Gary Numan Digest Sun, 8 Nov 98 Volume 1 : Issue 484
Today's Topics:
"Premire Hits" on my-cd.com and lyrical interpretations
Asylum Blahdyblah
boredom
Boring
Boring ?
boring ?????
Boring Digest?
Boring Digests
for sale
immature
looking for help on numan video"s
My mirror's tarnished with 'no help'
Numan slagged in press, again?!
Poll Update
Report from Moscow
Sharpe+Numan - For Sale
Sister Ray
This Wreckage
This Wreckage ain't shite!
Volariam/Boring
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Thu, 05 Nov 1998 11:13:10 -0500
From: "Terrence Thoman"
Subject: "Premire Hits" on my-cd.com and lyrical interpretations
To: Gary Numan Digest
*BEWARE* This post may contain subjects that may be just too boring for
or deemed inappropriate by some readers. To avoid any resulting
nastiness that may result from wasting ones time reading this post
please refer to the following table of contents so that you may skip to
the areas that interest you or skip to the next post.
1) Gary Numan songs available at MY-CD.COM
2) My comments on lyrical tag lines
3) My commentary on "The Seed of A Lie"
MY-CD.COM
This may be of interest to those people who were discussing the various
compilations and their inability to get all their preferred GN tracks on
one CD. cd-now.com is a web site that allows customers to choose songs
from their music library to create custom CD compilations. Surprisingly
"Premire Hits" is among the albums that are available. I find this
encouraging to see a service aimed at mainstream tastes to include Gary
and find it even more encouraging that Beggars is willing to allow their
material to be distributed in this way. I emailed their customer
service to express my satistfaction with Gary's inclusion and to express
what other artists I'd like to see added to their offerings. I got an
almost immediate email reply thanking me for my suggestions including a
25% discount on any purchase. Hopefully they'll be receptive and BB
(and Eagle?) willing to include more GN material in the future so that
each fan can have it his/her own way.
Hope this didn't sound too much like a commercial for my-cd.com as I
have never bought anything from them. This was my first visit to there
site, but I intend to keep checking back and perhaps I'll even email BB
to encourage them to allow the recently remastered albums to be made
available. It certainly wouldn't do any harm for us all to show strong
support for Gary by asking my-cd.com to increase its Numan library.
USE OF LYRICS IN TAG LINES
On a different note, I for one enjoy posts that end with Numan lyrical
passages. I find myself running the song through my head as I read
through the digest and it usually stays with me the rest of the day.
THE SEED OF A LIE
And since I making this out to be a long post anyway and to further
thumb my nose at the recent backlash of "proper" or "boring" subjects
I'll state this:
While I don't rate Sacrafice as the best album Gary has ever produced, I
think "The Seed of a Lie" is one of the most riveting songs he's ever
done. I love the darkness of the song. On much of Sacrafice percussion
gets front stage, but on this song the dark and brooding synths really
come to the front to set the mood, and the lyrics are very powerful,
especially toward the end where he sings:
Do you remember?
I said to you, love is a mountain
But harder to climb
It should be forever, but love is unkind
To me.
I literally get a chill up my back when he gets to the "to me" part. Up
to that point it's just a general commentary, but then he personalizes
it with that line. Then he goes into a desparate state just chanting
over and over, "Don't let me down", concluding with sinking into an even
lower state with "and you let me down". I get a visual of Gary curled
up in the fetal position on the bare floor of a stark prison cell, just
rocking back and forth chanting this line. It leaves me feeling very
cold and isolated and I guess that's what music's all about isn't it? A
feeling, an image, a state of mind, and Gary is a master of conjuring up
those feelings and images. That's why I continue to listen and
anxiously await the next installment of what Gary has to offer. And
he's always got something different to offer. Take "Walk in My Soul".
On the same album Gary can go from this very upbeat, warm feeling that
reads like a Danielle Steele novel to "Seed" which is so utterly
desparate and cold.
|| THIS WAY TO THE NEXT POST ||
\/ \/
Terrence
...the only one, September, she knows I can feel
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 5 Nov 1998 21:16:52 -0000
From: "Phil Marsh"
Subject: Asylum Blahdyblah
To: numan@cs.uwp.edu
Whilst showing due attention to the rules of this list, I'd like to respond to
Daniel Turner's mail in the last Digest. If Dave Datta wants me to edit any of
this before its posted - Dave let me know, not my intention to flame anyone.
