Gary Numan Digest Sun, 3 Jan 99 Volume 1 : Issue 500 Today's Topics: !!ADMINISTRIVIA!! #499 cuttings <none> am I to be EXILED???? Exiled? Gary Numan Digest V1 #499 Gary Numan Lyric Generator Hey check this out numa years SIZE MATTERS! (Sweatshirt anyone?) The "Compleat" Discography The Numa Years. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Date: Sat, 2 Jan 1999 22:47:19 -0800 From: Derek Langsford <dlangs@sunstroke.sdsu.edu> Subject: !!ADMINISTRIVIA!! To: numan@cs.uwp.edu Derek Langsford dlangs@sunstroke.sdsu.edu and Datta Production and Development proudly present ISSUE # 5555555555 0000000 0000000 !! !! 5 0 0 0 0 !! !! 5 00 00 00 00 !! !! 5 0 0 0 0 !! !! 5 0 0 0 0 !! !! 5555555 0 0 0 0 !! !! 55 0 0 0 0 !! !! 5 0 0 0 0 !! !! 5 0 0 0 0 !! !! 5 00 00 00 00 !! !! 55 0 0 0 0 5555555 0000000 0000000 !! !! OF _______________________________________________________________________ _____ ____ ____ _____ _____ / \ | | / \ / \ / \ / \ | |-----| |-----| | |-----| |-----| | | | G | | A | | | R | | Y | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |-----| |-----| | |-----| |-----| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | N | E | W | S |=====| | | | | | | | & | | | | | | | \_____/ I | N | F | O | | | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------- AKA THE GARY NUMAN DIGEST It's been more than 6 years since the first issue of the Gary Numan Digest appeared (September 26, 1992). The Digest was the evolution of a periodic email newsletter, "Numanews", that I started just after the Asylum sets were issued in Japan. I never expected it to last this long, nor for it to remain as the premier forum for intelligent discussion about Gary on the Internet. Looking back at its humble beginnings, with about 30 subscribers, it has come a long way. While still limited to the ASCII format, (though some insist on posting in HTML) I believe it serves a worthwhile function in providing a place for fans worldwide to exchange insights with others. It's growth to approximately 500 subscribers is testimony to the loyalty and endurance of Gary's fans and his music. The Digest has subscribers from all continents but Antarctica. Who would have expected back in late 1992 after the release of Machine and Soul, that Gary would again have a worldwide record deal and have regained top form both as a creative artist and a performer? I'd like to especially thank Dave Datta for all his work keeping the techical end of the Digest going, the University of Wisconsin, Parkside for hosting the Digest on one of its machines all this time, and everyone who has made the Digest the vibrant newsletter it often has been, and is still. I'd also like to thank Joey Lindstrom for providing readily accessible archives of the Digest to internet users at The World Wide Webb, and all the Numan website authors for making the Numan presence on the internet one of, if not the best for any artist. Thank you one and all. Let's hope 1999 is even better than 1998. Here's to another 500 Digests. Happy Nu Year everyone. Derek ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Derek H. Langsford "Numanews" San Diego, California, USA The Gary Numan Digest email numan-request@cs.uwp.edu to subscribe -----------------------------------------------------------------------------uwp ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 31 Dec 1998 13:14:24 -0500 From: Matthew Roberts <exile@compuserve.com> Subject: #499 cuttings To: Gary Numan <numan@cs.uwp.edu> I love you guys. > > From: Emperor <palpatine@imperialcity.demon.co.uk> > > I wish the older fans would stop thinking they own GN and know what i= s > > best for his career...if you don`t like what he does now, GET THE F**= K > > OUTTA HERE !! Live in your past, clinging on to the OLD MUSIC! Why don't people just say fuck? Like some people who might be offended, will be happy with f**k???? Gestalt und wohlgemeint. I agree with the sentiment though that some old bastards tend to cling on= to the old music (I'm assuming anyone who says Replicas is Gary's best album must be over 25). Don't we realise we sound like our parents???? "What's that rubbish on the television?", "It's not as good as in my day".... Now I like lot's of different rock music, for example from Spear Of Desti= ny to Randy Newman, Radiohead to Sparks, Blur to Marilyn Manson. My point, apart from massaging my ego, is that I think I have a REASONABLY balanced= perspective to view the merits of Gary's albums (although by no means an exceptional one) and whenever I