When I was a kid I went to my buddy's house who had older brothers who had painted their room black and had black lights and posters. They were playing Black Sabbath's Black Sabbath it scared the heck outta me, lol. What is this that stands before me😦
Been following this artist's work since 1979 and just when you think he's done, he whips out a "My Name is Ruin" or an "Intruder' and reminds us that he's still got the passion. Kudos to you for showcasing him in this video.
Absolutely!! I'm 67 years old now, have been listening to music ever since I used to break out my mom and dads 45's and have never stopped. I try to stay as current as possible listening to prog rock on spotify and such and my 34 year old son turning me on to stuff I may be missing. Some how I fell behind on Gary Numan"s stuff until my son sent me "My Name is Ruin" WOW!! HOW DID I MISS THIS!!! then the "Intruder" album! I can't get enough! I must of played this album twenty times in the last month! I feel like I'm 18 years old again!! Thanks Gary Numan!
Gary Numan is quite simply on a different level. I remember as a kid people slagging him off as a Bowie wannabe and me just thinking, Nah! This guy is way better. I've been in awe since i first bought "It's too bad" single, closely followed two days later by a special order purchase of the "Tubeway..." LP from my local record shop in Yorkshire back in 1978. And then, Down in the Park and Replicas dropped, and I finally saw him perform on OGWT! My life was changed forever! I got to see him live again a few times last summer, was as incredible as ever, maybe even better.
I've always enjoyed Gary in interviews. He's relaxed, genuine, and unapologetic without any emotional exhibitionism. He'd be a great guy to meet at the pub.
The early 80s were my favorite part of the decade. The different sounds - whether it was synth heavy like Numan, punkier like the Psychedelic Furs, or rock like Styx - was never boring as you never knew what you were going to hear. I miss the 80s.
Its refreshing to hear an artist admit their ability to write junk as well as hits. One of the most honest interviews yet. Good job staying quite and letting him explain his true feelings about his career.
Numan's issue was that he moved in more of a dance direction, and he's not a dance-pop guy. He eventually realized that Nine Inch Nails, Ministry, etc were fans of his darker, early work and that he could tap into their fan base. He managed to jump-start his career by going in an industrial direction. Pretty much plays guitar live now as befits this style.
Gary Numan is a creative genius, our friends electric predicted the future were we live through our machines(computers) and don't go out to meet people as much. I can listen to his music and it still sounds fresh and new. He did it by just doing what he loved to do without trying to make a pop song. Amazing. Great episode and interview
I like to think Five Star also predicted the future with System Addict in 1986. Not sure it was a hit in America but the lyrics about boxes that go beep and being wired to machines are eerily prescient, especially as it all seemed so futuristic and was not the lived experience of societies at the time in an era before mobile phones, computers everywhere and the internet. I mention Five Star tongue in cheek but it is odd how life mirrors art at times.
@eightiessongs i dont remember System Addict being played on the radio or music television. Graduated College in 85 was a huge eighties music fan. I will listen to it tonight.
@@rachael_grey Yes, they are. One of his daughters sings on some of his more recent tracks, and has appeared in at least one of his videos. She's a talent to watch too!
It's so weird he never talks about his life as a stunt pilot. I've seen innumerable interviews with him and he never talks about it. In 1980 he got his pilot license. He was flying around the world in 1981 in a Cessna and was detained in India as a spy. Lol... He later successfully flew around the world in a Piper Navajo though.
As a former DJ, I can’t help but wonder whatever happened to those artists I used to spin on the turntable every day. Gary was one of those artists. It makes me happy to see that he’s still alive and well, and going what he does best. Thank you, Professor, and just as importantly,thank you Gary.
People with Asperger syndrome have difficulty 'reading' other people - recognizing other people's feelings and intentions - and expressing their own emotions. What I love is that his music capitalized on that. I remember Winston Churchill said that he had a speech impediment and learned to turn it into an asset. I feel like Gary was able to do that, too.
I have autism and struggle with this a lot. The other day, I approached a teacher at lunchtime to talk to her about the power of music. I brought up 80s classics and got a menacing look from her. Her response: “Is that something important right now? Do you have any URGENT things to tell me? If not, then go over there.” I walked away, my cheeks blushing. Walked in and asked the teacher why she did that. She said she doesn’t like talking to kids she doesn’t know. I told her to respect me and people like me because we are on the spectrum. I often mask my autism to get around life with other people sometimes, but I just want to get a chance to be myself! Enough is enough! Gary Numan is who I look up to for reassurance, for ideas in how to express myself in a way that lets others understand who I am and what I can be. The teacher may have had a bad day, but she is really missing out on some great knowledge from me and my ability to bring back memories of the 80s. But then again, I’ve got lots of other people who are part of my support system.
@@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980 You have expressed yourself beautifully. I am sure that the teacher will think about your words for a long time. Even more important though is that she may have something wrong within her that she doesn't know the power of music. That is sad in itself.
@@wishingb5859 I do try very hard to respect boundaries, but the problem was that she did not state them clearly outright in a way I could understand. She’s been teaching since the 80s, and maybe her personality comes from a strict, conservative, possibly outdated way of life. But I hope she comes around someday and I can show her Are Friends Electric, explain what it means.
@@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980 Back in the 80s they didn’t teach boundaries and they also didn’t teach how to communicate things like that. Those teachings are fairly modern. They did teach things like living a conservative and disciplined life. But the youth and music were often rebelling against that.
I saw Gary in 1979 or was it 1980 and I was mesmerised.....and I am still today. Gary Webb, aka Gary Numan, is such a loveable guy, so open and honest, and talented and so are his daughters Persia, Raven & Echo (who has just turned 16)! His later albums Splinter, Savage & Intruder are very industrial but speak to you of apocalypse, religion and the environment in a different way to any other artist. Not for everybody but as a 66 year old I admire Gary as an artist.
I remember being 15 and blasting “are friends electric “ downstairs in my room on the turntable. Gary’s sound had a sonic influence on my song writing and love synths later in the 80s decade. I was very pleased when he edged to a heavier sound in the mid 90s and he’s stayed consistently brilliant ever since.
What a great musician. His music pushed us into the 80s and we were ready for better music. I leaned toward hard rock at the time but with Numan, Cars and then Depeche Mode we felt the new era of the best music ever.
I saw Gary live in Philadelphia (90's) & he was HEAVY! It was definitely industrial sounding (like NIN, Gravity Kills, etc). Amazing show! This is hands-down the most refreshing & revealing interview I've ever seen.
My longtime childhood friend, Mark introduced me to Gary's song Cars because he knew I loved cars. At first I thought it sounded weird but hearing it all the way through the first time I had Mark reset it and play it again and again. It was so different from everything else I instantly fell in love with it. Mark was like me when it came to "fitting in". All the other kids thought we were nerds and we were fine with it. We had our own hobbies and music was one of them. Finding different styles was Mark's passion. Between science fiction and aviation he was a wizard. I was into science fiction and cars. Gary Newman brought it together for us. Let our minds wander the outer limits of the realm of reality. Great memories for sure.
How did we just go through an entire episode and interview without mentioning his recent hit My Name is Ruin? Saw him last year for the first time live, and the show was awesome. If you haven't watched the official video for Ruin, which also stars his daughter, do yourself a favor and check it out. \ m /
My Name Is Ruin is a great video. New music is a different landscape, though. Not one that this channel dwells on much. I rediscovered Gary Numan just as he started reconnecting with what he loved about music in the 90s, and had no idea how big he would become again!
I was wondering the exact same thing, how could the professor not mention 'My Name Is Ruin', not just a return to form but an incredible piece of songwriting.
When you say that you have a lack of ability on how to do something and then write number one songs, it's not a lack of ability. It's an abundance of talent.
