Volume 20 February 2010 Issue 177
Serving Numanoids for over 2/3 of Gary's career
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Breaking News February 9, 2010 Gary is scheduled to perform at the 5DX Dome on the grounds of Kensington Palace in London on April 8. The mobile dome, which debuted in Miami, will be set up from April 7-11. A 'multi-sensory venue', it will boast 3D Surround Sound, 360-degree visuals as well as dining facilities, with five-course meals for guests. Numan said this of the Dome: "The technology of the 5DX dome is so new it's scary. It's the entertainment equivalent of walking into a laptop - the audience are immersed in a 360 degree digital environment unlike any experience known before. The songs that will be performed at the 5DX Dome will be a combination of existing and new, unreleased material but all have been exclusively reworked for the event." Other acts slated to perform at the 5DX Dome include Grace Jones, The Human League and The Orb. Check out Silverodyssey.co.uk for specific performance dates and more details such as this: Featuring a programme of astonishing luxury and decadence, each Silver Odyssey evening encompasses a sumptuous five-course taster dinner and menu direction courtesy from East London’s tastemakers Bistrotheque, followed by live performances from internationally acclaimed artists and DJs, specifically curated to be in perfect symbiosis. The exclusive events create an intimate, immersive environment that provides guests with an utterly unique opportunity to witness the legendary musicians lay bare their visual inspirations, giving an insight into the world through their eyes as well as being treated to a live performance of extreme rarity, not to mention cocktails and dinner - all of epic proportions. The Superbowl was played in Miami yesterday, but the party there keeps rocking. Just got the news Gary Numan will be playing the mobile 5DX Dome at its homebase of Miami, Florida March 25. Look for the big dome on Biscayne Boulevard where the doors will open at 6 pm to start your evening off with a Silver Odyssey Dinner. DJ Arthur Baker will also perform. Total cost for the evening? $555.00 Get your tickets here. February 5, 2010 The 2010 Numan Convention, which fans across the UK have been looking forward to, has been completely cancelled. Peter Gilbert has sadly passed away on Tuesday. I had reported on their Numan gatherings for many years in the NAGNFC Fanzine as they organised some of the best Numan Discos, as well as other craziness like Numanoid trips to Euro Disney. Many of these events even included Numan himself, even getting Gary to play a special birthday party in Numan's honour on March 8, 1988 at The Flag. Pete and Frank are the originals and were an inspiration for the four U.S. NAGNFC Numan Conventions I hosted and the NAGNFC preshow parties I continue to organise today. Peter was a huge fan of Numan who was happiest when he could share his fandom with the Numanoids through the events him and Frank put together.
His friend Frank Drake: We are devastated to have
to report the sad and unexpected passing of Flag
Promotions co-founder, Victim Support Volunteer and all round
Humanitarian, February 4, 2010 A long overdue upgrade to the NAGNFC Chat Room has been performed. The new chat room is better as it actually works, which is always a good characteristic to have in a chat room. It even has a snazzy, new title: Conversation. Who might be there waiting to talk Numan with you right now? According to the Sunderland Echo, that cool venue Gary played at this winter has been closed by the owners. Many locals agreed it was one of the best music venues in Sunderland, but as the student accommodation isn't nearby, all the action is downtown instead of the campus. Gary and I even spoke about that place with all the American signage on the walls after the London show. I told Numan I felt very much at home there as a result, after which Gary said, "Like you were at home but with strange accents!" The bar owners said: "We had big names on, with Ne-Yo, the Beautiful South and Little Boots, but the ticket sales were terrible." Thanks to David Wingate for the heads-up on that venue. He also mentioned that rare Moog clip on The Audio Principle is really that of Dubsounds. A hat tip to David for the clarity. An article in The Press and Journal in northern Scotland spoke yesterday about the irony of Gary's recent six-week Scottish ad campaign which asked drivers to leave the car at home. New taxation rules are likely to put many rural petrol stations out of business, forcing thousands of Scottish drivers to drive long distances to fill up their ride. The Aspen Times in Colorado spoke kindly of new band Infected Mushroom, telling everyone about their show which happened yesterday in Aspen, and that the band's sound changed direction after they listened to Orbital, Kraftwerk and Gary Numan.
My friend Tim Eilers in Hollywood has sent us his latest creation, his
wicked video cover of M.E. that was just completed last month
(below). You might remember Tim as the creator of the excellent
We Have A Technical/This Wreckage mix I posted recently.
I've also included below his haunting video cover of Complex as
well as his refreshing take of Crimes Of Passion. Tim
revealed that he is considering creating a compilation of his Numan
covers. I, for one, hope such a project sees the light of day.
I highly recommend checking out
timothyeilers on YouTube to see all his Numan covers as there isn't
a bad grape in the bunch.
From Tim: "M.E. is the last mechanical engineer on earth. Inseparable from the buildings and machines he services. Tired of being alone. To finally rest his only recourse may be to overload the very machines he was built to protect and serve. Recorded and filmed in Hollywood January 2010."
Hello to the Numanoids of the World! Jim "The Machman" Napier here taking it live around the world to PlanetNuman. Whether this is your first time to the NAGNFC party, or whether you've been here many times before, welcome and welcome back, respectively. This bitterly cold winter has broken low temperatures around the northern hemisphere, but Gary Numan hasn't been hibernating. The BBC Red Button Interactive began playing the Gary Numan/Little Boots Maida Vale Studio sessions on a loop on Friday. The 43 minute program includes the songs Metal, Haunted, The Fall, Mathematics, Echoes, Stuck On Repeat, Are 'Friends' Electric? and the Lou Reed song Venus In Furs. The BBC on-demand show has been playing to glowing reviews: Lee says: Numan and Little Boots are blinding throughout their own sets and duets! Steve says: I've just watched the Gary and Little Boots stuff on red button on BBC interactive and, although I'd seen some of it before on the BBC6 website, it was good to see the other Numan stuff and the interviews. And what a nice bit of exposure for Gary. This is on a continuous loop, together with the Heaven 17 and La Roux stuff. Already, I have had someone comment on one of my Numan videos on You Tube saying they were checking Gary out again after seeing him on red button. So how many others will do this? Really good news.
