Fortune' is on right after 'Jeopardy'. Once / you've been forced to choke down the foul-tasting tequila shot of your / own abject ignorance, it's nice to be able to bite into the refreshing / lime wedge of other people's incredible fucking stupidity." / - Dennis Miller ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 28 Apr 1997 09:32:28 From: Dave Carlson Subject: Numan mention on MST3K To: numan@cs.uwp.edu I know this was a while ago, but I keep forgetting to mention this to the group. About a month or so ago, Gary's name was once again uttered on Mystery Science Theater 3000 (I believe this makes the fourth time). For those members outside America, or those who just don't know, MST3K is a show in which a guy and his two robot pals watch really bad old movies and crack-wise all through the show. Well, during this particular episode, entitled "Terror From the Year 5000", a mad scientist type is seen fumbling around with all sorts of wacky controls, knobs, etc. In the midst of this fumbling, old fifties synth music begins to play (think theremin). Just after the music starts, one of the robots deadpans, "Gary Numan, scientist". ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 27 Apr 1997 00:57:52 -0700 (MST) From: Thomas Nelson Subject: Old fan club To: "Gary Numan" Somebody posted earlier about some of the old North America Numan Fan Club tapes. Here's a question.... What's up with Jim Napier (the Machman) these days? Is the Club still together? I haven't received anything in years, so I just assumed he lost the time (I think he was engaged to be married). He was always very kind and considerate to me when I was a little late on my yearly payments. Thomas Nelson The Gumby Man * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * I will bow to the earth, bow to the sea, * Bow to the love between you and me, * Bow to the sun, bow to the land * but never to a god made in the image of man. * * New Model Army * * Thomas Nelson* * *The Gumby Man* * *gumby@primenet.com* * ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 28 Apr 1997 09:42:57 +0100 From: Matthew Tamea Subject: Wig wig To: "'Numannews'" >Gary is under no pressure from ourselves so its suprising to see him >prancing around in leathers with a hair do that would make an average 19 >year old look like their hair is thinning. :) >I dont agree with Austin that it looks good or one can get used to it. >The simple truth is it does not look kewl. >The Nme and others can always take the piss as long as this remains the >case. > >My point is Gary has to believe in us, drop the facade and get on with what >he does best. The rest should fall into place quite nicely. Have any of you ever thought that Gary might do things for himself and not other people. How many of you have haircuts that your mates told you to have? Probably quite a few reading some of these comments, but other people are slightly more brave than others and don't feel the need to fit in with their mates to be 'kewl'. How many people on this digest have had (still do have) their hair like Gary's? So if you did it in the past what's your problem now? Don't you think it's the least of Gary's worries what a few idiots in the press think of his hair? Like you said yourself, let him get on with what he does best and stop worrying about the most trivial of trivia. Matthew ------------------------------ End of Gary Numan Digest ******************************