(R)evolution - Gary Numan

 I don't know if all bookworms are like this but when I was younger I went through distinct genre phases. In my 20s I went through an intense science fiction phase. And being of a somewhat obsessive nature and a completeist, once I found an author I liked I devoured everything they’d written. For a while I gorged on Asimov. Then....... I discovered Philip K Dick. His work just knocked me sideways.

As well as being a book lover I am also a music lover.  It was always a balancing act as to whether I read a book or listened to an album. In the late 70s I heard the most amazing song called "Are Friends Electric?”. What absolutely astounded me was listening to it made me think of Philip K Dick's writing. It was as if somebody had put lyrics and music to that incredible dystopian, futuristic atmosphere that pervades his books. And so I simply had to find out who this incredible artist was. And it was Gary Numan. 

I never looked back. From that day forward I became a fan. I bought all his music. It was as if I was having his music fed intravenously into me. I joined the fan club that his mum ran. I had posters. I had T-shirts. I had badges. OCD? Moi? And I read in an interview that he cited Philip K Dick as an influence. For some reason that made me ecstatic and more of a fan, if that was possible.

But the one strange thing was that I never got to see Gary perform live. It was one of those weird synchronicities of life. Circumstance. Finance. Location. It just never happened. The closest I got was a colleague’s son who saw him at one of the Wembley shows and reported back to me in glowing terms, making me incredibly envious.

And if synchronicity played a part in preventing me seeing Gary perform live it also played a part in enabling me to see him perform live! Somebody I'd known for years turned out to be a Gary Numan fan. It was one of those moments. To cut a long story short when Gary was booked to perform in my hometown that friend and I got tickets. Actually we got VIP tickets. The VIP ticket meant that we got to enjoy the pre show sound check and ………… meet Gary!

I don’t know if you can imagine how that feels? You’re going to meet somebody who has practically written the soundtrack of your life. A life that now extends for more decades than I care to admit. It was very exciting.

Me gazing up in awe and wonder at my hero

When it came to my turn to climb on the stage and talk to Gary I was feeling very nervous. What could I possibly have to say that could be of the slightest interest to somebody like him? But the most wonderful thing about Gary Numan is that it's like you’re talking to one of your mates. There is no pretension, nothing fake, nothing phoney. The thing that struck me was how open and honest a man he is.

And that really brings me to the point of this blog post! Gary's book. His autobiography. For reading it, it was as if Gary was right there beside me, talking to me. I could hear him recount the details of his creative and his personal life. And that same sense of openness and honesty runs through the entire book. The book really is an autobiography. Now that may sound like I’m stating the obvious but it starts with his birth and concludes with where he is now, in this Covid-19 world.

Sometimes a "celebrity" or the flavour of the month for whatever reason - TV, film, music, reality shows - they deem themselves entitled to write an autobiography.  Sometimes they are only in their 20s or 30s! I've always found myself curiously critical of this because I think to write an autobiography you have to have lived a life. Gary Numan has, and his book offers us in chronological detail his struggles, his successes, his doubts, his dilemmas all with the frankness that he brings to everything.  It’s the life of an  extraordinary man.  I think it will appeal mostly to Numanoids although there's a lot in here that will fascinate those interested in the making of music. So many different threads in terms of managers, distributors, record producers and record labels. Light shows and stage settings for the live performances. The punter rarely stops to consider what goes on behind the scenes. You buy the album and listen to it. You turn up at the show and watch it. And reading this book you get such a defined sense of how important every detailed aspect of his craft is to Mr. Numan. For those who make their own music there are some expansive insights into the creative process. The pitfalls, the highs and the lows.

After seeing him live the first time it whetted my appetite and I regretted all the shows I must've missed over the years. But I've managed to see him a couple more times including the most incredible gig at the Royal Albert Hall with the Skaparis orchestra. I remember it clearly because I had the flu and it was debatable whether I should go or not! If I didn't I would've let my friend down and she would've been devastated to miss the show not to mention my disappointment at missing it. So I dosed myself up. And feeling totally spaced out we made the trip. But while Gary was performing I forgot all about being unwell, his performance was electrifying. I was glad to relive it vicariously through the pages of his book.

When I finished this book......put it down.....exhaled......it struck me that Gary Webb really doesn't know how incredible and special he is, he has such an extraordinary talent. I do believe he will go down as a pioneer in the history of popular music. 

 

This is a photo of the sound check, Gary is singing with his daughter, Persia, on one of my favourite songs, My Name is Ruin.

I think Gary puts as much into the sound check as he does the actual show. He is a consummate performer. But, you know what? The sound check began late because he was still talking to all the fans. He wouldn't hurry and he spent time with absolutely everybody. I wonder how many other artists would do that? And he’s put that same care and attention into his book.

When I heard about Gary's autobiography I finally summoned the courage, or cheek (!), to contact Little Brown the publisher. I explained that I am a bookblogger, and also a Gary Numan fan and was there a possibility of a proof copy for me to read and review to coincide with publication day.  Time went by, and of course I had already preordered my copy from Gary's website so I had resigned my self to patiently waiting for that to arrive, when my inbox pinged with an email from the wonderful  Francesca Banks at Little Brown who gifted me a PDF of the book!! I was thrilled. For it meant that I could write this post and have it ready for the big day!! So thank you to Francesca, you made my day. And thank you to Gary for writing this book and, more especially, for the decades of music that I hope will long continue.