Wend says: I keep
watching it over and over again...lol! My enthusiasm of it on
Facebook the other night sparked some interest from a couple of
colleagues at work and I've got to make them each a CD of bits n
pieces of Numan so they can see what he's all about...one even said
he might want to come and see him live with me next tour!! So I
shall pick a few items from albums over the years, including live
versions, to get them excited and then hopefully they'll want to
clear Play.com of all their Numan stock !!!!!!!!
 For the huge Numan fans outside the UK who can't get this program, or for those in the UK who don't subscribe, or to those in the UK who only have Freesat, my friend Lee very kindly posted and provided the entire 43 minute program in HQ for you. You can see it all on The NAGNFC NuTube Page. Thanks kindly, Lee!
Meanwhile, the BBC has just posted a repeat of the Gary Numan BBC 6 Mix from December, featuring the music of Gary Numan, the Little Boots collaboration, music that inspired Gary throughout his career and an excellent interview. Don't hesitate too long as the show disappears on Friday, February 5. According to the BBC 6 Mix site: The show features an in-depth interview between Gary and Mark first broadcast in November 2009, discussing Numan's work as a synth pioneer and the reissue of his landmark 1979 album The Pleasure Principle featuring the massive hit single Cars. Gary also picks music which influenced and inspired him from David Bowie, T Rex and Nine Inch Nails.
Chris Payne, Rrusell Bell, Gary Numan London IndigO2 Aftershow Party December 3, 2009 Photo: Stefan Jungklaus NuWorld won't be updated for a couple days as Gary is moving the whole shebang over to a new server. I know what that can be like after moving from themachman.garynumanfan.nu to themachman.garynuman.info a few years ago. Good luck, Gary! And my sympathies!
Uber-rare Gary Numan poster from a Touring Principle show in Switzerland which never happened. Kindly provided by Miles! I've been getting more than a few inquiries about Gary's plans in America this April. Major American plans are in the works and I'll let everyone know everything as soon as the details are confirmed. Rest assured, your wait for this news will be short.
Gary Numan Norwich UEA November 29, 2009 Photo: Jim "The Machman" Napier Josh in Canada uncovered a bit of coolness about a recently released compilation called Nick Robson 1978-2008. This release includes the best of Gary's cousin Nick, including several Numan-produced tracks including two versions of Nick's best-known single, Stars.
Lots going on over at the NAGNFC Picture Pages! To close out last month's Sunderland-themed issue, Martin sent us some incredible pictures from the Sunderland Campus Academy which brought back some great memories from my first night of the Pleasure Principle Tour. I've also added onto Paul Robinson's Sheffield page with tons more eye-popping photos from that show. You can start from his newly added pics here, or start at the beginning of his Sheffield page here. For this month's Norwich UEA-themed issue, I've included my own pictures from Norwich. I truly scored some of my best shots of the tour that night!
Gary Numan Sheffield Corporation November 20, 2009 Photo: Paul Robinson This month's Audio Principle features some tracks from the Norwich UEA show! Head on over at check out Complex, Films, Metal and Tracks. Also there is a rare cover of Cars by none other than System of a Down during their Post Hypnotic Sessions Tour.
Jim "The Machman" Napier and Gary Numan Detroit Majestic Theater July 31, 2006 In keeping with this month's Norwich theme, I present to you the latest illustrated installment of the NAGNFC Riveting Chapters describing one man's mission to see several shows on the Pleasure Principle Tour. Follow me in Chapter Two as I once again visit Norwich, the city I had to walk three miles through last year. Read on as Pakistani train conductors go crazy, I get to know The Big G better than ever, I become a Norwich cabbie's best friend and score front and center to one of the tour's best shows on this lively college campus! Or you can start at Chapter 1 of the Pleasure Principle Riveting Chapters here.
London IndigO2 March 17, 2008 Shared by Kristin Two more ancient NAGNFC issues from the dusty archives have been added to the NAGNFC Fanzine Archives Page. Here is what has been added with full descriptions: Volume 2 May 1991 Issue 19: Gary's three-page 1991 Q Magazine article, news of Paul Green's (now head of Dash Productions) Numan Convention, and of the new single My World Storm. Review of Manchester Apollo Outland show, Letters to the Machman, two fan reviews of the new album Outland, ancient Tubeway Army magazine reviews, news of the 2nd Annual NAGNFC U.S. Numan Convention, a full American Discography, exclusive 8x10 shots from the Outland Tour, three Metal Rhythm Tour reviews from Music Maker, NME and Record Mirror, original posters and newspaper review from February 1978 Tubeway Army shows, a magazine review of Dance, and more. Volume 2 June 1991 Issue 20: Exclusive news about Gary's work on the soundtrack for the upcoming Hollywood movie 'The Unborn' with pictures and interviews, Letters To The Machman, Gary appears on Mystery Science Theater 3000, 8x10 from The Pleasure Principle Tour, exclusive 8x10 pics from the Outland Tour with a scan of the backstage pass, and more.
