ARTS
The Michigan Daily Sunday, October 26, 1980 Page 5
ALIENA TING THE A UDIENCE
ary Numan 's icy technoschiock

6-"


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By MARK DIGHTON
By the second encore of Gary.
Numan's concert at Hill Auditorium
Friday night, the only thing that could
ave surpassed the technological
splay that had already passed would
have been for Numan to remove his
face to reveal a tangled mass of wiring
and servorelays. Somehow Numan
seemed to think that his stage show
justified itself simply on the basis of the
fact that he used enough electricity in
one number to light an average
family's home for a year.
This overwhelming exhibition of
power has more implications than just
bad taste, though. The sheer output of
lelctronic energy on stage was so
astounding that it was more awe-
inspiring than involving. It almost ex-
plicitly encouraged people to remain
motionless in their seats for fear of
missing anything. Numan seemed so
afraid of us as his audience (a fear he
has been only too happy to tritely,
elaborate in interviews) that he was
determined to keep us from getting in-
volved in his show.
THAT FEAR IS pretty much in-
icative of Numan's style. He is very
careful to keep his distance from any
humanity in his lyrics, music, and
presence. He was even sure to keep
himself removed from his band by
placing them either four feet off the
floor or behind cubicle walls so that the
entire stage center was free for him to
prowl as self-consciously as a Vogue
model. Lyrically, his romantic heroes
are electricians, engineers and aliens.
Song titles like "I Dream of Wires,"
'Me? I Disconnect from You,"
"Remind Me to Smile," and "Everyday
I Die" seem to indicate that alienation
is not only Numan's subject but his
goal. At the beginning and end of the-
show, he gave us bemused smiles of
gratitude, but throughout the rest of the
concert his facial expression ranged
from mild disinterest to general
disdain.
I guess that's all part of the image.
is stylish misanthropy; the
sexlessness of his fascistic uniforms;
the sheer wall of power (both musical
and visual) he presents; his sneering
nasal voice; the icy tone of his
lyrics-all of these things act to rein-
force his image of the modern in-
dustrial citizen victimized by the en-
croaching mechanization of his own
mental processes. However, the
message behind the image seems
secondary to The Image Itself, which
eems to have its own intrinsic value to
uman. And unlike his most obvious in-
fluence, David Bowie, Numan's image
is an inherently and increasingly self-
consuming facade. He has virtually
backed himself into a corner in terms of
presentation. At times, he really
seemed to want to reach out to the
audience, but that ability was clearly
not in his repertoire.

AS HIS VISION of technological
totalitarianism has overwhelmed his
image, so has it overwhelmed his
music. Especially since dropping The
Tubeway Army as the name of his
band, Numan's sound has become in-
creasingly forced and formulaic. He
has taken out the raw edge of his
Bowiesque (circa Diamond Dogs)
guitar and replaced it with the cautious
perfection of his synthesizers.
Therein lies Numan's one strength.
Though it may be rather limited, that
makes it no less phenomenal. He is
simply one of the best synthesizer
arrangers in rock and roll. His
menacingly thunderous sound is
beyond duplication by anyone. Even his

wasn't cautious was the stage show
... and that was undeniably bad. What
started off as understated (if predic-
table) red and white lighting soon ex-
panded to include every hue
imaginable. Soon, it seemed that the
stage and lighting were less intended to
accentuate our appreciation of the
music than to distract us from it. By the
time mannequin heads in remote-
controlled semi-opaque black boxes
came rolling out onto the stage for "Are
Friends Electric?" I had to wonder if
Numan really took this techno-schlock
seriously.
BY THE TIME of his first encore, I
had a sneaking suspicion that the
crowd was applauding for more

awed shock at what we'd just wit-
nessed, but not all of that shock was
positive.. . in fact, most of it wasn't.
Art in America, a group from Detroit
who play in the Ann Arbor area quite
frequently, preceded Numan with an
abbreviated set. Like Numan, their in-
fluences are far from anything
associated with New Wave. Their ex-
tended compositions and jazz and
classical influences reminded me most
of Emerson, Lake and Palmer with a
surprisingly appropriate classical har-
pist replacing Emerson's keyboard
work. Faultless playing made it im-
possible to dislike them (even if you
think "progressive rock" is a period of
modern music history better left for