A most humble and very inspirational guy, Gary Numan. I don’t know, even the phrase “cutting edge” doesn’t seem to do him justice. When I first heard “Are ‘Friends’ Electric?” way back in 1979, it was like an epiphany for me. Here was the sound and artist I’d been looking for all along, only I didn’t even know I was. I was well into my final high school years when this track was released, and after I’d started work full time and bought and paid off all those essential things a young fella needs, such as a really good stereo (with a record player and cassette deck, of course) and a car, I saved up hard and paid off my first synthesizer - a Roland Juno 6 - which I still have to this day (and it STILL works). I’m no musician by a long chalk, but my love of synthesizers and electronic music and musicians from that era has never waned from that day to this. The fantastic thing about Gary Numan is that he finally got all the kudos and acclaim that he’s deserved all along - this from contemporaries and other acts he’s inspired over the years who are much more important than the likes of me, and that’s really what helped save him. That and natural talent. And he’s still making great music and going strong. Back in the late 70’s and early 80’s Gary really was WAY ahead of his time, yet his music suited him, and he suited his music. Cutting edge, indeed. Still is. The guy deserves a Knighthood. Fantastic interview, Adam. I enjoy your content very much.
Always liked Cars. Gary is intelligent and creative, he wants to be accepted for who he is. He crosses into multiple generations and genres. Super interview Adam.
The last statement you made in the interview about him kicking the door down that others now walk through was an awesome compliment to him. It meant a lot in his short response. You could hear that. Awesome interview as always professor!
It's really nice to hear an honest interview with an artist, even if they are honest to the point of confessing their own mistakes. It's quite admirable. Aside from being the talented genius that he is, Gary is a very likable human being.
Enjoyed this interview with Gary, who's a trendsetter for sure and a very likeable and down to earth fellow. You could tell he really appreciated your compliment about being ahead of his time. Love it when you surprise artists with something they didn't know about their songs, too. Nicely done, Adam!
When Gary was going through his sell out period around 1992, he was ready to give up, but his wife (who's his fuckin rock) was playing something upstairs while Gary was tearing his hair out downstairs. Gary was overwhelmed by whatever he was hearing, so he went upstairs and asked his wife who making this brilliant music, and his wife said, "Trent Reznor". Then everything was new...
@@anadraham2995 So perhaps Gary influenced Trent with his early stuff and years later it came back to him. That's cool if true. It's wonderful if it works that way. Like you send out something special and much later when things are bad it comes back to you when it's needed. That's a kind of karma.
I remember when the song "Cars" became a top 10 hit in 1980. It was a song that really stood out compared to all of the other hit songs during that year. Most of the music of 1980' were leftover sounds from the 1970's. "Cars" wasn't. It was really groundbreaking and revolutionary with its electronic, new wave sound. That song really was the catalyst which musically took us into the 1980's with New Wave. Groups like Human League, etc, were soon to follow but I think Gary Numan was the first. The early 1980's was really an exciting time in music.
I have a distinct memory of hearing Cars for the first time in my Ceramics & Plastics class in late 1979 or early 1980, and just loved it; I was in 8th grade and my high school years filled with great music were on the horizon! (1980-1984) 😊
For me, this interview was ICONIC!!! I was 8 years old when this song and ‘Cars’ hit the charts! I had no idea and not a care in the world what the song was about. A robot hooker?! That’s great! I really enjoyed this interview, he’s such a down-to-earth chap. Just a real cool dude. I thoroughly enjoyed this interview and all of your other interviews. I Think I love music as much as you do! Keep this ALIVE my friend!!!
“Are ‘Friends’ Electric?” absolutely changed my life.. Numan’s greatest song is “A Prayer for the Unborn”..🌹 Easily one of the very best compositions of last 2 centuries 🖤 “Metal” is my fave since 1980. ❤️
Gary Numan and the band Rush always reminded me of each other. Especially after Rush started using heavy synths in the 80's. Both of them have been very underrated for decades, in my humble opinion. It's nice to see Gary finally getting some props.
I never thought of that before, but it makes sense. The synths in “Subdivisions” really come to mind, and the lyrics to that song seem like something Gary would’ve written.
"No one has ever gotten pregnant while listening to the music of Rush. Clinical studies show that when combined with watching a male sexual partner play air bass along to the extended solo in “Freewill,” the contraceptive efficacy of Rush approaches 100%."
@@roystonmason9125 I was thinking the same. The only way for them to be underrated is if they are not considered one of the best bands of all time, possibly the best three piece of all time, with the best drummer ever, arguably one of the best bass players ever, and Alex is just a riff god! That might not even be enough praise. And I'm not even that big a fan and still see them this way.
Absolutely phenomenal artist. Like a lot of his older songs, “Are ‘Friends’ Electric” is very catchy, but with a lot of darkness beneath the surface. I think the heavy gothic industrial sounds he now leans towards have been a natural progression.
What is nice about PoR's sit down sessions with artists is that it is as much of a learning session for the one getting interviewed. So many times he has brought up factoids the artists didn't know about or the thoughts and feelings of the listeners that they were unaware of. I think it closes the gap and makes a better bond with the fandom.
Very unique artist of his time, and very inspirational too. So many different things coming together, and it paid off immensely. Music is such a universal language.
Really interesting interview. I love how blunt and honest Gary is, as well as humble. I genuinely believe "Are "friends" electric?" And "Cars" are truly unique, original and mind blowing songs. They are so fresh and unbelievably good, it leaves you dumbfounded as to what exactly am I listening too? So original, unique and totally brilliant!!! Lightning in a bottle if I ever heard it.
What a great interview. You love music more than anyone I've ever seen. Gary Numan is one of my favorites most of my life (along with DEVO and many more). I got teared up when you told him he kicked open doors that others now walk through. So awesome to get to tell him that in person! 😊
This genius is still one of my favorites. I remember when Cars first came out - it was so creepy, exciting, atmospheric, & different. Numan's voice sends chills down my spine (in a good way). It's so unique
Are Friends Electric had a massive effect on me. It spoke to me in a way no other song ever had. I couldn't get enough of it, and all Gary's music in this era. It just didn't sound like anyone else, and it tapped into my teenage angst, feeling as if it had been written specifically for me. It also led me to try making my own synth music, which I've done on and off ever since. Thanks, Gary, for that song, and for all the musical doors it opened. :-)
Gary seems like a truly great human; deep, but very light hearted about himself…super genuine. Also, I hope I can look that good in my sixties! I was an eighties kid, yet never heard this song until I was in my 40’s, as ‘Cars’ was the only song of his I heard in the radio. Thanks for the interview, and content! 🤘🏼
“Cars” was way ahead of the pack when it made the charts in 1980. It’s still way ahead in 2023. Gary Numan remains one terrific artist of music. “Cars” is one excellent song.
Oh wow!! I literally introduced this song to a young friend of mine two days ago, showing how sounds can give temperature perceptions. This one gave me an icy tone while he thought it was a warmer feeling. I went on to explain just how groundbreaking this song was because if you listen to the soundscape of 1979, nothing on the radio sounded like this. Of course, it took America longer to catch on, but the UK embraced it as one of their own. Truly a prophetic song by an under appreciated artist.
Love Gary Numan interviews. He comes across as someone who only appears stand offish while being complete approachable. He even has a great sense of humor and laugh. I remember the day very clearly of the first time I heard "Cars". I knew then that it was different and special. It moved me from rock and roll and into new wave and punk. This is the moment I opened up to all music and started giving it all a chance before saying it was for me or not. To this day my friends and I have the some of the craziest mix tapes (now SD cards) with music going from DK and Fear to Pink Floyd and King Crimson all the way over to Cab Calloway and James Brown.
One of my all time favorite songs!!! I felt propelled into a sterile techno future each time I listened to it. It still gives me goosebumps. Thanks for featuring!❤
As a young rock ‘n’ roll keyboard player in 1979, I was not a fan of “cars“ and I was shocked at how much my high school friends liked it. Over the years as a learned more about synthesizers, I realized what a pioneer Newman was. He literally kicked off, a whole new genre of music. In my current band we now play “Cars” and I enjoy playing it. Great interview, prof, and wonderful honesty by Gary.
His entire catalog is constantly evolving, we've seen him perform live twice in recent years and he's still got it! I would highly recommend catching him on his next tour.
I saw him when he toured for Splinter, but wasn't able to see him on the Intruder tour. It's a shame, because I think Intruder is a straight-up masterpiece of an album.
@@ameranthe_ Ruin is fantastic, and that he had his daughter sing on it with him is wonderful as well. If you haven't seen it yet look for gary numan live at brixton academy here on youtube, it's from savage bt contains a lot of these great songs.
Adam, I love when you surprise artists with details they didn't even know. Your ability to connect is unrivaled. I can tell it's deeply appreciated in the expressions of the artist. Keep up the great work.