Gary Numan Sunderland Campus Academy Photo: Martin "Machman05" Thanks to everyone who helped the cause this month. Kind, sincere thanks are beamed to the awesome Paul in Cambridge who frequently contributes and inspires. Enthusiastic thanks go to Stefan Jungklaus in Germany for your graphical contributions. I loved the American flag design of this month's title header. Brilliant! Thanks to Jane and Jono of Gary Numan Down Under for sharing your pics on Facebook,and for the poster from Cambridge. Your act of kindness visually spruced up this month's Riveting Chapter! Many thanks to Miles for hooking me up with the Switzerland poster! Many, many thanks to Lee for the mail you've sent, and for the Numan/Little Boots videos! I hope you enjoy my mail to the UK just as much! Thanks as well go to the generous and brilliant contributions by Paul R. and Martin "Machman05" for your pictures from the Pleasure Principle Tour. I'm looking forward to posting the rest of Paul's photos he mailed! And thanks to Kristin Harris for finding the wicked cool 2008 IndigO2 photo! Thanks to everyone who took the time to send along your news: Steve in Hastings, Wend, Josh in Canada, Peter in Melbourne and everyone else who has taken the time to share. This spring is going to be incredible. My favourite Canadian comedians Tom Green and Red Green (no relation) will be taking to the stage in American venues, and the Kids in the Hall are now airing 8 weekly episodes of new material! And, oh yeah, Gary Numan is visiting California! Good times! 'Til next time! Jim "The Machman" Napier
London IndigO2 December 3, 2009 Photo: Stefan Jungklaus
January Breaking News January 27, 2010 Gary's new video for The Fall sounds like it's going to be quite the epic. Numan is kicking off 2010 with the production of a high budget video for the new single. The video, now in post-production, took longer than any other Numan promo video to film. The video, filmed at a defunct sanitarium, promises to be impressive. Snippets from the film will appear before the final video is unleashed. The lineup of the Coachella Festival has been described as very gay. But since the website involved is called "Out", I think it's a compliment.The BBC has finally announced the schedule of its airing of the full video from the Gary Numan/Little Boots sessions which will begin airing Friday. From 5:00PM, January 29th through 1:30PM, February 6th, Sky and Virgin viewers can press red to access 18 tracks and exclusive musician interviews from recent studio performances by La Roux and Heaven 17 and by Gary Numan and Little Boots that were recorded by BBC 6music Live. Viewers on the UK's free-to-air digital terrestrial platform, Freeview, can access the content at the following dates and times: January 29th: 5:00PM-12:50AM; January 30th: 6:10-7:20PM; January 31st: 4:10AM-4:45PM; February 1st, 12:10AM-February 2nd, 8:45PM; February 3rd: 12:10AM-12:50PM and 5:25PM-12:50PM, February 4th; February 4th: 5:25-10:15PM; February 5th: 4:10AM-12:00PM and 1:00PM-8:50AM, February 6th. (Note: This red-button service is not available on the UK's free-to-air satellite TV service, Freesat).
January 26, 2010 Gary Numan has become the poster image yesterday for MusicDNA: The Future of Music's Evolution as suggested by the Geeks website. MusicDNA was unleashed at the Midem music conference in Cannes by Norwegian developer Dafginn Bach, a pioneer in mp3 technology. The new file format is created much like an mp3, but also includes an XML file which can be tied to live content such as "Twitter streams or MySpace updates, lyrics, photos, tour dates - anything the record company decides to include." At present, the largest record labels have been slow to hop on board the MusicDNA idea train, but British company, Beggars Group (whose labels include Rough Trade Records and Matador Records) has taken the leap. The artists signed to this group include indie golden-boys-of-the-moment Vampire Weekend and a host of other artists from Gary Numan to The White Stripes via Adele, Jarvis Cocker and The Strokes. James Huggins III (aka James Husband), of popular underground band Of Montreal, talks extensively to Washington DC's Express Night Out about his cover of Numan's My Shadow In Vain. The cover song was included on the included EP in James Husband's new album A Parallaxi I. They perform live in Washington DC Thursday. "So I happened to be in Sweden working on some other songs and I came across My Shadow in Vain, because it just happened to be the only one my friend had in his studio." As Gary prepares his U.S. West Coast Tour, Stephen in Los Angeles pointed out that Coachella tells performers they can't play their own live dates within a certain radius of the festival within a specified period of time. If that's true, Gary may have to skip Los Angeles in April for dates further afield. Stay tuned. January 24, 2010 The Abu Dhabi news outlet The National featured an impressive article and interview with Gary Numan in their Arts section yesterday. Gary candidly speaks about his career from the early days all the way to surprising hints about what the new Reznor/Numan project might sound like. They’re not sure what kind of style the album would take, but Numan says: “One part of me would like to go down the industrial route because together I think we could do something that would be really quite cool. On the other hand, it would be really good to work with someone who is that talented. We could do something far more experimental. I just think it would be a really cool thing to do. He’s told me that he really wants to try something new, so perhaps it would be best not to do a version of something we’ve already done.” January 23, 2010 Several artists have sampled Numan's music to create some interesting sounds. Things have just been made much easier for the mixing hobbyists. Sampleradar.com has just made available more than 500 samples from the 80's, including those of David Bowie, ABC, Michael Jackson and Gary Numan. And it is a great pic of Gary that graces the top of their page! I don't mix music, but it was still fun to hear many of the isolated clips. Kevin from OTB Records has written the NAGNFC to announce the pending release by his record company of Scarred on vinyl. You heard it here first. Kevin says:
Hi Jim,
Scarred on vinyl. So I can
at last reveal the next project which I will be producing on vinyl.