hear someone say that a particular album = is catagorically better than anything else, I want to bang my head against t= he wall. Particulary, when I hear that the 79/80 music is best I just think "Shit, have these people been frozen in ice for 18 years?". It really pisses all over Gary's reputation. By the way, I for one would not wish to be know as the King of 80's music= , anymore than I would wish to be known as the King of white towelling sock= s. > Gary, it's about time you dropped CARS and AFE !!!!!!! Good to hear this expressed again. I've being saying it for 10 years and = I remember a review of the 85 Fury Tour saying much the same. When I was a petulant 20 year old, I would refuse to even applaud these songs (of cour= se I'm far more grown up now). Hey, how about a mailing campaign! What we do is all e-mail Gary saying that unless he promises to drop these songs, we aren't going to turn up. Cos we all know how much Gary listens to the fans.... and he does spend 7= hours a day reading his e-mail.... and... oh, never mind..... > I totally respect ( even if I do not understand !) the views of someone= else. But you must TRY to understand. If you do understand you might be able to= STOP respecting their opinions, which is far more fun. I can't tell you h= ow much enjoyment I have had disrespecting Christians. My thanks to St Thoma= s, Rene, Immanuel, Billy et al. > was there anyone who liked a band's early sound more than their new sound? > Found quite a few. And your point is? It's a human weakness for sentiment. It's commonly known as living in the= past. It's not unique to Numan fans, nor should we be surprised. The fact (and I believe this to be true) that people TEND to prefer bands= earlier work raises 2 questions:- 1. Do bands TEND to get worse over time?, which prompts:- 2. Is peoples TENDANCY to prefer earlier music irrational (i.e. independe= nt of the quality of the music)? I believe the answer to 1 is no. I think it's glaringly, dumbfoundingly, crystal clearly no. This SUGGESTS the answer to 2 is yes. If I'm right, that is IF I'm right, then there's a very good chance that a lot of Numan= fans are deluding themselves. How sad. Hey it's not a water tight philosophical proposition, but it made me happ= y for 5 minutes. I must go now to put on my green flares & leather waist coat. It's New Years Eve.* Matthew * Anyone who might suggest I am irrational for celebrating the New Year would be wrong. I will happily explain why to anyone who thinks I'm hoist= with my own petard. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 1 Jan 1999 02:55:46 -0800 From: newcombg4@mindspring.com Subject: <none> To: <numan@cs.uwp.edu> I share King Richard's dilemma of wanting to be supportive of Gary, but = not liking Exile. This feeling is not new to me, however. I've been = disappointed with every Numan album since "I, Assassin" (including). = After so many years and so many not-great albums, I just take what I can = get. Exile is the most difficult Numan album for me to find anything = positive to say about, except that it's OK background music I guess. At = least there were some infectious grooves in his Janet Jackson period. I = figure I'm doing my bit to keep food on his table just by continuing to = buy his records, even if they're no longer favorites. Numan is somehow = special to me, no matter what he does, unlike other artists who peaked = years ago, like David Bowie. But I like the fact that there are people = who get the same joy out of Numan's later work as I did from the first = five albums, even if I can't understand why! ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 1 Jan 1999 03:29:12 -0000 From: "Antonio" <antonio@goffboi.freeserve.co.uk> Subject: am I to be EXILED???? To: "Gary Numan" <numan@cs.uwp.edu> >HOWDY !!!!!! KING RICHARD HERE... Howdy! >>I think of that as REPLICAS, I made no comments >>about that one. Unfortunately, 'Replicas' is about the third worst album Numan has ever made, (after 'Machine and Soul' and the dire 'Automatic') apart from 'Me, I Disconnect From You' and possibly 'You Are In My Vision', the album is not that good. 'Down In The park' is possibly the only Numan song ever to be over-rated by the music press, and AFE is just a rather poor pop song. Errr... in my opinion... >Let's see, I am the trouble maker....no, I am a NUMAN >fan, have been since '79. So have the majority of us. It means nothing. 