Breaking News

May 20, 2012

As incredible as it sounds, I have just read probably the best Numan interview in years.  Congratulations to Thomas Green from The Arts Desk for his fascinating and epic interview which appeared on their site yesterday.  Gary speaks about his friendship with Trent Reznor, his mindset during the middle years, his deepest thoughts about Cedric Sharpley and how he put the original band together.  Gary also talked about getting drunk for the first time in Mexico on the 2010 tour, his real reasons for moving to the USA, his fave promo video on the Machine Music DVD, and his reason for covering Prince's U Got The Look.  Numan also spoke about how much Paul Gardiner meant to Gary's early success, his present relationship with Uncle Jess, his thoughts on the 'Cheriegate' scandal, the full untold story about meeting Gemma is revealed as is the reason behind the present creative censorship by his management.

Gary appeared on BBC Radio 3's The Verb with Ian McMillan on Friday at 10:00 pm.  You can still catch it on the BBC iPlayer until May 25.  Gary talked about writing the lyrics for Dead Son Rising.

The Chronicle Live in Newcastle spoke with Gary in an in-depth interview about his new DVD and moving to America in light of his imminent visit there May 24.

Gary is everywhere.  He even received a mention in Rolling Stone's obit for Donna Summer, which described "the glories of her new wave period, biting Bowie and Gary Numan [with songs such as] The Wanderer, Cold Love, and Love Is In Control (Finger On The Trigger)".

The more things change, the more they stay the same.  A small plane in Florida made an emergency landing on a busy street on Saturday afternoon after engine failure.  The plane's wings were clipped when it ran into some trees.

"It could have been catastrophic. The pilot used a lot of skill, he was evaluating the air space and his landing area on his way down," Gallagher said.

Numan's Machine Music tour kicks off Tuesday in Leicester.  I'll be reporting on the tour firsthand for the final seven shows starting with Gary's historic 600th show in Bournemouth, and ending in Brighton.  I just sorted my train pass and the last of my concert tickets last week.  I'm looking forward to bringing you the reports from the road during what will be Gary Numan's final UK Tour as an Englishman.  I'm catching up on sleep now for the NUMA-rathon!  Thanks to Joe for sending me funds to purchase my Machine Music DVD!  That is really thoughtful of you!  And thanks to Anastasios in Montreal for FedExing me his two unused London tickets after he had to cancel his trip.  I will see to it they don't go to waste!  (Is anyone in need of London tickets?)

To whet everyone's appetite for Gary's middle years tour, check out this amazing new cover of Numan's Love Isolation by John (aka Jagged Halo), with instrumentals by Maria Lea Rossetti (aka Leah).  Nice job, guys:

Leah commented on all the kind comments about the cover:

Many thanks for kind comments here :) Special thanks to you, Jagged: you've really done excellent work. My best wishes for you all :)

May 15, 2012

Gary and Gemma attended the 2012 Sony Radio Academy Awards last night in London where he presented BBC6 Music with the Gold Award.  Gary campaigned hard to keep BBC6 around when they were on the chopping block.  They turned 10 years old this week.

2012 Sony Radio Academy Awards

London

May 14, 2012

Photographer: Tim Whitby

Gary's had a busy day today.  Numan appeared this morning on BBC Breakfast TV.  He said that nostalgia has its place, and it's good to remember where you've been.  But after the Machine Music Tour, there will be no more retro tours for several years.  Gary also commented on his Bournemouth show, which will be his 600th show.  The NAGNFC was the first to mention that fun fact in the main May update way below with the help of my friend, Jeff.  Gary said it seems more like 6000 shows, but in a good way.  NAGNFC Readers know that I've done a lot of Numan's shows, but I never realized I've actually been to 25% of all of his shows!!

Then this afternoon, Gary did another live interview on BBC6's Radcliffe and Maconie show.  Gary spoke some about days that seem so alien now, when his house was about to be repossessed, he was deep in debt, and when the media that now clamor for him ignored him.  Gary then speaks about airplanes and his upcoming tour.  Listen to the interview, about 90 minutes in, on the BBC iPlayer.  You can check it out even if you're not from the UK.

Mark Radcliffe and Gary Numan

London

May 15, 2012

Gary took the time on Sunday to give everyone a heads up on the tour (below).  There will be a special tribute to Cedric Sharpley each night.  Gary also promises special guests.  He also mentioned that, as a result of the special licensing required to include Gary's SNL clip on the new DVD, only 3000 can be available for sale.  My prediction is they won't have any DVDs left by the final show in Brighton.  I was there on the final nights of Gary's last Australian and UK tours.  By the final show, much of the merch including all T-shirts had been sold out.

Carole Caplin, who once dated Adam Ant and Gary Numan, said she wished she'd never worked for Tony and Cherie Blair as their lifestyle advisor, which included providing them tips on fashion, style and diet.  She regretted the job after their scandal which involved Carole's then-boyfriend, Australian Peter Foster.  in 2002, Peter negotiated a £69000 discount on the purchase of two flats in Bristol launching the 'Cheriegate' scandal.  The details were spilled on the Mail Online on Sunday, in what Carole claims is her final interview:

She faced ridicule over her role as Mrs. Blair’s lifestyle guru, particularly after photographs emerged of her applying the barrister’s lipstick as the pair perched on the Blairs’ bed in Downing Street.

Her relationship with Foster was at the centre of the Cheriegate scandal when he helped Mrs. Blair buy two flats in Bristol. The prime minister’s wife denied Foster had any involvement in the deal but was later forced into a tearful public apology.

The Guardian featured a more in-depth article with Carole in what I guess is her second-to-final interview.

Gary's ex-girl Carole Caplin

I knew the Dead Milkmen were on tour, but I didn't know they were covering Numan's Cars!  Singer Rodney Linderman announced the song as being from Seattle's own Gary Numan.  As seen in the Seattle Weekly.

2012 Sony Radio Academy Awards

London

May 14, 2012

Photographer: Tim Whitby

Gary's music appeared on Britain's Got Talent on Thursday as Greig "Lazor Harp" Stuart started his set with Numan's Cars in front of millions.  The instrument is called a kromalaser.  I watched Little Boots play one at Coachella in 2010.  Greig was understandably nervous as the judges' buzzers were only an arm's length away.  His performance can be better appreciated in his practice session further below.

Numan's co-writers on Petals and his opening band, Officers

May 13, 2012

It is my privilege to present to you this month's special guest, Chris Payne, for an exclusive NAGNFC Interview. Chris helped Gary unleash sounds the mainstream music charts had never heard before, and he was there for Gary Numan's earliest videos and largest world tours.  After helping to form Dramatis, Chris rejoined Numan from 1983-1990 to perform many tracks that will be reborn for this month's Music Machine Tour.  More recently, Chris performed live with Gary on the Pleasure Principle Tour in Brighton and London in 2009.  On April 23, Chris released a CD of his own called Between Betjeman, Bach and Numan, an excellent project featuring many interesting tracks using mostly classical instruments for songs such as Fade To Grey and Down In The Park.  He has been working on his own book called 'My Numan Days' and is currently collaborating on a new Visage album.  Chris joins us today from his home in France.

Q1: Hello and a warm welcome to you, Chris! I have to start by saying that many fans I speak with at Numan's shows ask me what you've been up to since leaving Numan's live band in 1990?

It's very kind of you to give me the opportunity to do this interview and inform your followers of my whereabouts since my departure from the Numan band.

