THE PRINCIPAL PLEASURE OF BEING GARY NUMAN

Gary Numan is a nice guy. Seriously. And what I want to know—and what he wants to know, too, though he’s probably too polite to ask—is why do people pick on him?

Anyone who noticed Gary Numan’s U.S. television debut on Saturday Night Live probably couldn’t help laughing a little. While the lyrics to “Praying To The Aliens” flashed onscreen, character-generated under what appeared to be the most characterless performer ever seen, Numan croaked to some long-lost Rodan soundtrack and sane viewers either scratched their heads or laughed. There was no middle ground.