I can attest to the Power of Numan. When I was 22, in 1980 (I'm exactly six weeks younger than Gary), I was a fan of classical music only, and never listened to pop music on the radio. By chance I heard "Cars" one night and my life was changed forever. For once, popular music that wasn't thrashing guitars and some guy or girl whining about not getting a date. Instead, I heard a profound, almost orchestral sound, and a subject of isolation. Wow. Needless to say, I bought the album "The Pleasure Principle" and found something in it that really spoke to me. I was living in Chicago at the time, and since I was so completely out of the pop-music scene, I missed his '80 tour. Also, I rapidly learned the disdain that mainstream music had for Numan's talent; my friends mostly dismissed his music as "repetitious" or "lame," which to me was a pearls-before-swine sort of thing.

Since that time, I have faithfully acquired everything I could get my hands on. In those days, I was on a computer system called "PLATO" that was on-line around the continent; I found a few Numanoids out there, but when I saw Gary in concert at Chicago's Park West in November, 1982 (his last U.S. appearance, I believe), I attended alone (met a nice girl, tho, and we dated for a bit), and sold a few prints of the photos I took that night. Anyway, I ran a PLATO notesfile (kind of a group email thing) called "The Aircrash Bureau" for a couple of years; had some T-shirts made up with the Telekon crossed bars and "The Aircrash Bureau" text; they were a minor hit around Champaign, Illinois during the summer of '83 (I still have three or four of 'em).

Although I frankly don't think Gary ever recaptured the freshness and originality of the '79-'80 stuff, his music is always worth a listen. Now that I work for a major airline, I'd like to see a '96 concert schedule so I can fly over to the U.K. and see "Gazza" in concert--14 years after seeing him the first time. Gary Numan is no Beethoven, but then again, who is? When I see the kind of tripe that gets attention these days, I shake my head and think "anything by Gary Numan is better than this stuff--except for maybe 'My Brother's Time'.

It sure is great to see other Numan fans, too. I've been feeling a bit lost in the wilderness for the last 13 or so years.

Scott R. Lucado
"The Aircrash Bureau"
(not emailable)

What does it mean to you to be a Gary Numan fan? Send your story to Joey Lindstrom