Gary Numan Digest Thu, 27 Aug 98 Volume 1 : Issue 463 Today's Topics: Address and 'Phone number A Few Items apologies Assorted rantings and sundry replies Bits and Bobs chiming in on making or breaking e-mailing Eagle Eagle have changed Gary's priorities EXILE LOGO Gary Numan Digest V1 #462 Gary Numan interview in FringeWare Review Human In Stockholm introduction speech IRS and EMI Joey's I.R.S. Logo Search Lighten Up Lisa-The Biz New Site No tour no hope? NumanBoy Speaks! Numan on The O-Zone One Man's (Long-Winded) Opinion RE Top Ten/Twelve Skin Mech. CD for sale! Wow! Sound Quality Telekon 4 sale/trade The view from Moscow ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Date: Mon, 24 Aug 1998 06:05:15 EDT From: Poyner202@aol.com Subject: Address and 'Phone number To: numan@cs.uwp.edu Just a friendly bit of advice for John Gorham. There are many "fruit cakes" in this world, even in the numan camp. so I would never post my address or 'phone number to a mailing list. If you know this, my apologies in advance. All my best Martin ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 23 Aug 1998 11:25:20 EDT From: PeterPanda@aol.com Subject: A Few Items To: numan@cs.uwp.edu Greetings again. Once more, I've turned off my lurker mode to post on a few items from the past couple of digests: US vs. UK Pressings of the First Four Albums: Given the fact that no-one from Beggar's Banquet will answer this question for me, I thought I'd give the digest a try instead. My question is pretty simple and is as follows: Are there any differences, either big or small, between the US and the UK releases of _Tubeway Army_, _Replicas_,_The Pleasure Principle_ and _Telekon_? Or, are these two pressings identical? Any help in this matter would be greatly appreciated. Exile Logo: When I was waiting for an autograph from Numan after the San Francisco show, a very attractrive young woman asked Gary what the origins of this logo were. He said he stole it from an advertisement he saw in an old magazine for some kind of motorcycle. He then added that he hopes the compnay never finds out because he doesn't want to get sued. I was about 5' from him when he answered the question so, hopefully, this answers the question. I'll leave it up to those with more motivation than I to go hunting through old motorcycle magazines to find the company and model. At least it has nothing to do with Queensryche (yuck). Me! I Disconnect From You ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 23 Aug 1998 10:19:38 -0500 From: "Troy L. Walters" Subject: apologies To: Gary Numan My apologies for attachment of the previous digest to my last post. -- Troy L. Walters Indiana, USA tlwalter@tctc.com http://www.tctc.com/~tlwalter Heading straight for the Numan-llennium -- Beware of the IDGAF Syndrome... ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 23 Aug 1998 19:16:38 -0600 From: "Joey Lindstrom" Subject: Assorted rantings and sundry replies To: "Gary Numan" On Sun, 23 Aug 98 01:00:01 CDT, Sean Payton wrote: >and even if that isnt true, gary isnt the type of artist that just >treats his songs with a "whatever" attitude. by using such a blatent >change of lyrics, its leads me to believe that numan was really tying to >communicate a message to his audience; why else would he bother??? Ummm... maybe cuz he'd forgotten about the earlier version and thought he was doing something new? ;-) It's a possibility - he's been known to completely forget about earlier songs. Scott Lucado wrote: >I like the guy, I really do. His show in Dallas was amazing; it was great >to see him again after sixteen long years. After all the work he's put >into making music, it seems only fair that he get some greater recognition >for it. But to be a fan of his music, he seems to insist that you be a fan >of him personally, or at least be sympathetic to his personal life, which >is not the most savory prospect for many. It's like he wants to be both >profound and popular--and those are two adjectives that don't generally >cooperate. To come to this conclusion would seem to indicate that you're not really paying close enough attention, and in fact are listening more to other fans than to Gary himself. To wit: 1) Gary is a man who values his privacy. His choice would be to allow us *NO* details whatsoever of his private life. His fans, on the other hand, keep pressing for those details, and Gary's the kinda guy who feels a question must be answered. I'm kinda that way too, even with questions I'd rather not answer. 2) Gary is uncompromising with his music. He has followed the advice of "experts" in an attempt to make his music more "accessible" and "popular" and it has backfired on every single occasion. He knows (and this was reinforced with Sacrifice and Exile) that what's most important to him is that he makes the music *HE* wants to make, and let the chips fall where they may. 3) He wants success, and perhaps expects more than he should, but not at any cost. I'm reminded of a bootleg interview of him I once heard, where he ranted and railed about the success that "Marc bleedin' Almond" was enjoying, the inference being that Marc is a no-talent hack. If Gary were to go out and cover Soft Cell's "Tainted Love", and it shot to the top of the charts, I think he'd have EXTREMELY mixed feelings about his new-found success. He wants it on his own terms. So you do make one point that rings true - he seems to want to be both profound and popular. The earlier is somewhat surprising, coming from a guy who once said "I just write songs". But I disagree strongly that he wants us to also be fans of him personally, of his family, of his private life, etc. There's just no evidence to back up this idea. Austin wrote: >current release details and major news. But everything else (rumours, >plans for collaborations, what Gary had for breakfast, etc) should only be >released on unofficial sites. The ideal would be for Gary to use something >like the excellent AFE web site to release information on his behalf. This >would >free up Gary's