I did indeed suggest there were people I knew of who'd ordered from Asylum
and not received anything. One in particular is a subscriber to this list, and I
have absolutely no intention of using his name against his wishes, as he's a
mate.
> I'd just like to tell Phil Marsh to shut this trap
Which trap is this? Oh, I guess you mean MY trap (to those overseas, this
translates as I should "shut my mouth").
> I can tell you about the
> two hundred people who have received their orders and are delighted about
> them too but I probably haven't got the space.
Shame none chose to write in your defence after my mail...maybe someone
will in this Digest, instead.
> Yes we do sell bootlegs, why hide from it?, although they probably only take
> up about 3% of our list.
You used that same line when I first had dealings with you - and the list I saw
at that time showed what a naughty lie that was then.
> And whats wrong with bootlegs anyway, the Depeche
> Mode fan club positively endorse them!. When I was a collector I loved
> bootlegs.
And I've got me fair share, and I'll make the same point now as then - everyone
I know swaps boots or does them for the cost of a blank tape. If there are still
people daft enough to pay prices like you were charging at that time, then
you're ripping them off - regardless of whether or not you delivered the goods.
> Unfortunately, Phil's got a little grudge about us, I won't tell them what
> it is Phil because it's so childish everyone would probably fall about
> laughing.
Tony Webb didn't think it was especially funny at the time, and he left me in no
doubt as to his opinions of what people like you do. And without wishing to
disappoint you Daniel, I've not given you a minute's thought since our little spat,
but when there's a post recommending you on the Digest, I can't see any harm
putting across someone else's experience - people then can make their own
minds up.
And I certainly don't intend raking up old history - you couldn't understand the
reasons for my concern before, and from the tone of your rather strong outburst
you won't understand why I'm writing now.
If you've cleaned up your act, then all well and good. Perhaps some of your
"200 satisfied customers" are on the Digest and will support you. If that's the
case, I'll gladly apologise.
Finally - you really shouldn't say something in an email you wouldn't say to
someone's face; so don't tell me to shut my trap, because I'm absolutely
certain you wouldn't say it to my face.
Have a nice day now...
Phil
PS oi! Tik Tok Man! Any better? No? Oh well....
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 5 Nov 1998 21:36:17 -0600
From: paddygav@kcnet.com (Paddy)
Subject: boredom
To: numan@cs.uwp.edu
i would have to say that to some degree the messages are kind of boring.
however, i can't imagine where I would be without the digest! I gues i
shoudl not have put that out in such brod manner. uh, what I meant to say
was, i don't know where my record collection would be today without the
Digest. getting the latest on releases and websites to visit is invaluable
to me, as . .. well you know how it is with Numan most places - no one
knows nothin.
My body screams - YES
My mind just keeps its peace.
http://www.kcnet.com/~paddygav/images.html
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 08 Nov 1998 05:38:54 +0800
From: Jean Burgess
Subject: Boring
To: Gary Numan
Hi Y'all
I've just read the last two digests and found some curious comments
about it.
If people don't like the subject matter then I think they need to be
proactive and make suggestions or start the ball rolling on a more
favourable topic.
I think people also forget that the fans on the digest are very diverse,
you only need to look at people's choices regarding favourite and least
favourite Numan and whether least favourite is an allowed topic of
discussion. There will be people on the digest who are happy to read
about releases and discuss the old tracks, I'm rather cut off here and
appreciate hearing about compilations etc and I like talking about the
old times being an old timer. If it wasn't for NIN and Manson I would
have been stuck in the 80's permanently. I read comments on the digest
I'm not happy about, but I keep it to myself because everyone is
different and everyone is entitled to their opinion.
I'm happy to get into any topic, ie people's personal experiences
meeting Numan, a funny thing happened to me on the way to a Numan
concert type stories. I prefer positive interactions with people on the
digest, but one can't demand it.
So if those of you falling to sleep right now, write in something that
sets the ball rolling on topics you would like to discuss.
One last thing. I most people didn't like what was on the digest the
digest would fizzle out and I'm not aware of it fizzling out.
I will be able to post that X-Press interview next time I'm on. I'm
only revising now, no more assignments to hand in.
I'm looking forward to your constructive suggestions for future topics
of discussion.
Buyeeee!
Jean
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 5 Nov 1998 20:09:06 -0000
From: "Stephen Page"
Subject: Boring ?