Because of the total running time of Scarred it is required
that the vinyl versions run over three albums. Because of this, I
have decided to separate each of the three albums by a few months.
The anticipated schedule is as follows:
Album 1 (finished title to be decided) will have the first eight tracks from Scarred. . It will consist of three different coloured vinyl pressings (blue, burgundy and green) each in a total of 100 copies worldwide. It will come in it's own individually designed full colour album sleeve with full colour labels applied to the vinyl. Release date will hopefully be around the end of February. Albums 2 and 3 will follow with a few months between them. Edition size for both of these albums will be the same as album 1. However, I'm exploring the possibility of pressing on other styles of vinyl. Those who order a copy of each album over the nine different colours will hopefully be offered a full colour box to store them in. Details on the exact design this 'box' will take are very vague at the moment but I will keep you all updated. I won't be taking orders until the first album is approaching completion. However, if Pure and Exile are anything to go by then these pressings will sellout extremely quickly. What I can offer people is the ability to make an initial reservation. Each album will have a RRP of £22. If you wish to make a reservation, then please e-mail this address: scarred@tiscali.co.uk
Cheers,
Kevin
According to the California Chronicle, the label that Gary Numan made famous is in for some restructuring. Beggars' chairman and Gary's friend Martin Mills, and 4AD managing director Andy Heath will be joined by XL Recordings' founder Richard Russell on the board of the new single entity, called Beggars Music. Included in the new set-up will be the 4AD Music, XL Music, Too Pure Music and Heathwave Music catalogues. Beggars' existing partnership with Mattitude, the publishing wing of US independent label Matador, will remain unchanged. Additionally, former 4AD Music general manager Jen Wills will take up the same position at Beggars Music while Amy Morgan joins as creative manager from V2 Music. According to Heath, the new company will effectively replicate Momentum Music, which he and Mills formed in 1987, signing acts including Gary Numan, The Cocteau Twins, Republica and Bauhaus. The pair sold the entire catalogue to Universal Music Publishing in 2001. January 22, 2010 Fans of Gary Numan have been ruminating on the possibilities of his April visit to California. Will he hit us with something out of left field as he did 4 months ago in California when he sang Anthrax? Little Boots will also be at the festival. Perhaps they'll duet on songs like Stuck On Repeat or Venus In Furs they've already rehearsed for the Maida Vale set? April will be closer to the release dates of Dead Son Rising and Splinter. That bodes well for some new tracks. And as dozens of media outlets have reported, Gary and Trent will be recording together in California. Perhaps a track from those sessions? Or (gasp) an appearance from Trent? It wouldn't be the first time they've crashed the other's gig. Trent wouldn't even need his passport this time. American fans are just happy Gary is headed our way, with knowledge of the existing evidence that these shows will be something extraordinary. January 21, 2010 Gary is now planning to create a small West Coast U.S. tour around his Coachella appearance April 18th. He said he is "very excited to be playing America again" and is "looking forward to it". Stay clicked in to the NAGNFC for the latest. To get everyone in my country juiced up for some Numan shows on this continent after an extended dearth, here is an excellent Numan interview from Chicago. The blog at the bottom of their page describes his 2006 House of Blues show as a religious experience. You can also listen to this audio from the interview. You might be familiar with OTB Records and their releases as they pertain to Gary Numan/Tubeway Army. Record label owner and managing editor of Out of the Blue Productions, Kevin Spencer, has contacted the NAGNFC about providing future press releases. They are about to embark on a three album Gary Numan pressing. Thanks to Kevin for keeping us informed! January 20, 2010 Are you going to Coachella for Numan/Devo, etc? I just checked Hotels.com. All the hotels are tripling their price during the festival. And their shuttles from the hotels to the desert festival are $80 for 3 days. If you'd like to save a ton of cash and hang with other Numanoids, I'm considering sharing my room with 3 other Numan fans if there's enough interest. That way your hotel will only cost $141 for 3 nights instead of $564 on your own (after taxes). Plus I'll ride everyone to the festival and back for free when the day is done. First come, first served! Something was different about Gary's performance in Nottingham. It was a great show if you listened to the response from the audience, but I could tell Gary was distracted. I'd received the news from Big G earlier that day, and Gemma later, that their dog, Bearcub, was in dire straits. Gary thought he'd all but lost his longtime canine companion. In mid-December, things were looking up as Gary and Gemma were taking special care of him. Bearcub passed away today. Heartfelt sympathies go to Gary, Gemma and the girls on behalf of myself and all the NAGNFC readers in this difficult time. Know our thoughts are with you with hopes for better times ahead. January 19, 2010 The Coachella Festival in In in Indio, California has confirmed this morning Gary Numan will be playing the popular festival Sunday, April 18. Other interesting bands to play the three day event will also include Little Boots, Devo, Public Image Limited, Tokyo Police Club, Hot Chip, Jay-Z, Gorillaz, Muse and Faith No More. Three-day passes start at $269 and will go on sale January 22 at 10 a.m. See you there! While in California this April, Gary has plans to meet with James Freud in Los Angeles. Thanks to Peter in Australia for filling us in on James and Gary's 30-year reunion!
January 18, 2010 In keeping with the theme of the excellent Sinner's Day festival in Belgium November 1st, EMI has just released a new 3CD box set of your favorite music called the New Wave Club Class-X Box: Sinner's Day '09. Gary Numan, who played the festival last year, is included on this release.
