Gary Numan tells the story of 'Are 'friends' Electric', a key song in the electronic music. A short documentary by Top 2000 a gogo from 2015 (Dutch Public Television).
It wasn't written for humans, but we have the pleasure of listening to it. Cyborgs in the year 3,000 will build their society over the ashes of humanity and Are friends electric will be their anthem.
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Not completely true - The year it was released, I entered a dance competition with this record and won. Possibly as everyone else danced to "safe" tried and tested music..
kevin the truck driver yes, I did know that! He is highly regarded in the industry. It is refreshing to see someone who had such a successful and genre defining career be so modest about both his own abilities and how much good fortune played a part in his success.
He's an Aspie. Being honest and self-depreciating tends to go with the territory. In fact, some of us are more comfortable being criticized than praised.
40 years ago we were living (and dreaming) of the future. 40 years later we're living and dreaming of the past. We were living our best days and didn't even know it.
We might have been living our best days, but 40 years ago we were also living in the shadow of global nuclear destruction. The Vietnam War had nearly torn the USA apart and we were still staring daggers across the Iron Curtain between NATO and the Warsaw Pact. I was alive then... the world was NOT that great a place. Easy to be nostalgic, too easy to forget the nightmares we were living in, but you can't change the past even if you forget it while dreaming fantasies of a past that never was. Although - yeah, some of the music was absolutely f***ing fantastic. Be nice if we had more like it, and less of the brainless s*** that continues to be made nowadays -- but again, don't fool yourself -- 40 years ago, for every brilliant creator like Mr Numan, there were a hundred and one forgettable disco/corporate rock sell-out machines back then too; and if you dig deep enough, there are some very interesting, creative artists out there today too.
@@mglenn7092 Hey. Agreed there are elements of rose tinted specs, but despite the so called progress, I think there's less optimism now. Perhaps it's because we were young and high on life. Perhaps its because the planet is in a much worse state - climate, overpopulation, pollution, ideological wars. We had the soviets and MAD, which was being pushed, but the media was more distant so the threat (to us in Harrow anyway) didn't seem so on our doorstep - and possibly we knew there was a way back from the brink. But I genuinely think life was simpler, we had less, but appreciated more. I think our culture sold us dreams - in our music and movies. I remember feeling an excitement to the possibilities of life. I feel life is a lot more dystopic and cynical - the internet is wonderful, but had exposed us to more direct horrors and nightmares - right on our fingertips. Regards the music - there is some fantastic stuff (check out "Soviet Soviet" - the band) but a lot of that harks back to the music of the 80s. I find the music from the 70s/80s and early 90s grand, experimental, mad, held together by string and tape, raw, visionary and ultimately selling us dreams. Of course you had your Birdie Songs but you also had Simple Minds, the Police, Numan, Depeche Mode, U2, Bruce Springsteen, Duran, Thomson Twins, Smiths... Have a great day!
@@MisterTIBS hi. It depends what past we're clinging to. If it's trying to recapture that youthful feeling of optimism and excitement towards life, then that's not a bad thing in my opinion. You're right, there can be other motives too. I had a great time when I was young. Golden memories. This music was part of those memories
4+ decades later, and the song is still brilliant and relevant and far better than most of the rubbish out there today. Gary is so down to earth. Great interview !
He's honest if nothing else (hitting the wrong key). He could have said "I meant to do that!" I can't believe I've been listening to this song for 40 years, and love it as much as the first day I heard it.
I made Cliff Richard dance to Are Friends Electric by turning down the volume on Power to all Our Friends on my tablet, and turning up Are Friends Electric on my smartphone! Outta sight!! Try it, you'll like it!
He’s still down to earth. Totally nice bloke. Gary Numan didn’t fall into the Punk, New Wave or New Romantic genres. He was very much his own person. An artist with almost Bowie-like ideas and delivery.
In the 80's I had a Moog Prodigy and sold it for £5. A guy I knew says can you sell mine for £5. So Sunday afternoon walking around Glasgow music shops no one wanted it.
I think one of the most interesting things to come out of this interview is his clear understanding of what makes something work - the sound, the image, , having obscure lyrics so the true meaning isn't spotted, the lighting, not looking at the camera - details that he paid attention to. Yet he's very modest and acknowledges critical moments of luck that had a pivotal effect. At the same time, I think he probably would have emerged eventually somehow. Quality and talent and ambition in one package tend to.