To:
I have to admit to finding the digest boring of late. It also annoys me =
to see people say that we can't discuss this or that cause it might =
offend or it goes off too much at a tangent.=20
At the end of the day, as grown up Numanoids we should be able to =
discuss all aspects relating to Gary, his music etc. People moaned about =
the discussions regarding the homoeroticism, well like it or lump, the =
images were there. For some people that may have been important and =
therefore they have every right to discuss it in a place like this. =
Let's not get ourselves into a state of narrow mindedness and let's =
discuss all the issues that we feel we want to discuss.
I want to be a member of Boys Like Us too ! and be proud of it
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 5 Nov 1998 06:43:01 EST
From: Jamesy999@aol.com
Subject: boring ?????
To: NUMAN@cs.uwp.edu
Fellow Numanoids,
Has the Digest become boring ????? I don't think so. God knows I was bored
shitless by the religous, homowotsit and name calling..I scrolled through most
of it .... However I think that Numanoids enjoy talking about things to do
with Numan.
Lyrics, images, fav tunes etc ( mainly because where else are you gonna do it
????)..Sure there is more than enough room for the more "serious" stuff....
But once it all gets too serious I start ascrolling....
Regarding Asylum merchandise...I don't know the person who runs it but I have
nothing but praise for the geezer...I've ordered stuff off them and never had
a complaint..I've always got my stuff and the prices are fair....well done
Asylum.
Tony J
I still reckon "This Wreckage" is sooooo awful.. It was duff in 1980 and it
is now;-)
Everybody's Infected.....'cept me
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 06 Nov 1998 13:18:54 -0500
From: Ken
Subject: Boring Digest?
To: numan@cs.uwp.edu
Hello All!
I don't find the Digest boring at all lately. I find it more enjoyable now
without all the name calling and childish temper tantrums.
At the last concert in Charlotte, North Carolina, USA, Gary said he planned
to return to the US in a few months. Has anyone heard about when and if
this may happen?
I've put together a Gary Numan tribute site. You can find it at
Best wishes!
Ken
___________________________________________________________________
__If evil be the food of genious, there aren't many demons around._
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 5 Nov 1998 11:07:28 +0000
From: Tom Gorham
Subject: Boring Digests
To: "Gary Numan"
The digest is admittedly a little boring, but that's simply because
there's nothing going on on the Numan front at the moment.
Maybe TikTokMan could brighten things up by rehashing his past emails
about hearing Numan tracks on obscure B-Moview soundtracks in darkest
Russia.
That one really had me on the edge of my seat I can tell you.
Regards
Tom Gorham
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 6 Nov 1998 07:33:21 -0500 (EST)
From: "Michael R. Ward"
Subject: for sale
To: numan digest
i have a couple more items for sale if anyone is interested.
numan "like a refugee" (both versions- one with live extra track and other
with acoustic version) i would like to try to sell as a set
numan "asylum 1" still wrapped (sealed, unopened)
numan "stange charm" original numa records release
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 05 Nov 1998 10:49:02 +0000
From: Andy McHaffie
Subject: immature
To: Numan Digest
I'm a friend pf Phil Marsh's and he's NOT immature.Is NOT is NOT is
NOOOTTT
*stamp*
Andy
--
http://www.joekeith.dircon.co.uk/mouthfull.html
--
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 5 Nov 1998 13:48:10 EST
From: Telekon22@aol.com
Subject: looking for help on numan video"s
To: numan@cs.uwp.edu
hi,
im looking for any numan video that other fans can trade with me .
will trade for anything for numan Video.
and also . if anyone like to know --on nov- 10 - 98.
Cleopatra -is releasing -- the Fury - .on CD .
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 5 Nov 1998 15:56:54 -0500
From: "Warren, Sam"
Subject: My mirror's tarnished with 'no help'
To: "'numan@cs.uwp.edu'"
Oh my, I've been mentioned in the Digest, and without much prodding on my
part. I feel positively famous! ;-)
There seems to be some debate over the quality of Gary's masterpiece (IMHO,
of course) This Wreckage. Several people have opined that it simply isn't
Gary's best work. Well, that's okay, I can live with a difference of opinion
(even if you guys are wrong ;-)). However, before this whole controversy
erupted, I had already nominated this much-maligned composition as Song of
the Week on Joey Lindstrom's World Wide Webb site. "Oh dear," I thought, "now
everyone who visits that site will know what bad taste I have." ;-) "Wait," I
thought (almost immediately after), "maybe his site will be mysteriously
unavailable during that week (it actually was, but I swear I had nothing to
do with it) and no one will know my shame.
