Gary Numan Digest Sun, 1 Jun 97 Volume 1 : Issue 335 Today's Topics: FOR SALE. Gary's Q&As - Good God I'm BAAA-AAACK! Introduction Just some comments Outland Bashing The VOX interview Walking "ON" Your Soul... ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Date: Thu, 29 May 1997 10:46:09 +0200 From: Ulf Silverup Subject: To: "'Numan'" Hmmm.. Maybe I wasnt to clear about it. What I ment was that Outland really is as bad as the North American Fans say (according to J.Lindstrom). bye Uffe ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 29 May 1997 11:10:18 -0400 (EDT) From: Andyscobra@aol.com Subject: FOR SALE. To: numan@cs.uwp.edu Hi All I have for sale a 24 track recording studio tape spool signed by Numan and it is from his own studio apparently.It is about 9" in diameter and 1.5" deep.It is for sale for 20 uk pounds plus postage & packing depending on where it is to be sent. Form further onfo e- mail me at my address. Many thanx ANDY ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 30 May 1997 07:33:05 -0500 From: austinbaggett@ex-or.co.uk (Austin) Subject: Gary's Q&As - Good God To: numan@cs.uwp.edu (Gary Numan) >My name is Dominic Plant. I have been a fan since 1979 when I first >heard "We are so Fragile" on a Duke box in a pool hall .....etc etc I wonder if Dominic realised that his questions went straight through to the great man himself?? I really don't think he did. > I was wondering if my favorite solo artist has an opinion of my favorite group, > i.e. RUSH. Have you ever met them? What do think of their music? What is it with American GN fans and Rush?? I can't think of anything more dissimilar. And then the bomshell from GN himself: > Gary Numan: "The man that was representing me in America has > gone missing. I've had no contact for a month and he doesn't answer my > e-mails. I therefore have no idea what's happening with the record deal > search or with the U.S.tour. I could say I'm disappointed with this > turn of events but that dosn't come close to painting the true picture. > Stabbed through the heart with an axe would be closer to how let down I > feel. This is unbelievable news. My complete symphathies for Gary. Here we are: June 1997. Only a week away from the worldwide launch of Random - GN's biggest launch pad he's ever had to help him crawl his way back. And what's happening? Who's gearing up the US market and taking advantage of all the publicity and coverage to secure GN a US deal and tour? No-one. Who's having to sort it out? GN himself - tucked away in his Essex country home sending desperate e-mails asking what the fuck is happening. It really is so cottage industry. I really do not want to put the blame solely on GN's father and manager Tony Webb. I'm sure he's doing his best and I'm sure that I could do no better. Perhaps Tony doesn't want to manage GN full-time (this is understandable - he's now 60 and probably has got other things he wants to do in life). Perhaps GN feels he is best managing his affairs himself? But GN's words do paint such a sorry picture of how the Numan machine operates. Has GN no professional advisors AT ALL to help him? Or does he really have to do it all himself? I cannot believe it is a lack of money. GN repeats yet again in this months issue of Vox that he is "doing all right" financially. Perhaps GN is so headstrong that he really believes he is better at marketing/pr/business than any so called professional advisor. I am sure he is better than alot of professional advisors in the music industry. But Numan's position (as a DE in the social classification of popular music to quote Alex Deacon) is so low that it has to be asked whether GN's self-management approach is good enough to help him crawl out of the rut. He deserves better. Regards to all.........Austin ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 29 May 1997 19:06:51 -0800 From: Elisa Jaraba Subject: I'm BAAA-AAACK! To: numan@cs.uwp.edu Well, it's been a heck of a couple of months, losing my hard drive, then my monitor, and in the middle of it all my ISP selling out and forgetting to send my info to Earthlink in the database exchange *whew* but I'm back online and trying to get my act together. For those who wonder why My Shadow In Vain was static for ages, read the above....it's back and the new URL is http://home.earthlink.net/~madhouse_/numan.html ....the page will be updated and improved shortly when I finish with my current business of setting up a new IRC channel so I can get the 2020 version of Gazza back in action. Okay, now onto the fun stuff...just got my first digest since I got back, and boy do I have a few comments, so get ready. Dominic Plant commented in his question to Gary "I think the words of "You walk in my Soul" are excellent but the music is completely wrong." Don't get me wrong, I think Gary answered for himself just fine, but Dominic, I gotta say, how can the music be completely wrong? This is not heiney-kissing to Gary, but let's just pursue the question of artistic integrity here. The music itself is up to Gary to determine, and if it's right for how he wants to do it, it's right. Others may have done it differently, and when you hear covers of Numan songs you can see what they would have changed. However, it