I have been very active in composing all sorts of music and projects for production music companies such as Warners, Universal and more recently PMOL and Soho production music in London. I have probably 400 pieces registered with these publishers including various Orchestral/Choral works recorded in London and Prague, some early medieval to renaissance music, folk, celtic, a bit of gypsy jazz to sound design and of course some synth based stuff as well. I've also been busy promoting 'Celtic Legend' with singer Emily Ovenden over the past few years, and Cmusic TV have been more than generous promoting me as a composer.

I've also qualified in Traditional Chinese Medicine which is something that has always fascinated me and I've been living in Northern France all of this time. (I wish I had chosen Southern France. It's a bit warmer!)

Q2: Tim Muddiman told me at the London aftershow party in 2009 that you are quite a good accupuncturist. He actually raved positive about your skills with a needle. Is it just a hobby or something you are pursuing professionally?

Yes I gave Tim some 'acu-boosting' acupuncture as he was looking a bit wasted!

I qualified at a brilliant place called 'The International Bodyharmonics Centre for Traditional Chinese Medicine' in Cheltenham UK. It's run by Maria Mercati who is recognised as one of the leading exponents of TCM in Europe.

I am a member of the 'l'Union Francaise des Praticiens de Medecine Tradionnelle Chinoise' in France which as you can see is a hell of a mouthful. The problem is we are not allowed to call ourselves acupuncturists in France as only a medically trained doctor whose studied TCM has that privilege. So we can only call ourselves by the rather pompous title of 'Practitioners of Chinese Medicine'. Hey! This is France!!

But to get back to your question, yes I do have clients but interestingly more in the South West of France than up here in Normandy. It's for this reason I travel down about once every 4-5 weeks to give treatments, and the rest of my time is spent composing music and "Wine testing" a particularly joyous pastime that I'd recommend to anyone!

Q3: It was great to see you back on stage with Gary on the Pleasure Principle Tour in 2009 (I was able to help give Rrussell's wife's seat to a good friend after she couldn't make it). How did your mini-reunion with Gary come about?

Do you know I really can't remember exactly. I think I just got an e-mail from Gary asking me if I wanted to guest with him live as it was an anniversary tour. It all seemed to happen very quickly and I just rehearsed Complex, (the song I was to play on) for a few days and before I knew it I was back on stage with him again, which was amazing after all of these years.


Q4: The world tours with Numan in 1979 and 1980 must have been a brilliant experience. You played in front of thousands of screaming fans almost every night! I know it may be a tough question to answer, but which memory(s) stand out from those tours?

You're correct, it is a difficult question as we had so many great experiences in so many different countries. I guess highlights would have been Wembley in 1981 and in America the size of some of your stadiums like LA Forum etc., is quite amazing. In most other countries our audiences were a lot smaller than those in the US and Canada, and bear in mind Gary Numan was equally as big in these other countries. It's just the scale is so much bigger where you are. Also Saturday Night Live was a bit special, especially when we realised that we would be performing live to around 40 million people!

Japan had some great moments, as did Australia and New Zealand. Europe wasn't so good apart from the UK and we did have some strange moments doing TV. I can give you one anecdote (One of absolutely thousands). I remember we were doing some Italian TV show in the middle of nowhere half way up the Italian Alps, and the singer Eddy Grant and his band challenged us to a game of Cricket. Now I know you don't play a lot of cricket in the States, but trust me, the one criteria which is essential (apart form a bat and ball) is a flat area of land of at least 100,000 sq feet. AND we were in the Alps!.... Also one of the members from 'The Knack' was pissing us off for let's say 'substances of an illegal nature which could get you sentenced in a foreign establishment for quite a long period'. We're in Italy for God's sake! Finally another odd thing happened when the film composer Hans Zimmer arrived with some Italian boy and girl act. I had known Hans as he played some demos with an old band I was in called Crucible and had met him on different occasions in London at his studio and when he was with the Buggles. I was amazed to see him in this rather 'lost place' in the mountains and asked him what he was doing and how the Buggles were getting on. He replied in a rather strong Germanic voice "I sue the Buggles" and left and that's the last I saw of him during our stay.

I also remember the show had mainly French and Italian acts who although being very famous in their own country were totally unknown to us. They all sort of stuck together and I remember feeling as if we were not part of this intimate social gathering of what turned out to be bloody awful French and Italian singers.

At that point I thought to myself that maybe we should have played a game of cricket and thus bonded with Eddy and his band.

Q5: We're looking forward to reading your new book 'My Numan Days' to get your unique perspective from those early days. Is there a release date for the book?

Because of my commitments and the recent release of Stephen Ropers' book Backstage I have decided to put 'My Numan Days' on hold for a while. It's going to take time and I don't have that at the moment as I have so many projects on the go.

Maybe it'll happen in the next year or two.

Q6: I see Gary isn't the only one to leave the UK! What brought you to France?

I've always loved the French countryside and when I was young spent many holidays in Paris and once in Cannes. I am also married to a beautiful French girl called Dominique which was the main reason for living here.

Q7: I heard Rusty Egan invited you recently to appear on the upcoming Visage album. Were you able to join them in the studio?

Yes. How weird was that?. Rusty sent a message on my Facebook asking me to write for a new Visage album. At first I thought it was some scam by someone having a laugh, but it turned out to be legit.

The interesting thing about this project is that Rusty as the producer has set up a group of players and writers which include Midge Ure, Mike Macneil (Simple Minds) Steve Norman (Spandau Ballet) Arno Carstens and a great lyric and top line writer called Gerard O'Connell plus others. Even from the 'work in progress' mixes I've heard so far, I think this could be a fantastic album once it's done, so look out for it.


Q8: Let me express my sincerest condolences on the loss of your former band-mate, Cedric Sharpley. There were plans for a resurgence of Dramatis for the 30th Anniversary of For Future Reference. Are there any thoughts of reforming Dramatis?

Thanks for that Jim. Cedric's sudden death was a huge shock. The really weird thing was our meeting in London with Rruss which took place a few days before he had his heart attack. We hadn't seen each other for years (but had kept in touch by phone and e-mail) and finally decided to have what turned out to be a fantastic evening out in London. We were reminiscing over Numan tours and Dramatis and the plan was to get Ced back in the Drummers seat for a new Dramatis album with live shows. Sadly that will never happen. Rruss and I are still in a state of disbelief over his passing, and personally I don't know how we're going to replace him.

Rruss and I have been working on a new Dramatis album and it will hopefully be finished soon. We have vocals guitars and some more keys to do but the writing's done, and also we are the rights holders of For Future Reference and the singles which will be put on a new CD, so anyone interested can have the singles and B sides on a CD as well. We will keep you informed as events unfold.

We will also have a dedication to Ced on the album.

Q9: The music I've heard from your new CD Between Betjeman, Bach and Numan is most enjoyable. Twilight Lullaby sounds like it would find a good home on Telekon. And I loved your dig on the music press in The Critic. What was your inspiration for this CD?

Yes I wasn't sure about how it would be received by Numan fans as it isn't really a synth album. It's a collection of piano based works ranging from Celtic Legend stuff to versions of Fade to Grey and Down in the Park and some original what I call 'Landscape' material such as Still for example.

I didn't set out to record this album in the way it has come out. I had been collecting some piano based material for production music and it just sort of 'morphed' into an album. My wife thought they were sounding good and suggested releasing it.

So far the reaction has been very positive, although because of the albums classical nature it won't appeal to everyone.

I guess I just had to get it out of my system!

The critic was written with my old mate (known him for 50 years) Tim Vince who wrote the words. It's an interesting take on a critic who is paranoid about being criticised, and was deliberately done in the style of the poet laureate John Betjeman. This became part of the title which does sound a bit pretentious and nonsense, but i wanted something that would describe my Numan influences, classical music and love of daft poetry.

