logan ryan smith on seeing gary numan at the fillmore. hardly know numan's work, only a couple of songs. one that has been looped on the inner-ear for a few days now is down in the park. haunting is not quite how i'd describe it, but it is chilly and breathtaking at once. a remarkable composition of synth and vocals. i've seen a video of numan performing the song live in concert on vhi classic several times now, last sunday it closed out the alternative. the visuals of numan in concert, his pancake make-up, blackened eyes, and his band stacked up behind him each in a cube of strobing neon reminds me so much of the new-wave era: scary, impersonal, abstract and occasionally brilliant. numan's song is all that, and to me, timeless. a remarkable song that reminds me again and again why i'm still enraptured by electronica.