is the artist who decides the viability of a piece and the appropriateness of the music to the words. If you spend any time listening to Steely Dan, you'd hear words and music that seem to be from completely different worlds, but it's what was chosen by the artists to convey the message and mood that they wanted. You have every right to disagree with his choice, but since it is his work, he really has the final say. Joey Lindstrom (see, Joey, I spelled it right...off subject GO WINGS!) commented "But over here (North America)....jeez, he's been out of the loop for so long that 95 out of 100 people on the street have never heard of the guy. America has become virgin territory again." Wow, Joey, you make being invisible have a great spin =). But thinking about it, I agree with you 100%. Gary has no reputation to overcome in North America, since by now he pretty much has no reputation to speak of. The only people who remember him are the ones who can't wait for him to get back here. And his fan base over here is actually more rabid than in the UK, where fans are not practically starved of Gary fixes until they'd hold a gun to a deejay's head to hear 'Cars' even....hmmm...wait, that's an approach I haven't tried yet. At any rate, North American fans cannot content themselves with just casual listening to Gary, they more often act as his apostles, forcing friends to listen to albums until they either become fans also or cross the street when they see you coming. Will he make it back here after losing his North American contact? I hope so...his late work would stand a good chance of making it here and being heard without press prejudice and music industry resistance. By the way, if I ever find out who this guy who's "gone missing" is, he is in imminent danger of me getting instant PMS and doing something deliciously vengeful. Victor commented "WHY HAVE NUMAN SOUND LIKE TECHNO WHEN YOU CAN HAVE TECHNO SOUND LIKE NUMAN? Gary has always maintained his own sound and defended this in numerous interviews." I agree here...and I have to say to those who must pin a label on Gary's music..."Pish-tosh!" Even back in the olden days when he was trying to copy punk style to get a contract, Gary managed to sound like...well...Gary. The man just can't write a style other than his own and shouldn't try. Other artists have obviously been influenced by him, and many mention him outright, and yes, most of them can be classified as "techno"...but to say that Gary Numan is techno just because he influenced many artists in that genre is the same as saying Neil Young is alternative just because many alternative bands claim him as their biggest influence. Like Neil Young, Gary plays his own definition-defying style, and that's part of his appeal. Alexander Way commented "I don't think that being a politically conservative popster hurts you at least on this side of the Atlantic." True, Alexander...Americans (and the Canadians I know) don't give a fetid dingo's kidney about the political opinions of entertainers, we just want to be entertained. Call us shallow, but we prefer politics be kept to the realms of fiction and lies the way it is in Washington and let us get on with listening to good music. Now as to the "honesty" bit, I don't see how Prince's musical/political duality can relate to Gary, since his musical controversy seems limited to religious issues and he holds the same views as his music does toward religion. Maybe I'm just misunderstanding what you were trying to say, but I see no such duality in Gary's music, unless you mean the sexual ambiguity in some of his songs when he claims to have no doubts of his heterosexuality...which I put down to just his fascination with the sexually ambiguous (and at times just plain ambiguous) writings of William S. Burroughs. However, if I understand Gary's political stance correctly, the "conservative" label is just one that has been tagged onto him when in fact he is more of an independant. And God (or your personal deity or lack thereof) forbid we think of Gary as anything other than totally independant =). At any rate, I've run out of digest to respond to, look forward to the next one. I have to admit, I'm glad to see the quality of the postings this time around, since I was getting a little tired of the "*Put Album Name Here* sucks" bits. Cheers (gads, all the British postings are getting to me, obviously) Lyssa ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 29 May 1997 19:15:06 -0500 (CDT) From: "cosc19z5@bayou.uh.edu" Subject: Introduction To: numan@cs.uwp.edu Hi all, My name is Ahmed, and I'm a new-comer to the world of Gary Numan. I recently bought "Tubeway Army -- Premier hits", and I loved it, and intend to try to find as much of his other stuff as possible (and see him play if possible as well). Most of what I listen to is punk rock, but I basically started off being partial to synth (this is what eventually led me to punk rock to begin with!). Among the artists that I really enjoy are: Synth: Kraftwerk, Devo, Gary Numan (of course :)) Punk: Ramones, Screeching Weasel, The Queers Alternative (neither of the above): REM, Cult (Love era), Lush and of course more for each category. Gary Numan is something else -- few albums have