By Tina Leach, GGR Contributor

Hello. This being my first entry into the music columnist world, I should probably say hi, introduce myself, and explain a few things. Who am I? Just a gal who wishes she was a rockstar but instead plays guitar badly, misses having a piano in the house, and most importantly, listens to a LOT of music. Like, had to buy the cell phone with the most storage so I could fit my entire catalog on it. It still wasn’t enough. My love affair with music started the day my mom dropped her entire record collection at my feet. It was stored in an old cardboard box from an 8-track player. I still have the 8-track box. It’s been taped up 100 million times and I will continue to use it to store records until the cardboard dissolves into nothing.

Also I did some reviews of bands and stuff when I wrote for my college newspaper. My reviews unfortunately did not catapult anyone to stardom. But I got some free CDs out of the deal so there’s that. So that’s pretty much my story. I like the music.

So basically I’ll just be here gushing about whatever band I adore that I think the rest of y’all need to appreciate more. Which brings us to: Gary Numan.

Yeah, the “Cars” guy.

Generally, there are two people you’ll meet:

People who think of Gary Numan as that guy with the car song.
People who angrily tell you that Gary has a huge catalog beyond “Cars.”

If you’re in the former category (and American), it’s not completely your fault. Gary Numan has a way bigger following in the UK. “Cars” was a hit in the US, topping at number 9 in the charts (1979), but nothing else ever came close around here. If you’re in the latter category then good for you, and my column will probably be lacking since we’re talking about 40 years of music and I can’t cover it all and don’t have that kind of free time. This is more of a crash course in songs you need to start with. But you can nod along and say, “Yes! Someone else likes that song” and feel a little less alone.

So, on to the Gary.

If you like “Cars,” you can start with the album Replicas. (If you don’t like “Cars,” then why are you reading this? Go listen to some pan flute/banjo covers of Nickelback songs or something else equally horrible. If you’ve never listened to “Cars,” then congrats you’ve made me feel 100 years old. Give it a listen, kid.)

Anyway, some highlights of Replicas are “Are Friends Electric,” “Down in the Park,” and “Me, I Disconnect from You.” It actually precedes The Pleasure Principle and is billed as Gary Numan and the Tubeway Army. Same year, 1979. Very keyboard driven, and in the same sort of style as “Cars.” But it’s still my favorite Numan album. A bunch of albums followed, some similar but eventually, in addition to influencing a ton of artists (Trent Reznor, Dave Grohl, etc.), he was influenced by others. His later stuff is a lot more industrial sounding. Definitely give the song “Love Hurt Bleed” off Splinter (Songs from a Broken Mind) a good listen. It’s a lot harder, a great driving song.

1980’s Telekon continued the 70s synth style. “This Wreckage” is a good one. “I Die: You Die” has a bit of 80s pop to it. I mean, I can’t go into all the albums, but I can hit on some of my favorites. I, Assassin is definitely worth your time. I like “White Boys and Heroes” and “The 1930s Rust.” He definitely has a style, and there are a lot of albums that continue in that vein, so if you like one, you should be liking them all.

So I’ll just skip to modern day. Savage (Songs from a Broken World) was released in 2017. It has a definite industrial feel. The first single was “My Name is Ruin,” and his daughter Persia did backup vocals. The video was directed by Chris Corner of IAMX/Sneaker Pimps and has a very post-apocalyptic look, which makes sense since Savage is a post-apocalyptic concept album. It starts with “Ghost Nation,” and that really sets the tone. It’s a great album. Fun fact: Gary has a Patreon called “Ghost Nation.” Patreon.com/GaryNuman. He’s crowdfunding for a new album, and the first single, “Intruder,” just dropped on January 11. If that’s any indication of what the rest of the album will sound like, I’ll be dropping some coin soon.

He just released an autobiography called (R)evolution. It can be bought at GaryNuman.com, but you’ll pay shipping from the UK. So if you’re in the US, maybe look at a bookstore.

Geeky Fact: Foo Fighters did a cover of “Down in the Park” on the 1996 X-Files album Songs in the Key of X. Dave Grohl is a fan of both Gary Numan and the X-FIles. If you look closely you’ll see Dave as an extra in the episode “Pusher.”

Anyways, so that’s Gary. Give him a listen. Catch a show. He does tour in the US. I saw him a couple years back at the Exit/In in Nashville. Great show. High energy, but don’t expect a lot of chatter. There will be no “Hello Cleveland” moment. He comes in, does his show, and leaves. But it’s worth it.

Did I mention my keyboard is named Gary?

Music

Tina's Tape Deck: Gary Numan