It fills me with joy that PoR has interviews with Gary Numan. This man was influential on all the artists I grew up with and who are credited with inspiring so many artists today. Ive been lucky enough to have seen him twice in the last decade and he puts on a great show- see him live if you can. His new music is very good and deserves attention, as well. Really the only ones doing this before Gary were Kraftwerk and I don't know how many original members are still with us, so this is about as close to the roots of synth-pop/new wave/industrial/techno as one can get.
Not quite true, others were doing it including the band that influenced him most. Ultravox with John Foxx in 1978 released their seminal album Systems of Romance and the opening track Slow Motion was the sound he aspired to. You could easily argue he surpassed it. Other like The Human League or OMD were trying to break through but Numan beat them it...
another great interview - how lucky are we to have this channel and to be able to get these interviews and insights with these artists? incredible stuff thank you Professor! Keep it up!
The first time I heard Cars back in 1979, I was completely blown away. I wore out 2 copies of The Pleasure Principle. His follow up studio album Telekon is my personal favorite. I also have the Living Ornaments '79, '80 boxed set which is one of the crown jewels in my vinyl collection.
Cars was one of my jams when I was a kid. It's still a banger even today. Had no idea he'd had a previous hit. Now I want to go through his entire discography. Thank you for sharing!
Gary is such a down-to-earth guy. Anyone who follows him on Facebook also knows what a strong family man he is. His honesty and lack of ego are very refreshing. He mentioned taking his music down the "industrial" path which has a harder edge. He re-imagined this song done in that genre. Look up "Are Friends Electric Allsaints Basement Sessions" - It's amazing IMO.
Pleasure Principle was the first Numan album to hook me as a freshman in high school. Then I went back and discovered his previous two and kept buying every new release for a few years. Have rediscovered some of his latest music and met him in person in 2014. Went to see him in 2022 but Covid in the band canceled the show. Great early music influence for me and still listen often to his first 5 albums.
It will get played on a new tv series, and all the kids will google it, buy it, and become a hit single. I’ve always been a massive fan of Numan, named a kitty after him recently :) This song represents my love of synth pop, its like an anthem. See him “Live”, discography is also amazing. He’s been quite prolific. Big in the Goth Industrial Scene.
I love Gary Numan , he did start the whole new wave sound, especially in Europe, they went crazy for it in which brought about that whole Italo disco craze. Gary is still doing great and i think he's still churning out albums to this day.
As a Gen X, my friends and I related to the song because we all wanted the freedom of driving and having our own car. Getting our license was the first step to adulthood and we craved the idea of driving anywhere
I just finished my driving school and am practicing towards my license. I am very proud of some of my friends who already have their license and drive themselves to school. So, I guess my friends are electric? 😊
Great job on this interview. Gary really opened up once you touched on the fact that the song wasn’t the traditional formula for a hit. Very insightful comment to break the ice.
This interview has inspired me to go and study his catalog, I only knew him tangentially but he’s so brilliant and thoughtful I’m excited to go study his work.
I love Gary. So down to earth, and I've always liked his song writing attitude of "if it sounds good, then go with it". His newer industrial stuff is really great too. I saw him live in Sydney about 10 years ago - fantastic show, and he really gives a performance his all. I hope to catch him again live sometime!
I wonder if he wouldn't have become a modern day Ludwig Von Beethoven if he didn't hit the charts. What a humble human being he is. So glad he did. I think I was 14 when "Cars" hit the charts. It made the jump to MTV as well. When you told him he kicked open doors that people are still walking through, I think both he and I got chocked up for a second. You and Mr. Beato are my favorite music interviewers by far, because you love the music as much as we do. Never critical, always supportive. Thank you!
Gary Numan is a legend, hands down one of the most influential artists ever! I love his cyclical inspiration of NiN and then NiN influencing back. Great stuff!
Gary has Asperger's - I've known this for a while, as I have it as well! :) He definitely had an artful visual method, especially as he performed in his video for Cars! Pretty sweet. I sincerely enjoy his music as well as your interviews! Take care, Adam!
As a fellow Aspie, I wasn't surprised at all when Gary Numan revealed his own neurodivergence. His music always reflected how I view the world and "normal" people quite accurately, and I love his style, too. He's a great performer and writer, and his more recent collaborations with Trent Reznor are pure joy, at least to anyone who loved 90's industrial rock.
You could delve a little further down the electronic route and the very early days of Kraftwerk, Biggles and you've covered Gary Numan. These guy's literally blew everything out of the water. Late 70s and early 80s was genuinely a kaleidoscope of different sounds. Disco, punk, new age, new wave, two-tone, ska, reggae, electric, New Romantics. These different styles were seriously the sounds that dominated the charts on a weekly basis. And that's exactly what made the 70s and 80s so absolutely goddamn amazing. Talents shone, every morning brought something new, every song was an experience into a wonderland.
oh yeah,for sure. late 70's were where synthesisers and samplers started to get sophistcated and would open up a different avenue of instruments.That brought out some real innovation in the electro/hi energy scene that ultimately became rave/house. 80's were so cool. I was a big rap fan in the early days but I remember 2 things vividly. Gary numan doing cars, and herbie hancock scratching,which I really thought was cool!
Professor, thank you for sharing this interview with us. I was 18 when Cars was released, and it was brilliant, like nothing I'd heard. But to this day, I was unaware of Gary Numan's other work. So now I'm going to go back into his catalogue. And he was one of the most humble, clear and interesting people I've seen you interview. Good job.
This came out at the height of disco, as I recall, and we were desperate for something avant-garde, atmospheric and, as he describes it, industrial. This was an amazing shift. A light in the darkness! But what a brilliant interview.
So many of the greatest geniuses in art suffered from a “ disorder” and makes me wonder how much is being lost by drugging and trying to “ cure” children now a days. I teach my children that one who sees something for what it could be ,and not what we are told it is, are the ones that make the future.
How enlightening and inspiring. As a medicated child during the 80s and mid-90s, I could actually see and feel how it stunted my intellectual and emotional growth. There's a lot of research out there now showing the negative impact of anti-depressants and other such medications on the developing brains of children. I wonder how many future artists or thinkers were irrevocably altered.
@@Frostwulf1313 The number of people on anti depressants in the UK is staggering. Most do not need them and for many they do immeasurable harm when non drug interventions would be at least if not more effective. A scandal of epic proportions that has become normalised and hardly ever mentioned. It is no co-incidence that levels of unhappiness and other mental health problems are worse in the most unequal societies- Britain and the US being two of the countries with the widest income inequality on the planet.
My school demanded my kid be on Ritalin. He's Asperger with no violent or behavioral issues in his history and a bona-fide genius...but the word Autism scared them in 2000 Ireland.
Thanks for giving some mainstream love to Mr. Numan. His genius needs to be brought to the attention of the musically deprived generations that have grown up on the complete shit that is all these talent TV shows.
I was a big time Heavy Metal and Rock fan in the 80s as a teen, but I loved me some Gary Numan. I suppose my penchant for reading Sci-Fi and Fantasy novels played a role in that. Judas Priest singing about The Sentinel, Blue Oyster Cult singing about a Veteran of Psychic Wars, and Numan singing about robot hookers are all on the same imaginative spectrum.
So insightful to see this side of Gary. The backstory of all these artists is such good content. Thanks Professor for another great interview taking us deep into the singers thought process and how these songs get born.
This guy is a genius, he like all the great music innovators was so far ahead of the scene at the time. “Cars” came out and I remember it seemed it was played every 15 mins at least in the SF Bay Area. My friends and I never seemed to tire of hearing it
@@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980 it came out in Aug of 79 just before I started 8th grade. Being the end of summer my friends and I were just bored kids waiting for summer break to end. We spent literally every day helping each other complete any chores we had, mostly yard work. We had a radio playing constantly. It got to the point we’d count how many times per day we heard it! Still like the song takes me right back 🙂
The late 70s, I was obsessed with Gary Numan. It was a sound I’d never heard before and I found fascinating. The first 2 albums were never off my turntable. Gary always gives a great interview.
He's a legend!!! Cars was just so different and instantly grabbed people. The industrial metal band, Fear Factory covered Cars, and Gary was a part of it and also in the video. Really cool cover.
I've loved him since the early 80's... yeah he dropped off a few years later, but his resurgence was phenomenal! I love that he landed square into the Goth scene. I'm not a huge modern Goth fan, but all hail Gary Numan. Keep gifting us with your talent.