made an impact on me like his is doing. -- Cya, Ahmed In order to satisfy their mania for conquest, lives are squandered Discharge ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 31 May 1997 14:54:18 -0400 From: brezniakdavid@webtv.net (David Brezniak) Subject: Just some comments To: numan@cs.uwp.edu These comments are for the persons named below. I just felt the need! (again). Andy...Mrs. Mop? :-) Let me know when it's available, I'll buy it! Joey Lindstrom.....Thanks for posting the RealTime radio program, we wouldn't have known about it otherwise. Hopefully it will be available in the archives as well, for the viewers who can't listen. That's all for today, folks! Let's hope Gary doesn't fall asleep in the middle of the show tonight! :-) 3 a.m. he better not even go to sleep! hee hee.. Take Care everyone! (countdown to Random) Dave ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 31 May 1997 01:40:45 +0000 From: Michael & BethAnn Damrath Subject: Outland Bashing To: Gary Numan Regardless of what Misters Silverup and Lindstrom have recently stated, 'Outland' is most definately NOT 'the worst kind' of anything to this Numan fan. I am not one of those rabid fans that would love even a recording of Gary's flatulence. Gary has released a song or two that I haven't fully appreciated, check the review on my website of 'Machine & Soul' for evidence, but I beleive there was alot to like on 'Outland'. First of all, it was his first album since 'I, Assassin' to display a fully realized sense of continuity. It also contains, IMHO, more than a few examples of excellent songwriting - 'Soul Protection', 'My World Storm', and 'From Russia Infected'. I have to say that I have very little patience for so-called-fans of any artist that don't seem to be able to tolerate it when their artist experiments with a new style or form. 'Outland' is an excellent melding of electronic/dance/funk styles that I do not beleive I have ever heard any other artist attempt. A few of the songs are less successful, but the overall effect was quite good. Personally one of the reasons I have stayed a fan of Gary's all these years is precisely how he has always refused to stick to the same formula. Each Numan album is a distinct experience. 'Outland' is unique. Is it for everyone? No. Does it suck? Not to me. I guess everyone is entitled to their opinion. You fellas just struck a nerve with all of the recent 'Outland' bashing. Mike Damrath http://home.earthlink.net/~damrat ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 30 May 1997 07:33:06 -0500 From: austinbaggett@ex-or.co.uk (Austin) Subject: The VOX interview To: numan@cs.uwp.edu (Gary Numan) Digesters, A 3 page article on GN appears in this months VOX magazine. The photos used seem to confirm GN's doubts at the time. GN looks not unlike Eddie Izzard!! Some of the Random contributors are also interviewed. Here are a few quotes in case you don't get VOX: The Underdog ("Films"): Because its like that track's got the baddest drums on it. . I wanted a chance to get my hands on the baddest hip-hop break ever and flip it. Films is on one of the "Ultimate Breaks and Beats" albums. I've got Lewis Parker rapping on it on my version. Electro and hip-hop wouldn't have existed if it hadn't been for Gary Numan. He influenced Bambatta and all those early 80s people. Numan was into mad, dark electronica, but played live". (I must admit I've never heard of Underdog before. Is he any good? Is he well known? I assume "baddest" is complementary!). Numan talking about Kinsman: "And if I was ever gonna have an easy route into acting, this is it. I don't really have much to do or a whole lot of lines to say, which is just fine by me. The producers just want me to look menacing and glare at people. I mean, bloody hell, I can do that all right!". Cheers...............Austin ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 30 May 1997 22:20:51 -0700 From: Miss Marlene Subject: Walking "ON" Your Soul... To: Numan Digest >A1. A little sad to read that you only think I've made one great album >since 1980, I'm a little surprised that you still consider yourself a >fan. Also, I don't mean to be rude but, I find your comments about the >music on 'You Walk In My Soul', how can I put this, lacking in >understanding. >'You Walk In My Soul' is not a sad song, it is not about being lonely, >it's theme is very positive and it sounds the way it does because >that's what I wanted. >As it's my song >I would suggest that I'm the best person to decide >if it came out the way I intended, and it most definitely did. You may >think that you could have produced it better, and you could well be right, but I can assure you that, in it's current form, it is not 'completely wrong'. LOL! All I can say to this is: "HIGH FIVE GARY" Love it, love it! I must also say that I am definately not one for love/slow songs...but this song is simply beautiful (I have it framed)...why don't you listen to the song again, paying attention to the lyrics this time...you should find that it is indeed very positive... Thanks! ~MM This is Absolution: http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Towers/2369 ------------------------------ End of Gary Numan Digest ******************************