--------------------------------------------------------------------- T H E G A R Y N U M A N D I G E S T (by subscription only - to unsubscribe, see bottom of this message) --------------------------------------------------------------------- (#2001-234) - Topics This Issue: 1) Gary Numan's Cars 2) Review of 23rd Sept gig ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 11 Oct 2001 09:02:05 +0100 From: "Peter Martin" Subject: Gary Numan's Cars Hi Gary Perkins wrote: "Oh, before I finish, can anyone provide a review of his new motor show. Someone is recording it for me but I don't have the tape yet." I missed the first one because I was on holiday, but saw the second one last Monday 8th. It was the Rally Car day, with Gary driving a rally Subaru. He thought he didn't do too well but his instructor had some praise for him. Gary did a voice-over at the beginning, explaining where he was and what he was doing. He spent about 5 minutes chatting to the instructor about his prior experience, then they completed a circuit or two with Gary as passenger, then he took over as driver. Apart from the driving there were two short interludes called "Gary Numan Speaks", which were basically short clips of Gary talking. The first one was the explanation behind the song "Cars" (the road rage incident that he also described on Channel 4's "Top Ten" programme, if you saw that), the second was about his intial exposure to fame. He was very honest in his assessment of how he is perceived. The programme ended with an summary of his day, and a to-camera piece from Gary "thanks for watching, see you next time" sort of thing. The music was all from "Pure" - "Walking with Shadows", "Listen to my Voice" and I think I heard a clip from "Fallen". These were instrumental sections, not Gary singing. Inevitably, the show ended with the PP version of "Cars". I'm looking forward to next week's episode, because Gary's driving a Caterham, the make of car used by Number 6 in The Prisoner. Be seeing you! Regards, Peter ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 11 Oct 2001 09:17:39 +0100 From: "Peter Martin" Subject: Review of 23rd Sept gig I thought you might be interested in the review that appeared in the Guardian (respected, though not by me, UK newspaper). They awarded the show 4 out of 5 stars which, considering the number of factual errors in the report, leads me to believe that the reviewer wasn't even at the gig. [ John Aizlewood There are few people in rock that call for the pipe and slippers quite so loudly as the cult artist. Gary Numan's pop star years are a distant memory, yet he has plodded on, retaining enough so-called Numanoids to ensure that he can virtually sell out a date at a medium-sized London venue on a Sunday night with no new product to vend. More butter-fingered performers would wallow in nostalgia, cruise through the hits and embrace the comfort zone. Numan is different and signally braver. "I don't get into nostalgia," he notes, during one of his rare utterances. Moreover, he has trained his audience, who bellow "Nooooo-man" between songs, to eschew the past as well. The set proper includes only Me! I Disconnect From You from Numan's Tubeway Army era. Even the encore refuses to pander to populism, hurtling through Are "Friends" Electric? alongside Down in the Park, a 1979 non-charting single covered by Marilyn Manson. There are no voices of dissent and there is no Cars: imagine Lynyrd Skynyrd omitting Free Bird and getting away with it. Instead, Numan presents himself as a 21st-century artist. He still looks awkward, his guitar is more paraded than played, but, my, he works hard. He pulls his trademark Bowie moves on Love and Napalm, assumes the backlit Christ pose on My Jesus and charges around the stage with possibly intentional comic intensity during Metal, as covered by Nine Inch Nails. And when, 22 years after his last number one single, he sings "I like your screams" on Boyx, Numan is actually screamed at in return. A fate, it seems reasonable to assume, that will not embrace Robbie Williams. On the surface, Numan and his bassless quartet's music is a harsh, unvarying, industrial synthesiser whirlwind. But there are more colours in Numan's palette than grey. The "whoh whoh whoh" section of Are "Friends" Electric? makes welcome reappearances throughout the evening, most blatantly on Love and Napalm. More subtly, he is a master of the covertly catchy chorus. A Million Days, Rip, Pure, and the high point, Listen to My Voice, all feature gorgeous melodies tucked in behind the swirl. Time, perhaps, for the cult to expand again. ] "A Million Days" ? "BOYX" ? Hmmmm....... I also found this snippet in a review of a Sophie Ellis-Bextor gig that you might find amusing: [ When she moved it was in tiny controlled steps and when she spoke it was only to announce the "penultimate" number. Oddly, it was hard not to think of Gary Numan. Bextor's look and sound may conform to 2001's pop ideal, but her chill detachment is closer to alienated Gary than ingratiating Kylie. ] Regards, Peter ------------------------------ End numan@garynumanfan.nu Digest [10/11/2001 18:01] --------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------- T H E G A R Y N U M A N D I G E S T is produced, moderated, and distributed by Derek Langsford, Dave Datta, and Joey Lindstrom dlangs@sunstroke.sdsu.edu, davdat@allmusic.com, Joey@GaryNumanFan.NU ------------------------------------------------------------------- To reply to the messages in this list, email: numan@GaryNumanFan.NU If you want to be removed, or someone wants to be added, email: listserv@GaryNumanFan.NU and include this line as the first line of your message body: SUBSCRIBE numan@garynumanfan.nu (email address) or UNSUBSCRIBE numan@garynumanfan.nu (email address) (email address is optional but useful if you have multiple addresses) If you want to switch between receiving Digests or individual posts, again send to listserv@GaryNumanFan.NU and include either of these in your message body: NORMAL numan@garynumanfan.nu or DIGEST numan@garynumanfan.nu ------------------------------------------------------------------ Please note: this mailing list is configured to automatically unsubscribe you if mail to your mailbox goes undeliverable for any reason. 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