Replicas is one of the greatest albums ever made. If I had only five albums to listen to for the rest of my life, Replicas would definitely make that list. I'm a sci-fi nerd so the whole album not only scratches my music itch, but it also brings joy through the telling of a sci-fi story set in a dystopian future. Fucking brilliant.
I remember Are Friend's Electric scaring the scrap out of me as a kid. My older sister played it a lot. I love everything about it now. Prophetic to say the least.
As a 9 year old kid when Cars came out, I was totally entranced. It, along with Pop Musik by M set me up in my formative years to absolutely love electronic music. Depeche Mode, Erasure, OMD, Tears for Fears and New Order helped continue that love. Cars was my very first music purchase as a 9 year old kid too: Cars on side A, metal on side B of a 45 - it meant that much to me that I would spend weeks of allowance for that one single. I had honestly not thought about Gary Numan much, except for Cars still being in my road trip Ipod, then I had a full rediscovery of Gary Numan and a full appreciation of the incredible music he created. I've had a number of Gary Numan albums on constant rotation for a few years now. I'm constantly blown away by how a relatively monotone singer with mostly electronic instruments can create such mood and emotion in his music. The guy is a genius!
Gary Numan is my go to music especially in the car.I love his early work and his Dark Lord remixes and I love his recent work. I was a teenager when I first heard Gary. I really related to the lyrics and the synth sound which struck an emotional response. There is still something extremely emotional and organic about the synthesiser used in such a way that makes it as emotive as the violin, and seems to capture the feeling of alienation, sadness and human interactions with advancing technology, in an insightful way. It is oddly both timely and prophetic even 44 years after release (Are Friends Electric). Funny thing is Bowie used to diss him, but I actually think Bowie’s “Ashes to Ashes” LP evolved out of the soup of Gary Numan’s music. I believe it was more a swipe of Numan’s sound and style rather than a Nod to Numan, but Numan’s influence is obviously there.
I heard his song “Cars” and I was blown away. Then I seen he was coming to my town in 1980 (Akron,Ohio) I went to see him in concert. This was the absolute best show I’ve ever seen. This was his Teletour tour. He did songs from his new album “Telekon”. The very next day I went and bought Telekon on vinyl. That blew me away! It was then that I bought his previous albums. I have bought most of his albums and had to order some of them from the UK as imports. I’ve been a fan ever since.
He uses it as a closer at his concerts and I can tell you that there is just a tremendous energy rom the crowd for that song. I have never seen such a big show from a small stage. He laid the groundwork for lots of great bands. NIN is a direct bi-product, but even The Cure, Rammstein, Smashing Pumpkins, any of those types, Gary Numan had to have been on their record shelf. Great show live and awesome music to listen to!
I remember hearing "Are Friends Electric" on our local rock station (It's the classic rock station, but back in 79 there was no "classic rock".) I remember being absolutely stunned and shocked because it was so different and unlike anything I had ever heard before. Absolutely brilliant.
Blade Runner is based upon a short story by Philip K. Dick: "Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep." Since Gary's a fan, it's not a huge surprise as to the subject of the song Friends Electric.
Yeh. In terms of the lyrics, that song can easily be seen as the musical form of the K. Dick book. Or at least one of the interpretations of the book. That is, depending also on how one interpret the song lyrics... it is also very interesting to see how, even though that book and Blade Runner are so different in so many ways from each others, they still are such deserving classics. Maybe because of the shared theme and the way it is presented to us?
Never understood why they picked that title. "The Blade Runner" is the title of an SF novel by Alan Nourse, himself a doctor, about a (probably dystopian; it's been a long time since I read it) future in which there's an illicit trade in medical technology, e.g. scalpels (hence the title).
@@JamesJones-zt2yxI wasn't ware of the Nourse's novel. I also wandered about the movie title change, but i was contented that maybe they though the title was not appealing enough for a movie title or something like that. I just made a quick search and it seems that Nourse's novel is really related to the movie title. Wikipedia source (with little additions from me for clarification): "... Fancher (bade runner movie script author) found a cinema treatment by William S. Burroughs for Alan E. Nourse's novel The Bladerunner (1974), titled Blade Runner (a movie).[nb 2] Ridley Scott (director) liked the name, so Deeley (producer) obtained the rights to the titles.[14] Eventually, he hired David Peoples to rewrite the script and Fancher left the job over the issue on December 21, 1980, although he later returned to contribute additional rewrites.[15]"
Poll: What is your pick for THE song that SCARED the hell out of you as a kid?
I can't think of a song, but the movie Charlie and the Chocolate Factory staring Gene Wilder scared me as a kid.
@@catherine6653 Pure Imagination....
When I was a kid I went to my buddy's house who had older brothers who had painted their room black and had black lights and posters. They were playing Black Sabbath's Black Sabbath it scared the heck outta me, lol. What is this that stands before me😦
99 Luftballons
THE BUOYS "Timothy". Once my sister told me what the lyrics were about. Yikes!
Been following this artist's work since 1979 and just when you think he's done, he whips out a "My Name is Ruin" or an "Intruder' and reminds us that he's still got the passion. Kudos to you for showcasing him in this video.
ME TOO! 💯. SPLINTER, INTRUDER....He just keeps getting better!
Absolutely!! I'm 67 years old now, have been listening to music ever since I used to break out my mom and dads 45's and have never stopped. I try to stay as current as possible listening to prog rock on spotify and such and my 34 year old son turning me on to stuff I may be missing. Some how I fell behind on Gary Numan"s stuff until my son sent me "My Name is Ruin" WOW!! HOW DID I MISS THIS!!! then the "Intruder" album! I can't get enough! I must of played this album twenty times in the last month! I feel like I'm 18 years old again!! Thanks Gary Numan!
"The Cars" should have written a song called, "Gary Numan."
Ha!
Ric and Ben could definitely accomplish that goal!
Replace “Heartbeat City” with “Gary Numan” 🤔😂
*Numan
Mind blown! I like the way you think
Gary Numan is quite simply on a different level. I remember as a kid people slagging him off as a Bowie wannabe and me just thinking, Nah! This guy is way better. I've been in awe since i first bought "It's too bad" single, closely followed two days later by a special order purchase of the "Tubeway..." LP from my local record shop in Yorkshire back in 1978. And then, Down in the Park and Replicas dropped, and I finally saw him perform on OGWT! My life was changed forever! I got to see him live again a few times last summer, was as incredible as ever, maybe even better.
I've always enjoyed Gary in interviews. He's relaxed, genuine, and unapologetic without any emotional exhibitionism. He'd be a great guy to meet at the pub.
The early 80s were my favorite part of the decade. The different sounds - whether it was synth heavy like Numan, punkier like the Psychedelic Furs, or rock like Styx - was never boring as you never knew what you were going to hear. I miss the 80s.
It was a time for sure. Thanks Christine.
Yes, the early 80s was a very unique time for music. My favorite time period for music.
The psych furs weren’t punk they were alternative. The Clash/Sex Pistols were punk
@@kellyr4479 obviously you've never heard of the nuggets collection, anyways where do you think alternative came from 🤣
@@wallofrock6725 that's considerably the worst era basically when electronics started to mean more than quality songwriting
Its refreshing to hear an artist admit their ability to write junk as well as hits. One of the most honest interviews yet. Good job staying quite and letting him explain his true feelings about his career.
Even the junk from back then is passable compared to today’s music.
It's good that he can admit that some of his material was junk.
That's what makes POR great.
gary is his own harshest critic, and honest to a fault. also really nice in person.
Numan's issue was that he moved in more of a dance direction, and he's not a dance-pop guy. He eventually realized that Nine Inch Nails, Ministry, etc were fans of his darker, early work and that he could tap into their fan base. He managed to jump-start his career by going in an industrial direction. Pretty much plays guitar live now as befits this style.
Gary Numan is a creative genius, our friends electric predicted the future were we live through our machines(computers) and don't go out to meet people as much. I can listen to his music and it still sounds fresh and new. He did it by just doing what he loved to do without trying to make a pop song. Amazing. Great episode and interview
So true. He was an innovator for sure. Thanks My Name.