time so that he can get on with important things. Equally >importantly, it means that he personally is not the direct source of all >information. I have always presumed that something like this must already >happen with the AFE site. One of Gary's fave bands, Jesus Jones, has a website that is run BY A FAN. The address is www.jesusjones.com and it's as "official" as it gets, and includes a lot of "official" type stuff, but much of the perspective is that of a true fan. It works. It works quite well. But I'm not entirely sure it would work in Numan's case. I think the fans and Gary himself prefer his hands-on approach. Indeed, Gary's a "control freak" in that respect (and don't get me wrong, I'm not insulting the man - I'm as much of a "control freak" that way as he is, and in his position I too would insist on the hands-on approach). If he writes it and runs it, then the only mistakes on it will be his own mistakes, not some other tosser who doesn't have a clue. I think he could well do two things to dramatically improve the site, reduce problems, and generally cover all the bases you've outlined: 1) Stop posting the latest rumours, such as collaborations with Prodigy, and go with only *OFFICIAL* stuff. In tandem with that, he could develop a pipeline to other site authors (ie: guys like Rob Eggleston) to feed that stuff to, on a "sources tell me" sort of basis (ie: nothing official). The info gets out there, the fans get excited, but there's less chance of it blowing up in his face, as it did with both Prodigy and the earlier proposed Wayne Hussey collaboration. 2) Stop writing in the third person. He admits right on the site that it's operated by him, so why bother with the "Gary will be appearing at..." perspective? Why not "I will be appearing at..."? I don't know about you, but I feel it would be *MUCH* cooler this way, like the man is talking DIRECTLY TO ME instead of through a press agent. But I think the key thing here is this: while I feel comfortable making these suggestions knowing full well that he might read them, the bottom line is that they are JUST suggestions, not "demands" like some of the stuff I've been reading in the Digest lately. Part of Gary's appeal to me is the fact that he's his own man and his own boss. He's free to accept or reject the suggestions of others, and once he makes a decision he stands by it, including the repercussions if it turns out he went the wrong way. Let's face it: as a role model, Gary's a pretty good one. He doesn't try to dodge responsibility for his actions, he takes full credit and blame for them. And on that note, Sean wrote (in reference to Dave Datta): >If you read your response again carefully David, you might just spot = >where you let your own argument down. For someone who has a direct = >involvement with the production of the Digest, I found your comment = >about me being in no position to have an opinion absolutely amazing. I = >believed that everyone who contributed to the Digest is entitled to = >their opinion and is encouraged to share it with others for the purpose = >of open debate. This belief has been upheld many times by other = >subscribers and not least by Derek himself. If you truly believe what = >you say then I suggest you relinquish all involvement with the Digest = >immediately or retract your rather pompous statement. For the sake of argument, let me stipulate that everything you've said about David is correct and that his post was a mistake (which incidentally I don't believe). I think I would much prefer to see him own up to that mistake and apologize for it here than to give in to some pompous johnny-come-lately and "relinquish all involvement" with the Digest. Should Gary be made to give up the music biz because of the mistakes made in the past? Dave does a fine job in making sure we *HAVE* a Digest to read and he's earned our trust: there is absolutely no justification for tossing him out on his ear simply because he's said something you don't agree with. By the way, get yourself a *REAL* email client. Yours puts an equal-sign at the end of every line and it double-spaces everything. Riana Pfefferkorn wrote: >Remember, people, it's the money! Even if nobody who already owns PTTA in >hardback buys the softback, instead opting to read the last chapter online, >money still will be made through both paperback and hardback sales. And there >definitely are people who will buy both versions, so that adds to profits. >Andre Deutsch sure ain't losing money right now through overprinting the >hardcover. I seem to remember reading that the first printing sold pretty >well. Beats me how the printing-cost-to-selling-price ratios compare for >hardcover and paperback, but methinks it's a square deal for everyone. I (who >don't own the hardback) don't feel cheated that the paperback version will >have an extra chapter; I'd feel cheated if all these exciting times for Gary >had passed and finally the paperback version came out WITHOUT the update! :-) I quote this not to take issue to it, but to simply say "bravo" and clap my hands a bit. >Gary Numan isn't huge now because he's too damned good to be famous in >Matchbox 20-ruled 1998! ;-) And so-on. I could say more, but it'd just end up >being some pointless digression about David Bowie and what I'd like to do to >him in a supply closet, so I'll be quiet. :-) I can well imagine. :-) But you're making a point that has some truth to it, yet to an outsider is going to sound like a knee-jerk rationalization: that Gary is "too good" to be popular. There's truth to that, but I've heard this argument used by fans of other artists to excuse the fact that nobody listens to them. Certainly the fact that mainstream commercial radio is always looking for the next "Smashing Pumpkins" adds to this: they're less likely to take a chance on something very off-the-wall and different. I remember reading a quote from Sting, just as he was setting up his own new record label, to the effect that: if a young band comes in and brings him a tape, he'll listen