Electric Friends: A Gary Numan Podcast

"Lee Cooper!"

For this episode of Electric Friends, I look back at one of Gary Numan's first ever projects - a TV advert jingle!

Gary recorded a short track called 'Don't Be a Dummy' for Lee Cooper jeans, which became very popular in 1979, just before he found fame with 'Are Friends Electric?'.

This episode delves into the making of the song, why Gary didn't record a full version, the cover single by John Du Cann, Gary's other advert attempts and more.

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For this interview special, it’s with a bonafide music legend: Bill Sharpe.

Bill Sharpe is a classically trained pianist and jazz rock musician, who once worked alongside John Peel at the BBC and Trevor Horn in an early band. In 1980, he co-founded the band Shakatak, who scored many big hits around the world with their brand of post-disco jazz-funk.

In 1985, he teamed up with Gary Numan on what was meant to be a one-off single, but later turned into several songs, and a whole album - with 1989’s Automatic. He is a prolific songwriter and musician, who has collaborated with many other stars over the years, and is still performing with Shakatak today.

In the episode, Bill discusses:

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Tom interviews Bill Sharpe, a member of the iconic band Shakatak, delving into his illustrious career and his unique collaboration with Gary Numan. The discussion highlights how their partnership began almost by chance when Sharpe was working on a solo album and reached out to Numan, leading to the creation of the hit "Change Your Mind." Sharpe reflects on his classical training and early influences in music, detailing the evolution of Shakatak and their rise to fame with hits like "Easier Said Than Done." The conversation reveals the challenges faced in the music industry, including the ups and downs of record label support, and the lasting impact of their work together. Listeners gain insight into Sharpe's passion for music, the dynamics of collaboration, and the joy of performing live, demonstrating that the spirit of creativity remains vibrant even after decades in the industry.

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"I don't suppose you ever laughed at me"

For this episode of Electric Friends, I look back at Gary Numan's 1985 album The Fury, and in particular its lead single 'Your Fascination'.

Including:

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"We're in the building where they make us grow, and I'm frightened by the liquid engineers, like you."

For this episode, I look back at one of Gary Numan's best-known and best-loved songs, 'Metal', from 1979's The Pleasure Principle.

The track was the first song on the album with lyrics, and was inspired by the writings of Philip K Dick, about a machine with a desire to be human.

The perfect synthpop track was never a single, but it became one of Gary Numan's most-performed songs, and was later covered and sampled by a number of artists, most notably by Trent Reznor's Nine Inch Nails.

The episode looks at:

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For the latest interview special of Electric Friends, I speak to Gary Numan's brother John Webb, aka Donovan Silver.

Donovan opens up about his close bond with older brother Gary, what it was like growing up with him and the first time he joined Tubeway Army on stage as a 12-year-old.

He also speaks about joining the band full-time as a teenager and their various tours, as well as working alongside Queen legend Roger Taylor on drums.

Donovan also gives a fascinating account of his impressive aviation career, as well as his return to music, including his most recent album Alpha.

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"Stroll to the cafe, my God, how time flies..."

For this episode, we travel way back to one of Gary Numan's first songs. 'My Shadow in Vain' was written before Tubeway Army even existed, and it went on to become one of his most performed songs ever.

This episode delves into the different versions of the song, from its punk origins to the 2002 hard rock version. We also hear from Gary as he explains how Tubeway Army came to be, and the meaning behind the song.

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For this interview special of Electric Friends, I’m speaking to Andy Gray, one of the most sought-after DJs, songwriters, producers and composers of the last few decades.

Andy made a name for himself in the early 90s in the growing dance music scene, with his remixes and work with his group Amoeba Assassin, and for his work with Paul Oakenfold’s Perfecto label. He has gone on to produce or remix music by a wide range of artists such as The Human League, Tori Amos, New ORder, Tears for Fears, Moby, U2, John Foxx and many more.

He is also a prolific film and TV soundtrack composer, on projects such as Swordfish, Get Carter and Hunters, and he also composed and produced the iconic Big Brother theme in the UK.

He has also had a long association with Gary Numan, whom he counts as a good friend. He has collaborated and remixed Gary’s music many times, including appearances on the Hybrid, Jagged and Dead Son Rising albums. In particular, he remixed the brilliant version of A Prayer for the Unborn, which we hear at pretty much every Gary Numan gig today.