Next thing you know, I've been outed by a fellow Numanoid! Joey himself
wrote:
>I agree - the song's pretty good. I wouldn't put it on my top-ten list
>of Numan songs but it's not the piece of shite people here have been
>saying it is. Last week it appeared on my Webbsite (in RealAudio) as the
>"Song Of The Week". Y'all can blame Sam Warren in NYC for that choice. :-)
Uh oh, the jig is up! Ah well, if I'm to be known all over the world, I
suppose there are worse things to be known for than as a fan of what some
consider a piece of shite. After all, a cartoon show called South Park got
huge ratings when they featured a piece of shite that talks and sings (but
unfortunately, it didn't sing This Wreckage ;-)).
Joey also says that three different people wrote him to say that he must
remove the offending song from his site. Gee, you guys hate the song so much
you can't even deal with it residing quietly in cyberspace (unless you have
RealAudio)? Wow, that's pretty serious! Well, nothing much I can do about
that. I just think it's a really cool song that expresses some really cool
thoughts on several really cool levels. So now we've all had our say. And
that's really cool. ;-)
Sam
(who's secretly happy that he's suddenly made a name for himself)
------------------------------
Date: Sat, 7 Nov 1998 13:07:34 -0800
From: obscure@blueneptune.com
Subject: Numan slagged in press, again?!
To: Numan News Digest
Hi All,
Here's something to hopefully add zing to the scintillating content of the
Digest.
In this week's edition of the San Jose (California) Metro "Silicon Valley's
Weekly Newspaper", film critic Richard von Busack reviews the new Todd
Haynes movie VELVET GOLDMINE. The review mainly consists of his slagging
of the film as a poorly done recreation of the life and times of Ziggy
Stardust. This I had no problem with - I'll probably see the movie anyway
- but he ends his review with this line:
"....this film fails it's ambitions; it aspires to be David Bowie, and
it's more like Gary Numan."
The whole review can be found at www.metroactive.com and letters to the
Metro should be sent to: letters@sjmetro.com
I think that if the Metro gets enough mail from irate Numanoids about this
obvious slagging that may be we can convince them to do a story on
Gary...what do you think?
Lisa
________________________
obscure@blueneptune.com
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 5 Nov 1998 08:42:19 GMT0BST
From: "James Chapman"
Subject: Poll Update
To: numan@cs.uwp.edu
I am thinking of brining my poll (ranking the albums from 1 to
16) to a close a couple of weeks early because of Andy's poll on the
net. Having voted on it myself, it seems like THE Numan poll, albeit
the albums get ranked depending on individual song tastes rather than
the album as a whole. Anyway, anyone desparate to change thye
rankings (eg you think Machine+Soul is the best record of all time! )
please vote before Sunday 15. Nov. comparing the results of the two
polls will be interesting.
THE DIGEST IS NOT BORING!!!!
I thought this was the kind of thing we were supposed to discuss!
------------------------------
Date: Sat, 7 Nov 1998 13:06:29 +0300
From: "Peter Enright"
Subject: Report from Moscow
To: "Digest Numan"
from: Scoop Newsworthy
Reuters, Moscow
Sat. 7 Nov. 1998
AUSTRALIAN MAN FOUND IN COMA
Moscow Metropolitan police reported today that Australian expatriate Peter
Enright was found in a deep coma in his apartment this morning. Police
immediately suspected foul play, "It was a very strange scene," said the
obviously shaken Detective Sergei Dorenko, "we were responding to numerous
complaints that very loud music had been keeping his neighbours awake for
several hours. So when there was no answer to the doorbell we had to break into
his apartment. We found him slumped over his laptop computer apparently
unconscious. He had programmed his CD unit on continuous play so that it was
booming out capitalist punk music by some foreign singer called Numan." Then
things became even stranger. Dorenko continued, "We then discovered that his
computer was displaying some English e-mail list called the "Numan Digest", and
one of my men who speaks English, began translating what was on the screen, but
after several sentences, he collapsed out of sheer boredom and had to be rushed
to hospital. I've never seen anything like it in all my years in the Militsia."
Dorenko burst into tears at this point and had to be sedated. Mr. Enright is
now recovering in Mental Clinic Number Twelve on the outskirts of Moscow,
although it may take some time according to the clinic's director. The laptop
was confiscated by military officials who intend to investigate the possibility
of using this Digest program as a new weapon of mass destruction, possibly as a
replacement for Russia's rusting and outdated underground nuclear missile
silos.
