Electric Friends: A Gary Numan Podcast

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...

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. Clips used: Tube...

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. Clips used: Gary Numan - 'Cars' Gary Numan -...

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 Chamele...

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'....

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,...

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: How Gary was inspired by Mel Gibson's Mad Max 2 for the album's image Bringing in the sweet sax sounds from Blade Runner's soundtrack Gary butting heads with his first...

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...

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 i...

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? Clips used: Gary Numan - 'We Are Glass' (Telekon - Beggars Banquet) Gary Numan - (R)e...

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. Clips: Gary Numan -...

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 abo...

Hello, I’m Tom Eames, and welcome to a new podcast, Electric Friends, a celebration of the musical legacy of someone who is now, rightly considered a true icon of music, and one of the leaders of the electronic synthpop movement of the late 1970s and beyond: Gary Numan. This podcast is for all fellow Gary Numan fans out there, and for anyone who would love to delve more into his back catalogue. Ea...