I caught up with Andy to talk about his career, how Gary’s music inspired him as a youth, and what his experiences of working with Gary have been, and what we can look forward to in the future.

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"Kneel before my altar and drink the wine of slaughter"

In 1997, Gary Numan followed his career-rebooting Sacrificealbum with the critically-acclaimed Exile. It was the closest thing to a concept album that he had recorded, delving into a world where God and the Devil were the same.

In this episode, I look back at perhaps its most well-known song, 'Dark'. Including:

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In this interview special episode, I speak to the legend that is Chris Payne!

Chris joined Tubeway Army back in 1979 just before 'Are Friends Electric' was released, and stayed with Gary's band for the albums Replicas, The Pleasure Principle and Telekon, and continued performing with Gary's live band for the rest of the 1980s.

He also co-wrote Visage's 'Fade to Grey', and has been a prolific composer and conductor of classical, cinematic and medieval music over the past few decades.

In the interview, Chris speaks about first meeting and auditioning for Gary, his musical background, his time as part of Dramatis, reuniting with Gary and much more. He also answers YOUR questions!

Thank you to Chris for giving up your time for this interview, it was awesome speaking to you at such length.

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"Move from my window, leave me alone..."

In this episode, we look back at the Telekon album track 'Remind Me to Smile' from 1980. The electropop banger is still a live favourite, but it wasn't released a single. Or was it?

We take a look at how Gary's struggles with fame and fandom influenced the song, his strange experience with hardcore fans back then and more.

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Gary Numan's 1986 album Strange Charm was not a happy one for him, and while it might be a forgotten LP compared to others, it still has a lot of... well... charm.

Its second single 'I Can't Stop' was a bombastic radio friendly track that deserved more radio attention at the time, and it was the first vinyl single I bought 10+ years after its release.

This episode delves into the song's history, and the making of the Strange Charm album, including Radio 1's gaslighting of Gary, why the music video was "terrible" according to Gary, and more.

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"This is not love, this is not even worth a point of view..."

In 1980, Gary Numan released one of his greatest singles, the top 10 hit 'I Die: You Die'. At the time it was a non-album single, but was later included on the Telekon album, alongside We Are Glass.

The episode delves into:

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As voted for by you, this episode is all about Gary Numan's 1984 album Berserker, and in particular its title track and lead single.

The episode delves into its inspirations, from '60s sci-fi books to 1984's biggest hit single, and Gary's own fantastical ideas.

It also looks at the album and tour's striking blue and white imagery, Gary's turn to sampling and its disappointing lack of airplay and chart success.

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By the late 2000s, Gary Numan had become a father to three girls, and his career had been better than ever. However, for various reasons, he found himself with serious bouts of depression.

This depression led to the writing of his next album, 2013's Splinter. One such track that tackled the themes of depression and life apathy, was the epic 'Here in the Black'.

This episode looks back on that song, including its inspiration, what Gary was going through at the time, live versions and more.

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This episode deals with issues of depression. If you are suffering from depression, you are not alone. Depression is a common and treatable condition that affects millions of people around the world. There are many ways to cope with depression, such as seeking professional help, talking to someone you trust, engaging in activities that make you happy, and practising self-care. Other places you can reach out for help include:

"Now it's all over for sure, I'll walk back home..."

In 1981, Gary Numan said goodbye to his fans with his epic Wembley shows, which was meant to be his retirement from live performance (thankfully, it wasn't).

The year before, he had recorded 'Please Push No More', a piano-synth ballad that dealt with his feelings about fame, fans and critics.

This episode tells the story of that song, and the emotional goodbye, and how he soon regretted his decision.

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For this interview special of Electric Friends, I caught up with a genuine pop legend: Dollar's Thereza Bazar!

Ahead of her UK tour, I spoke to Thereza about her amazing career, working with Trevor Horn, her upcoming projects, and of course... what it was like working with Gary Numan.

Thereza sang on Gary Numan's 1982 tracks 'Noise Noise' and 'Bridge? What Bridge?', later included on re-releases of the I, Assassin album.