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 05 Nov 1998 18:07:50 -0600
From: Doug Finney
Subject: Sharpe+Numan - For Sale
To: Gary Numan
Speaking of Sharpe+Numan - anyone interested in buying my copy of
"automatic"?
Only played a handful of times, plus a couple more by the previous
owner. I
don't want to screw with a real auction but to make it fair to all
here's the
drill:
Make me an offer (min. $25). The disk will go to the highest bidder for
$1
more than the _2nd_ highest bid. I.e. Joe bids $100, Mary bids $50 ->
Joe
gets the disk for $51. WARNING: this means you should NOT bid higher
than
you feel is reasonable in hopes of beating all reasonable offers as
someone
else may make an unreasonable (but lower than yours) bid and I'd expect
you
to pony up the cash or be bad-mouthed on the list. :)
I'll cover the postage to just about anywhere in the known universe as
long
as you can pay me in U.S. funds.
Offers must be received by 12:00 p.m. CST, Saturday, Nov. 14, 1998.
Doug
dfinney@wt.net
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 5 Nov 1998 08:34:17 -0000
From: "Urban Lundqvist"
Subject: Sister Ray
To:
Sister Ray is now on-line:
sisterray.co.uk
Best
Urban
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 5 Nov 1998 13:45:31 GMT0BST
From: "James Chapman"
Subject: This Wreckage
To: numan@cs.uwp.edu
A lot has been said about This Wreckage lately. I certainly think
it;'s not rubbish, but Gary's certainly done better, but it pisses on
3 tracks on the same album (especially the horrible dirge of a title
track). The intro, however is great-as Martin Purvis says "like a
battering ram"-very powerful. I reckon Gary also uses synth like a
battering ram on Berserker- just listen to the title track on White
Noise :-)
I'm also going to comment on a much-maligned Numan song:
"I Can't Stop"
Why do loads of people hate it? I happen to really enjoy it, I
always sing along (in my head) whenever I hear it. But it just seems
to get dismissed as being crap. I'm a sucker for catchiness.
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 5 Nov 1998 11:07:25 +0000
From: Tom Gorham
Subject: This Wreckage ain't shite!
To: "Gary Numan"
numan@cs.uwp.edu said on 5/11/98 7:00 am
>I agree - the song's pretty good. I wouldn't put it on my top-ten list
>of Numan songs but it's not the piece of shite people here have been
>saying it is.
Although I criticised This Wreckage, it was the fact it was chosen as a
single. There were a few more catchy tunes on Telekon than this: what
about I'm an Agent? I even liked Kenickie's version...
Regards
Tom Gorham
------------------------------
Date: Sat, 7 Nov 1998 19:48:17 -0000
From: "Phil Marsh"
Subject: Volariam/Boring
To: numan@cs.uwp.edu
Hello, bodies
One:-
From: Valerium@aol.com
>Page 45, paragraph 5, line 4, word 11, Ray Colemans
>authorised biog. from 1982 -- VALERIUM
>I thank you.
Aah, fancy being named after a typo...sweeeet! Me, I'd
sack the proof reader... :-)
Two:-
Boredom on the list, eh? Hmmm...maybe it hasn't occured
to some people, but maybe SOME of us just see the list
as a place to exchange lightweight banter/info on Numan
related topics. Maybe some of us get our in depth and/or
serious discussions in the real world, or on other
forums. The Digest does get bogged down sometimes, and
"The Digest Asks Gary" is rather sorely missed, but I
don't depend on it to keep me going. Get yourselves a
life and treat it as the 'net candy floss it is.
>I think discussions of religious views or homoeroticism
>are probably the most vital and challenging exchanges
>one is likely to find on any artist-related site
Funny how the number of complaining emails along the
lines of "shut up about homo-eroticism/religion" went up
at that time wasn't it?!
There IS an easy answer though - go and start your own
list. Here's the address:-
http://www.onelist.com
Now, all of you who really find this list more boring
and banal than you can stand, organise yourselves and
off you go. I'm sure you'll be far happier. And don't
bother flaming me by saying I have no right to force you
off the list - I'm not, but you now have the opportunity
to create your own list where you can dictate what you
talk about, so why not go and do it?
Toodle pip
Phil
------------------------------
End of Gary Numan Digest
******************************