Like a B-Film
In this episode I dive into one of the most unexpected Gary Numan surprises of recent years — the release of Like a B-Film, a previously unheard Telekon-era demo that suddenly appeared via the 45th anniversary re-issue.
I explain how the track appeared almost out of nowhere. Very quickly, it became clear this was genuine: raw 1980 synth textures, unfinished edges, and Gary’s unmistakable vocal — a time capsule suddenly dropped into the present.
The episode looks closely at the lyric sheet shared by fans online, lines that shrink humanity into “little pictures,” reference “B-films” and deadened media culture, and land on stark declarations like we are broken, we are shattered, we are glass. I discuss how the imagery hints at emotional numbness, voyeurism and disconnection — themes that would later define tracks like I Dream of Wires and Remind Me to Smile.
We also hear Gary himself address the track at Hammersmith — admitting he doesn’t remember writing it, joking that it probably didn’t make the album “because it’s happy,” and marvelling at Beggars Banquet uncovering a demo he’d forgotten.
The episode includes reactions from fans comparing the sound to John Foxx, celebrating the synth tones, and debating whether it ever would have sat comfortably on Telekon — or whether saving it has made the surprise even sweeter.
I also preview other demos on the anniversary release, and reflect on why unheard material still excites Numan fans after four decades.
Transcript
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Speaker A:Head to the show Notes of this episode from wherever you got it.
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Speaker A:Out of nowhere A couple of months ago I was looking at my release Radar playlist on Spotify, the weekly playlist that Spotify updates with brand new releases of artists you like.
Speaker A:And there was this song Like a Bee film, supposedly by Gary Newman.
Speaker A:I hadn't heard of that song, I thought.
Speaker A:And to be honest, in the past there have been these random songs attributed to Gary, only for it to be taken down soon after as it was just some dodgy people uploading songs under his name.
Speaker A:But I gave it a listen and quickly realised that it was actually taken from his upcoming 45th anniversary release of Telecon.
Speaker A:And as I've always said, I'm nothing compared to a lot of Gary's fans.
Speaker A:A lot.
Speaker A:You listening now?
Speaker A:In terms of my Newman knowledge, I figured it was probably a song that's been doing the rounds for years and had passed me by, but apparently not.
Speaker A:It's a genuinely new, discovered, unreleased song from the Telecon era.
Speaker A: was like Transporting back to: Speaker A:There was something surprisingly magical about it, you can tell.
Speaker A:It's not quite polished, but the bare bones are there and that unmistakable synth sound is gorgeous, Although it's clearly something of a demo rather than perhaps what would have been the final version, and it's unclear when or why it was scrapped for Telecon.
Speaker A:But I really love how Gary sings this song.
Speaker A:It's almost playful in tone and I love how he ends each verse in the offbeat.
Speaker B:Full screen.
Speaker B:There is more now like a TV Open up your eyes Watch the bodies of the D. We are broken, we are shattered we are glass Dust my sheets before you leave what's your name?
Speaker B:Hello Richard.
Speaker B:See the change?
Speaker B:But I wasn't even there.
Speaker B:Hello young girls.
Speaker B:Welcome Vincent All Confessions of Love.
Speaker A:Lyrically, it's an interesting one.
Speaker A:I found lyrics posted on lyric websites which are almost accurate, but on the Numenoid's Facebook page, Tony Harrison posted a photo of what were apparently Gary's lyric sheet from the tour.
Speaker A:So I think we can surely say that these are the official lyrics until Gary says otherwise.
Speaker A:So he's apparently saying, reply, you don't.
Speaker A:And I'm sure he says, care here.
Speaker A:But it doesn't say that on the piece of paper.
Speaker A:Cause you're not there.
Speaker A:Little pictures.
Speaker A:I've seen actors.
Speaker A:Dial one more, four.
Speaker A:And again, nothing here.
Speaker A:But I'm sure he says the road.
Speaker A:Like a B film on a ball screen.
Speaker A:It says on the piece of paper.
Speaker A:They're very small now, like a tv, not for young eyes.
Speaker A:Just the bodies of the dead.
Speaker A:Oh, we are broken.
Speaker A:We are shattered.
Speaker A:We are glass.
Speaker A:Dust my sheets before you leave.
Speaker A:What's your name?
Speaker A:Hello, rich boy.
Speaker A:Not Richard, as it says on some websites.
