In this month’s excerpt from Gary Numan’s 2021 autobiography, we travel back to what would turn out to be a life changing moment. 

For a person that would go on to become known and respected as one of the pioneers of electronic music, the time he first cast eyes on the famed MINIMOOG ANALOG SYNTHESIZER was a moment worth writing about.

The minimoog was manufactured between 1970 – 1981.  It was the first synthesizer sold in retail stores. In 1975 they sold for approx. $2400 (Aust currency) which in today’s money would be approx $13 000 (Aust currency).

“While Paul and Jess were unloading the equipment from the van, I went into the control room with Mike and noticed a synthesizer on a desk in the corner. It was a MiniMoog.

I’d never seen a real synth before, and it was a fascinating machine to look at. Dials and switches from one side to the other.

I was intrigued, so I asked Mike if I could have a go. After Mike had turned it on, the sound that came out of it when I pressed a key was just awesome, in the truest sense of the word.

The room shook and you felt the sound as much as you heard it. I had never experienced anything like it, and I was absolutely blown away.

This was everything I’d been looking for.

The sheer weight of the sound was shocking. It was like a huge bulldozer of noise, a vast wall of sound. It was a sonic assault on the ears. It felt unstoppable, immensely powerful and totally exhilarating.

For me everything changed in that one moment.” p51

Before we finish off, there’s always time for a song from the…

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Ok, I haven’t read this book but should that stop me from talking about it? No sireee!

From the author who gave us the 2012 guide HOW TO TALK ABOUT PLACES YOU’VE NEVER BEEN comes this humorous reflection on what it means to read and join in on literary banter.