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(R)evolution
- The Autobiography
- Narrated by: Gary Numan
- Length: 14 hrs and 5 mins
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(R)evolution
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Summary
This audiobook opens and ends with music from Gary Numan's 2021 album Intruder.
A Daily Mail 'best TV and showbiz memoir' for 2020
From humble beginnings in Middlesex, where money was scarce but dreams were encouraged, to the award-winning godfather of electronica, Gary Numan has seen it all. His incredible story can be charted in two distinct parts....
The first: a stratospheric rise to success quickly followed by a painful decline into near obscurity. At school, Gary fell through the cracks of the system and was expelled. An unlikely but determined popstar, he earned his first record deal aged 19 and, two years later, had released four best-selling albums and had twice toured the world. But, aged just 25e, it felt like it was all over. Gary's early success began to hold him back and he battled to reconcile the transient nature of fame with his Asperger's syndrome.
The second: a 20-plus year renaissance catalysed by a date with a super-fan. Gary catalogues his 15-year struggle with crippling debts, his slow, obstacle-laden journey back to the top (and the insecurity that comes with that) and why Savage reaching number twi in 2017 meant more than the heady heights of 1979. Gary also candidly discusses the importance of his fans; why having Asperger's is a gift at times; the inspiration behind the lyrics; flying around the world in 1981; IVF struggles and the joy of fatherhood and his battle with depression and anxiety.
(R)evolution is the rollercoaster rise and fall (and rise) of one man, several dozen synthesisers, multiple issues and two desperately different lives. By turns hilarious and deeply moving, this is Gary Numan in his own words - a brutally honest reflection on the man behind the music.
What listeners say about (R)evolution
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Mark
- 22-05-21
Amazing story definitely listen !!
What a great book so honest and so clear, Gary is a legend I urge you to listen to his new album it is a wonderful collection of incredible song’s like no other today. He is a unique talent, much respect!
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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- MR JASON HAMMOND
- 26-05-21
Nothing missing
A little too long for me but interesting and very open a must for fans
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Ian2504
- 12-05-21
Surprisingly emotional in places
Always enjoyed listening to Gary Numan’s music so I was keen to listen to this autobiography. I couldn’t stop listening to it.
Gary made a great stab at reading the book but he’s a singer not an actor so on the odd occasion that was obvious. Nonetheless I’d much rather hear an audiobook read by the author so good job.
As for the content I loved it: it tells the story of Gary’s meteoric rise to fame and his equally quick plummet and rise again. His family life is much revealed and unlike the robotic characters he portrays in his shows, he comes across as a charming, loving devoted husband and father. It would be amazing to hear Gemma’s version of the same story - from her perspective. Just a thought.
On occasion I was moved to tears. I could hear Gary’s voice cracking when he had to tell about his child’s birth and more poignantly, his mum’s passing. I’m sure I cried with him!
This man deserves to be where he is and I’m sure the imminent Intruder album is going to smash it. I very much hope so.
This book was very much worth the wait. Loved it.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Monksie
- 23-06-22
Still Gary after all these years...
To be fair, I was a fairly hardcore Numanoid until his Dance album lost me in 1981 and I've collected all of his Beggars Banquet material on CD over the last 2 decades.
He was always an interesting character and if anything this book expands upon that quite widely. I remember lots of the negative press that dogged his early career and always suspected there was a strong campaign by the UK media to stunt his success, but was shocked to hear of the efforts of the BBC - who, ironically, launched him in to the public consciousness via the John Peel show in the first place - to deny him the exposure other artists were able to take for granted.
His failed audition for a certain band who were eventually politically and artistically at the other end of the scale was a surprise (I've got all of their stuff too, for balance). No names, no pack drill: get the book and find out for yourselves!
His family's repeated health issues - especially those of his wife Gemma - are covered in depth, as are the couple's struggles to start a family. In the end they were successful but the way Gary tells it really involves the listener.
Finally I'm glad he agreed with something I've always said since October 1979: he really should have released Metal as a single instead of Complex!