You should see what I want to call the next album!!!

Jesper Phillsen, Chris Payne, Jim "The Machman" Napier

London Millenium Dome Aftertour Party

December 2009 

Q10: There seems to be a resurgence in recent years in the popularity of classical instruments, such as in bands such as the cello-based Rasputina or the wildly popular Emilie Autumn (who both had slots to open for Gary Numan in America recently). What do you feel is the reason behind this newfound interest in traditional instruments?

I don't think it ever went away. Perhaps in the mainstream music of the 80's when synths were discovered and became very much the forefront of popular music. Nowadays people are perhaps going back to more 'organic' sounds if you like, as our ears have been tuned into this sound since the dawn of time. If you take the Symphony Orchestra it has been in it's present format for two hundred years or so. There is a dynamic and a protocol within this structure which we're familiar and comfortable with.

It wasn't until the advent of the electric guitar and the synth that the 'status quo' of sound so to speak has changed and this is relatively recent.

But at the end of the day. Who knows?

Q11: Are you planning to tour your new CD?

No I doubt it, as I'll never be famous enough to tour this. I'll only get audiences of about two, perhaps three, (that's only if they bring a friend).

Perhaps I might do a song or two live with Dramatis or Celtic legend.

........................................................................................................................................

Here are questions I received from NAGNFC Readers to include in the interview:

Fan Q1: (from California) What are your fondest memories of Ced during Dramatis and/or during your tours with Gary?

He had the most infectious laugh. I'd never seen Ced get angry about anything. He'd sometimes get a bit pissed off as everyone does, but never a cross word.

The other great memory was of him after the shows back in his hotel room. He'd systematically have a bath, put on his 'colonial' dressing gown and slippers and smoke a cigar whilst sipping a fine cognac, and then order some room service.

What a top chap...


Fan Q2: (from California) Aside from your brief involvement in the inception of Visage, have you ever discussed any collaboration plans or ideas with Billy Currie?

No, interesting question though. Apart from the first tour when we shared keyboard duties and went onto record Fade to Grey, I haven't been back in the studio with him. I did record some production music at his old studio in Notting Hill back in 1987, but he wasn't involved.

It would be great to do some recording with him again as I've always maintained that he is one of the best synth players on the planet


Fan Q3: (from Belgium and Illinois) It would be cool if you did another album with Numan. Do you think it is a possibility in the future? It would be great to hear your strings on some new Numan songs!

It would be well cool to play some violin with Gary again. I'm going to propose it the next time we meet up.

Fan Q4: (from London): Is it true that your uncle did away with the man who shot Lord Tenyson?

Not quite but close. When I was young my father used to tell me the story of how one of our distant ancestors called Midshipman Pollard shot the man who shot Lord Nelson at the battle of Trafalgar. About a year ago I spoke to my Cousin about this and he had heard the same story when he was young. We can't prove it although it is more than likely to be true as I was born In Cornwall and Pollard retired from the navy and settled in Cornwall having fathered five children who themselves grew up in and around Cornwall. So after all of the subsequent generations it is likely that most of Cornwall is somehow related to this event.

Perhaps one day I'll do some genealogy and get to the bottom of it once and for all.


Fan Q5: (from Cambridge, UK who asks a question I did, but worded it much better): Why did you choose to live in France? Was it the lifestyle or the culture? Were you a Francophile interested in French culture, French films, books, and if so which ones? Who are your French heroes?

My reasons for moving to France include the above and the fact that I'm married to a French girl.

I do love it over here but I am still very attached to the UK and living close to Rouen allows me to get to England really quickly.

I now seem to spend my time between where I live, the Charente and Dordogne region, London, Brighton and Cornwall.

I can't complain.

Talking of France, please could you all buy the new Chris Payne album Between Betjeman Bach and Numan as my wine stocks are getting very low!

All the best

Salut et a la prochaine

Chris

And all the best to you too, Chris!  Thank you for taking the time to answer our questions.  It's honestly been brilliant to have you appear on the NAGNFC site.  As we say in America, "Don't be a stranger!"

Chris Payne's new album is available now over on Amazon

Chris also sent me a link to share with you.  It leads to scenes from a movie called Vidocq for which Chris composed music.  Vidocq was a 2001 mystery film, directed by Pitof, starring Gérard Depardieu as historical figure Eugène François Vidocq pursuing a supernatural serial killer.  It is notable as being the first major fantasy film to be released that was shot entirely with digital cinematography, using a Sony HDW-F900 CineAlta camera.
The track featured in this video is Declamation by Chris John Payne and the Gothic Orchestra.

May 12, 2012

Numan's opening band for the Machine Music Tour will be Officers.  They have proudly announced their new collaboration with Numan called Petals.  The Numan X Officers track will be given away on a first come-first served basis in a limited edition of 100 copies.  The CD package will be designed by acclaimed British artist Stuart Semple.  The edition will feature a silver envelope, with 3 CDs within, each with a unique version of the track as well as a mini art print specifically designed, numbered and signed by Stuart for this unique collaboration.  Along with the Numan X Officers track, the other CDs will feature unique reworkings of Petals from uber-producer, remixer and superstar DJ Jagz Kooner (Primal Scream/Oasis/Kasabian).  Another special remix is by The Losers, headed up by XFM's legendary Eddy Temple Morris, Paul Mullen (from YourCodeNameis:Milo) and The Cooper Temple Clauses' Tom Bellamy.  The proceeds from the digital sales of this unique five-way collaboration, stretching across art and music, will be going to the CALM Charity (Campaign Against Living Miserably), which strives to reduce the suicide rate among men under 35.  A QR code will be included with the CDs for donations to the cause.

Officers' new album On The Twelve Thrones quickly picked up last-minute nominations for 2011's Album of the Year.  Gary Numan told Artrocker Magazine that he'd been waiting for something special like this to come along for awhile.  They've also just complete a remix of The Fall for Artrocker's Gary Numan remix album which will be given away digitally by the end of this month.  The album also features remixes by Alec Empire, The Duke Spirit and NIN's Allesandro Cortini.  Officers' remix has been chosen by Numan as the key track, and is already available on Artrocker as part of Numan week, and on this site below.

Speaking of Numan collaborators, Battles has just announced a June tour of the USA.  Gary will be there each night in digital video format as he sings My Machines each night in absentia.

2 - Chicago, IL - The Bottom Lounge
3 - Cleveland, OH - Grog Shop
4 - Millvale, PA - Mr. Smalls Theatre
5 - Columbus, OH - Outland Live
6 - Cincinnati, OH - Bogarts
7 - Detroit, MI - St. Andrews Hall
9 - Manchester, TN - Bonnaroo
10 - Carrboro, NC - Cat's Cradle
11 - Washington, DC - Black Cat
12 - Philadelphia, PA - Theatre of Living Arts
23 - Denver, CO - Westword Music

There is another excellent Numan mix that awaits your downloading prowess.  Just give Townsend Records your email address at this special site.  Then go to your email to confirm.  A link in your email will bring you to a secret page where you can download Andy Gray's new Grayed Out Remix of Dead Sun Rising.  This may well be the track Andy was letting fans hear from his phone at Numan's Hatfield show in December.  All the reviews of the mix that I've heard have been overwhelmingly positive.

