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Red alert!! Ahead of a UK tour to mark the 45th anniversary of his seminal 'Telekon' album, we're delighted to have GARY NUMAN on the cover of this month's Electronic Sound.
Gary Numan's 'Telekon' album was a stark and futuristic landmark of electronic music, but it was also the sound of a young man struggling to come to terms with his sudden and often overwhelming fame. At one point in 1980, with three records sitting in the UK Top 20, everybody wanted a piece of him. 'Telekon' is one of the main topics of our lengthy and detailed conversation with Numan, in which he talks candidly about death threats, stalkers, plane crashes, ghosts and much more, explaining what it was really like to live with the machines while the world lost its head all around him. It's a hugely entertaining read, both for ardent Numanoids and curious onlookers alike.
Alongside the magazine we also have an exclusive Gary Numan seven-inch on red vinyl. The record features 'I'm An Agent' and 'Remind Me To Smile', two of the high points of 'Telekon', with both tracks having been chosen for this release by Numan himself.
"I've always loved how 'I'm An Agent' came to me in a dream," he says, adding that it's his favourite track on 'Telekon'. "I woke up with it in my head, so I rang my mum and dad's house and sang it onto their answerphone. I love the way it starts with that rumble as well. It screams in, right from the beginning. I was pleased with it at the time and I've stayed pleased with it ever since."
"With 'Remind Me To Smile', that's about my disillusionment with being famous," continues Numan. "It was based on the fact that I was often told to smile, but my whole look was based on how I didn't like smiling. I'd think to myself, 'I don't want to and I'm not particularly happy anyway'. I still don't like smiling. I'm terrible at it."