The long dormant www.garynuman.com is in the process of being brought to life with the help of five dedicated Numanoids. Rob, the site's owner, is now on a worldwide search for the five devoted Numanoid candidates. He wrote me asking for a helping hand to help the fledgling site with content, etc. Of course, I'll be more than happy to help the cause any way I can. January 16, 2010 One of the world's most destructive natural disasters ever has taken place this week. Luckily, it is so easy for you to help bring supplies like water to a place where the liquid is now the most powerful currency. Please text HAITI to 90999 to automatically send $10 to those who've never needed your help more than now. The mobile carriers will even help you out by waiving the usual text-gifting fees. According to JournalLive.co.uk, one , one of Gary's former session drummers, Michael "Hunter" Sanson has died in prison. The article says Michael was 40 in 2007 which leads me to believe Mr. Sanson is the same "Mike" listed on the complete listing of Gary's session musicians on the liner notes of the Exhibition release. I recall an old newspaper article from around 1983 with a picture of Mike, beaming from just having played music with Numan. Gary let Mike play on a track as an act of charity for a "less-fortunate" musician. After that experience, the Journal Live article describes an impressive downward spiral in his life until the end. Thank you to Ian Welch for this incredible find. The British government apologised this week after approving the morning sickness pill with Thalidomide to thousands of expectant mothers in 1958. The drug was proved to cause serious birth defects in thousands of babies the same year Gary Numan was born. To lighten to mood for today's depressing update, a blog from Needledropper describing a strange dreambout Gary Numan. Absolute Punk submitted a cool bio about former Numan opening band The Boxer Rebellion yesterday. The article describes their history from 2000 to the present day. Gary's friend Nash the Slash has cancelled his tour due to "family considerations". Nash more than likely took the time to tend to his parents. When friends and I went to see his hometown Toronto concert in 2007, his parents were both still alive. Best wishes go out to Nash the Slash and your folks on behalf of all the NAGNFC Readers. We will "Listen in Safety". January 13, 2010 Gary's friend Nash the Slash, due to make an appearance at Numan Convention 2010 in March, has cancelled his shows there and around the UK. I know a few people who were going only to see the bandaged one perform. Nash issued this statement yesterday:
To all my dedicated fans: Thanks to Shirleyann Davies in the UK for the Nash news. Another of Gary's friends, James Freud, will be in Los Angeles in April. Freud, who performed on Gary's Telekon and opened for Numan on the 1980 Australian Tour, is helping move the band Attack of the Mannequins, which include his two sons Jackson and Harrison, to L.A.. The keyboard player used to be with Mandy Kane, for whom Gary and Ade mixed the track 25 Seconds. Thanks to Peter, James and Michael in Australia for the scoop and Peter for the pictures below!
Jackson Freud, James Freud and Harrison Freud Melbourne 2009 Photographer: Floren Micheal
James Freud Melbourne 1980 Photographer: Floren Micheal January 10, 2010 Gary's new manager Ade Fenton has agreed on Tuesday to remix a song for Parralox, an electro Aussie band. Thanks to Michael Butler for the scoop! Michael is also the guy who introduced band member John to Ade, and dropped me this note: Yes, it's very exciting news indeed! I have been encouraging John to contact Numan's management for ages, but I'm not sure he believed anything would come of it. I provided him with the contact details for Tony Webb..........and the rest is history! The next step will be to secure the support for the proposed Australian/NZ/Japan Tour in September. That shouldn't be too difficult now that the remix connection has been made. The new Parralox single will be Isn't It Strange which is reminiscent of Depeche Mode circa Construction Time Again. It's very catchy so I'll be looking forward to Ade's mix very much! He did a fantastic job on 25 Seconds for Mandy Kane. A musician named Gary War is touring the UK this month. With pop subjected to "harsh, strange processes", The Guardian compared him to Gary Numan. For David Bowie's birthday Friday, the Limewire music blog showcased artists confessing Bowie influences. Gary was given a picture and a paragraph. To say the media was all over the news story of the NINuman collaboration would be an understatement. News of the pairing of the synth gods appeared last week in Noisecreep, Live4Ever:The BritRock Daily, HitFix, Billboard and Clash Music. The band Broken Links, who enjoyed first place in We Ignite Records' Battle-of-the-Bands competition, will be touring Europe in 2010. According to I Like Music.com last week, the entire three-piece band count Gary Numan as a huge influence. The NAGNFC Picture Pages has just enjoyed an infusion of exclusive photos fromThe 2009 Pleasure Principle Tour thanks to Paul Robinson (Wolverhampton, Sheffield, Sister Ray signing (from 2007 appearance with Ade Fenton) , Martin "Machman05" (Manchester) and John Hayward from the excellent Uberrock, the "kick-ass rock 'n roll site fighting the evil forces of musical mediocrity" (Cardiff) . Powerful thanks to you guys, and everyone else who've shared some very impressive snapshots of Gary Numan recently. You rock! The videos below of Cars and Complex were shot at the London IndigO2 last month by my friend Stefan from Germany. Stefan was seated in the Kings Row balcony next to Rrussell Bell thanks to a friend of mine, and he pans to Rrussell a couple of times as those classic songs are played onstage. The Complex v video below is the first to include Gary Numan, Chris Payne and Rrussell Bell in over 20 years. After the show, I took him upstairs to speak with Rrussell, Chris Payne, Gary and his band. Awesome camera work, Stefan!
January 4, 2010 An article appeared today on Consequence Of Sound. Alex Young speculates on what Trent Reznor has planned for 2010, including the real possibility of releasing new music with Gary Numan. January 3, 2010 Tickets for what is hailed as "The Return of the Original Numan Convention 2010" are now on sale. Pencil in March 6 on your Blackberries because the Robin 2 venue in Wolverhampton will host a mega Numan raffle with many signed and rare Numan artifacts and items of memorabilia. This will all be followed by what they call the World's Largest Numan Disco with DJ Frankie D and a "very special Guest DJ". Announced special guests include Nash the Slash, Karel Fialka and the legendary Young Things Don't Scream.