This is Bristol featured an article and exclusive interview with Gary to herald his imminent visit to Bristol in their article Gary's Enjoying A New Golden Age As His Own Boss.  The article touches on the rollercoaster ride Numan's career has been in the last four decades.  He spoke about the upcoming DVD:

"I've been sitting on this idea for the last few years. There was a plan to do a best of... DVD but I thought it would be boring because it's stuff everyone has heard before.

"I liked the idea that it would show how the music had changed and the way I had evolved from beginning to end, but I wanted to make it more interesting – something a bit new.

"We approached some TV companies because I did a performance on Saturday Night Live and that was the single performance that broke me into America. I knew that no one outside America would have seen it and so we contacted the company and bought the footage from them.

"Then we did the same with TV companies in Europe and we began to build up a collection of rare appearances from around the world. We show them on the DVD and I'm really pleased how it's turned out. It's become something worthwhile and I think the fans will find it interesting."

Lee Bowman, Jen Gruhl, Jim "The Machman" Napier

London Shepherd Bush Numan preshow party

2004

Nick Zammuto of Vermont, former member of The Books, is touring with a Moog later this year.  Nick has a penchant for shunning technology.  A Quietus interview noted that Gary Numan is also another person of contrast.  Even though Numan is known as the Godfather of Techno, he sent his three girls to the Steiner Waldorf School, which also shuns all technology.

Shared by Dave Smith 

Gary has been confirmed to be the premiere headliner at the huge Shadowplay Festival in Kortrijk, Belgium.  It runs over 3 days, but Numan will perform on Sunday, July 15th.  For more info or to grab your tickets, here is their site.  The Upcoming Gigs section on the left has been updated.

To close out Numan Week at Artrocker, they picked five videos for Gary to comment on.  Featured are Crazier, The Fall, Are 'Friends' Electric? from Top of the Pops, Cars, Rip and Films from Wembley.  Numan's Wembley insight was particularly "illuminating".

There will be an aftershow party after the London Forum show June 1st at the Barfly in Kentish Town not far from the Forum venue.  Black Black Hills will perform.  Here is a link to the event.  I've included a map below.

Coldplay's Chris Martin (who mistook my friend Karl for Gary Numan in the main May update below) and Plan B have joined Gary to back the Loud Music campaign from the Action on Hearing Loss charity.  All the musicians involved remind fans to take steps to protect their hearing.

Shared by Julia Biondo Hopper 

A 15-acre site is about to transform Newham into the London Pleasure Garden.  The development will place flats to rent into the heart of London's social life.  A giant dome to host musical events will be part of the newness.  The June 30th grand opening will include an appearance by Gary Numan.  The park will be able to hold 35,000.

Part of Numan Week featured Gary and Ade in a special photo session with Keith Martin from the Pure Evil Gallery.  They have to be seen to be believed!  Click on over there with all haste!  Nice job, Keith!  Artrocker also interviewed Clock Opera about the influence of Numan on them.

Photographer: Keith Martin

Pure Evil Gallery

Simon Mayo has taken over for Bob Holness on the television show 'Blockbusters'.  He has a long career in radio including Radio 1, Radio 2 and Southlands Hospital Radio in West Sussex.  He recalled this amusing anecdote in The Mirror:

“You were always supposed to go around the wards and ask for requests and that sort of thing,” he remembers.

“The trouble is you can’t play anything about illness, misery or death which, of course, a lot of music is about.

“And you want to play pop when the patients tend to be elderly and want 78s and dance hall hits.

“I saw this young guy and thought, he’s the right age and asked him for a request. He said he wanted Gary Numan’s I Die: You Die.

“I said if it’s Gary Numan why not something not about death such as Are ‘Friends’ Electric? or Cars.

"But he wanted I Die: You Die. In hospital. In the end I played a B side instrumental.”

Has anyone else noticed the subconscious connection between the new poster for the Machine Music Tour and Kraftwerk's Man Machine imagery?  Is it a coincidence?

Gary focused on his family, old and new, in his new Guardian article called Gary Numan...My Family Values.  He also spoke with them about IVR and living with Asperger's.

The Consequence of Sound came through with an exceptionally well-written treatise about Tubeway Army as well as Gary's other early music and its effect on modern music.

The beginnings of Numan’s fascination with mystery, intrigue and espionage as seen in later songs like I, Assassin can be traced back to Tubeway Army’s The Dream Police and Zero Bars (Mr. Smith). Other songs speak to male prostitution (Friends), teenage masturbation (the quirky and humorous Everyday I Die), and friendship with robots (Steel and You, complete with sci-fi effects leading into a blistering guitar riff). From singing about failed homosexual encounters on Jo the Waiter (one of the few acoustic numbers in Numan’s catalog) to living on life support (The Life Machine), there seem to be few topics that Numan is unwilling to tackle.

For Numan Week, Gary spoke with Artrocker about his imminent move to America.  Numan says it is mostly about the contacts and opportunities he will be closer to here:

"I'm kind of English to the core, so it's a bit weird, but I think that now there's a family involved you've got to look at things from a slightly wider perspective.
"I think overall that, from a career point of view, for me there is more opportunity there as I get older, new things I can evolve into that I probably couldn't here. I'd love to get into film scoring, TV, drama series, writing music for that sort of thing. I get songs placed in films but it's not the same as writing specifically for them. It would be unlikely I could do that here, we don't have a big enough film industry to cater for people like me getting involved in it. It's not easy anyway, it's not going to be easy in America but there's obviously more opportunity there as most films come from there. so there's that side of it.
"I want to keep the album - tour thing that I do now, I want to keep that going as long as possible, so it's not as if I want to move to America and stop. But it's being in a place where, as that does need to evolve in the coming years, at some point I'm in the right place to do that, I would have made all the contacts and I would have done, hopefully, a few lesser things and learned the way it works. so i think it's a good thing to do from that point of view.
"And, I think, for the lifestyle...I love the sun, I really do, but I like being in the shade looking out at it."

According to the RAF News, you can win 2 tickets to Gary's Machine Music Tour as well as 3 sets of Numan's Dead Son Rising CD.  The answer is 'Tubeway Army'.  Send that answer and your contact details to this email address to enter by May 18!

NPR called Telekinesis "one of the best damn pop bands in the world".  They asked drummer Michael Benjamin Lerner to name his favorite drum fills, intros and beats.  He cited six of his favorites, including Cedric's talent on Films:

"When I was on the Portlandia tour, our tour manager/sound engineer would check the house sound system with this song. I got obsessed with it. It's such a sinister drum part. Hip-hop."

Shared by Meemz Numancub 

New York City's Neon Indian told The Montreal Mirror about Numan's influence on them:

I get more cues from watching Gary Numan or New Order performing live, and having it be bridled with these little mistakes that give the shows their character. You could show up and press play on your iPod, and doing that will go over well every night, but it won’t feel like you performed something. There’s no mythology with that.

Your questions have been tallied!  Thank you to everyone who sent them in for the exclusive NAGNFC Interview with the legendary Chris Payne!  The interview will appear very soon.  In the meantime, check out Chris' newest CD which includes reworkings of Down In The Park ,and his own Fade To Grey.  Even his track Twilight Lullaby would find a comfortable home on Telekon.

Radar Online invites their readers to take a peek inside "Gary's Pink English Mansion" which they say would be the home of Paris Hilton's dreams given its color scheme!

May 9, 2012

The NAGNFC will soon feature an exclusive interview with legendary Numan bandmate Chris Payne!  On April 22, Chris released a solo piano-based album of songs called Between Betjeman, Bach and Numan, featuring songs such as Numan's Down In The Park and Chris' very own Fade To Grey. Since this site is "by the fans for the fans", let me know by Friday evening if you have any questions you would like me to ask him.