Are Friends Electric also sounds like his backing band was all eerie looking aliens with computer heads. 👽 😉
I like to think Five Star also predicted the future with System Addict in 1986. Not sure it was a hit in America but the lyrics about boxes that go beep and being wired to machines are eerily prescient, especially as it all seemed so futuristic and was not the lived experience of societies at the time in an era before mobile phones, computers everywhere and the internet. I mention Five Star tongue in cheek but it is odd how life mirrors art at times.
@eightiessongs i dont remember System Addict being played on the radio or music television. Graduated College in 85 was a huge eighties music fan.
I will listen to it tonight.
@@kevinarmstrong8237 They were successful in the UK. Not sure about elsewhere.
As I have mentioned previously, lest we overlook Gary’s renowned prowess as a world class aviator and stunt pilot. Truly a fascinating individual..
And he’s good to his grandkids too, from what I saw on Twitter.
I think those are his three daughters.
@@rachael_grey Yes, they are. One of his daughters sings on some of his more recent tracks, and has appeared in at least one of his videos. She's a talent to watch too!
It's so weird he never talks about his life as a stunt pilot. I've seen innumerable interviews with him and he never talks about it.
In 1980 he got his pilot license. He was flying around the world in 1981 in a Cessna and was detained in India as a spy. Lol... He later successfully flew around the world in a Piper Navajo though.
@@neuralmute She signs on My Name is Ruin. Great song.
As a former DJ, I can’t help but wonder whatever happened to those artists I used to spin on the turntable every day. Gary was one of those artists. It makes me happy to see that he’s still alive and well, and going what he does best.
Thank you, Professor, and just as importantly,thank you Gary.
His stuff today is amazing
People with Asperger syndrome have difficulty 'reading' other people - recognizing other people's feelings and intentions - and expressing their own emotions. What I love is that his music capitalized on that. I remember Winston Churchill said that he had a speech impediment and learned to turn it into an asset. I feel like Gary was able to do that, too.
Great post.
I have autism and struggle with this a lot. The other day, I approached a teacher at lunchtime to talk to her about the power of music. I brought up 80s classics and got a menacing look from her. Her response: “Is that something important right now? Do you have any URGENT things to tell me? If not, then go over there.” I walked away, my cheeks blushing. Walked in and asked the teacher why she did that. She said she doesn’t like talking to kids she doesn’t know. I told her to respect me and people like me because we are on the spectrum. I often mask my autism to get around life with other people sometimes, but I just want to get a chance to be myself! Enough is enough! Gary Numan is who I look up to for reassurance, for ideas in how to express myself in a way that lets others understand who I am and what I can be. The teacher may have had a bad day, but she is really missing out on some great knowledge from me and my ability to bring back memories of the 80s. But then again, I’ve got lots of other people who are part of my support system.
@@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980 You have expressed yourself beautifully. I am sure that the teacher will think about your words for a long time. Even more important though is that she may have something wrong within her that she doesn't know the power of music. That is sad in itself.
@@wishingb5859 I do try very hard to respect boundaries, but the problem was that she did not state them clearly outright in a way I could understand. She’s been teaching since the 80s, and maybe her personality comes from a strict, conservative, possibly outdated way of life. But I hope she comes around someday and I can show her Are Friends Electric, explain what it means.
@@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980 Back in the 80s they didn’t teach boundaries and they also didn’t teach how to communicate things like that. Those teachings are fairly modern. They did teach things like living a conservative and disciplined life. But the youth and music were often rebelling against that.
I saw Gary in 1979 or was it 1980 and I was mesmerised.....and I am still today. Gary Webb, aka Gary Numan, is such a loveable guy, so open and honest, and talented and so are his daughters Persia, Raven & Echo (who has just turned 16)! His later albums Splinter, Savage & Intruder are very industrial but speak to you of apocalypse, religion and the environment in a different way to any other artist. Not for everybody but as a 66 year old I admire Gary as an artist.
I remember being 15 and blasting “are friends electric “ downstairs in my room on the turntable. Gary’s sound had a sonic influence on my song writing and love synths later in the 80s decade. I was very pleased when he edged to a heavier sound in the mid 90s and he’s stayed consistently brilliant ever since.
What a great musician. His music pushed us into the 80s and we were ready for better music. I leaned toward hard rock at the time but with Numan, Cars and then Depeche Mode we felt the new era of the best music ever.
I saw Gary live in Philadelphia (90's) & he was HEAVY! It was definitely industrial sounding (like NIN, Gravity Kills, etc). Amazing show! This is hands-down the most refreshing & revealing interview I've ever seen.
My longtime childhood friend, Mark introduced me to Gary's song Cars because he knew I loved cars. At first I thought it sounded weird but hearing it all the way through the first time I had Mark reset it and play it again and again. It was so different from everything else I instantly fell in love with it. Mark was like me when it came to "fitting in". All the other kids thought we were nerds and we were fine with it. We had our own hobbies and music was one of them. Finding different styles was Mark's passion. Between science fiction and aviation he was a wizard. I was into science fiction and cars. Gary Newman brought it together for us. Let our minds wander the outer limits of the realm of reality. Great memories for sure.
How did we just go through an entire episode and interview without mentioning his recent hit My Name is Ruin? Saw him last year for the first time live, and the show was awesome. If you haven't watched the official video for Ruin, which also stars his daughter, do yourself a favor and check it out. \ m /
My Name Is Ruin is a great video. New music is a different landscape, though. Not one that this channel dwells on much. I rediscovered Gary Numan just as he started reconnecting with what he loved about music in the 90s, and had no idea how big he would become again!
I love that video.
I was wondering the exact same thing, how could the professor not mention 'My Name Is Ruin', not just
a return to form but an incredible piece of songwriting.
One of the greatest songs by one of the most important artists of all time. He is still bloody amazing live.
I absolutely love Gary. His music just keeps getting better and better. And he's such a real and down to Earth person.
Such a nice guy.
When you say that you have a lack of ability on how to do something and then write number one songs, it's not a lack of ability. It's an abundance of talent.
Imperfections make a song perfection.
@@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980 indeed it does.
I tend to think that comes from trying so hard…. Then comes the propulsion forward. Ease generally doesn’t tend to create much.
As with anything, there is a trash to gem ratio Even the best churn out a sack full of trash. They just never give us the chance to hear any of it :)
A most humble and very inspirational guy, Gary Numan. I don’t know, even the phrase “cutting edge” doesn’t seem to do him justice. When I first heard “Are ‘Friends’ Electric?” way back in 1979, it was like an epiphany for me. Here was the sound and artist I’d been looking for all along, only I didn’t even know I was. I was well into my final high school years when this track was released, and after I’d started work full time and bought and paid off all those essential things a young fella needs, such as a really good stereo (with a record player and cassette deck, of course) and a car, I saved up hard and paid off my first synthesizer - a Roland Juno 6 - which I still have to this day (and it STILL works).
I’m no musician by a long chalk, but my love of synthesizers and electronic music and musicians from that era has never waned from that day to this. The fantastic thing about Gary Numan is that he finally got all the kudos and acclaim that he’s deserved all along - this from contemporaries and other acts he’s inspired over the years who are much more important than the likes of me, and that’s really what helped save him. That and natural talent.
And he’s still making great music and going strong. Back in the late 70’s and early 80’s Gary really was WAY ahead of his time, yet his music suited him, and he suited his music. Cutting edge, indeed. Still is. The guy deserves a Knighthood.
Fantastic interview, Adam. I enjoy your content very much.
Always liked Cars. Gary is intelligent and creative, he wants to be accepted for who he is. He crosses into multiple generations and genres. Super interview Adam.
Awesome.
The last statement you made in the interview about him kicking the door down that others now walk through was an awesome compliment to him. It meant a lot in his short response. You could hear that. Awesome interview as always professor!
It's really nice to hear an honest interview with an artist, even if they are honest to the point of confessing their own mistakes. It's quite admirable. Aside from being the talented genius that he is, Gary is a very likable human being.
Enjoyed this interview with Gary, who's a trendsetter for sure and a very likeable and down to earth fellow. You could tell he really appreciated your compliment about being ahead of his time. Love it when you surprise artists with something they didn't know about their songs, too. Nicely done, Adam!
Glad you enjoyed it. your Always look forward to seeing your comments Robster!
Masterful groundbreaking musician. Still listening today after 40+ years. His new work is magnificent.
I agree!