to it once. If he doesn't love it after ONE listen, he won't sign them. What the fuck kinda attitude is this? It's the attitude of the record company weasels, those looking to fast-track their way to big dollars. And the simple reality here is that there are a lot of good artists out there who just don't have that simple, Spice Girls appeal, but rather have a much deeper, longer-lasting appeal. Gary Numan may not be the most popular guy around. But he's lasted longer, and is better loved, than - say - the New Kids On The Block or (shudder!) The Bay City Rollers. I think the best we can reasonably expect is that he eventually achieves the fame and respect of, say, a Leonard Cohen. But I also still believe that he's got a couple of hit singles left in him. E. Bunce wrote: >I don't know much about this sort of stuff, but is there some way we could >all email a central address (like we do with the Digest), then have our >names / email addresses posted / faxed to Eagle like some kind of electronic >petition? This sounds like an excellent idea. Derek? Your thoughts? Lisa Yimm chimes in with: >Hey Derek, how about an old fashioned letter writing campaign to get Eagle >to release the Extended Exile album? They may not be on email, but think >of what a statement it would make if every one of the Digest folk were to >write a polite personal letter pleading for the release of the Extended >Exile! The idea gains steam.... Zigi Blum rambles: >I've just heard Random for the first time, and been vindicated in my >general dislike of tribute albums and my hunch that I didn't need to own >this one--to sum up, it generally sounds soulless and rather sarcastic, >though Pop Will Eat Itself's "Friends," Gravity Kills' "Poetry and Power," >and (to the general derision of the list, I'm sure ) The Orb's "Jo" are >exceptions IMO. I like a cover to be done because a song speaks for the >second artist as if it were hir own work, done as hir own statement and >from the heart; very few of these struck me that way. It didn't sound to >*me* as if most of the bands on the album like Numan at all, though that's >MHO. For the longest time Random was one of those "I pull it out occasionally" albums (after listening to nearly every track repeatedly after first buying it). I became tremendously disillusioned with it, however, when I later found out that all of the artists involved were paid in advance for their contributions, leading to the conclusion that many of these covers were performed by bands who couldn't care less about Numan and were just there for the paycheque. Indeed, it now makes a lot of the interview comments at the time make a whole lot more sense (ie: just about everything whatshername from Republica had to say). Some of them seemed genuinely confused as to who the hell Numan actually was. John Marques Carramao mentions: >Yet another long distance run around story to jostle your minds fellow >digesters, I'll be interrupting my Exile from the UK to make the trans >Continental and trans Atlantic flight from San Francisco, CA to London >via Air Canada (I trust this is a good airline JL and that I won't be >'treated like a refugee' while onboard) to see Gary Numan at The Empire >on 9/12. Air Canada is ok, but Canadian Airlines is tres cooler. They're based in Calgary, after all... :-) Troy L. Walters shrieks: >Gary Numan's career is alive because Gary WEBB has refused to give up. >Gary WEBB has not succumb to alcoholism or drug addiction or squandered >his money away like so many other artists before him. (Well... okay... >maybe he did squander _some_ of it away.) Gary WEBB is responsible for >keeping Gary Numan's career going... NOT the sole efforts of the UK fan >base alone, nor all the Numan fans worldwide. Granted, without fans, >there may well be no future, but the fans in no way MAKE the artist. If >it were not for the artist, there would be no fans. If Gary WEBB gives >up on Gary Numan's career in music, you might as well stick all your >support up your tight (an assumption, if you take in recent digest >debate, it is possible that...) UK "arse" because NOTHING you (or any of >us -- solely, or collectively) do will change Gary WEBB's decision or >Gary Numan's demise! I agree with your point generally, Troy, but consider this: were it not for us hard-core fans, Gary likely would have given up long ago. We didn't provide GREAT sales levels, but in many cases we at least got things up to the break-even point. Without us, sales would have been non-existent. BTW, your email client quoted back the ENTIRE previous issue of the Digest. Bad boy... And then Nick writes: >and Joey I take your point about the paperback and agree it's common >practice >for others to compromise themselves and milk the cash cow :-) >tis about time you admitted that Gary is doing the same I'm sorry that I did such a bad job getting my point across, because that is EXACTLY what I was saying. Gary is doing nothing different than anyone else, although technically I could (with some justification) claim that the "bad guys" here are Andre Deutsche, not the Webb camp. This assumes, however, that anyone involved is actually a "bad guy". The tone of your statement, and others that I've indicated here, shows just how much you've been indoctrinated by the media in recent years. There's an automatic assumption that because "Gary is doing the same", this is like an admission that he's been seduced by the Dark Side of The Force. Rubbish. Gary's trying to earn a living. The people at Andre Deutsche are trying to earn a living. In this particular case, we're talking about a book. I don't think anybody was too worried about the money Gary may have made on the first printing of the hardcover, but suddenly we get this idea that he should be our guiding light and NOT cave into the pressure to release the book as a paperback and make more money? I remind you that Gary Numan, like myself, is a fiscal conservative. He is on record as saying "I like money and I'm fortunate that I happen to have some" (or words to that