Hi Jim

This is Chris Payne writing to you from a miserable wet cold Northern France. I really must sell up and join Gary in LA!!

Hello to the Numanoids of the World!  Jim "The Machman" Napier back at the helm of Machman duties after what was an insane April!  Just in April, my brother totaled his car after someone blew a stop sign (he's fine), and my Dad went to the hospital's emergency room right after packing to come see me (he's fine now as well).  He totaled his car too later in April then a tiny but high-velocity stone that sounded like a bullet flew into my windshield as I was driving, creating a pretty spider webbing in the glass as the impact threw shards of glass on me.  Luckily I was wearing sunglasses, and my insurance fully covered it with no deductible.  On the upside, I was able to follow three concert tours in April.  I followed tours by Thomas Dolby, Red Green, and Numan's American opening band Rasputina.  Props to the merch guy for comping me swag from the merch desk!  Things are happening fast on Planet Numan.  Time to catch up!  Let's do it:

Speaking of things happening fast, Gary's immigration process to become American is expected to be finished by year's end.  The entire family already have their house picked out in the swanky Pacific Palisades area of Los Angeles.  Gemma mentioned to me she could hardly wait.  Gary is looking forward to moving back.  Will be rejoin his gun club?  Stay tuned!  At press time, Gary and Gemma are in America now to start setting up their new home.  And his neighbor?  None other than Numan's childhood hero Mickey Dolenz from the Monkees (who even shares Numan's birthday)!  On behalf of my fellow Americans, I would like to warmly welcome Gary Numan as one of my newest fellow countrymen as you still believe that great American smile and truly put the word "American" in the "North American Gary Numan Fan Club".  Let me know if you'd like to hear about the best iconic places in L.A. to grab a burger!  

Unlike the last time Gary called America home exactly 30 years ago, he has no plans to replace his UK band.  David, 'Surfin' Steve, Richard, Ade and Tim will still be on the roster for an American Tour later this year still in the planning.

Gary Numan circa 1976-1977 

To become an American citizen, Our Friend Electric will need to pass the Naturalization Test.  This is a 96-question test with questions about everything from the structure of the American government to questions about US history.  Could you pass the test?  You must get 58 or more correct.  Take it online for free.  And feel free, Gary, to use the link as a refresher!

Anticipation grows by the day for a very special Numan Tour that will see Gary bring songs back to life that he hasn't played for decades.  The one-off Machine Music Tour kicks off May 22nd in Leicester, and will also include tracks from Dead Son Rising.  Gary regretted the Dead Son Rising Tour wasn't longer given all its incredible recent positive press around the world.  Handy tip: the Leicester venue is running a buy-one-get-one free promo but you have to visit the venue.  Thanks to Paul in Nottingham for that!  I loved the Bristol Venue magazine press about the upcoming show:

In many ways, Numan was before his time – the melancholic synth noise he pioneered is now everywhere, and the future’s never looked so shiny, nor so bleak.

But this quote in Clash Music may go down as my favorite article about an upcoming Numan Tour:

Gary Numan is set to launch a new tour this summer with a set list focusing on his singles.

Everyone loves Gary Numan. You may well be reading this, sitting at your screen thinking "well I certainly don't like Gary Numan" but we've got news for you: you're wrong.

Gary Numan in America

April 2012

Photographer: Gemma Webb 

Gary Numan had this to say to us about The Machine Music Tour and DVD:

A lot of work is going in to the Machine Music Tour now which starts on May 22 in Leicester. You may have noticed already a lot of features and interviews in various newspapers and magazines and also on radio. The media support has been extremely strong and positive and it’s kept me very busy. There have been lot’s of meetings with various people looking at the stage show and lighting, the projections that we will be using, sound systems and so on. Choosing the winners of our film competition was actually very difficult. If I’m honest I hadn’t really expected to get many things that were good enough and suitable but I was amazed at the quality of so many of the entires and they will be a very powerful and welcome addition to the projection element of the new show. We also have some stunning new lights that we will be trying out as the tour progresses.

The biggest task though has been deciding which songs to play. The set list includes many songs that haven’t been played for a long time. In fact the set is mainly made up of songs that we don’t usually play and that’s meant that the band are already at work learning things they are completely unfamiliar with. Going though the hundreds of tapes and files that I have in storage looking for those rare parts and sounds has taken a lot of time but we are determined to recreate those old songs the way they were made, the way you know them. It will be a radically different set to what we have been playing and I’m unlikely to play a set like it again for many years so it should be quite an interesting and exciting experience.

Going back to places we haven’t played for a while is always enjoyable. For example Leicester, at the very start of the tour, should be a great night,. Other places like Newcastle and Cardiff that we don’t visit as often as I’d like are also on the tour and it will be good to play there again. One of the most exciting things about this tour though is having ‘Officers’ as support. Officers are without doubt one of the best new bands around and are going to be massive. I’ve already recorded a track with them and I’m glad to be involved at this early stage of what will, I”m sure, be a fantastic journey for them.

We also have new merchandise designed specifically for the tour based around the DVD artwork and we will also have the Machine Music DVD itself available to view on screen and to buy.

I think this tour is going to be quite special so I hope to see as many of you as possible in May and June, I’m really looking forward to it. GN

& 

The Quietus told their readers about Gary's Machine Music Tour.  They said that Numan's undertaking of a rare hits tour is sending shivers of anticipation up their collective backbone.

Gary Numan and his band with Jayce Lewis and Rammstein 

Artrocker tells us to "get ready for Numania"!!  It is Gary Numan Week on their website this week.  Every day will feature a newly minted Numan treasure.  There is a ton of coolness already there.  There's a new and exclusive Numan interview, a photoblog showcasing Gary through the years and quotes from the biggest artists who say kind things about Gary's music.  A future highlight later this week will be an in-depth feature about his influence on fellow artists.

Elvis Presley left this Earth just as Tubeway Army was born.  Kind of makes you think:

Gary is confirmed to play a few festivals soon.  Numan will perform on the Isle of Wight for the Bestival.  Others performing there will be John Foxx & the Maths as well as Hot Chip, who recently officially remixed Kraftwerk's Aerodynamik.  The festival runs from September 6 - 9.  Gary will also play the Guilfest on July 14th.  Other artists scheduled to perform include Bryan Ferry, Chic and Nouvelle Vague, who themselves have covered Numan's Metal.  Eagle Radio will broadcast the Guilfest live to an estimated 1.5 million listeners in Surrey and Hampshire.  Eagle will also be interviewing many of the performers for their broadcast.  Gary will also perform at the Hop Farm Festival at the big tent in Kent on Saturday, June 30.  Other performers at the festival will be Bob Dylan, Peter Gabriel, Ray Davies, Kool & the Gang, Psychedelic Furs and tons of other bands!

Gary is also confirmed to appear at the Bloc Festival in East London on July 7.  Other headliners for the event include Battles, Orbital and Snoop Dogg.  Musicnews included info about the event as well as this:

'I've always assumed it was a dance music festival. So I've not really thought I was appropriate for it.', explains Gary Numan.

Cedric Sharpley and Gary Numan

Shared by Meemz 

Artrocker has teamed up with Gary Numan for a DJ throwdown!  The competition for the best remix of When The Sky Bleeds, He Will Come using their included "stems" from the song will include a special prize for the winner.  It will appear on a Dead Son Rising Remix Album featuring tons of well known musicians and producers to be released in an issue of Artrocker later this year.