Speaker A:See the change?
Speaker A:But I wasn't even there.
Speaker A:Hello, young girls.
Speaker A:More convincing.
Speaker A:More confessions of love.
Speaker A:We are silenced.
Speaker A:We are questioned.
Speaker A:We are going back to school.
Speaker A:You are practiced.
Speaker A:You are no one.
Speaker A:You are nothing.
Speaker A:You're the high dream.
Speaker A:But you act like little boys.
Speaker A:Dictation.
Speaker A:See the girl?
Speaker A:Can you see her lying on the floor?
Speaker A:Or me?
Speaker A:So what could it be about?
Speaker A:Now, Gary has said in the past that when he first starts writing songs, he does sort of write almost gibberish lyrics.
Speaker A:So perhaps it doesn't really mean anything.
Speaker A:But we'll delve into it as much as we can from what we have.
Speaker A:So right from the opening line, there's this certain sense of emotional absence.
Speaker A:Reply, you don't care because you're not there.
Speaker A:Little pictures.
Speaker A:That phrase, little pictures immediately shrinks everything around.
Speaker A:People aren't people.
Speaker A:They perhaps images, fragments, something you glance at rather than engage with.
Speaker A:And that idea runs all the way through the song.
Speaker A:The B film imagery is really important.
Speaker A:A B film is a cheap, disposable film, something you don't always invest in emotionally, perhaps.
Speaker A:So when Gary sings, they're very small now, it feels like human life itself has been reduced, diminished by being constantly viewed through screens.
Speaker A:Which is quite apt for today, isn't it?
Speaker A:And the line, not for young eyes, just the bodies of the dead, suggests perhaps the media.
Speaker A:That's numbing rather than shocking.
Speaker A:We're so used to seeing damage and violence that it's lost its weight again.
Speaker A:Feels very modern.
Speaker A:Then you hit the central statement of the song.
Speaker A:We are broken.
Speaker A:We are shattered, we are glass.
Speaker A:We've heard that before, haven't we?
Speaker A:There's also a strange mix of intimacy and anonymity.
Speaker A:Dust my sheets before you leave.
Speaker A:What's your name?
Speaker A:A moment that should be personal, but it feels hollow.
Speaker A:Names don't matter.
Speaker A:People pass through each other without connection.
Speaker A:And when he sings, hello, rich boy.
Speaker A:Hello, Young girls.
Speaker A:The tone shifts again.
Speaker A:These greetings sound polite, almost casual.
Speaker A:What follows is rather uncomfortable.
Speaker A:Confessions of love don't feel genuine here.
Speaker A:They feel coerced or performed.
Speaker A:And that links directly into.
Speaker A:We are silenced, we are questioned, we are going back to school.
Speaker A:Education isn't nurturing, it's conditioning.
Speaker A:So those repeated accusations, you are practiced.
Speaker A:You are no one, you are nothing.
Speaker A:You're like a system stripping people down until they're empty.
Speaker A:But taken as a whole, like a B film feels like Gary Newman holding up a mirror to society that's learned to watch suffering instead of feeling it, where perhaps people become images or roles.
Speaker A:And the most chilling part is that it all plays out like a low budget film, something you half watch before moving on.
Speaker A:I mean, I might be completely barking up the wrong tree, but that's what I see from those lyrics.
Speaker A:And again, all of that feels very modern, really.
Speaker A:Maybe I'm just using my modern brain when looking at all that.
Speaker B:We are silent, we are questions, we are going back to school.
Speaker B:You are practice.
Speaker B:You are no one.
Speaker B:You are no books, you're the hygiene, you mama little boys, dictation to the girl.
Speaker B:Can you see a line on the blonde or ma?
Speaker A:When Gary spoke about it though, at the Hammersmith show I was at, he joked it was actually a happy song.
Speaker C:When we were.
Speaker C:When Beggars Banquet came to look at the tapes for Telecom.
Speaker A:They took it.
Speaker C:All away and they found some things.
Speaker A:That were.
Speaker C:That didn't make the album.
Speaker C:I'm not very good at my words at the moment.
Speaker A:Sorry.
Speaker C:Anyway, they found a song that didn't make the album, a demo of a thing called Like a, Like a Picture.
Speaker C:Anyway, so we thought we would.
Speaker C:I don't remember writing it.