Thanks for providing all the memories, stories, triumphs and disasters, Gary - and congratulations on your rise to the top once more.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Billietrix
- 20-08-21
Another side….
Love everything you do ……the book is AMAZING….heartfelt,,,honest and so much more x x x let the music never end x x x
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Chris Broom
- 13-09-21
Gary Delivers!
With snippets of two songs from his latest 'intruder' album at both the beginning and end of the book, it clearly confirms the period the book was written (during the 2020 lockdown). Numan fans will know that anyway, as those (like me) who had pre-ordered the album and were thus receiving regular progress updates, Gary confirmed that the writer assigned to write it on his behalf (like most autobiographies) failed to deliver an accurate account - making Gary decide to (frustratingly further) delay his 'Intruder' album by over another month, whilst he completely rewrote the book himself!
As with his music, Gary did a superb job at writing it!
Okay, I will admit right now, that I have been a huge Numan fan since the very beginning in 1978, owning every studio and live album he has ever released, and attended his concerts many times, so this report may possibly be a little bias - but given that (other than in the last handful of years) he has suffered horrible, disability discrimination and abuse from the media (especially radio stations and music magazines) throughout his career, I offer no apology in delivering some positive feedback - he is long overdue some!
Sadly, probably due to the fact that his Asperger's Disorder made him appear 'distant' from other song writers and musicians and his success suddenly 'exploded' onto the music scene, the UK media ganged-up against him, like the pathetic cowards they can be to anyone who dares to be different as well as successful!
Perhaps the discrimination and abuse has recently stopped after thirty years, as the disgusting perpetrators realise that if they continued in todays world, they would most certainly end up losing 'big-time' in court!
Despite his Asperger's (or perhaps even because of it) Gary not only wrote the whole of this autobiography himself, but also chose to wholly deliver it himself.
Gary has an extremely unique, distinctive voice. His voice is immediately recognisable (even to non-fans); but even as one of his biggest fans, I have to admit that at one or two stages, I did have to 'take a rest' from listening to it; whereas, for example, it was much easier to listen to Taron Egerton reading 'Me' from Elton John - however i guess that is the difference between a top professional actor, compared to any singer song-writer making the delivery.
Something that was 'unusual' (and I'm still unsure if it worked or not) was that each chapter simply represented a 'Year'. Again, I put this down to Gary's Asperger's, in that, this is the 'clinical' way he likes to 'box things off'.
I purchased the hardback on the day of release, but also chose to purchase the book on Audible - as this wonderful form of media often delivers an enhanced, refreshing approach - as well as representing excellent 'Value for Money'!
To conclude, Gary's '(R)evolution' will remain a much treasured and important book within my ever-growing Audible library - and I am pleased to report (as his book terminated in the middle of 2020) that the long wait for his 'Intruder' album, was certainly 'worth the wait'. It finally dropped in early 2021 and deservedly entered the charts at Number 2. Congratulations Gary on an excellent book and album!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Jacqui W
- 13-07-21
An interesting life!
I was a young child when Tubeway Army and Gary Numan first appeared on TOTP... came across as a character I couldn't connect to or understand... I loved the hits, but believed the media lies, about the arrogance and the accident prone pilot. This autobiography really opened my eyes and changed my opinion tremendously towards this artist. Glad he performed his own narration as you felt he was speaking from the heart, and I finally connected.
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- Jan
- 08-05-21
Such an eye opener and very honest
This has been a very interesting listen, and highlights the extreme ups and downs of Numan's career. Even if not a numan fan this is worth a listen. It is open and honest and gives a great deal of insight to the human mind.
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- rob
- 11-10-22
ghosts
interesting insight into personel life and the music industry . very honest and great to hear it from gary himself.
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- Mr. P. R. Eastwood
- 25-01-23
absolutely brilliant
Very noble and modest telling of Gary's life.
I have such admiration for Gary and how he has rebuilt his career after years of negative publicity
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