The winner will be chosen by Gary Numan himself - and appear alongside the likes of Atari Teenage Riot's Alec Empire, The Duke Spirit, Alessandro Cortini (SONOIO / Nine Inch Nails), Is Tropical, Teeth and more.

Download the complete stems to the song When The Sky Bleeds, He Will Come, whip your mix together then submit it using WeTransfer.com to competition@artrockermagazine.com no later than 20 May.

Here is one of the contest entries:

My how times have changed since the major media ignored Gary Numan at every opportunity.  BBC6 Music recently dubbed Numan's Replicas their Classic Album of the Day.  Steve Lamacq spoke with Gary about the creation of the Tubeway Army album.  I've included the interview for you below.  It's also available on their site.

The old Webb household is for sale!  You can eat in the room where Gary and his family ate.  You can create music in his personal studio.  The property encompasses 3,789 square feet and includes 4 bathrooms and 3 bedrooms.  The first £995,000 gets it!  Pictures below:

Gary's old English home

The Rave and Roll Blog featured Mark Ryan's article entitled David Bowie vs. Gary Numan: A Fan’s Critical Review.  In the piece, Scary Monsters and Strange Charm are reviewed.

Created by Stefan Jungklaus 

Bill Bailey will play his trademark version of Cars on his bank of hooters and horns at London's Leicester Square Theatre on Thursday.  The Independent provided their mixed review of his latest solo offering, Dandelion Mind.

Shared by Paul of Cambridge 

The excellent Numan tribute band, Replicas, will perform May 5th at the Club 85 in Hitchin.  They are known for playing incredible Tubeway Army covers.  But this extended set will include tracks from Numan's more recent years as well.  Opening for them will be The Pistols, branded as a "frighteningly authentic tribute to The Sex Pistols".  Not a bad night out for 6 quid.  Grab your tix here!

The NAGNFC Machine Music ticket giveaway is over and the results are in!  I ran the number of entries I received through a Random Number Generator to come up with the winner in the order they entered the contest.  The winner of the contest is...wait for it.....Sandy "Numanfan" Missparker!  Congratulations on your envied prize!  Message me on Facebook to let me know which night you'd like to receive your free ticket, and I'll send it to you, or if you'd prefer, I'll give it to you in person at the show where I will be among the first in the queues.  A hearty thank you to everyone who entered the NAGNFC's biggest contest of all time.  Stay tuned for more giveaways!  The next random winner could be YOU!

Jane Poole with Dramatis in 1982

Coventry General Wolfe 

shared on Facebook 

Nice Numan primer over at the Uttoxeter Advertiser to herald Numan's new tour.  The article is in-depth but Numan 101 for longtime fans. 

Cedric Sharpley

1982

Coventry General Wolfe

shared on Facebook 

The Trading Boundaries shop in Sussex gushed on their website about a recent Numan article that appeared in Sussex Life.  Gary said half of his furniture was purchased there!  See the article below:

Sent to me by Alec Way 

Age of Consent has released their second single called Heartbreak.  They have produced remixes for La Roux, The Toxic Avenger and Gary Numan.  They have two London shows coming up on May 7 and June 13.

Sulphur will released their first their first material since 2002's Spray.  Threw It All Away is due to be released soon.  The new release will feature Tim Muddiman on guitar.  Obscuresound said the songwriting was as tight as Numan's:

Ya’ll know The Prodigy, and I bet you’ve all heard of Manson and Numan, as well. Along with former Jesus And Mary Chain drummer Steve Monti, Pop Will Eat Itself guitarist Tim Muddiman, and new recruit Andy Spillane, Holliday creates a delightful concoction of sounds, possibly picked up from years of touring as a guitarist with the aforementioned; you’ve got tight songwriting typical of Numan packaged tightly with the electronic kick of The Prodigy and the all-out ferocity of early Marilyn Manson.

Cedric Sharpley

1982

Coventry General Wolfe

shared on Facebook

Paul in Cambridge wrote to say that Numan has been on the main national BBC Radio channels more than he ever has before!  And he's treated with total respect by the DJ's and journalists.  But he asked if I can find the error in this screenshot!  Can you find it?

Jack White's new CD Blunderbuss was released April 23rd.  His solo debut features a cover of Numan's Are 'Friends' Electric?  Here's what the DIY site had to say about the cover:

Ha! All the covers featured so far have been of rootsy music: blues, folk, country... who'd have thought (or thunk?) Jack and friends would take on an electronic artist? Yet here they are, taking on Gary Numan's 1979 classic – and winning.  If Freedom At 21 on Blunderbuss is about technological advance and Sea of Cowards means internet trolls, it's not such a strange cover after all.

Created by Stefan Jungklaus

The winning videos are in!  Numan gave fans the unique chance to express themselves and be part of Numan history at the same time.  I was seriously considering hiring a director to make a film for inclusion in the contest as I'm no stranger to starring in films, but with all the concert tours going on, time got away from me this time.  I've included the winning entries for you in their entirety below.  Gary said he didn't expect to get so many quality responses and the choice was hard to make.  But here are the ones that made the final cut, as it were:

The first is Berserker by Keita Lynch.  Very Mode-like which likely influenced the decision.  She certainly has white teeth!  Loved it:

Neil Pascoe's Dominion Day video oozes shine and goth.  The religious overtones and symbolism no doubt helped make it Numan's choice.  Here was his entry for Berserker:

Richard Herrero's video for Bombers is actually pretty awesome and one of my own favorite of the bunch.  And you can't go wrong wowing Gary with a video featuring tons of vintage warplanes!  Nicely done!:

George M won for his fascinating video for This Wreckage.  He said he is proud and honored and personally thanks Gary and Ade for the opportunity.  George will also be the artists behind videos for Crazier and Rip:

Wow!  That's about all I can say about Stefano Meneghetti's winning film for Call Out The Dogs.  This is an epic contribution to the cause!  It started out kinda slow for me but as I watched I noticed ingenious symbols from Blade Runner, whose samples are scattered throughout the original track.  A crowded electronic cityscape, flames, video billboards.  By the end the comparison is obvious.  The imagery and colors are absolutely gorgeous.  I can only hope the upcoming Blade Runner 2 that I announced was in the works a couple of months ago looks half this good.  Stunning!

Here are some of the other entries that were submitted:

Props to Wiggy for this fun entry for Bombers:

This video for This Wreckage includes the character Quadra-Blu, who herself discovers the destructive power of sudden fame as she becomes known throughout the universe:

And I really enjoyed my friend Kristin Harris' entry for Dominion Day.  It's an excellent video and has a great gothy feel to it.  With her custom overlays and dark, moodish eyecandy, I'm sure it was high in the running.  Kristin really is one of the best when it comes to this sort of thing:

Gary was recently on BBC's Radio Kent.  He spoke frankly to interviewer Roger Day about his career, and where you can see him on tour!  Gary also spoke with BBC's Steve Wright.  You can check out the interview below.  Plus check out Gary's BBC Interview with Robert Elms in two parts farther below:

Huoratron, aka Aku Raski, told Wired Magazine that he recently finished a track he hopes will make it onto Gary Numan's next album Splinter, and that Gary loves the song.  Thanks to Paul of Cambridge for the heads up!

“[The track] is weirdly accurate in a sense,” Raski said. “It’s very Numan-ish, and to get my sound to sound anywhere close to Numan is weird. He’s this massive pioneer so I have a lot of respect for him.”

Jeff Tolva runs the amazing and all-inclusive Gary Numan Discography.  He wrote me to say that Gary Numan will reach an historic milestone during the Machine Music Tour!