Wulfrun Hall show photographer Ian Dunn wrote to let us in on the secret link to the Gary Numan page on his very excellent website Principle Photography. Thanks for that, Ian! The Gary Numan/Little Boots collaboration from their Maida Vale studios in London will be available in its entirety for a week from January 29 over on the BBC Red Button, a digital interactive service accessible by remote control in the UK. January 2, 2010 I received an update to the story about the Little Boots/Gary Numan collaboration which was to air on BBC-TV New Year's Eve. Paul in Cambridge says: "Apparently the GN Little Boots thing hasn't been televised in full yet. It's been put back until some time in January. Perhaps so they can get the 'single' ready?"
Peter, Jono and Jane New Year's Party 2009/2010 Melbourne, Australia Numan's official photographer, Ed Fielding, generously provided the NAGNFC with the secret link to some of the best pictures from The Pleasure Principle Tour that you may ever see. Ed did an amazing job capturing moments both on and offstage. Thanks for the photographic memories, Ed!
Hello to the Numanoids of the World! Jim "The Machman" Napier here reporting on Our Electric Friend in two-thousand ten. Big shout out to my friends around Planet Numan, with best wishes for a year that's prosperous in every way for you. Although if you're a Numan fan, you know 2010 has got a lot of catching up to do if it's going to be better than 2009, which was Numan's year by any standard. 2009 had it all: Live Numan shows in exotic locales, several successful tours, complete media recognition of his influence, and Numan once again started to make the rounds of the awards circuit again, for the first time in decades, at the Q Awards. With this issue, the NAGNFC now provides Numan news in a fourth decade. Starting with the first NAGNFC issues in the 1980s, and now in the 2010s. Where does the time go? The Exciting NAGNFC History page has been updated.
Photographer: Ed Fielding A new decade, a fresh start. Lots to catch up on since the madness that was December! Deep breath. Okay, let's do this... Gary Numan closed out his most popular tour and best light show in 25 years last month. Tickets for the London show were sold out months in advance. Numanoids poured in from every corner of the Earth to witness what Gary said is his final retro tour. As a whole, old and new songs alike, I've never seen the band more powerful and Gary seemed in his element as if he'd finally found his own Heaven. These shows were incredible. My Numan fandom was born again in December. Reports, pictures and audio from the Pleasure Principle Tour, all exclusive to the NAGNFC, will be featured on this page over the next few months, focusing on a different night with each monthly NAGNFC update.
In Los Angeles, the center of the world's entertainment industry, Gary Numan's appearance with Nine Inch Nails was ranked within the 42 most memorable pop music moments of 2009 by the prestigious Los Angeles Times on Tuesday. Meanwhile on Monday, Crave Online, Exclaim.ca, Rolling Stone and Spin Magazine reported on the rampant speculation about the likely possibility Trent will be making music with Numan in 2010: “2010 has a number of things planned including new material from Nine Inch Nails and something else that isn’t Nine Inch Nails,” Reznor wrote. “I am in a state of rediscovery and reinvention that feels unfamiliar, unsure and exactly what I need.” There's already been a wave of speculation over the “something else that isn’t Nine Inch Nails” part that Reznor mentioned. Gary Numan, who appeared onstage at several of the "final" Nine Inch Nails shows, has discussed the possibility of collaborating with Reznor, who makes no attempts to hide his love for the Down In The Park singer. This major event of 2009 was also described on Italy's Melodica Mente.
Gary Numan Photographer: Ian Dunn My friend, Wolverhampton photographer Ian Dunn took some amazing shots which appeared on Birmingham Live's page devoted to Numan's Pleasure Principle show there, complete with a cool review. As always, Ian provides some of the best shots of the tour. If you feel the need, throw a comment his way on the form at the bottom! And thanks to Ian for sending the NAGNFC some incredible pics for this page from Wolverhampton! I've included them on the NAGNFC Picture Pages for all to see!
Gary Numan Photographer: Ian Dunn As the 3-CD version of The Pleasure Principle: Expanded Edition can be difficult to find since the pre-order stage in September, Beggars Banquet has released the third bonus disc of 2008's re-release of Replicas in all markets, including Amazon. Meanwhile, there continues an intriguing, if humorous controversy on the Beggars Archive Blogs from a Beggars "spokesperson" claiming the Replicas demos are, in fact, new creations.
Gary Numan Wolverhampton Wulfrun Hall November 30, 2009 Photographer: Paul Robinson Without naming names, a good friend of mine was responsible for the intricately crafted retro sound of The Pleasure Principle Tour, giving the synth patch to Ade Fenton, before Gary had even decided on playing the songs the original, classic way. He sent me this note after the tour: "Don't know if you heard about my little outburst, I
was really quite cross and upset after Indigo2 as it became clear that
after forwarding the Polymoog and Minimoog sounds for the tour nothing
was going to materialise for me in respect of meeting Gary, I felt I had
been dealt a big blow, just a hand shake and a thank you would have made
it worthwhile, Gary normally tries to meet with fans after the shows, but for a myriad of reasons including flu and historically bad weather, it just wasn't possible this time. My friend said he is doing much better now.