I saw his first American tour and I also caught him last year and he's just as good.Dude's an actual jet pilot.
He is multitalented.
The influence of this song on Trent Reznor's sound (Nine Inch Nails) is more so obvious than the well known single 'Cars'. Very cool!
So true. Huge influence.
When Gary was going through his sell out period around 1992, he was ready to give up, but his wife (who's his fuckin rock) was playing something upstairs while Gary was tearing his hair out downstairs. Gary was overwhelmed by whatever he was hearing, so he went upstairs and asked his wife who making this brilliant music, and his wife said, "Trent Reznor". Then everything was new...
Trent HAD to have listened to Gary Numan as a kid. Totally.
@@anadraham2995 So perhaps Gary influenced Trent with his early stuff and years later it came back to him. That's cool if true. It's wonderful if it works that way.
Like you send out something special and much later when things are bad it comes back to you when it's needed. That's a kind of karma.
Yes! I feel like they've rubbed off on each other.
I remember when the song "Cars" became a top 10 hit in 1980. It was a song that really stood out compared to all of the other hit songs during that year. Most of the music of 1980' were leftover sounds from the 1970's. "Cars" wasn't. It was really groundbreaking and revolutionary with its electronic, new wave sound. That song really was the catalyst which musically took us into the 1980's with New Wave. Groups like Human League, etc, were soon to follow but I think Gary Numan was the first. The early 1980's was really an exciting time in music.
GROUNDBREAKING! for sure!
I have a distinct memory of hearing Cars for the first time in my Ceramics & Plastics class in late 1979 or early 1980, and just loved it; I was in 8th grade and my high school years filled with great music were on the horizon! (1980-1984) 😊
Vienna by Ultravox fits in that mold for me personally as well.
@@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980 Absolutely.
@@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980 yeah Gary will tell you Ultravox influenced his approach significantly, he was just more successful sooner.
For me, this interview was ICONIC!!! I was 8 years old when this song and ‘Cars’ hit the charts! I had no idea and not a care in the world what the song was about. A robot hooker?! That’s great! I really enjoyed this interview, he’s such a down-to-earth chap. Just a real cool dude. I thoroughly enjoyed this interview and all of your other interviews. I Think I love music as much as you do! Keep this ALIVE my friend!!!
“Are ‘Friends’ Electric?”
absolutely changed my life..
Numan’s greatest song is “A
Prayer for the Unborn”..🌹
Easily one of the very best compositions of last 2 centuries 🖤
“Metal” is my fave since 1980. ❤️
Gary Numan and the band Rush always reminded me of each other. Especially after Rush started using heavy synths in the 80's. Both of them have been very underrated for decades, in my humble opinion. It's nice to see Gary finally getting some props.
you can hear Numan's influence on Tom Sawyer.
I never thought of that before, but it makes sense. The synths in “Subdivisions” really come to mind, and the lyrics to that song seem like something Gary would’ve written.
"No one has ever gotten pregnant while listening to the music of Rush. Clinical studies show that when combined with watching a male sexual partner play air bass along to the extended solo in “Freewill,” the contraceptive efficacy of Rush approaches 100%."
RUSH underrated LMAO !!! how many MILLIONS of albums sold ????? GET REAL
@@roystonmason9125 I was thinking the same. The only way for them to be underrated is if they are not considered one of the best bands of all time, possibly the best three piece of all time, with the best drummer ever, arguably one of the best bass players ever, and Alex is just a riff god! That might not even be enough praise. And I'm not even that big a fan and still see them this way.
Absolutely phenomenal artist. Like a lot of his older songs, “Are ‘Friends’ Electric” is very catchy, but with a lot of darkness beneath the surface. I think the heavy gothic industrial sounds he now leans towards have been a natural progression.
What is nice about PoR's sit down sessions with artists is that it is as much of a learning session for the one getting interviewed. So many times he has brought up factoids the artists didn't know about or the thoughts and feelings of the listeners that they were unaware of. I think it closes the gap and makes a better bond with the fandom.
Very unique artist of his time, and very inspirational too. So many different things coming together, and it paid off immensely. Music is such a universal language.
THE universal language!
@@ProfessorofRock Absolutely!
We can use it to accomplish anything!
His recent music is amazing, too. Check it out.
Really interesting interview. I love how blunt and honest Gary is, as well as humble. I genuinely believe "Are "friends" electric?" And "Cars" are truly unique, original and mind blowing songs. They are so fresh and unbelievably good, it leaves you dumbfounded as to what exactly am I listening too? So original, unique and totally brilliant!!! Lightning in a bottle if I ever heard it.
What a great interview. You love music more than anyone I've ever seen. Gary Numan is one of my favorites most of my life (along with DEVO and many more). I got teared up when you told him he kicked open doors that others now walk through. So awesome to get to tell him that in person! 😊
Loved this interview. Good to see Gary Numan doing so well. It's great how he just did what he wanted to do and we ended up liking it.
This genius is still one of my favorites. I remember when Cars first came out - it was so creepy, exciting, atmospheric, & different. Numan's voice sends chills down my spine (in a good way). It's so unique
Are Friends Electric had a massive effect on me. It spoke to me in a way no other song ever had. I couldn't get enough of it, and all Gary's music in this era. It just didn't sound like anyone else, and it tapped into my teenage angst, feeling as if it had been written specifically for me. It also led me to try making my own synth music, which I've done on and off ever since. Thanks, Gary, for that song, and for all the musical doors it opened. :-)
Love the interview, loved listening to Gary's music then, in the 80s and now. He's a great and unique artist.
Cars is an absolutely timeless masterpiece. It could come out today and it would still kill.
So true.
Although I could see it sounding more like modern synthwave, I concur with you Gary!
I could see it being #1 in 3030 when everyone is a droid 🤖🎶
Listen to the Fear Factory versions… the Numanoid mix has Gary’s vocals with Fear Factory’s instrumentation.
Gary seems like a truly great human; deep, but very light hearted about himself…super genuine. Also, I hope I can look that good in my sixties!
I was an eighties kid, yet never heard this song until I was in my 40’s, as ‘Cars’ was the only song of his I heard in the radio.
Thanks for the interview, and content! 🤘🏼
“Cars” was way ahead of the pack when it made the charts in 1980. It’s still way ahead in 2023. Gary Numan remains one terrific artist of music. “Cars” is one excellent song.
Oh wow!! I literally introduced this song to a young friend of mine two days ago, showing how sounds can give temperature perceptions. This one gave me an icy tone while he thought it was a warmer feeling. I went on to explain just how groundbreaking this song was because if you listen to the soundscape of 1979, nothing on the radio sounded like this. Of course, it took America longer to catch on, but the UK embraced it as one of their own. Truly a prophetic song by an under appreciated artist.
There’s a certain kind of timbral quality to this song that lures you in every time.
Hear, hear.
Love Gary Numan interviews. He comes across as someone who only appears stand offish while being complete approachable. He even has a great sense of humor and laugh. I remember the day very clearly of the first time I heard "Cars". I knew then that it was different and special. It moved me from rock and roll and into new wave and punk. This is the moment I opened up to all music and started giving it all a chance before saying it was for me or not.
To this day my friends and I have the some of the craziest mix tapes (now SD cards) with music going from DK and Fear to Pink Floyd and King Crimson all the way over to Cab Calloway and James Brown.
Had the same experience with Cars. It disoriented me at first, then everything changed finding out that he was an Aspie.
One of my all time favorite songs!!! I felt propelled into a sterile techno future each time I listened to it. It still gives me goosebumps. Thanks for featuring!❤
As a young rock ‘n’ roll keyboard player in 1979, I was not a fan of “cars“ and I was shocked at how much my high school friends liked it. Over the years as a learned more about synthesizers, I realized what a pioneer Newman was. He literally kicked off, a whole new genre of music. In my current band we now play “Cars” and I enjoy playing it. Great interview, prof, and wonderful honesty by Gary.
His entire catalog is constantly evolving, we've seen him perform live twice in recent years and he's still got it! I would highly recommend catching him on his next tour.
I love Gary Numan's stuff, not just the old classics but his last several albums have been terrific.
I discovered on Spotify a few months ago that he’s at it again with the muzak. 🎵
My Name is Ruin is such an incredibly epic song. I love his synthpop concept albums.
I saw him when he toured for Splinter, but wasn't able to see him on the Intruder tour. It's a shame, because I think Intruder is a straight-up masterpiece of an album.