Being that I've maintained one of the best Gary Numan discographies online for many years now, and this includes keeping track of the tour dates since the beginning in 1979...Gary is coming up on his 600th show!! According to my records, Gary has played 594 gigs to date, so the upcoming Bournemouth Academy gig on May 28 (Jim will probably be there) will in fact be Gary's 600th show. I just love keeping track of these little factoids. Did I mention that I'm a geek (i.e. computer nerd) when it comes to these kinds of Numan facts? It should come to no surprise to you :-)

I love the band Motor.  Readers of the NAGNFC site know about them, their work with Depeche Mode's Martin Gore, and the fact I got to jam with them in Los Angeles in 2010.  Their new CD Man Made Machine, released April 13, also features Gary Numan on the track Pleasure In Heaven.  The song is gorgeous with Numan's synthetically layered vocals the icing on top.  Much as the title track with Gore really sounds like a DM track, Pleasure In Heaven would find a good home on a Numan album.  It really needs to be the next single!  Here is the full tracklist:

01 – Messed Up
02 – Hyper Lust (feat. Billie Ray Martin)
03 – Man Made Machine (feat. Martin L. Gore)
04 – Control
05 – Pleasure In Heaven (feat. Gary Numan)
06 – Automne
07 – Autographic
08 – The Knife (feat. Douglas McCarthy)
09 – Hello
10 – In The Dark
11 – Between The Night

Camel Audio takes credit for Gary's rising fame as a result of his using their Alchemy plugins in the creation of Dead Son Rising.  The site includes an interview with Gary how such advances in music technology make this an exciting time to be making electronic music:

Numan continues: “Alchemy is one of our go-to instruments in the production of new material. As well as the fantastic array of factory sounds, there are also a number of excellent add-on sound libraries available. What’s so cool about it is that it’s an endless source of inspiration, because the workflow is so smooth on the GUI. The ability to create and manipulate new sounds is staggering — especially when adding your own samples to one or all of the four source layers, and, when used with the built-in step sequencer and arpeggiator, it provides interesting and inspirational results every time we are looking for something unusual in a track. The remix pad is also such a simple, yet brilliant idea. The amount of variation it provides can change the whole feel of a track in a second."

Gary Numan with half of the band Motor 

Gary Numan was on BBC Radio 2 recently to list his own Tracks Of My Years.  Here are the tracks he chose to play on the show.  Note that one of the tracks is from his new L.A. neighbor, Mickey Dolenz!

- Now I’m Here – Queen
- Hurt – Johnny Cash
- The Jean Jeanie – David Bowie
- Never Let Me Down Again – Depeche Mode
- I’m A Believer – The Monkees
- Teardrop – Massive Attack
- Telegram Sam – T.Rex
- Slow Motion – Ultravox
- Tower Of Strength – The Mission
- Freak Like Me - Sugababes

Exile was re-released on vinyl today. This is another one of those "Let Them Eat Vinyl" on 180 gram vinyl pressings like we saw late last year. As with Telekon, the album has been broken into two LPs to improve fidelity. Price, before P&P, is $34.30.  Many thanks to Brian Hammond for the news!  Here's the link:

Have you recently bumped into Gary on the street?  Let them know over at Smarp, the site where people can brag about chance meetings with celebrities!  Gary has his own section on the site!

Artwork by Meemz 

Friends Electric, one of the best Numan Tribute bands out there, will be performing at the Salisbury Arts Centre on Saturday, May 12 from 7:30 to 11.  Their excellent performance can be viewed for merely £7.  Grab yourself a ticket and check 'em out!

Gary spoke in-depth on BBC Radio about Cedric Sharpley:

Numan appeared on the Irish late-night TV talk show Craig Doyle (below).  Craig spoke about how excited they were to have Gary on the show.  Conversations ranged from the bizarre to passionate Numanoids to the Cessna recall that allowed gages to show less fuel than it had causing the death of hundreds and caused Gary to crash on a road in 1982.  They also speak about Gary's inclusion in the recent Muppets movie.  Gary took his girls to see the movie and didn't even know he was in it when his kids suddenly jumped up and said "DAD YOU'RE IN THE MOVIE!" in a crowd full of moviegoers!  Awkward!

Nathan Nicholson of Boxer Rebellion told the Dallas Observer what it was like to open for Gary Numan.  He was happy to report the Numanoids didn't throw anything at them!  What they don't mention is that Gary assembled a remix for their new CD, Bruiser Deluxe.

Gary was a guest of the legendary Jools Holland on BBC2 Radio (below)!  Thanks to my friend Lee for uploading the interview for us!  Lee says that in the interview, Gary talks about his early years, his love for the band The Monkees, his career challenges as well as showcasing his new album, Dead Son Rising. Gary also challenges Jools and his band to join him in an impromptu version of Are 'Friends' Electric?.

Eddy Temple XFM Music hosted what he called "proper legend Gary Numan" for an interview and remix of a ton of his favorite music.  Check out the set list here!

Recently seen on eBay.  Gary Numan pinball from Argentina!  Thanks to Paul of Cambridge!

 Gary was in the studio of BBC Radio Northampton recently.  He spoke with Bernie Keith about the new album and upcoming tour.

Blackpool Imperial Hotel

1983 

Shared by Mike Burns 

The Something Else Reviews site featured an interview with Gary Numan entitled Synth-pop Pioneer Gary Numan on Being Recognized as Key Influence: 'Thankfully I'm Still Here'.

Speke

1983

Shared by Mike Burns 

BBC America posted a complete history of the Sugababes.  And no history of the Sugababes is complete without talking about the Numan song that launched their stardom.

Liverpool Adelphi Hotel

1985

Shared by Mike Burns 

Three Village Patch showcased Voltaire's amazing career in stop-motion animation working in commercials, doing iconic short animated MTV ads that were even shot into space, and doing his own short film with Gary Numan.

London Wembley Arena

1981

Shared by Mike Burns 

Livia Carron got to speak with Gary for Durham's student newspaper Palatinate.  She didn't hide her enthusiasm for speaking with Our Friend Electric:

It’s not every day that you get to chat to a musical superstar on the phone, and speaking to Gary Numan – a man who has survived the fickle music scene as a popular and prominent artist for over thirty years – was both a surreal and inspiring experience.

Joey Lindstrom, who hosts this very site on his server in Canada, wrote to share his favorite cover of Down In The Park.  It is a beautiful rendition done on piano and strings.  Thanks, Joey!

The Evening Chronicle in Northeast England made a point to let everyone know about Gary's imminent visit to Newcastle.  They even included exclusive words from Numan about the tour:

Gary explains: “I do think the visual side of it is definitely something that should be important. If you get them right it enhances the music to no end.

“More importantly, people pay a lot of money to go to a gig and they should get their money’s worth.

“I think it would be an absolute travesty to be charging people £25 for a ticket and for them to turn up and there just be a couple of green and red lights.”

Gary is the star of an exclusive interview by Birmingham's Counteract Magazine who let its readers know about his upcoming show at the HMV Institute.  Gary spoke about the sorry state of a choice of venues around Birmingham compared to London or Manchester:

The “Machine Music” tour hits Birmingham on May 31 at The HMV Institute. However, thanks to some spurious promoters and a ‘venue vacuum’, Gary hasn’t exactly had the best of times in the Second City. “Birmingham needs more venues, definitely. We used to come to Birmingham every time, there was maybe two or three good venues in Birmingham, like 1500-3000 capacity, but one by one they just disappeared, and so for a long time they was only one place you could play in Birmingham. Unfortunately, that place was run by a bunch of gangsters and crooks and I didn’t want to go there, because they wouldn’t pay you. I did two gigs there, two years running, I can’t say where it was because I’d probably still get kneecapped, but you’d do the gig and they’d blatantly lie about the take on the door, and then they wouldn’t pay you anyway, so we just stopped going there. For such a major city to not have venues for people to play in was ridiculous, I can’t understand how it could’ve happened. You’d go to London and you’re drowning in venues, you’d go to Manchester and Liverpool and it’d be the same. Then you’d get to Birmingham and there was just nothing, but that’s changing now, and that’s good.”