'have been a fan since 79' means no more than 'have been a fan since 98'. You are a fan, or you aren't. >"HOW CAN YOU CALL YOURSELF A NUMAN FAN >& YOU HATE EXILE?" simple....the same way you >are fans & you hate MACHINE & SOUL. You are allowed to hate Exile. I like it, but you can hate it and still be a Numan fan. I did not like M&S - didn't when it came out, even though the Fan club stated that Gary thought it was the best album of his career at the time. The strongest track was the already released 'Skin Game', and that was poor. >When did you realize that you didn't like M& SOUL?? >first listen? second listen? I listened to it relentlessly, trying to like it. I almost gave up on being a Numann fan at the time because this album was so average. It wasn't that any one track was so bad, just that the whole thing - which to a Numan fan was three new songs (don't forget we already had 'Cry', 'I Wonder', 'Skin game', 'Emotion', 'Machine & Soul' and 'U Got The Look' on singles and b - sides, and 'Cry Baby' and 'Wonder Eye' were better than the album versions) - so by the time M&S came out, the only songs there we didn't already have were the piss-poor 'Generator', the appaling 'Love Isolation' and the less than earth-shattering 'Poison' - 'is it any wonder' (to quote a line from Gary's weakest album ever) that this album was badly recieved? true -to listen to the album now, on its' own as a collection of songs, it is actually quite good - but at the time i honestly thought that Gary had run out of ideas. This was worse than the 'Strange Charm' and ' I, Assassin' scenario's (i.e. 8 - track albums with 3 of the songs already released) - worse, in that there was nothing on M&S that could even touch 'My Breathing' or 'A Dream Of Siam'. >Did you tell everyone then that you hated NUMAN'S >new album of the time. Yes. I did. if it wasn't for the fact that the Machine and Soul tour was so enjoyable, I'd have quit being a Numan fan. The album was Numan's weakest. Weaker even than the crime against taste that was 'Automatic', which is a difficult thing to achieve, if you have Numan's talent. But at least we can blame that on Bill Sharpe. >hhmmm. Or did you wait until >NUMAN later on said he didn't like it that you thought >it was ok to be vocal about it? Oh - not at all. I always make my own mind up about music, which is why I like Robbie Williams and All Saints, but hate Marilyn Manson. And I love Marc Almond and I hate the Spice girls - nobody tells me what I like. Same as I can't possibly tell you what you should like. If you like M&S then that's fine. I just really felt,. at the time, that the album was indicative of an artst who was out of ideas. Plus, 3 new songs for 7 quid on vinyl (never got the CD until 'The Numa Years') I felt was a bit steep. >I just told the way I felt about it. which you are entitled to do. i just thought you were unkind to those of us who didn't like the album - it seemed that you were saying we didn't like it purely because Gary Numan has said this is his weakest album - truth be told, I think M&S stands up now better than it did when it was released. >After all, I like MACHINE & SOUL...... some good >songs on there, or have you forgotten? There are good songs on every Numan album. If there weren't, he wouldn't have lasted 21 years. Machine and Soul is ultimately a better album than anything George Fucking Michael could ever put out, and that is why I remain a Numan fan. The Human Lague put it better than anybody - 'But if you can stand the test you know your worst is better than their best.' This is Numan's music - his worst album (to my mind) is also the best album released in 1992. Toni 'I'm young! I'm me! I'm living for the moment and expressing myself! Yaha! Hahahaha! Blam, Blam, Blam! Pakow! Pakow!' Crazy Chrissie - DR & Quinch ===================================================== http://www.goffboi.freeserve.co.uk ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 31 Dec 1998 11:30:32 -0500 From: dagonet@netwide.net (Don McCrum) Subject: Exiled? To: Gary Numan <numan@cs.uwp.edu> Color me simple (and no longer lurking and just reading), but isn't Gary Numan one of the few musicians alive who can be large enough (musically) that he contradicts himself? I mean, Outland and Exile? How different can they be? But, they are great, just at different times. ^_^ D, The (Looking To Get Under Someone) Gotharoo -- And to the ones I will never meet, may you be as lucky as I. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 1 Jan 1999 02:19:00 -0000 From: "Antonio" <antonio@goffboi.freeserve.co.uk> Subject: Gary Numan Digest V1 #499 To: "Gary Numan" <numan@cs.uwp.edu> Jenny Beck asked very nicely, the following... >maureen rumble.... which song is it.... come on... i dont have time to >rent it now!! I believe that the correct answer would be -'Fucked if I know, but it sounds like "The Joker" by Steve Earle,' for the simple reason that 'Some people call Me Maureece... Whit-Whoo' is closer to what she said than anything by Gary Numan. Maureen? "This Is Love, This Is Pain Disgiuised as Maureen" is *not* a typical Numan lyric... Toni 'I'm young! I'm me! I'm living for the moment and expressing myself! Yaha! Hahahaha! Blam, Blam, Blam! Pakow! Pakow!' Crazy Chrissie - DR & Quinch ===================================================== http://www.goffboi.freeserve.co.uk ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 31 Dec 1998 10:22:39 +0000 From: Jon Bunting <jonb@rawhead.demon.co.uk> Subject: Gary Numan Lyric Generator To: Dave Carlson <carlsond@dpg.devry.edu> In message , Dave Carlson <carlsond@dpg.devry.edu> writes >I think that a lot of you will find this amusing: > >http://www.megs.com/neworld/sf1.htm > Made me chuckle Jon Bunting ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 2 Jan 1999 13:13:43 EST From: WAR4PREZ@aol.com Subject: Hey check this out To: numan@cs.uwp.edu I was just looking around the net and came across this cool magazine. The whole thing is 80's. www.aquatulle.com they had numan in their sample issue. for more info go to https://www.infolock.com/80s/Merchandise/index.shtml ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 02 Jan 1999 22:22:10 EST From: "jon glass" <gidget0@hotmail.com> Subject: numa years To: numan@cs.uwp.edu numa years is the best thing ive gotten in so long! i cant stop listening to it...its wonderful!!! i cant even start to name my favorite songs, so i wont. have a great new year & hope to be ready for y2k. jon glass "we'll show you religion, we'll show you a new god, we'll show you the secret of fear" ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 03 Jan 1999 01:32:25 -0500 From: Stevorama <alniter@ix.netcom.com> Subject: SIZE MATTERS! (Sweatshirt anyone?) To: numan@cs.uwp.edu I have an EXILE UK Tour sweatshirt I purchased from NuWorld, size L. Unfortunately, they size pretty small. I always wear a large and can barely get my head thru the neck....I shave my head so it's not like there's hair in the way! Any medium-sized Numaniod out there wanna buy it for $25 US (just over $5 less than what I paid)? cheers- steve in florida ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 31 Dec 1998 16:49:56 -0000 From: "Phil Marsh" <phil.marsh@ndirect.co.uk> Subject: The "Compleat" Discography To: numan@cs.uwp.edu Happy New Year everyone - >From Jeff Tolva:- > It's far from totally complete I know, but > I'm doing the best I can. That last line was for "The Waiter" :-) I think the other point to make on your behalf Jeff, is that - hey, at least someone's prepared to give up their time to DO it. More power to your elbow Jeff, as we Brits occasionally say... ;-) Bye for now Phil (phil.marsh@ndirect.co.uk) ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 31 Dec 1998 18:57:23 +0000 From: Peter Arnett <peter.arnett@virgin.net> Subject: The Numa Years. To: numan@cs.uwp.edu Hello Fellow Numan Freaks. before I start I would just like to wish us all a HAPPY NEW YEAR and lets hope that it's a good one for GARY! Right then, down to the nitty gritty. Over the post christmas period I managed to get myself the Numa Years boxset and I must say WOW WOW WOW it is fantastic. The sound is razor sharpe and the bonus and unheard stuff is out of this world. The pictures and inlay notes are both informative and awe inspiring. My only critiscim is that the version of SACRIFICE is not the extended version that I am trying to get my sticky little hands on. However apart from that it is a brilliant buy and I would encourage people to get it - some of the re-workings of the songs are fantastic. Thanks to the above purchase I have a spare copy of the original release of SACRIFICE and also the original version of REPLICAS on CD. If anybody is interested in these then please e-mail me privately. I am will to give them to a good home for free although I would be interested in anyone who has SACRIFICE EXTENDED or THE PLAN who would like to swap or copy them for me. Once again have a great NEW YEAR. Cheers Peter. I NEARLY MARRIED A HUMAN! BUT GOT THE WIFE INSTEAD! ------------------------------ End of Gary Numan Digest ******************************