effect). The pursuit of money is not in and of itself "evil" or even "greedy" - and if you believe otherwise, I invite you to quit your job and see how much food you can continue to put on the table. The things we do in pursuit of money can be evil. I'll accept these "milking the fans" arguments based on that precept and that alone. But even then... hey, nobody's got a gun to our heads. I'm not sure yet whether I'll buy the paperback - I probably will, eventually, just to get that extra chapter. But nobody's forcing me to make a decision. I'll vote with my wallet, thank you very much. Yes, the fans have been "milked" over the years, by people like Beggars Banquet, IRS, even Numa Records. But I think the only purchases that most of us (generally) have made that we felt were "ripoffs" were the Receiver Records compilations. Beggars Banquet is in the process of selling us the *THIRD* CD-reissue of several of Gary's earlier albums. And some of us bought all three, plus the original vinyl, cassette, and 8-track versions. Do I feel ripped off? No. Because with each purchase I got something I valued, that I felt was worth the purchase price. Indeed, I reject the word "milking" because of the connotation involved that we're somehow being forced to give up our money against our will. NOT ONE OF US did that. The reissues keep coming *BECAUSE* we keep buying. We have the appetite for it, so why the hell shouldn't they try to make a buck feeding that appetite? The Spice Girls are worth millions. Many here would argue that they're ripping off the public, and there's something to that argument. But the bottom line is this: the screaming crowds that go to the shows, that buy all the albums and singles, that buy the Spice Girls trading cards and other assorted paraphanelia, do *NOT* feel like they're being ripped off, or else they wouldn't have spent the money. The Spice Girls, love 'em or loathe 'em, are doing exactly what we expect of entertainers - they are selling EXPERIENCES, MEMORIES... and these are worth whatever we're willing to pay for 'em. I'd never buy a ticket to a Spice Girls show because they mean nothing to me, but my little sister would *KILL* for a ticket, she'd save up all her pennies until she could afford to go and then she'd willingly spend all that money... and she'd come away from the concert feeling like it was worth every penny. THERE'S NOTHING WRONG WITH THIS!!! People shake their heads when I tell them I spent over a thousand Canadian Pesos, er, I mean Dollars, to catch Gary play three shows on the recent North American tour (and I know that my travelling companion, George Ellis, spent QUITE a bit more than this). Indeed, their jaws drop when I tell 'em I spent about $4500 travelling to England in 1996 for a vacation and the chance to see Gary on six consecutive nights. Do I regret spending this money? Not on your life, although I'm still paying for the North American trip (ain't credit cards wonderful?) For anyone who is *NOT* as into Numan as I am, the trips were sheer folly. But for me they were incredible experiences, memories that nobody can take away from me, and just a whole load of fun. So what's $13 for another copy of his book with an extra chapter? Chicken feed. If *YOU* feel it's not worth the money, then it is *NOT* worth the extra money. TO YOU. And that's the bottom line. Nobody can make that decision for you. Your judgment is the only one that matters. But rather than ridicule Andre Deutsche for "milking" us, I applaud them for taking the risk to make this stuff available to us. Because it is a risk, and they could lose money on this venture. Nobody "owes" us a bonus book chapter, and quite frankly all the talk I hear about making that chapter available on Gary's website free of charge makes me wanna pee my pants laughing. C'mon. If/when it appears on Gary's website, I expect there to be a credit-card authorization system in front of it and a CHARGE involved for downloading it. And rightly so. You and I don't work for free, so why should we expect others to do so in order to satisfy our desires? If we want Gary to continue on as a musician, then we have to make sure that it continues to be a paying proposition. The moment it doesn't, well.... he might wind up back at Heathrow driving the forklift at W. H. Smiths. Somebody's gotta pay for that new studio that Gary's built. We want the new album that's gonna come outta there, so step up to the table and ante up. Finally: For anyone who is still sitting on the fence regarding "Gary Numan: The Mix", come on down to The World Wide Webb. Bring your Netscape or IE browser and your "G2" version of the RealAudio player (sorry Mac users, this is Windows-only for the time being) and come have a listen. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised. / From Joey Lindstrom joey@lindstrom.com / Interocitor Dot Net http://www.interocitor.net / / Even snakes are afraid of snakes. / --Steven Wright ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 25 Aug 1998 09:56:28 +0100 From: vickers@netcomuk.co.uk Subject: Bits and Bobs To: numan@cs.uwp.edu Dear All, I am gradually catching up with the last few Digests. A few thoughts.. 1. The Blotto story! AMAZING!! If this is true, it is truly sensational! I haven't come across this one before! And King Richard has done us a great service in bringing it to our attention, even if he was misunderstood. 2. Mistasax. Matthew Roberts (as always) has it right. Mistasax TWO was a "B" side. The Babylon sleeve notes are therefore wrong. UNLESS, the label of the original "B" side was wrong, and the Babylon sleeve notes would then be right. It seems less likely that, having a new recording, Gary would then have put out the original.... [For Star Trek Voyager fans, I have just been watching the episode "Projections", and am really losing my grip on what is or isn't reality.....] 3. "In Echo Park I........." NEVER NOTICED! GENIUS!! 