Introduction to Popular Music
How has the artist Gary Numan negotiated his sexuality within his career?

Sexuality in rock and pop music is something that has been examined for many years. One of the most significant academic articles relating to the subject was written by Frith and McRobbie in 1978, which has been referred to often by other authors. However, Frith himself has acknowledged that some of the points raised in this work seem rather dated, due mainly to changes in the industry during the 1980's and beyond, but it still remains an important reference.
This essay will look at how the poplar recording artist Gary Numan has expressed his sexuality and discuss whether he has purposefully negotiated it to further his musical career.

Firstly, it is important to think about male sexuality in social and cultural terms. In his book about masculinity, Victor J. Seidler (1989) has suggested that "...sexual relations have become another occasion for men to prove themselves" (p22) and later goes on to discuss the pressure on men, particularly during the teenage years, to have, if not, pretend to have had, sex with females and in doing so, prove their masculinity. He argues that boys become distanced from girls at an early age because of the differences in relationships that the opposite sexes have which leads men to "…keep our softer feelings to ourselves" (p23).
From this perspective, Frith and McRobbie's evaluations of the differences between "cock rock" and "teenybop" would appear to be upheld. The cock rock performers would be out to prove their masculinity to, mainly, other males while the teenybop performers would be using their softer side to appeal to a largely female audience. The main problem with looking at artists in this way is that it rather simplifies the categories and some performers, such as Gary Numan, do not fit neatly into one form or the other. There is also the fact that there are a number of acts who are not heterosexual at all and it would be difficult to apply the same theories in these cases.
In 1978, Gary Numan released his first recordings under the band name of Tubeway Army. At this time, punk was very popular in the UK, and these early songs took on the style and image that was associated with it. One example of this that would appear to put Numan firmly into the cock rock category was the second single B-side, "Blue Eyes". There is a definite aggressive quality to the song with its fast beat and heavy guitars. In addition to this, the lyrics of the song reinforce his position: "Well you're pretty quick to say you love me, but I've met your kind before, so I took you twice on our first night…"(Numan, 1978a). This can be interpreted as saying, "I am a man. I am in control. I am superior." But, it was not long after this that the first Tubeway Army album was available and that contained some very different messages. One track, "Jo The Waiter" has an entirely different musical style, starting off sounding rather sad, almost ballad-like, with only an acoustic guitar being slowly strummed to accompany Numan's vocals for the first verse. This is hardly the "…aggressive expression of male sexuality…"(Frith and McRobbie, 1990) that the first example was, particularly when the lyrics are examined again: "Jo the waiter held me close behind the door marked 'gentlemen', just for now that's all I need, won't someone call me friend." (Numan, 1978b). There are now quite obvious references to homosexuality within his music and another song from the same album, "Friends", implies that he may have been a male homosexual prostitute. It is possible that this could be one of the earliest ways in which Numan has negotiated his sexuality. By putting in startlingly opposite definitions of himself, he was, it could be argued, simply trying to generate more interest from a wider group of the public. Peoples sex lives have always held more appeal if there is something out of the ordinary associated with them. Sheryl Garratt (1984) said "We live in a world where sex has become a commodity…"(p400) and later, on the subject of what women look for in performers, "Androgyny is what they want: men they can…identify with, as well as well as drool over… A touch of homosexuality seems to enhance a male star's popularity with women…" (p402).
Another aspect of Numan's sexuality can be observed on this album in the track "Everyday I Die". Ideas have been put forward that, in rock, the guitar is often a phallic symbol and "…the masturbatory symbolism of guitar playing is not without significance. It is hardly surprising that the ideal-typical male identity displays an element of self-doubt and self-pity." (Shepherd, 1991, p 168). This particular song exemplifies this to the point of being almost explicit. It has an almost seedy sound to it and Numan sings about his needs and lack of sexual fulfillment.

