NUMAN WEEK: My Tiger My Timing on the influence of Gary Numan
Frontwoman for My Tiger My Timing, Anna Vincent, discusses the artistic inspiration of Gary Numan
Filed in Gary Numan,
at 10.11am on 04 May 12
What do you think is unique/unusual about Gary Numan's music?
He's a one-man punk Kraftwerk with hints of Bowie at his most paranoid - and as with Kraftwerk, there's something detached and robotic about the music, yet also amazingly human and vulnerable.
The mixture of guitars and electronics is something which has influenced so many bands, from synthpop to heavy industrial, and I think he's actually been really underrated in this respect.
Is there a particular track that has inspired you?
It's an obvious choice, but for me Are Friends Electric? is such a killer track - it's all about that bleak synth riff, really heavy and relentless, and his weird Bowie-esque vocals which give it a feeling of isolation and paranoia.
Any albums that you feel have been particularly influential?
In terms of electronic and industrial music, The Pleasure Principle is the one I'd go for - I'm also a big Nine Inch Nails fan and I think Trent Reznor must have been into this record too, you can really hear it in those soaring synths and heavy, dark riffs. Plus it has Cars on it, how can you lose?
Why do you think Numan has ''crossed'' generations so that he's arguably a bigger icon in 2012 than he was in 1980?
The bleak Britishness of his sound rings as true nowadays in these equally bleak times - there's comfort in melancholy, perhaps, and Numan has this is spades. As well as a very nice line in classic analogue synthpop.
Do you think it's the darker, atmospheric side of his music that still gives him a credible, underground appeal in 2012?
I think this is definitely a factor, but I also think that he has continued to release music and evolve his sound, and seems to be a real musician's musician - it's hard not to respect this, and I guess that's the definition of credibility really.
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