Gary Numan Wolverhampton Wulfrun Hall November 30, 2009 Photographer: Paul Robinson Sony Singstar is a cool karoake application for the Playstation 3 console. With a microphone and some creativity, users can even create their own videos to upload to the Playstation Singstar Community. On December 17, Gary Numan's Cars was included on the Sony Singstore. Manfred of Germany wrote the NAGNFC to tell us he has already uploaded a fun video!
In The Guardian's feature Band of the Day, they took the time to compare newcomer Eliza Doolittle to an early Gary Numan as an artist that was seen as a copycat, only to forge his own way with props from the best in the business. Let's not be naive. There have always been pioneers and copycats in rock, and sometimes the followers go on to forge their own path and create an identity for themselves that has value in its own right – look no further than Gary Numan who, when he started, was regarded as little more than a Bowie surrogate but went on to be hailed as seminal by the likes of Trent Reznor and Marilyn Manson. But what we have here is verging on mimicry.
Gary Numan Dublin Tripod November 25, 2009 Photographer: Brian Kelly The fact that Gary has lived past 50 without ever being drunk made the media rounds in Spinner in NY, and Digital Spy and Contactmusic in the UK The venerable Money, Hoes & Clothes blog has reported on a newly released 12" involving the music of Numan and SDUK called Skull Crusher. I loved their review. You can download it there, too: This Numan tune is far too compelling to avoid. Most of the song moves along like your typical mellow dubstep track, but then the song hits what sounds like an 8bit video game console throwing up. I’m not sure if I like it or that it annoys me. It’s definitely walking a thin line. … kinda like Printer Jam by Mistabishi.
Tim Muddiman and Jim "The Machman" Napier London IndigO2 (upstairs) December 3, 2009 Photographer: Stefan Jungklaus Self-described hottest celeb magazine Star and Contactmusic featured an article on Gary's airplane scare as he flew in a small plane 12,000 feet over the Pacific Ocean. Speaking of which, Nick Annan from Clash Music wrote the NAGNFC while I was overseas: Hello Jim,
Thought this is something that might interest you and your readers.
We have just put online a piece Gary wrote for us a year or so back
on the theme of 'adventure' (mainly covering his piloting and a
rather dramatic retelling of a crash).
Cheers,
Nick
 Philip Jeppesen, Chris Payne, Jim "The Machman" Napier London IndigO2 December 3, 2009 On New Year's Eve, Gary received national airplay when the BBC aired the entire 9-song set with Little Boots. Paul in Cambridge noticed a very interesting trend at the BBC toward exposing Gary to millions of listeners. Perhaps the new songs will be on the BBC playlist as well?: Speaking of Little Boots, the on-air collaboration with Gary Numan went beyond everyone's expectations. The set was very positively reviewed. Many fans were happy to see Victoria Hesketh (Little Boots) bring a vintage synthesizer along and were ecstatic to hear Gary's voice mingling once again with analogue microchips. They sang their own tracks, each other's tracks, and sang together for a cover of a Little Boots song, then a Gary Numan track. The results were indeed more impressive than I can use the English language to describe, so I included five tracks from the session for you on The Audio Principle. They are Metal, Are 'Friends' Electric?, Earthquake, Stuck On Repeat and Venus In Furs. Thanks to Lee in the UK for sending these awesome trax!
Gary Numan and Little Boots Photographer: Sarah Lee The Irish Times and The Guardian featured an extraordinarily cool article entitled They're Friends Electric by Paul Lester about Gary Numan's meeting with Little Boots, comparing their careers and providing insights about their amazing similarities despite first appearances. To see what popular and nonexistent Numan opening band Daggers (now Hurts) has been up to, take a look at BBC News' BBC Sound of 2010, featuring the new year's best up and coming artists. You can even check out Hurt's new video there. In my conversations with Gary at the Aftertour Party in London, Numan told me he'd never heard of the title Prospects & Lies despite the news on the Channel 4 teletext. The title for the upcoming release remains Dead Son Rising.
Soundcheck photo by Ed Fielding Reworked by Stefan Jungklaus Alexis Petridis over at The Guardian featured their Review of the Decade 2000-2009. This quote says it all: "The same would go for the 1970s: what would even the most forward-thinking "head", their mind recently blown at the Isle of Wight festival, make of the fact that Jethro Tull and the Moody Blues had been supplanted by punk, disco and Gary Numan?"
Gary Numan Dublin Tripod November 25, 2009 Photographer: Brian Kelly If you'd like to be a voyeur to what Gary's pilot buddies are saying about him these days, check out this aviation forum where Gary is the topic du jour.
James Husband, of the popular new band Of Montreal, has just released a bonus 6-song EP that includes his cover of Gary Numan's My Shadow In Vain. You can download his "faithfully groovy" Numan cover here.
The band Groove Armada, whom Celebrity Cafe says is inspired by Gary Numan, has taken on Numan's futuristic penchants to create a musical experience like no other. It was also reported in San Francisco's JamBase: Groove Armada has got game, PS3 to be exact, and are going where no band has gone before. The UK dance-pop duo are launching their eighth studio album, Black Light with a concert inside the gaming system's virtual reality world known as Home by visiting the Presentation Podium area.
Great and detailed review of the Nottingham Rock City show by Mike Atkinson over at This Is Nottingham: A reworked version of Are "Friends" Electric? closed the main set, combining soft piano sequences with raucous stadium chants. (Bellowing along with the central synth riff is evidently common practice at Numan gigs.) It provided a fittingly climactic end to a truly superb show, from one of synth-pop's great survivors.
