Gary Numan

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Hammersmith, West London, UK (1979 – present)

One of the founding fathers of synth pop, Gary Numan’s influence extends far beyond his lone American hit, “Cars,” which still stands as one of the defining singles. That seminal track helped usher in the era on both sides of the Atlantic, especially his native England, where he was a genuine pop star and consistent hitmaker during the early ’80s. Even after new wave had petered out, Numan’s influence continued to make itself felt; his dark, paranoid vision, theatrically icy alien persona, and clinical, robotic sound were echoed strongly in the work of many rock and (especially) artists to come. For his part, Numan just kept on recording, and by the late ’90s, he’d become a hip name to drop; prominent alt-rock bands covered his hits in concert, and a goth-flavored brand of industrial dance christened looked to him as its mentor.

Numan was born Gary Anthony James Webb on March 8, 1958, in Hammersmith, West London, UK. A shy child, music brought him out of his shell; he began playing guitar in his early teens and played in several short-lived bands. Inspired by the amateurism of the movement, he joined a punk group called “The Lasers” in 1976. The following year, he and bassist Paul Gardiner split off to form a new group, dubbed “Tubeway Army”, with drummer Bob Simmonds; they recorded a couple of singles under futuristic pseudonyms (Valerium , Scarlett, and Rael, respectively) that attempted to match their new interest in synthesizers. Scrapping that idea, Webb rechristened himself Gary Numan and replaced Simmonds with his uncle Jess Lidyard. Thus constituted, “Tubeway Army” cut a set of “punk-meets-Kraftwerk” demos for Beggars Banquet in early 1978, which were released several years later as “The Plan”.
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  • LAHardwave

    "I Die, You Die" should be up there. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sXRmvDx1ZK8

    18 May 2:32am Reply

  • AliceSnowhite

    How can he be so modern? I don't know anyone like him. Numan kicks ass many young bands. He has 25 year old boy voice and plays cool dark music. No matter Numan of 80th or Numan of 2000th - no one has yet surpassed him. I'm not 20, and I listen Gary music!

    25 Apr 9:14am Reply

  • Lord_DeviL_

    .•*¨*•♫♪•<❤>_♪♫ॐ•_•ॐ♫♪+<❤>•♪♫•*¨*•.¸ ништяк

    16 Apr 12:27pm Reply

  • Infra_Red13

    ♥ ♥ ♥

    1 Apr 12:23pm Reply

  • Notjoeybloom

    Happy birthday Gary!

    8 Mar 6:36pm Reply

  • PulledToBits

    'The Joy Circuit' is so stunning! 'Telekon' is a masterpiece!

    14 Feb 6:31pm Reply

  • ketamineface

    I'm thankful machine & soul was such a flop, it was the catalyst for him to evolve and try something new, the releases of sacrifice and exile did not only re-ignite his career it also contributed to his ever growing fan base, as a result he remains one of the only consistent new wave/industrial rock acts touring the UK. I just bloody wish he'd do an exile tour already :P

    28 Jan 5:43pm Reply

  • alin1

    @bethymolko: The problem is that a lot of Numan fans (esp. old fans) are not on last.fm. And a lot of these 413,788 listeners know just one song, "Cars".

    15 Jan 10:31am Reply

  • iamjustkidding

    then and now, numan continues to infuence the sound of all dark alternative music. pretty sure reznor is now working with fenton, something numan just did a few years back. too many great songs to list, just wish i could keep up w/all the albums he puts out. but..... stormtrooper in drag is just amazing to me.

    3 Jan 12:23am Reply

  • Taki90

    o'why didn't i listen to this before !

    26 Dec 2012 Reply

  • Lisenok_Fil

    BATYA!

    17 Dec 2012 Reply

  • Lloydy07

    Going to see him tonight. Can't wait! :D

    3 Dec 2012 Reply

  • 4methyst

    Great show last night, with an amazing encore. Brilliant!

    3 Dec 2012 Reply

  • bethymolko

    Actually breaks my heart that his only has 5.4 million plays. :/

    17 Nov 2012 Reply

  • psychodelicje

    amazing musician, excellent!

    11 Nov 2012 Reply

  • jamesusillxd

    I love his new stuff better then his 80's. [2]

    2 Nov 2012 Reply

  • DawnrazorDCLXVI

    Also, Pure, Sacrifice, then Haunted. :)

    27 Oct 2012 Reply

  • DawnrazorDCLXVI

    Aspergers = Ubermensch Syndrome? Love you, Gary! G.E.N.I.U.S. :) xD

    27 Oct 2012 Reply

  • DetoxScission

    Fans of "Outland"/"Machine And Soul" should join us @ http://www.last.fm/group/%27Black+Sheep+Of+A+Band%27s+Discography%27+Appreciation+Group

    22 Oct 2012 Reply

  • juninhohyuuga

    THE FUTURE!

    18 Oct 2012 Reply
    • All 789 shouts

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