@@Kidraver555 Would that be the Bowie who took influences from just about everywhere? Facts are Bowie was really threatened by Numan and acted like a spoilt child. Numerous artists ripped off Bowie for years and he never said anything. Yet when the 21 year old Numan arrived and produced some astonishing stuff, Bowie embarrassed himself with his childish reaction, especially on the Kenny Everett show.
@@KingLich451 A few years back he was going to Cleveland for a show and his tour bus ran over a 91 year old guy when it pulled into town, they canceled the show that night, I guess no one was charged there were witnesses that said he stepped out in front of it. It was a real shame to because it seemed like a lot of people were going to go to the show and it had been getting some pretty good promotion from the local media.
@@KingLich451 Yea it was pretty sad, seems like a lot of people were fired up for the show, I was living in the Cleveland area at the time and was even thinking about going, I don't live there anymore but I hope for the fans sake that he goes back one day, I'll bet he puts a pretty good show on.
You've got to hand it to him, Gary is an absolute scream. The kind of man you could have intense discussions yet have a great laugh with. As an "Aspie", being grounded and so down to earth is one of the best attributes Asbergers has.
In my 20's but my dad put this on every day when I was a kid and I loved it. Hooked the mic up to sing along. Nice to know that my dad raised me on great music haha
At 54, I remember listening to his stuff in college...in the early 80s. He had that unique sound and his "look"...make-up, costumes, and that stare....all contributed to his total coolness.
Forget the music for a min, every and I mean every interview I've seen Gary do he is just such a nice, honest and humble bloke. The lyric 'you mean everything to me' Just tears me up on every listen
In the last few years Gary Numan finally seems to be getting the massive amount of respect and recognition he deserves, and it couldn't happen to a nicer bloke 👍
Do a little Google research to appease your own curiosity. A lot of times I always do some side research to find out more. I also fact check content that's given in narration. This channel gave us something, than nothing. It's up to you if you want to know more. The seed has been planted, are you going grow for more knowledge? Or just wait around for the knowledge you seek to come to you?
Gary Numan - a true musical genius. He had the foresight to see where synthesizers were taking music, and he was spot on. Modern electronica/techno/synthpop all owe their existence to people like Numan.
When it was released, the song sounded futuristic. Today it sounds futuristic. In the future it will be ahead of it's time! OK, that's a bit far fetched. Butt I love the track and the first three albums! 🌌☄
After 40 years it’s still my idea of the future... The other day I was listening to the earliest albums of “A Flock Of Seagulls”; at the beginning they were futuristic too (1981-1983), then the real eighties came, and the geeks gave way to the yuppies...
Are 'Friends' Electric? Still sounds 'futuristic' to me too, but what about the RU-vid algorithm which predicted that we would like this video? Does our Android dream of electric sheep?
Numan was the first ever electronic musician I heard. It was a Tubeway Army album and I was about 10 years old (1980-82 or abouts). Later got into Skinny Puppy and Kraftwerk. Epic stuff.
For all you comenting on Gary's "wig", he did a hair transplant some years back. You can find video's of him wearing a hat, that's the time he did the hair transplant. Whatever he does with his hair it's his choise, and I'm perfectly fine with it.
he might have had some "plants", but this is clearly a wig. but I don't he pretends that it's his hair. i think he decided to go Andy Warhole, as crazy as possible
Anyone who thinks it's important AT ALL to critique his hair definitely misses the point of his music and probably should go watch TV or something equally shallow.
His story of meeting his wife is great. Gary has Aspbergers, so picking up on social cues is not his strong suit. She was essentially a groupie who scored a chance to meet Gary Neuman. He had a golden opportunity. His reaction? He asked her out on a date, and then went and met her parents. Absolutely the most non-rock star thing EVER. She realized she had a keeper.
@@quasarsphere true enough, staying together that long is not common today, and even more rare for rock stars. I think I was drunk when I wrote that ..might just delete it. Cheers !