The problems of need, I need you. Obscene dreams in rusty beds. No one came here tonight. I pulled on me I need to.
I unstick pages and read, I look at pictures of you
I smell the lust in my hand, Everyday I die. (Numan, 1978c)

In 1979, Tubeway Army had their first major success with the song "Are 'Friends' Electric?" which reached number one in the UK single charts. The album that spawned it, "Replicas", soon followed it to become number one in the UK album charts. A change in musical direction was even more apparent on these new songs as Numan had discovered the synthesizer and rearranged the music he wrote to accommodate the new technology. He also altered his image, appearing on the album cover with almost white, bleached hair, heavy make-up and lipstick, and black nail varnish. This was his sci-fi concept album and he once again drew on sexual experiences in many songs. "Are 'Friends' Electric?" could almost be considered teenybop, at least in half of it. The song was originally two songs that were brought together before either was finished (Numan, 1997) and the second one was a ballad about his experiences with two girls that had left him emotionally let down. Frith and McRobbie's definition of the teenybop pop star is as follows; "The teenybop idol's image is based on self-pity, vulnerability, and need… Lyrically his songs are about being let down and stood up, about loneliness and frustration; musically his form is a blend of pop ballad and soft rock" (1990, p375), which would seem to sum up the song entirely. Other songs on the album again introduce the homosexual/bisexual aspect from previous works but have, perhaps, an even stronger impact given the strong photographic images. Indeed, image was to become one of Numan's trademarks over the following years. With each year that passed there would be a new album, each of which would have a different musical style along with a transformed Numan on the cover. The references to homosexuality almost completely disappeared once Numan became famous and with this in mind there is a strong argument that it was simply a way of gaining attention and so selling more records. He did however continue to write songs with sexual lyrics and feelings in them and does so right up to the present day. There are songs that so obviously fit into the cock rock category that it is inconceivable that they could be anything else, for example, "Berserker" (1984) with its choppy, rhythmic bass patterns, massive, echoing tom drums and aggressive guitars. Also, "I Can't Stop" (1986), which was lyrically about his struggle to stay in the music business after his initial success had died off, is a very sexually charged song again using thunderous drums and heavy guitar solos. This is particularly apparent when the video for the song is watched. Numan is now very definitely a heterosexual male, using the "phallic" guitar as he plays in a club watched by his incredibly beautiful girlfriend, intercut with scenes of him flying around in his Second World War fighter plane whilst she sits watching on the bonnet of his shiny sports car. There have also been many more ballads over the years with him relying heavily on the saxophone and soft, sweeping synthesizers to build an atmosphere of sadness or despair, "This Is Love" (1986) and "Heart" (1991) to name but two.

To conclude then, it seems that Gary Numan is an artist who has perhaps recognised the interest that the public has in the sexuality of pop stars and has used this in his songwriting, images and performances. He cannot be seen to fit into only one category of "cock rocker" or "teenybopper" as his music suggests he has been both and, at times, been neither.
In his autobiography, Numan admits that in "Jo The Waiter" he "…deliberately suggests that Jo is a man"(1997, p52) even though it is really about the girl who was his first love. He also goes on to say "A lot of the stuff I wrote was sexually misleading."(p52), which is as good an indication as any that this conclusion is the correct one.
Numan is not homosexual. Neither is he, as could be suggested in his latest album's title track "Pure", a pedophile that murders his victims. He is simply an artist who uses his own sexual experiences, as well as those of other people, to add interest to his music.

Bibliography

Frith, S. & McRobbie, A. (1990). "Rock And Sexuality", in Frith, S. and Goodwin, A. (eds.), On Record, London, Routledge, pp. 371-389
Frith, S. (1990). "Afterthoughts", in Frith, S. and Goodwin, A. (eds.), On Record, London, Routledge, pp. 419-424
Garratt, S. (1990). "Teenage Dreams", in Frith, S. and Goodwin, A. (eds.), On Record, London, Routledge, pp. 399-409
Longhurst, B. (1995). Popular Music & Society, Cambridge, Polity Press in association with Blackwell Publishers Ltd.
Negus, K. (1996). Popular Music In Theory - An Introduction, Cambridge, Blackwell Publishers Ltd. Numan, G. (1997). Praying To The Aliens, London, Andre Deutsch Limited.
Seidler, V.J. (1989). Rediscovering Masculinity, London, Routledge.
Shepherd, J. (1991). Music As Social Text, Cambridge, Polity Press and Basil Blackwell Inc.

Lyrics from recordings
Numan, G. (1978a) Blue Eyes, London, Beggars Banquet.
(1978b) Jo the Waiter, London, Beggars Banquet.
(1978c) Everyday I Die, London, Beggars Banquet.