Thereza reveals how she met Gary, and what it was like being in the studio with him at the height of both of their careers.

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In 2000, Gary Numan released his most industrial album yet, Pure. Well received by critics and fans, it was arguably his best LP for nearly two decades.

However, its lead single wasn't released until nearly two years later. And it was a surprising success, sending Gary back into the charts.

This episode reflects on the Pure era and the lead single 'Rip', the most unlikely top 40 hit.

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For this episode of Electric Friends, I catch up with Tubeway Days singer and Gary Numan impersonator Chris Fielding.

I first saw Chris Fielding when he appeared as Gary on Stars in their Eyes back in 1998, and was amazed at how close he looked and sounded like him.

Fast forward to 2020, and Chris joined the lineup of the excellent Gary Numan tribute band Tubeway Days. Specialising in the 1979-81 era of Numan, the band and Chris sound exactlylike the real thing and are a must-see for all Numan fans.

Chris talks about his love of Gary Numan growing up, how he got into impersonations and performing, what the Stars in their Eyes experience was like, meeting Gary, and what's coming up next for the band.

You will also hear snippets of Tubeway Days' excellent covers of Gary Numan songs, including 'Cars', 'Down in the Park', 'Remind me to Smile' and more.

A big thank you to Chris Fielding for his time and for a brilliant interview, and to Steve Guard for arranging.

On Replicas, Gary Numan and Tubeway Army kicked it off with this incredibly catchy piece of synthpop/new wave/post-punk brilliance: Me! I Disconnect from You.

This episode delves into the meaning behind the song, its sci-fi influence, the various remixes, live versions and covers, and more.

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"They say that I'm all over, I don't know..."

In 1988, Gary Numan released his first album under the IRS Records label, and despite good reviews and an improvement on previous albums, Metal Rhythm didn't get him back in the charts.

Taking on a Robert Palmer-style hard rock meets electronic album, the LP featured the lead single 'New Anger', about his irritation over his critics at the time.

This episode delves into the making of the album, how it was made and how Gary feels about it now.

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"You're my assassin but you can't see the crime..."

For this episode, let's look back at what would prove to be Gary Numan's final ever top 10 single, from 1982's I, Assassin.

A song about an ex-girlfriend, and a track that has everything (funk, synthpop and jazz), it's one of Gary Numan's most intriguing singles.

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"I turned off the pain, like I turned off you all, now there's only m.e."

For this episode, we look back at the fantastic sci-fi themed Pleasure Principle track, M.E..

Based on a story from Gary Numan about the last machine on Earth, we look at its inspiration, covers, remixes and more.

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"Young men need love special."

In this episode, we look back at the quirky yet hugely popular fan favourite track, Jo the Waiter, from Tubeway Army's self-titled debut album in 1978.

From the person who inspired the song to its various live versions, let's tackle the folk-style track ahead of Gary's acoustic tour later this year.

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For this episode, I take a look back at the moment when Gary Numan turned a corner. In 1994, he took partner Gemma's advice and made the music he actually wanted to make again, without outsider influence.

The album was Sacrifice, and it was the moment that Gary started his long road to recovery.

Focusing mainly on the Lord of the Rings-inspired track 'Magic', this episode looks at the making of Sacrifice, what came before, and its enduring legacy.

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Revisiting one of Gary Numan's most influential tracks, which featured on his seminal The Pleasure Principle album.

Containing an excellent drum break by Cedric Sharpley and bass from Paul Gardiner, the synth-heavy 'Films' was a hugely influential song in the early days of hip-hop.

This episode looks at how the song was used in New York block parties, who has sampled it over the years and why it's still one of Gary's very best songs.

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We head to Gary Numan's most recent album, Intruder, and its title track.

Gary ponders what the Earth would say to mankind if it could talk, and how angry would it be. Gary took an idea from his daughter Echo's poem and turned it into a whole album, with great effect.

This episode looks at the making and meaning of the 2021 anthemic track.

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For Gary Numan's 1980 album Telekon, he channelled his anger and frustration when dealing with the harsh words of the music press of the time. But he was also still inspired by the sci-fi writings of Philip K Dick.

For the album track 'I Dream of Wires', Gary imagines a man who was once called 'The Sparkle', and is now the last electrician alive. It's a fascinating idea for a futuristic story, and is pure Gary Numan.