4. In response to Mhoram's query. If you have not got "Time To Die", GET IT. (I prefer the "B" side version to the album version, but there you go.) It is one of my all-time favourite Numan Tracks. More ramblings later, when I have caught up a bit more. (Looks up at his Numan clock to check the time - fanatic or what?) Paddy Vickers ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 26 Aug 1998 00:31:16 -0500 From: Valerie Iglar-Mobley Subject: chiming in on making or breaking To: The Gary Dige Dear all, I agree with cautious comments Matthew Roberts and some others have been making about where Gary's career is right now. It seems like we could either be on the threshhold of a Numan Renaissance... or experiencing the last hurrah. The tribute albums, the US tour, the new label all give me excitement and hope. The singles problems and the oversaturation of reissues give me the nerves. In 'Praying To The Aliens' Gary described several times when he felt his music was on the brink of oblivion (and many thanks to Gregor Torrence for helping me to locate a copy). I never want him to be in that position again. He should do whatever he needs to do to parlay the growing excitement into growing success, even if it means we fans may miss out on some things we've come to expect. If it means our hero will still be making music instead of having to give it up, I'm willing to do without other 'Exile' singles or the extended album or a 'live' album or the yearly tours. I think abandoning further 'Exile' singles is exactly what he should do. I strongly doubt how much push any more of those might give to that album. I think he should put himself completely behind the next album, get the single to be released concurrent or just ahead of the album, and get Eagle/Cleo to seriously promote it. And now for a way-out-there idea for getting our man back in the spotlight. Nine Inch Nails, Marilyn Manson, Foo Fighters and Beck have all covered Gary's songs (and are major acts in the music biz, with name recognition and broad appeal). I would love to see Eagle spend the money, get the rights to release those songs, and put out a compilation with those versions on one disc, along with-- y'all ready for this?-- Gary's covers of those artists' better known songs. Wouldn't it be a riot to hear him doing "Head Like A Hole", "The New Pollution", and... whatever Marilyn Manson and Foo Fighters have done? Okay, since that will never happen (brilliant though the idea is), let's get even more way-out. Let me pose an open invitation to any fellow 'noid with the capability to, to put together a bootleg with those versions on it. Plug it as an obscure alterna-mix disc (fill it out with The Judybats doing "Cars"-- a version I adore-- and anybody else who was left off 'Random'). See if the non-chain stores will buy it. See if the Lollapalooza crowd will bite. Share the love, Benjamin Iglar-Mobley ... "Am I a fake of The Man, and are you of me?" ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 23 Aug 1998 10:41:38 -0500 From: "Troy L. Walters" Subject: e-mailing Eagle To: Gary Numan Instead of e-mailing Eagle (which seems impossible at this time), and e-mailing all the other labels -- why not go to the top and contact BMG about what is going on? Eagle is a subsidiary of BMG, so they may well do as BMG "requests." Just a thought... -- Troy L. Walters Indiana, USA tlwalter@tctc.com http://www.tctc.com/~tlwalter Heading straight for the Numan-llennium -- Beware of the IDGAF Syndrome... ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 24 Aug 1998 09:43:07 +0100 From: "Luke Bowen" Subject: Eagle have changed Gary's priorities To: "Gary Numan" During the last few weeks, there seem to have been a lot of messages which complain about or comment upon decisions that have been taken by Gary and Eagle records - no UK-wide tours planned, no more singles from Exile, no Kinsmen are three that come to mind. Also, I have noticed that the amount of personal involvement that Gary has now on his own 'Nuworld' web-site has become minimal. I would like to suggest that there is a pattern here - Eagle records are keen for Gary to become commercially viable (which, for a long time he has not been). This means taking some serious steps: - No more loss-making tours - No more loss-making singles - More profit-making albums - More publicity in markets with high growth potential (USA, Australia) - More focus on core business (new albums) and less diversification (web articles, acting etc.) There is evidence to support this: Gary's decisions not to do Kinsmen and not to tour the UK came after signing with Eagle. Also, we already know that Eagle have paid for Outland to be relocated (away from the house) and re-equipped with the objective being to increase Gary's productivity. As a fan, I think all of this is good news. If it means that Gary will be releasing new material more frequently and, more importantly, that commercial success enables him to continue for a few more years, surely that's a good thing? Yes, it's a shame that he won't be playing the provinces this year but, apart from that, I don't think the price we are paying is an unreasonable one. It's ten years since Gary wrote "I'm back in harness, Cold Metal Rhythm takes me back to God". In 1988, IRS weren't a strong enough harness, let's hope Eagle are. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 24 Aug 1998 01:20:00 EDT From: KatzeKuss@aol.com Subject: EXILE LOGO To: numan@cs.uwp.edu I have been searching in vain for what the EXILE LOGO sybolizes and was Gary its creator??????? PURRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!! ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 23 Aug 1998 09:54:33 +0100 From: "Squidly" Subject: Gary Numan Digest V1 #462 To: "Gary Numan" > and even if that isn't true, gary isnt the type of artist that just > treats his songs with a "whatever" attitude. by using such a blatent > change of lyrics, its leads me to believe that numan was really tying to > communicate a message to his audience; why else would he bother??? > your ideas???? I thought this was another dig at Steve Strange......saying its about time the new romantic thing moved on. He illustrated the point by recycling one of his songs.....in much the same way Visage had done......no new ideas, just rehash the old ones. Bitchy, but a point well made :-) ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 23 Aug 1998 19:18:30 -0400 From: "Robby Garner" Subject: Gary Numan interview in FringeWare Review To: "Gary Numan" While much of what I asked Gary is old hat to most of you, I have recently posted the interview I did with him last year on my web site at Robitron. http://www.fringeware.com/~robitron/GaryNuman.html Cheers, Robby Garner ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 25 Aug 1998 11:40:22 GMT0BST From: "James Chapman" Subject: Human To: numan@cs.uwp.edu I know there has been a lot of discussion on this lately but I don't have this album but if "Hanoi", "Dark Mountain", and "The Hauntings" on the Numa Years Machine+Soul disc are pepresentative of what's on it then I MUST have it!!! --------------------------------------------------------------------------- They crawl out of their holes for me...... --------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 26 Aug 1998 14:22:07 +0100 From: Mark Pearson Subject: In Stockholm To: Numan Digest By the way, I'm going to Stockholm Thursday on business and will have a night to kill. Can anyone recommend some good bars in the centre where a brit can hear some good music (Not Abba or Ace of Bass)? Axey. ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 26 Aug 1998 22:24:49 +0800 From: jean burgess Subject: introduction speech To: numan@cs.uwp.edu Hello to the world's dedicated Numan Fans. My name is Jean Burgess, I used to live in Manchester, England, some of you may remember some of the Numan discos I organised under the title "The Dream Police". I came to Australia in 1989, but I had to go back to the UK twice to see Gary on tour. I haven't been back since 1991. I've been into Numan since before his hit single got to number one in the charts in 1979, that is "Are 'Friends' Electric?". I didn't see Gary tour in 1979, after all it did sell out in an hour and I had never been outside Hyde at that time. I also missed the farewell concerts, my mam wouldn't let me go on my own and in those days what mam said was the gospel. Other favourite artists are Manson, NIN, Depeche, Front 242, Frontline Assembly, basically anything industrial sounding or a combination with Death Metal. Well I should sign off, I may have exceeded my introduction quota of words. Please feel free to contact me at my e-mail address, I'm very lonely out here. Jean ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 23 Aug 1998 10:53:20 -0500 From: "Troy L. Walters" Subject: IRS and EMI To: Gary Numan > Copeland has been aggressively trying to buy > I.R.S. back from EMI-Capitol Music Group North America. > It looks like a campaign directed at EMI may possibly result in the release of the IRS material. If EMI bought IRS, they have control of the material. -- Troy L. Walters Indiana, USA tlwalter@tctc.com http://www.tctc.com/~tlwalter Heading straight for the Numan-llennium -- Beware of the IDGAF Syndrome... ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 24 Aug 1998 22:51:37 EDT From: VRcadia@aol.com Subject: Joey's I.R.S. Logo Search To: joey@lindstrom.com, numan@cs.uwp.edu Just a short note about your search for I.R.S. Records logos.. I have one at work. We useit from time to time when we are designing the artwork for MGM/UA DVD's. A few of their titles have soundtracks on I.R.S. As far as I.R.S. going out of business, news to me. But then again about the only thing I ever bought on that label was Gary's stuff so no big loss here. Of course them re-issueing Gary's stuff (or not as the case may be) would be a major kick in the ass. Let's hope they either are still around to reissue the catolgue... or sell there library and Cleopatra or someone else picks it up and re-issues it. Mitchell Gore ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 23 Aug 1998 21:07:23 +0100 From: "PAUL LAVIN" Subject: Lighten Up To: Hi to all Just a quick message - things seem to be getting a bit heavy on the old digest (No 462) so a request is filed for a touch of good humour and lightheartedness. Lighten up people!!! Right, I'm off back to the House of Lords. PS - Remind me to smile..... Pal ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 25 Aug 1998 00:31:22 +0100 From: Mark Pearson Subject: Lisa-The Biz To: Gary Numan Hi Lisa, Don't get me wrong, I don't think I implied T&B had done a bad job at all. I just think that the majority of Gary's success came in the early years. I think (And Yes, I appreciate the mortgage thing) T&B had a comparitivly easy job early on. Gary was the most exciting propect the biz had seen since Bowie or Mercury. No disrespect (Seriously) but a donut could have earned Gary money back then. All I'm saying is that with a professional team behind him Gary may have enjoyed a more sustained chart career than he did with T&B that's all. Yes, I know they're Gary's mistakes to make, I just offered it up as a discussion point. I too have moved extensively in the biz and still feel Gary would have benefitted from professional management. His parents (Who he owes the world) had no experience in the biz whatsoever. I feel sure there have been decisions made that cost Gary big time. On the other hand Gary may well have decided that it was a trade off he was prepared to live with to not have to deal with some of the music biz scumm. I dunno, I just wondered......... Luv on Y'all-Axeman. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 24 Aug 1998 20:08:27 +0100 From: tina freeman Subject: New Site To: numan@cs.uwp.edu http://www.principle.simplenet.com Lady ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 23 Aug 1998 15:14:02 +0100 (BST) From: "Jon Garland" Subject: No tour no hope? To: numan@cs.uwp.edu I'm afraid I'm siding with those who're puzzled & disappointed by Gary's decision not to tour in the UK. I think it's bizarre that, after getting more publicity & recognition than at any time for many years, Gary stops touring & disappears into his bunker again. Surely now's the time to do at least a 20 date tour, with full publicity & all the trimmings, rather than vanish into thin air once more. After all, Gary's toured in the past with seemingly little to promote, playing to venues that were sometimes only a quarter full. Now that he can pull a decent crowd again, he's decided to alienate many fans by not touring at all. Very odd. I can't help but feel that it's yet another very poor decison in a career littered with them. Jon ********************************************* Jon Garland Research Associate Scarman Centre, University of Leicester Email: jgd@le.ac.uk Tel: +44 (0)116 252 5701 Internet: http://www.le.ac.uk/scarman/ ********************************************* ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 24 Aug 1998 01:54:26 +0100 From: "David Ellison" Subject: NumanBoy Speaks! To: "Gary Numan" Well I know I have been quiet for quite some time. It's been a bizarre summer. Computer crashes, lost film (yes maybe "THE" Charlotte pics..don't know for sure, because I don't keep track of what's on what roll very well.) and of course the relentless heat wave. But on a better note: www.numanboy.com is up and running, although not as far along as I hoped by now. I HAVE a floor tic for the Sept 12 gig at Shepard's Bush!!!!! Thank-You Andy West and Tony J!! I'm of to the UK (and Holland - thank you British Airways) for 11 days, the 2nd through the 13th. This time I just might stay!! I could go on about Homo-erotic lyrics, Eagle records, Gary's career, but I won't. I'm just looking forward to Shepard's Bush. Anyone who is going, drop me a line. Especially anyone from the US. And of course...you won't be able to miss me...I'll be the blond-haired boy in US Exile tour t-shirt, with a Guinness in one-hand, dancing wildly to "We Are Glass"!!! Cheers! David a.k.a. NumanBoy Proud Member of "Boys Like Us" www.numanboy.com ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 26 Aug 1998 14:19:55 +0100 From: Mark Pearson Subject: Numan on The O-Zone To: Numan Digest Did anyone one see his lordship on the O-Zone Monday night? It was Beggars Banquet's 21st birthday bash and Gary was there getting pissed up with all the other liggers. He made some comment about how he knew they had done well financially as he was on a really crap deal when he was with them. Actually he looked really cheerful. Marriage must be agreeing with him. I found an old Melody Maker (Music Paper) going back to the early 80's and they reviewed Chameleons. They referred to Gary as The Great White Slug. I thought that was a little rude myself. Luv on Ya!!!!! Axeman. ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 23 Aug 1998 04:34:54 -0400 From: Stevorama Subject: One Man's (Long-Winded) Opinion To: numan@cs.uwp.edu First off, thanks to Downstat for the list of Gary's fave records. Strange to find out that, except for the Jesus Jones song (which I haven't heard of) they were all faves of mine as well. Seeing as my and Gary's ages only differ by a few months, I thought that was doubly cool. In other news.....I've read intently the debate about touring/not touring the UK, no extended releases, no live album, et cetera. I'm afraid I must come out for what may be an unpopular opinion on this. My opinion? Good for him. Gary is the only artist I've EVER heard of who released album, released extended album, released live album, all in a year or two's space. Amazing that people are complaining about having to pay again for the extra autobiography chapter in the paperback version, but no one minds having to buy 3 cds for different versions of the same songs. I always considered 12" mixes, other for their original purpose of keeping the dancing going longer, to be an insult; I already paid for it once, how dare the artist put out a better version that my money helped finance! ;) Can you tell I'm not a big fan of double-billing? I think now that Gary has a worldwide deal he to some extent has to play like the big boys. Especially now that there are suddenly so many "new" Numan albums in the racks here in the States, oversaturation can be a major problem, and anyone who's followed the career of The-Artist-I've-Gone-Back-To-Calling-Prince knows how that can ho-hum enthusiasm amongst all but the most rabid. I'd like to see a new album by my fave artist every week too, but if I only get one every two or three (or four) years it is a MUCH bigger deal. Along the same lines, maybe Gary isn't touring the UK because it's becoming a "oh, him again" kinda deal? And to be fair, didn't he perform most of the Exile songs on the previous tour? (I may be wrong here, I know). Seems a UK tour is redundant at this stage, even for Gary. And as much as I drooled over him in Florida after waiting forever (Joe and Rattles can verify this, me brothers), that doesn't mean he needs to come right back. Been here, done that! And by the opinion of more than a few here, it seems that when Gary was releasing an album a year, the albums weren't that hot......(ouch.) Maybe he's learning that to be a major player in the music biz (and I do NOT agree that he's too old for it) requires timing AND pacing to an extent. And if we don't hear from him as often maybe it means he's putting more time into the music, which is why I like the man in the first place, although he turned out to be much more hospitable than I had imagined him to be. ;) I know I've droned on far too long, but one more thing. In one of the reviews of his Orlando show I read online, it was stated that the Orlando show was stopped early because two "asshole skinheads" were fighting over some girl. I beg to differ, since I was one of them. Actually, the other guy had a full head of hair, and a full belly of beer to boot. At some point in the last song before the encore, a girl appeared and started dancing with not just me, but a few of us. No words were exchanged as we were all having too much fun singing