Alex Windsor performs tunes by Gary Numan for the opening of an art exhibition at the Lisson Gallery, Edgware Road, London summer 2010.

The Electricity Club reviewed Stephen Roper's excellent book Backstage which covers Numan's early years with the help of those closest to him at the time.  The article features many classic and unseen photos as well as an exclusive interview with Chris Payne and Rrussel Bell about those days.  Did Gary hire Shock as the opening band because he fancied one of the three female singers?  Find out!  One of the singers is Barbie Wilde, who starred in Hellraiser II and was interviewed this spring over at the G.R. Yeates site.

Shared by Meemz 

The financial website This Is Money recently featured an article about fans who invest in items by their favorite musicians.  One example they mention is Steve Hillier of Dubstar who purchased what turned out to be quite the collectible from Gary Numan:

Steve Hillier, 42, the keyboard player in the indie dance band Dubstar, whose hits include Stars, recently bought a Yamaha CP70 electric grand piano from pop star Gary Numan, famous for hits such as Cars and Are Friends Electric? These rare pianos, which were made in the Seventies and Eighties, plug in to give an amplified sound.

Keyboard and piano dealer Tim Mann at Mann’s Music in Colchester, Essex, says CP70s sold for up to £3,000 in the Seventies and are worth considerably more now. He estimates musicians might pay up to £10,000 for the model.

Steve, who lives in Brighton, has just finished Dubstar’s fourth album. He read about Numan’s old piano in a magazine interview and got in touch. ‘Gary had used the piano during an Australian tour in the Eighties,’ says Steve.

‘He had forgotten about the instrument and found it during a clear-out of his garage. Since he was looking to sell, I contacted him as I was interested in getting hold of it. It is an interesting sound.’

Steve uses the piano every day in his work as a professional musician, but says he appreciates its previous ownership probably makes it highly collectable and valuable.

As part of Numan Week, Artrocker Magazine has also been describing Numan's influence on a number of artists.  In today's article, Brighton's avant-garde electro-artists Bernholz relays what makes Numan's music so personal and unique to so many.  Bernholz is also a brilliant writer who crystallizes my sentiments eloquently.

Picture sent to me by Rob "Numan" Henery, owner of the Numa Bar in Wolverhampton, showing one of the Numanoid staff as she shows off the cocktail menu! 

Martin Mills, whose Beggars Banquet label shot to immediate success with Gary Numan, was interviewed by The Stool Pigeon.  He is asked about a number of interesting topics, including how well record labels are coping after last year's riots.

My friend Karl Heard from Kalkulus wrote to fill me in a recent huge multi-media event to launch the Soki2u album Dancing Through The Needle's Eye in the UK, which includes Karl's song Tangent.  The album has already charted five #1 hits on the SOMOJO charts.  Karl did a major interview and managed to mention the NAGNFC (Thanks Karl)!  He promised to let us know when it appears in print!  The BBC has invited Karl to the Olympic launch party as he wrote some of the music they will use for their broadcast.  His song Music4Machine may well be the soundtrack of a Mexican car ad soon as well!  He is now busy filming his Dreamland movie, and promises to include several Numanisms in the production!  He relayed to me his encounter with Coldplay's Chris Martin as he was filming:

A funny thing happened last week while I was filming my DREAMLAND movie. I was filming outside this fancy restaurant when Chris Martin from Coldplay came out. We stopped filming to wait for him to get out the way lol when a few people stopped him to ask for an autograph. I waited patiently, oh yeah, I was wearing my full "Dance/Greyman" outfit.........Chris Martin spoke to me saying,"Oh sorry about this, what's the film your making?" I replied,"Er, a music vid." Chris said,"Cool man, what style?" I said,"Electronic, imagine if Frank Zappa joined Kratwerk, well that's what I sound like!" Chris roared with laughter and said," You look like Gary Numan." I said,"Yeah, I get that a lot." Then yet another person asked Chris for his autograph and while Chris was signing it said," Gary, can I have your autograph too?" WTF!!! I turned round, half expecting to see Gary Numan behind me! lol I just stood there dumb with this persons piece of paper in my hand. Chris was cracking up and said,"Yeah, he's Gary Numan!" So I just signed it but i signed my own name. The person said,"Thanks." But as they were walking away I could see them staring at the piece of paper and thinking why'd he sign it Karl Heard? Looking back, I should have signed it Kalkulus but I ain't perfected a signature for that name yet! Chris got in a waiting car after that but he did ask what my bandname was which was cool as he didn't have to give me the time of day. 

Karl on the set of the Tangent video! 

According to Kililive.com, Numan opening singer Jayce Lewis' new video for Electric Medicine has been released!  They perform at London's Barfly May 18.

There is a beautiful new site for electro pop solo project She's Got Claws which was formed in 2011.  With songs such as Dreams In Cold Storage and its Numanesque keyboards, the Numan influence is unmistakable.  The album drops on iTunes June 25. Thanks to Mike in California!

Peter "NumanAus" McGuffie sent me this very interesting video to share with you.  A very young band called The Police obsess over the charts and wonder if Gary Numan will ever relinquish the top spot!  Thanks, Peter!

Valentino Frankenstein wrote me to let you know about their upcoming gig at the CIA in North Hollywood on Saturday, May 26.  The set will start off with Everyday I Die!  

I'm planning on rocking to the final seven shows of the Machine Music Tour.  Enjoy the reports from the road as once more the NAGNFC will be the first on the Webb with exclusive news, pics and stories from the Numan Tour!

Thanks to everyone who made this issue of the NAGNFC as cool as it was!  How is it these updates just keep getting better?  You would think I would have peaked around Issue #174.  Anyway, thanks to the amazing Paul of Cambridge for steadfastly streaming in Numan news in all its Numanish exclusivity.  See you soon, Paul!  Thanks also to Paul in Nottingham for recording and burning Gary's BBC Radio broadcast for me!  Can't wait to check it out, Paul!  Big shout out to Lee for posting some incredible Numan video, and for hooking me up with live Numan goodness.  See you soon!  Many thanks to Rob from the Numan Bar for the warm invite!  Looking forward to it!  Massive thanks to Stefan Jungklaus for much of the artwork on this page!  Your pics and logos are the best m8!  Huge thanks to Karl "Kalkulus" for the latest saga in his Numan-themed adventures, and for the mention in your interview!  Hope to catch up this month during the Numan Tour at some point!  Hat tip to the friendly Meemz Numancub in Belgium for some of the awesome photos!  See you next month!  Many thanks to Mike Burns for the vintage pics!  Thanks also to Jeff Tolva, Janick, Mike Hash, Alec (for the Monkees tidbit), Valentino, Peter "NumanAus", Rob "Numan", Geoff in Manchester, Joey in Canada, Brian Hammond and Kristin for sending her awesome Dominion Day video.  Thanks also to everyone else who contributed to this site!  You are all truly superstars! 

Hanging with Numan's American opening band Rasputina

Daniel DeJesus, Melora Creager, Jim "The Machman" Napier

Buffalo Tralf

April 6, 2012