GORDON AN ITA
MACRAE DARIAN
In
li. r
the music of
Rodgers and Hammerstein
OCT. 31, NOV. 1 and 2
Fri., Sat. 8 p.m.-Sun. 2 p.m. & 8 p.m.
POWER CENTER
Tickets on Sale Now PTP Ticket
Office-Michigan League Mon.-Fri.
10-1, 2-5. 764-0450


If you
like LIVE
theater,
you'll love

i

i

Daily Photo by JIM KRUZ
Gary Numan brought his synthesized technorock sound and an epic range of gaudy space-age stage gimmickry to Hill
Auditorium Friday night as part of the current tour promoting his third and latest album,'Telekon.' Numan's show was
dominated by a remarkable range of lighting effects and bizarre props, but the general effect was that of a computer over-
load-chilly, distanced glitz.

SAT, SUN
$1.50 0 4
1:3
FRI, MON-7:30, 9:30
OR SAT, SUN-1:20, 3:20, 5:30, 7:30, 9:30

most minute gestures on stage com-
municated that he Was firmly in control
of the slightest nuances of his pieces.
He is able to masterfully mix ear-
splitting clarity with thudding distor-
tion to create a frightening ex-
trapolation of Phil Spector's wall-of-
sound production.
But beyond that, Numan has few
musical talents of which he can boast.
His nasal voice has almost no range or
inflection, and due to his increasing
quest for sterile perfection, his lyrics,
melodies, and song styles have become
nearly indistinguishable from each
other.
The only thing about his concert that

gadgets rather than more music. And
Numan"(who knows his crowds) was
there to deliver in a small, black, coffin-
like go-cart that burst forth from
beneath the drum set with its
headlights spotlighting the audience.
This was the first event of the concert to
make the audience really feel a part of
the proceedings, and they responded
with wild enthusiasm. Unfortunately,
Numan had obviously run out of gim-
mickry by the second encore and the
crowd's reaction was notably less en-
thusiastic following it. The people I
talked to on my way out repeated my

dead) and their bass player is nothing
short of phenomenal. Since the guitar is
used as little more than filler, the bassist
was the major driving force behind the
band, a responsibility he shouldered
admirably by playing his bass more
like a lead instrument than a simple
rhythmic foundation. Tina Weymouth
and Barry Adamson (of Magazine) had
better watch out.
Fans of mid-70's progressive rock
had better take every opportunity to see
this group, and it wouldn't hurt the rest
of us to go out of our way to appreciate
and support these talents.

 INDIVIDUALTHEATRES
5th Awe. ot Liberty 761-9700

(PG)
Marty
Feldman
FRI-6:40, 1
SAT, SUN-2:50,

SAT, SUN$1.50 til 1:00
(or cap.
ND -
DAN AYKROYD
JOHN BSHSI 4w$
FRI-8:20
SAT, SUN-12:50, 4:40, 8:20

1i


a

MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS
At The MICHIGAN THEATER
Shows at 1:00, 3:00, 7:00 & 9:00 Sunday
A wonderfully refreshina period musical set in St. Louis in 1903-4, and famous
for its vignettes of growing up. Judy Garland sings the "Trolley Song" and
the title ditty, besides four others. Margaret O'Brien turns in the most winning
of all child star performances. Drenched in Technicolor. Velvet and tinsel,
and everything a romantic musical should be.
CINEM A GUILD In the prime of our LIFE
M AJOR EVENTS presents

TAKE THE LEAD
Help New Students or Their Parents
Discover the Diversity of Michigan
BE A SUMMER
ORIENTATION
LEAqDER
Pick up applications at the
Orientation Office (2530 SAB) or call
764-6290 for further information.
Applications due by Nov. 7, 1980
an affirmative action non-discriminatory employer
MICHIGAN THEATRE
OLD-FASHIONED Entertamunent/Movie Palace/ Pricesl
Ml last Liberty, Downtown Ann Arbor
Box Office Open Mon-Sat 2-6 p.m.
Me, OCT 31, HALLOWEEN Vauaevuile oi anows
At All Three Fun-Pecked Shows

IN CONCERT

I

HANK MOOREHOUSE, Magician,
GREG YASSICK, Organist
6:30 p.m. Family Show

lflusist

NOV 22 OPH

FA-l-

"FIVE THOUSAND FINGERS OF DR. T." (1953)
Dr. Seuss wrote the lyrics for this movie.
9:15, 11:30 p.m. Adult Shows
"THE NIGHT OF THE HUNTER" (19651

..

MIOLL ABIIODIS