along, dancing and raising our arms at just the right time (whoa.....whoa......whoa....). So when I suddenly got pushed from behind I assumed "oh crap, moshing, how juvenile" and moved to my right. It was only then that I saw that it was on purpose, as the weaving fratboy punched me in the ribs. I did not return a punch at all, just moved back and he was pulled away. That was the extent of it. Gary's show ended after one encore to my understanding because of the club's standing cutoff time to allow their regular patrons to party. I may be mistaken, but that's what I was told. I was indeed impressed when I met Gary after the show and his first words were to inquire as to whether I had been hurt. I was impressed. There, I've said it all. To summarize, I love Gary's music and want it to be worth the wait always. And yes, the man puts on a hell of a live show. But moving slow is not unusual for someone who's basically starting over. And if I'm a skinhead just because my head's shaved (and it was only buzzed back then), does this mean I have to sell my Emmylou Harris collection? with a grain of salt, steve in orlando Orlando and St. Pete show pix: http://www.geocities.com/WestHollywood/2909/orlando.html ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 25 Aug 1998 18:21:27 +0100 From: kevin Goodchild Subject: RE Top Ten/Twelve To: numan digest Folks, I have a tape dating back to 1983 Warriors tour, tracks as follows T Rex Telegram Sam Kate Bush A Man with the Child in his Eyes Mott The Hopple Andy Williams Can't get used to loosing you Land of Hope and Glory Cliff Richard Miss you nights Judy Collins Send in the clowns (Sometime song) Michael Jackson Billie Jean Queen Now I'm here David Bowie Cracked Actor Peter Gabriel I Don't Remember Police Don't Stand so close to Me Hope that clears a few things up ! Kevin ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 26 Aug 1998 17:33:57 EDT From: DCGaySLP@aol.com Subject: Skin Mech. CD for sale! Wow! To: numan@cs.uwp.edu Hi Digesters..I was searching ebay, a public auction website and found a Skin Mechanic CD up for bid.....it just came up and it was going at $1.00 as of this writing....the auction ends on 9/2/98 if I'm not mistaken....run..hurry! http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=27316951 Bye for now... Rick in DC ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 23 Aug 1998 17:26:14 -0700 From: fgeer Subject: Sound Quality To: numan@cs.uwp.edu I would like to here from people who have heard both "Sacrifice" & "Exile" through sound systems w/sub woofer & w/out sub woofer . Does the production make more sense when heard w/ sub woofer ? I don't have a sub woofer in my system and have never heard Gary's music played on a system that does . I would appreciate some feedback . ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 23 Aug 1998 13:05:54 -0500 From: Jeff Tolva Subject: Telekon 4 sale/trade To: "'Numanews'" Numanoids, I have the Beggars Banquet (UK version...cat no. BEGA 19) of the Telekon = album on vinyl for sale/trade. It also includes the free 7" single of = "Remember I Was Vapour (live)" b/w "On Broadway (live)". Both pieces of = vinyl are in good condition. If you're interested, make me an offer. Jeff Tolva (The Machman) ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 23 Aug 1998 14:50:13 +0400 From: "Peter Enright" Subject: The view from Moscow To: "Digest Numan" Meanwhile, in a country far, far away (from civilisation) Here's my 3 rubles worth; in regard to this "to tour or not to tour, the old die-hard fans vs. new hip youngsters, and all the dime store advice about how to make it big in the music industry et al" - markp@east89a.demon.co.uk and Troy L. Walters, each in their own inimitable styles, hit the proverbial 9" nail on the head. And it's this simple: our boy Gary carves his own path, and there is no right or wrong way, just his own way. Remember: he who makes no mistakes, makes no discoveries. Our man Numan has survived highs and lows that you and I will never know, yet still remains true to the inner forces that move him to create some of the most sublime, emotional and exciting foot-stomping, toe-tapping, skull-bashing, girlfriend-bonking music ever heard. And because of his unique sound and striking chameleon images that have entertained us over the years, he simply ain't mainstream (thank God ... or whoever) and therefore he just ain't everybody's cuppa tea (or vodka). But some Numanites have simply lost the plot: they are experts on Gary's mercurial career - NOT! Gazza does it his own way, in his own time, and ultimately pays his own ferryman. Any record company dealing with him should respect that, and should in their own interests, promote him the way HE wants to be promoted - Numan is not a pop product like The Spice Cows (sorry Troy, I know you've got the hots for Posh Spice but I saw her first) and I for one am glad he's still a kind of underground phenomenon (a name like The Tubeway Army is about as underground as one can go!) - albeit a rediscovered one for some young fans experiencing his music for the first time. And if he wants to tour, fuck it he'll go and gig. And if not, so be it. But there'll be hell to pay if some panty-waisted record company prat tries to show Gaz the stairway to the stars. It's worth noting that here in Russia during the dark ages of the Soviet period, most of the (western) music, fashion, literature etc. was found by stealth, underground, and therefore it was good. Nothing legal or mainstream was taken seriously by the intelligentsia. And that's how I see (most of the) Numanoids - intelligentsia of the music world. Why we even bother to analyse his lyrics! And I almost forgot the most important point - being a Numan fan is not serious, it's FUN! Don't forget that! Over and out (to lunch), The TikTokMan, Still lying low in Moscow, Wishing I could be in Shepherd's Bush on the 12th ... sob, sniffle ... Posh where are you? ------------------------------ End of Gary Numan Digest ******************************