(I found this picture here.)
An explanation: Since the name Gary is going extinct, I thought it incumbent upon me to celebrate more notable Garys than myself. This is the seventh of a series!
Gary Numan is, according to the Wikipedia, "an English singer, songwriter, musician, & record producer." You probably know him, if you know of him at all, from his hit single "Cars."
When did you first become aware of him? I heard & enjoyed the song "Cars" on the radio.
You like it? Sure, it was catchy. It was the beginning of new wave music, & it coincided with my discovery of other bands that would, briefly, appear on commercial radio, thanks to their popularity. I would say they appeared in spite of the corporate radio structure.
Did you know anyone who hated him? Oh yeah. My friend Russell thought he was a Bowie rip-off. He spoke of him with great disdain. At the time, I hadn't heard anything else but "Cars," & wasn't really in a position (had no money, had no know-how) to explore any artist. I didn't know about independent record stores, etc. What I liked & knew about was confined to what I heard about on the radio, what I had been given to me by friends on cassette, & my older brothers' meager classic rock collection. If they had a Gary Numan disc, I wasn't interested enough to listen to it then.
But did you start liking him later? I like him fine, mainly the Tubeway Army stuff, & the album Replicas. I confess that while I have a few of his 80s & 90s releases, I haven't listened to them much. But boy do I know people who really love him. Whew.
Did you know he married a member of his fan club? Really? When?
1997. Ah. He must be one of those musicians who really benefit from having an online presence. But I suppose he's also much more popular in Britain than he has ever been here, since I know his 80s albums did well there. Maybe I should have listened to more of his stuff before I started answering questions about him.
Is his name really Gary? Yes, but his last name really isn't Numan. His full name is Gary Anthony James Webb. Sounds rather British.
I think Gary Numan is a pretty good punk rock name, even if he really isn't punk rock. When a dude renames himself, he may feel like a new man.
Do you know why he was named Gary? I have no idea. He was born in 1958 so it might not be because of the actor. Perhaps it was the name of a friend of his parents in London. It's not something that's easy to find online.
Are 'friends' electric? You know I hate to ask.
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