Nottingham Rock City December 2, 2009 I've added some truly cool photos to the Picture Pages which were sent to the NAGNFC by Brian Kelly of Ireland. Thanks Brian! He writes: Hi, I've
included a few photos from the fantastic Pleasure Principle
Dublin gig for your consideration. I'd love to share then (even
one!!!!) with the rest of the gang as they are probably the best
Numan concert photos I've ever taken. Speaking of the Dublin show, The Irish Times provided one of the most entertaining reviews of the Pleasure Principle Tour: Once roundly mocked by his peers (Yes tore him apart in a song), Numan has left a much keener imprint on pop than his detractors. When M.E . reverberates darkly through the space, its grimly compelling motif divided among a number of synth banks...
From the well-reviewed Edinburgh show at the HMV Picture House comes an additional and cool review from David Pollock at The Scotsman.
Gary Numan Dublin Tripod November 25, 2009 Photographer: Brian Kelly I normally catch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade on TV, but I missed it this year. That figures, as Cars was rearranged for a Marching Band! Numan is everywhere! Thanks to Paul in Cambridge for catching it!
Gary Numan Dublin Tripod November 25, 2009 Photographer: Brian Kelly Tons of exclusive pictures have been added to the NAGNFC Picture Pages from the Sunderland Campus Academy from November 28, 2009. I scored some great shots from the front that night! Enjoy!
Gary and the band Sunderland Campus Academy November 28, 2009 Photographer: Jim "The Machman" Napier The first NAGNFC Riveting Chapter from the 2009 Pleasure Principle Tour has just been added! Follow the tour with me vicariously as I hop the big pond to pick up the tour in Sunderland. Read on as romance turns sour on the first leg of the trip through Washington DC, I score VIP access upstairs after the show and laugh it up with female Numanoids while we bust out singing Erasure tunes into the night. The story begins here in Chapter 1: Sunderland! In keeping with the Sunderland theme this month, I've added three clips from that show on this month's The Audio Principle to help you start the New Year right. The available tunes are Random, Airlane and Metal. Also there this month are five wickedly cool tracks from the Little Boots/Gary Numan BBC collaboration! Gary sings on Victoria's Stuck In Repeat before they both jam out a wicked version of Venus In Furs.
Gary Numan Dublin Tripod November 25, 2009 Photographer: Brian Kelly Two more ancient issues of the NAGNFC have been digitally restored for future generations! They are the March and April 1991 NAGNFC Fanzines. Gary devoted a song on the 2009 Pleasure Principle Tour to Paul Gardiner. The April 1991 NAGNFC Fanzine below is also dedicated to Paul. Here are the links and descriptions: Volume 2 March 1991 Issue 17: A happy 33rd birthday wish to Gary, news about the Renegade Soundwave mix of Are 'Friends' Electric?, reviews of the new single, Heart. A large Numan article with tons of pics, a fan profile of Numanoid who plays his vacuum cleaner through an amplifier, a review of Numan's London show, a 1989 article from Melody Maker, a bio, the Ultimate Numan Word Search, a German article from Inquisita, the latest on Gary's work on The Unborn soundtrack, the latest reports from Gary's flying career, an 8 x 10 from Japan, and more! Volume 2 April 1991 Issue 18: Special Paul Gardiner Edition. Tons of rare photographs of Paul. The first in-depth fan review of Outland, a massive Numan WordFind puzzle sent to the NAGNFC from a fan in Holland, a complete Paul Gardiner discography including lyrics, news about the new single My World Storm, a fan review from the Outland Tour, and more!
Gary Numan Dublin Tripod November 25, 2009 Photographer: Brian Kelly As I thank the readers this month, I first want to thank everyone for kind efforts to make me feel welcome in the UK. Words can barely express my thanks. I hope I can return the favor when you travel to New York so you can feel as cared for. Thanks to Paul in Cambridge for the unbelievable homemade dinner and for looking after my friends and I in London. I'm not sure what I've done to deserve such a great friend. Thanks to Teresa in Wolves for the hospitality and for looking after my friend Belinda from Australia. The lunch you made us for the train was incredible and massive. I was still eating the Thai Spicy Chili crisps last week! Thanks to "Don" in Sunderland and your family for making me feel very welcome in your home. I always sleep great when I'm there. And the conversation can't be matched! Thanks to everyone who took the time to say hello on the tour, especially Paul in Nottingham for the awesome DVDs and pics, Jane, Belinda and Jono from Australia, Lee Carroll for your generosity and friendship, Ian Wright, Chris and Tina, The Mysterious Ashley X, Martin, Matt and everyone else. Thanks to Paul in Cambridge for the impressive quality of news for the NAGNFC. Readers around the planet thank you! A big thanks to Stefan in Germany for your consistently cool pictures for this site, and for your professional camera work at the aftershow party in London! Without you, I might not have had any pictures with the band! Thanks to Mike Hash for the C.A.R.S. and helping the cause. And to Manfred in Germany for your news. Thanks as well to one of Numan's photographers Ian Dunn for the pics and everyone else who shared your incredibly cool pictures from this historic tour, Brian, Paul R., Miles, Martin, so many contributors for the cause, and luckily so. Thanks to Philip for the pics with Chris Payne, and thanks to Nick for the heads-up on the article. Thanks also to Numan's photographer Ed Fielding. Thanks to Donald in Sydney for the Blu-Ray Numan footage. I forgot how great Sound Relief was too! Especially The Presets. Just incredible. A huge thanks to everyone who took the time to send me a Christmas card as well. Also, thanks to Brigitte in Australia for the Numan photo! I'm sorry if I forgot anyone. December was the sweet epitome of craziness! Here's to a 2010 that is just as crazy... 'Til next time! Jim "The Machman" Napier
Photographer: Stefan Jungklaus
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