This episode looks at the writing and meaning of the song, its brilliant cover version by Robert Palmer and more.

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For the latest episode, we go back to 1979 and Replicas- a song about terrifying androids with human skin who terrorise humans for fun: 'Down in the Park'.

The episode looks at the song's influences, lyrics, history, cover versions, remixes and more.

From Machmen to electronic car machines to beautiful piano versions, it's time to look back at one of Gary Numan's best ever songs.

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For this episode, we're tackling perhaps Gary Numan's best-known song, and the track which made him an international star at the turn of the 1980s: 'Cars'.

From its scary inspiration, to its multitude of covers and remixes, we look back at one of the best ever synthpop songs that inspired countless artists, and turned many of us into instant Numanoids.

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40 years ago, Gary Numan had just completed his round-the-world trip in a plane, and then released his latest album I, Assassin.

The album continued the experimental nature of Dance, but with a twinge of funk that later influenced Prince among others, and featured the fretless bass work of the soon-to-be in-demand Pino Palladino.

This episode focuses on the album's main single, Music for Chameleons. Including its video that may have inspired Michael Jackson, and its infamous use in I'm Alan Partridge.

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Gary Numan's first full album was the self-titled Tubeway Army, released on Beggars Banquet in 1978, when he was just 19.

Recorded with his bandmates Paul Gardiner and Jess Lidyard, the album saw the band transition from punk to a new style of music, helped by Gary's discovery of a Minimoog and his interest in sci-fi novels.

Featured on this album was the largely-acoustic track 'Everyday I Die'. The short song had a rather naughty subject matter, but would go on to become a fan favourite for decades to come.

This episode delves into the making and meaning of the song, the various different versions, and why it is so loved by Numan and Numanoids to this day.

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In 2006, Gary Numan released his first new album in six years: Jagged.

It was the first album to be produced with Ade Fenton, starting a fantastic partnership that continues to this day.

This episode focuses mainly on one of the most popular songs from the album: 'Halo'.

We learn about how Gary was nervous about following up the critical success of Pure, the introduction of a Nine Inch Nails star, and a particularly comical moment from my first meet and greet with Gary at the launch of the album.

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For Gary Numan's fifth solo album, he went for a completely new image, brought in new musicians and tried some brand new styles.

The album's title track was its lead single, and gave him another top 20 hit.

This episode delves into:

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The lead single of Gary Numan's 2017 album Savage was 'My Name is Ruin', a soaring track about a man in an apocalyptic future who is trying to get his daughter back from a dangerous religious group.

The video featured his daughter Persia Numan on backing vocals for the first time, with a stunning Egyptian sound and imagery, backed by one of his most memorable music videos in years.

The song helped Savage to become Gary's highest-charting albums in nearly 40 years. But what is the song about, how was it made and what iconic TV show did it feature in?

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Wa-cha! 'Stories' is one of the most popular songs from Gary Numan's 1981 album Dance. The album saw Gary take on a new jazz-electronic style, and this song was a particular standout.

While not released as a single, it has become a favourite with fans over the years, and has an intriguing tale about a potential estranged mother and son in a surprising and unexpected reunion.

This episode delves into the making of the song, its meaning and its recent comeback at Numan shows.

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One of Gary Numan's biggest hit singles, 'We Are Glass' was originally a standalone single before being included in future Telekon releases.

It's one of Gary's more poppy numbers, and has always been a solid live favourite. But what is the song about? And how did the BBC scupper its chances of being a bigger hit?

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Looking at the song which Gary Numan has described as his favourite of all time: 'A Prayer for the Unborn' - from the original version on 2000's Pure to the Andy Gray remix heard at most live shows from the past 20 years.

It is one of Gary's most personal songs, written after a tragic family moment that is a moving track for many people who have gone through something similar.

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Electric Friends' first episode delves into the song which started it all for Gary Numan, and the song that changed many of us fans forever: 'Are 'Friends' Electric?'.

The episode looks back at the song's origins, lyrical meaning, chart performance, cover versions, samples and beyond.

We also hear just how important the song has been for Gary's fans over the past 4+ decades, and hear extracts about the song from Gary's autobiography.

Stories include:

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