@@ameranthe_ Ruin is fantastic, and that he had his daughter sing on it with him is wonderful as well. If you haven't seen it yet look for gary numan live at brixton academy here on youtube, it's from savage bt contains a lot of these great songs.
Adam, I love when you surprise artists with details they didn't even know. Your ability to connect is unrivaled. I can tell it's deeply appreciated in the expressions of the artist. Keep up the great work.
It fills me with joy that PoR has interviews with Gary Numan. This man was influential on all the artists I grew up with and who are credited with inspiring so many artists today. Ive been lucky enough to have seen him twice in the last decade and he puts on a great show- see him live if you can. His new music is very good and deserves attention, as well. Really the only ones doing this before Gary were Kraftwerk and I don't know how many original members are still with us, so this is about as close to the roots of synth-pop/new wave/industrial/techno as one can get.
Not quite true, others were doing it including the band that influenced him most. Ultravox with John Foxx in 1978 released their seminal album Systems of Romance and the opening track Slow Motion was the sound he aspired to. You could easily argue he surpassed it. Other like The Human League or OMD were trying to break through but Numan beat them it...
@@si_w8201 They were a bit jealous of him, but glad their type of music finally broke through!
another great interview - how lucky are we to have this channel and to be able to get these interviews and insights with these artists? incredible stuff thank you Professor! Keep it up!
The first time I heard Cars back in 1979, I was completely blown away. I wore out 2 copies of The Pleasure Principle. His follow up studio album Telekon is my personal favorite. I also have the Living Ornaments '79, '80 boxed set which is one of the crown jewels in my vinyl collection.
Cars was one of my jams when I was a kid. It's still a banger even today. Had no idea he'd had a previous hit. Now I want to go through his entire discography. Thank you for sharing!
Gary is such a down-to-earth guy. Anyone who follows him on Facebook also knows what a strong family man he is. His honesty and lack of ego are very refreshing. He mentioned taking his music down the "industrial" path which has a harder edge. He re-imagined this song done in that genre. Look up "Are Friends Electric Allsaints Basement Sessions" - It's amazing IMO.
Pleasure Principle was the first Numan album to hook me as a freshman in high school. Then I went back and discovered his previous two and kept buying every new release for a few years. Have rediscovered some of his latest music and met him in person in 2014. Went to see him in 2022 but Covid in the band canceled the show. Great early music influence for me and still listen often to his first 5 albums.
It will get played on a new tv series, and all the kids will google it, buy it, and become a hit single. I’ve always been a massive fan of Numan, named a kitty after him recently :) This song represents my love of synth pop, its like an anthem. See him “Live”, discography is also amazing. He’s been quite prolific. Big in the Goth Industrial Scene.
Maybe Stranger Things or Cobra Kai.
I’ve seen him live, and he’s fantastic. He totally loved the audience, and they loved him! Timeless artist, and totally unpretentious.
Very cool!
Saw him a few years ago, great show! I hope I have that energy when I get to that age. :)
Pure talent.
I saw him in a city he’d never been to before, and he was just blown away with how many people there loved and knew his music.
I love Gary Numan , he did start the whole new wave sound, especially in Europe, they went crazy for it in which brought about that whole Italo disco craze. Gary is still doing great and i think he's still churning out albums to this day.
Italo disco was its own quirky little thing.
As a Gen X, my friends and I related to the song because we all wanted the freedom of driving and having our own car. Getting our license was the first step to adulthood and we craved the idea of driving anywhere
I just finished my driving school and am practicing towards my license. I am very proud of some of my friends who already have their license and drive themselves to school. So, I guess my friends are electric? 😊
That's not unique to Gen X.
@@mojoman2001 Gen X were teenagers and preteens when the songs came out.
He's one of the greats, and he's never really slowed down, such a prolific musician!
Great job on this interview. Gary really opened up once you touched on the fact that the song wasn’t the traditional formula for a hit. Very insightful comment to break the ice.
This interview has inspired me to go and study his catalog, I only knew him tangentially but he’s so brilliant and thoughtful I’m excited to go study his work.
Always loved Gary Newman. This was a GREAT interview. Now I love him even more. What an icon. What a guy!
I love Gary. So down to earth, and I've always liked his song writing attitude of "if it sounds good, then go with it".
His newer industrial stuff is really great too. I saw him live in Sydney about 10 years ago - fantastic show, and he really gives a performance his all. I hope to catch him again live sometime!
I wonder if he wouldn't have become a modern day Ludwig Von Beethoven if he didn't hit the charts. What a humble human being he is. So glad he did. I think I was 14 when "Cars" hit the charts. It made the jump to MTV as well. When you told him he kicked open doors that people are still walking through, I think both he and I got chocked up for a second. You and Mr. Beato are my favorite music interviewers by far, because you love the music as much as we do. Never critical, always supportive. Thank you!
One of my all time favourite songs. When this came out I was 5 years old and saw Tubeway Army playing it on Top of the Pops. I was fascinated.
Gary Numan is a legend, hands down one of the most influential artists ever! I love his cyclical inspiration of NiN and then NiN influencing back. Great stuff!
Great interview...
You left him speechless..
Pointing out his greatness..
And the impact that he's put into the music world..
great video! Gary is absolutely gifted and is STILL influencing music today. such a great guy and story.
Gary has Asperger's - I've known this for a while, as I have it as well! :) He definitely had an artful visual method, especially as he performed in his video for Cars! Pretty sweet.
I sincerely enjoy his music as well as your interviews! Take care, Adam!
He's very open about it.
I have always loved that Cars video.
As a fellow Aspie, I wasn't surprised at all when Gary Numan revealed his own neurodivergence. His music always reflected how I view the world and "normal" people quite accurately, and I love his style, too. He's a great performer and writer, and his more recent collaborations with Trent Reznor are pure joy, at least to anyone who loved 90's industrial rock.
You could delve a little further down the electronic route and the very early days of Kraftwerk, Biggles and you've covered Gary Numan. These guy's literally blew everything out of the water. Late 70s and early 80s was genuinely a kaleidoscope of different sounds. Disco, punk, new age, new wave, two-tone, ska, reggae, electric, New Romantics. These different styles were seriously the sounds that dominated the charts on a weekly basis. And that's exactly what made the 70s and 80s so absolutely goddamn amazing. Talents shone, every morning brought something new, every song was an experience into a wonderland.
It was a transition period, so as a result we got all kinds of songs hitting the Billboard charts.
oh yeah,for sure.
late 70's were where synthesisers and samplers started to get sophistcated and would open up a different avenue of instruments.That brought out some real innovation in the electro/hi energy scene that ultimately became rave/house.
80's were so cool. I was a big rap fan in the early days but I remember 2 things vividly.
Gary numan doing cars, and herbie hancock scratching,which I really thought was cool!
Professor, thank you for sharing this interview with us. I was 18 when Cars was released, and it was brilliant, like nothing I'd heard. But to this day, I was unaware of Gary Numan's other work. So now I'm going to go back into his catalogue. And he was one of the most humble, clear and interesting people I've seen you interview. Good job.
This came out at the height of disco, as I recall, and we were desperate for something avant-garde, atmospheric and, as he describes it, industrial. This was an amazing shift. A light in the darkness! But what a brilliant interview.
So many of the greatest geniuses in art suffered from a “ disorder” and makes me wonder how much is being lost by drugging and trying to “ cure” children now a days. I teach my children that one who sees something for what it could be ,and not what we are told it is, are the ones that make the future.
Great post James. Love it.
How enlightening and inspiring. As a medicated child during the 80s and mid-90s, I could actually see and feel how it stunted my intellectual and emotional growth.
There's a lot of research out there now showing the negative impact of anti-depressants and other such medications on the developing brains of children.
I wonder how many future artists or thinkers were irrevocably altered.
@@Frostwulf1313 The number of people on anti depressants in the UK is staggering. Most do not need them and for many they do immeasurable harm when non drug interventions would be at least if not more effective. A scandal of epic proportions that has become normalised and hardly ever mentioned. It is no co-incidence that levels of unhappiness and other mental health problems are worse in the most unequal societies- Britain and the US being two of the countries with the widest income inequality on the planet.
@80s Music so very true.
