Electric Friends - A Gary Numan Podcast: An Intro

Hello, I’m Tom Eames, and welcome to a new podcast, Electric Friends, a celebration of the musical legacy of someone who is now, rightly considered a true icon of music, and one of the leaders of the electronic synthpop movement of the late 1970s and beyond: Gary Numan.

This podcast is for all fellow Gary Numan fans out there, and for anyone who would love to delve more into his back catalogue. Each episode will look at a different Gary Numan song, looking at its creation, the meaning behind it, and more. It won’t be chronological or alphabetical, but rather will take on all eras of Gary’s discography in a non-linear journey. 

If you’re listening to this, then chances are, like me, you’re a massive fan of Gary Numan. Either that, or you’re a general fan and gatherer of music history, and were intrigued by a man who, in his early 20s in 1979, came out of seemingly nowhere to become an overnight popstar, and brought synths to the mainstream in a way no other artist had quite managed at that point.

Fast-forward over 40 years later, and Gary is still making music and touring to fans around the world. If anything, his career over the last couple of years has reached a height he hasn’t felt since the early ‘80s. He has had two albums reach number two in the UK charts, and in 2022 he’s returning to Wembley Arena for the first time since his short-lived touring retirement in 1981. Gary has never decided to sit back and just perform Greatest Hits tours without releasing new music - he has kept interesting and relevant, morphing his sound to fit his evolving tastes and styles, to great effect. In fact, I’d argue that his last four albums - Ded Son Rising, Splinter, Savage and Intruder - are easily his greatest since the holy trinity of ‘Replicas’, ‘The Pleasure Principle’ and ‘Telekon’. He’s actually improving with age. Not many artists in their 60s can say that.

There’s no other artist that sounds like Gary. His voice is so unique and hypnotic, and he has a fascinating sound to his records that feel so moving, atmospheric and catchy all at once. Yet, despite his decades of making music and critics finally giving him the credit he deserves, he still weirdly feels like a hidden gem. A secret that not many people seem to know or get. People might know ‘Cars’ or ‘Are Friends Electric’ at least, maybe. But once you ‘get’ Gary Numan, and become a fully-fledged fan, or Numanoid if you will, you’re there for life. Like supporting a football team. You’ll find it hard to find fans as dedicated and passionate as Gary’s.

I myself became a Gary Numan fan back in 1994, when I was aged 7 or 8. Up until this point I had only been interested in ‘children’s music’ and then onto hits from the ‘60s, thanks to my parents' collection of CDs at the time. That year was the first year I was aware of ‘current’ music and started watching Top of the Pops and listened to the chart show on Radio 1.

At one point on the BBC, there was this one-off Rock and Roll Years-style programme, but weirdly it was all about the environment over the years while shoehorning in the big hits of the era (side note: if anyone has any idea what this programme was, please let me know) - and then when it reached 1979, there suddenly appeared this pale robot-like guy singing ‘here in my car’. This clip only lasted the length of, well, it’s not exactly a chorus, but it only went on for about a minute or so. But in that minute, I was utterly fascinated by this man and the music he was making. It instantly became my favourite song, and I must have rewound that clip over a hundred times. And I’ve never looked back.

In the era before YouTube and the internet, it would genuinely take at least a year before I heard the full song. I would relish any moment that Gary popped up on Top of the Pops 2. He became this folk-like creature. Was he even real? Is he still around today? In time, I’d collect his albums at HMV or local markets and build up a little catalogue of his music. But he was still very much something of a myth.

I didn’t know it at the time, but I just happened to discover Gary in the same year that his life and career started going in the right direction. I had no idea that his career had nosedived at that point. He had become a bit of a joke figure, and he would later admit that his albums of the late 80s and early 90s weren’t up to standard. Though I’d still argue that every one of his albums would have their own gems, which we’ll look at on this podcast. 

In 1994, he released the album ‘Sacrifice’. Thanks to the support and focus from his future wife Gemma, he decided to drop all the gimmicks of his previous few albums, and started making music he actually wanted to without trying to search for that elusive hit single. Inspired by the likes of Depeche Mode and Nine Inch Nails, he went down the route of industrial, gothic and metal sounds, while keeping elements of his synthpop past, and over time has perfected it to create a truly unique and very-Gary style.

By complete fluke, I started following Gary during this new era, and have supported and followed him over nearly 30 years. It’s been such a journey of seeing him grow from easy punching bag to finally being considered a pioneer of music. Gone are the years of ridicule from the cruel press of the 80s, replaced by admiration by his peers and followers, including Trent Reznor, Dave Grohl, Mark Ronson and even Prince and Lady Gaga.

I first met Gary at an HMV signing event in 2005 for his album Jagged, if you can count that as meeting. I mumbled something incoherent while handing over my new vinyl record while my best mate Sam took a photo. In 2012, my first ever interview with a celebrity for my then-new job as a writer was with, none other than Gary Numan himself. I had to phone him at his Los Angeles home, in the evening for me, and I was a nervous wreck all day, pacing around my flat. Thankfully, he was a thoroughly lovely man who hopefully didn't notice how nervous I was and the fact that it was my first interview, and thus it was probably not a very good one.

Five years later, I interviewed him again, this time in person. I doubt he would remember me over the countless people who have interviewed him over the years, but it was a truly magical experience for me. I didn’t let on just how much of a fan I was, and that I wasn’t ‘just another music journalist’, but part of me wishes I did. I was treated to half an hour chatting to Gary about his life and music, ahead of his then-new album Savage. They say to never meet your heroes, but I’m very glad that to say that this didn't apply in Gary’s case. 

Despite everything he’s been through over the years, and all the ups and downs, he always comes across incredibly down-to-earth, in a way I just don’t see in other artists of any generation. If you watch his regular video updates on his Patreon, you’ll see just how sweet, funny, honest and self-effacing he is.

I hope you enjoy the podcast series, and if you’d like to get in touch, then please follow me on Twitter, @NumanPodcast, or head to numanpodcast.acast.com. You can subscribe to the podcast, wherever you prefer to get them. And if there are any particular songs you’d like me to cover, please let me know.

Clips used:

Intro:

• 'Cars'
• 'Down in the Park'
• 'Are 'Friends' Electric?'
• 'M.E.'
• 'I Die: You Die'
• 'Music for Chameleons'
• 'Pure'
• 'My Name is Ruin'
• 'A Question of Faith'

Other songs:

• 'We Are Glass'
• 'The Calling'
• 'Cars'
• 'Magic'
• 'Photograph'