Speaker C:I have no memory of it whatsoever.
Speaker C:But apparently I did.
Speaker C:I think it didn't make the album because it's happy.
Speaker C:Anyway, I think that I released it.
Speaker A:Have you heard of it?
Speaker C:Like a boo film.
Speaker C:Okay.
Speaker C:I have no idea what's going.
Speaker C:Anyway, I, I, I thought we would do it because it's, I just thought we'd do it.
Speaker A:It's fascinating to hear from Gary that he has no memory of writing or performing it.
Speaker A:I can't imagine writing something like that and then having no memory.
Speaker A:But it goes to show if you write the countless amount of tracks and demos that he's done over the years, it's bound to be easy for it to disappear from your brain.
Speaker A:So that must have been weird for him, listening back to it.
Speaker A:So I wonder if there's any more out there looking at your comments about the song, Dean Hazel said, I thought it was a John Fox tune, very reminiscent of Metamatic, but with Gary's instantly recognizable voice a cracker.
Speaker A:The girl with the Gary Newman tattoo said, I can see why it didn't get onto Telecon, but I personally love it and even Gary says it's growing on him now.
Speaker A:Simon Rippin said, it's always nice to hear those forgotten gems.
Speaker A:Part of the fun with these unfinished pieces is what Gary calls the bullshit lyrics, which he does to give himself a sense of timing.
Speaker A:Steve B said to me, at first I thought it might have been left over from the dance sessions, but I love it and those synths.
Speaker A:Bill Runaker said, he was right to have not included it on Telecon, partly because it's been such a lovely surprise now.
Speaker A:Good point.
Speaker A:So the 45th anniversary LP also includes newly released demo versions of Please Push no More, the Air Crash Bureau, and I'm an Agent, which are also fascinating to hear and generally just a nice treat for us Numenoids just before Christmas.
Speaker A:Although I'm a bit sad because I ordered both the vinyl and the cd, I didn't realize that the CD doesn't come out till I think January or February and for some reason it can't deliver both separate packages so I have to wait for it all to come in one.
Speaker A:So never mind, have to wait until after Christmas.
Speaker A:But that is it for this episode of Electric Friends.
Speaker A:Thanks for listening and for listening all year.
Speaker A:I do intend on releasing more episodes throughout the year if I can, but you know, full time work and life do make it tricky to do more than one a month, but I will endeavor to do more.
Speaker A:But thanks for all your kind words and all your support throughout the year.
Speaker A:It means a huge amount and if you'd like to get in touch either to tell me your numenoid story or to suggest future episodes, whatever you like, please do.
Speaker A:Email me newmanpodcastmail.com Just like Darren did.
Speaker A:He said thank you for the podcast.
Speaker A:Discovered it a few weeks ago and I've been smashing the episodes ever since.
Speaker A:I don't really know anyone who's into Newman, so the POD really does feel like an electric friend.
Speaker A:I was aware of Newman and blown away by him from the time our friends Electric and Cars were released, but at the time I was heavily entrenched in Sheffield Teddy Boy culture 50s rock and roll and didn't feel safe coming out in favor of this new electronic music.
Speaker A:Later, when I left the nonsense behind, a schoolmate suggested I buy the recently released Telecon album and from then I was hooked.
Speaker A:Newman's music has left an indelible mark on my life.
Speaker A:His his lyrics in those early albums in particular resonated with me deeply.
Speaker A:At that time I had no idea I was autistic and didn't know about Gary's diagnosis either.
Speaker A: was eventually diagnosed age: Speaker A:No wonder I felt such an affinity with him.
Speaker A:I play his stuff all the time and love his more recent albums as much as the early years.
Speaker A:Keep the World going, it's great.
Speaker A:Thank you very much for that Darren.
Speaker A:And so please do send in your message and how you became a humanoid as well.
Speaker A:It's always great to read and remember.
Speaker A:If you'd like to support me and the show can get your hands on some Electric Friends merch as T shirts, hoodies, stickers and more.
Speaker A:Head to the show notes of this episode for where to get them or head to Electric Friends dot printify me.
Speaker A:For now though, have a great Christmas, New Year's and holiday season if you're listening to this before that.
Speaker A:And I'll be back soon with a brand new episode.
Speaker A:So for now, have a good one and see you soon.
Speaker A:Electric Friends A Gary Newman Podcast the songs and stories of American music.