I love how relaxed and at peace with his life he is these days he is. I saw a documentary a few weeks back that talked about how he got a lot of grief for his persona in the early days, and quit the business after 2 years. Had a stumbling restart, but kept at it, and found his footing, now he continues to make music to this day.
one of the very first albums I bought as a little tiny baby boy based on the cover alone need not say I was different Still an all time favorite song and vinyl
I was fifteen when that song hit. A former punk getting, belatedly into Bowie. But that was like an atom bomb strike. It shaped my music tastes ever since and was an amazing moment as the same was being experienced by millions in their living rooms all throughout the country.
Are Friends Electric was written. " stuck two songs together I couldn't finish and some bad playing" according to Gary. Taking two unfinished songs he couldn't figure endings for, putting them together with some bad playing (wrong note)... ha ha genius.
As a guy who always thought you have to have a "good voice" to make it, and then being told I might not. It was a huge relief when those same people also said Gary didn't have a good voice. It helped me to realise that those people didnt know what the hell they're talking about.
Great story told by Gary Numan. I love it when musicians speak about their journey into rediscovering themselves through music. Glad he stayed true to himself and not be swayed into sounding or looking like what record labels want musicians to be, much respect. Cheers 🤘🏾
I never saw him in concert but I did see him display his Japanese zero at Barton Air show in Manchester many years ago... I remember after the display seeing him walk over to the control tower in vintage flying gear looking so far beyond cool I couldn't even begin to express it... What a dude he was/is :)
sounds like an airshow i saw him at was this a long time ago? I'm a bit out of touch these days, moved to Australia. Well a lot of his concerts were made into video, probably can get them on DVD :-) He did spectacular light shows, lots of dry ice and excellent stage performances from Gary of his songs. Sigh, good times
Where do you find an artist like him anymore? He's down to earth, self-deprecating, open minded and thoroughly original. This song to me was the zenith of synthesized electropop - it matched a martial beat and an irresistible melody line with a disconnected vocal, creating a jarring, distant but compelling mood. It comes on lonely and futuristic, but it retains an underlying mood of desperation, hinting at a real need for some kind of human connection. It's this tension that makes it a classic of its kind. "And now I've no one to love"...cold, beautiful, sublime.
Back in the day, you would never guess that he might be a pleasant guy. And I read somewhere that he never smiled because he was frightened of showing his teeth. I was only 11 when Cars came out, but I really warmed up to Are Friends Electric the first time I heard it when my band's guitarist brought it into the garage back in 1984 and told us, "We need to sound like this!" and the bass player said, "Everyone sounds like this." We never made it out of the garage. But Gary's music was a big part of those years.
Amazing listening to how this single came about and the time it happened 1977.. God I loved it then I love it now.. I've lost the f.....ING single I bought back in the day over the years... thanks gary for being different...
Did what he had a passion for to produce something unique that he liked. He didn't compromise on what the industry was supposedly looking for at the time, and the rest is history. I find that inspirational, and it's clear he still loves what he does.
I loved "Are 'Friends' Electric"--indeed, everything on the album. When I bought "Replicas" on import (I live in the US) it was just...perfect. The music, the album cover, the name of the band and the logo. It was some time before I discovered that "Tubeway" referred to the London subway, and the logo was a modification of the symbol of that tube system. What seemed so exotic to an American was just commonplace in the UK. This was before the internet, remember!
I've been a Numan fan from the "A.F.E." beginning I was hooked as soon as i had heard it, and i'm still discovering new stuff about him! (first time i've seen this video). At 60 he's still having "sell out" venues and has a new following with the younger generation its just sad he doesn't get much radio airtime except on the 80s retro stations. looking forwards to the new album he's working on due for release next year.
I knew A'f'E? was about a robot but this is the first i heard that robot was a prostitute. Franky goes to hollywood pulled the wool over TOTP's eys also, but they found out and stopped playing it out. The No1 always was shown, but when they found out they didn't play it anymore LOL. So good call Gary. Luckily Simple Minds still made it to the charts phew!
Love this song. It embodies the sounds I grew up with. And Gary Numan seems a genuinely kind and funny person. Quite the opposite of his stage persona.
You'd have to say that everything Gary Numan has done, he's done as a man ahead of his time. All his material still sounds fresh & as exciting as the day it was first played. It doesn't sound dated or past its prime at all. Just great music that I can listen to all the time without getting tired or bored of it.