My school demanded my kid be on Ritalin. He's Asperger with no violent or behavioral issues in his history and a bona-fide genius...but the word Autism scared them in 2000 Ireland.
Thanks for giving some mainstream love to Mr. Numan. His genius needs to be brought to the attention of the musically deprived generations that have grown up on the complete shit that is all these talent TV shows.
Right? Could care less about AGT.
I was a big time Heavy Metal and Rock fan in the 80s as a teen, but I loved me some Gary Numan. I suppose my penchant for reading Sci-Fi and Fantasy novels played a role in that. Judas Priest singing about The Sentinel, Blue Oyster Cult singing about a Veteran of Psychic Wars, and Numan singing about robot hookers are all on the same imaginative spectrum.
Seen him in concert twice. He's amazing and a true genius!
He sure is.
So insightful to see this side of Gary. The backstory of all these artists is such good content. Thanks Professor for another great interview taking us deep into the singers thought process and how these songs get born.
Thanks Steve! Gary's complex but down to earth.
@@ProfessorofRock Second episode I’ve seen featuring your interview with Gary (the other upload discussed “Cars,” ofc). Good get 👏🖤
This guy is a genius, he like all the great music innovators was so far ahead of the scene at the time. “Cars” came out and I remember it seemed it was played every 15 mins at least in the SF Bay Area. My friends and I never seemed to tire of hearing it
SF had a knack for that song, eh?
@@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980 it came out in Aug of 79 just before I started 8th grade. Being the end of summer my friends and I were just bored kids waiting for summer break to end. We spent literally every day helping each other complete any chores we had, mostly yard work. We had a radio playing constantly. It got to the point we’d count how many times per day we heard it! Still like the song takes me right back 🙂
Great interview and fascinating to hear Gary be so open and honest about his craft. It doesn't get any better than this!
His comment about being a “sellout” was absolutely spot on!
ASPIES RULE!!!
Good job, sir.
The late 70s, I was obsessed with Gary Numan. It was a sound I’d never heard before and I found fascinating. The first 2 albums were never off my turntable. Gary always gives a great interview.
Hey Professor! Great episode and awesome interview! Respect for Gary! What an honest, humble man! And in his own way, a prophet!💫
He's a legend!!! Cars was just so different and instantly grabbed people. The industrial metal band, Fear Factory covered Cars, and Gary was a part of it and also in the video. Really cool cover.
Fear Factory’s cover bangs.
I've loved him since the early 80's... yeah he dropped off a few years later, but his resurgence was phenomenal! I love that he landed square into the Goth scene. I'm not a huge modern Goth fan, but all hail Gary Numan. Keep gifting us with your talent.
Replicas is one of the greatest albums ever made. If I had only five albums to listen to for the rest of my life, Replicas would definitely make that list. I'm a sci-fi nerd so the whole album not only scratches my music itch, but it also brings joy through the telling of a sci-fi story set in a dystopian future. Fucking brilliant.
Great song, beautifully distinctive and you can hear the trajectory from Bowie’s 3 Berlin albums. Even Gary’s posturing. ❤
That subliminal Bowie-seque persona was no accident. He was a massive influence on Gary, particularly Bowie’s “Berlin era” work with Brian Eno.
What a fascinating interview. I got to hand it to you Prof. You are absolutely hands down one of my favorite interviewers of all time.
My favorite interviewer too!
I remember Are Friend's Electric scaring the scrap out of me as a kid. My older sister played it a lot. I love everything about it now. Prophetic to say the least.
No question. Same here. You described it perfectly.
I was the same too for a few days, and then when I found out he was on the spectrum, I calmly said, “He’s just like me. A nerd.”
Gary Numan is one of my all time heroes in music....what a LEGEND!!!! 1979 was the first year I started listening to FM radio, 9 years old.
Great start to music.
As a 9 year old kid when Cars came out, I was totally entranced. It, along with Pop Musik by M set me up in my formative years to absolutely love electronic music. Depeche Mode, Erasure, OMD, Tears for Fears and New Order helped continue that love. Cars was my very first music purchase as a 9 year old kid too: Cars on side A, metal on side B of a 45 - it meant that much to me that I would spend weeks of allowance for that one single. I had honestly not thought about Gary Numan much, except for Cars still being in my road trip Ipod, then I had a full rediscovery of Gary Numan and a full appreciation of the incredible music he created. I've had a number of Gary Numan albums on constant rotation for a few years now. I'm constantly blown away by how a relatively monotone singer with mostly electronic instruments can create such mood and emotion in his music. The guy is a genius!
Synthpop forever!
Gary Numan is my go to music especially in the car.I love his early work and his Dark Lord remixes and I love his recent work. I was a teenager when I first heard Gary. I really related to the lyrics and the synth sound which struck an emotional response. There is still something extremely emotional and organic about the synthesiser used in such a way that makes it as emotive as the violin, and seems to capture the feeling of alienation, sadness and human interactions with advancing technology, in an insightful way. It is oddly both timely and prophetic even 44 years after release (Are Friends Electric). Funny thing is Bowie used to diss him, but I actually think Bowie’s “Ashes to Ashes” LP evolved out of the soup of Gary Numan’s music. I believe it was more a swipe of Numan’s sound and style rather than a Nod to Numan, but Numan’s influence is obviously there.
44 years. WOW.
I heard his song “Cars” and I was blown away. Then I seen he was coming to my town in 1980 (Akron,Ohio) I went to see him in concert. This was the absolute best show I’ve ever seen. This was his Teletour tour. He did songs from his new album “Telekon”. The very next day I went and bought Telekon on vinyl. That blew me away! It was then that I bought his previous albums. I have bought most of his albums and had to order some of them from the UK as imports. I’ve been a fan ever since.
Arguably the song that inspired the 80s!
So true!
In the SEVENTIES. 😳
It definitely kicked the doors open, like Adam said. There were so many acts that couldn’t get airplay until Gary made it cool.
I would agree and add Duran Duran song
PLANET EARTH....
When the machines rise up, the ATM machines will lead the charge.-Sheldon Cooper
“You kicked in doors that now people are walking through”. What a wonderful and accurate compliment.
He uses it as a closer at his concerts and I can tell you that there is just a tremendous energy rom the crowd for that song. I have never seen such a big show from a small stage. He laid the groundwork for lots of great bands. NIN is a direct bi-product, but even The Cure, Rammstein, Smashing Pumpkins, any of those types, Gary Numan had to have been on their record shelf. Great show live and awesome music to listen to!
There's even one live performance in London where Gary Numan joins NIN for a cover of Metal and Cars and it's fantastic!
I remember hearing "Are Friends Electric" on our local rock station (It's the classic rock station, but back in 79 there was no "classic rock".) I remember being absolutely stunned and shocked because it was so different and unlike anything I had ever heard before. Absolutely brilliant.
Blade Runner is based upon a short story by Philip K. Dick: "Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep." Since Gary's a fan, it's not a huge surprise as to the subject of the song Friends Electric.
Indeed.
Inspired Blade Runner (1982). The title of the late Dick’s short story is clear.
Yeh. In terms of the lyrics, that song can easily be seen as the musical form of the K. Dick book. Or at least one of the interpretations of the book.
That is, depending also on how one interpret the song lyrics...
it is also very interesting to see how, even though that book and Blade Runner are so different in so many ways from each others, they still are such deserving classics. Maybe because of the shared theme and the way it is presented to us?
Never understood why they picked that title. "The Blade Runner" is the title of an SF novel by Alan Nourse, himself a doctor, about a (probably dystopian; it's been a long time since I read it) future in which there's an illicit trade in medical technology, e.g. scalpels (hence the title).
@@JamesJones-zt2yxI wasn't ware of the Nourse's novel. I also wandered about the movie title change, but i was contented that maybe they though the title was not appealing enough for a movie title or something like that.
I just made a quick search and it seems that Nourse's novel is really related to the movie title.
Wikipedia source (with little additions from me for clarification):
"... Fancher (bade runner movie script author) found a cinema treatment by William S. Burroughs for Alan E. Nourse's novel The Bladerunner (1974), titled Blade Runner (a movie).[nb 2] Ridley Scott (director) liked the name, so Deeley (producer) obtained the rights to the titles.[14] Eventually, he hired David Peoples to rewrite the script and Fancher left the job over the issue on December 21, 1980, although he later returned to contribute additional rewrites.[15]"