Gary Numan - This Wreckage explained | Electric Friends Podcast

First released: 18th Feb 2023
"Turn out these eyes, Wipe off my face, Erase me"
For this episode, I look back at the Telekon single 'This Wreckage' from 1980. In the episode, I delve into:
Why #GaryNuman regretted choosing it as a single
The meaning behind some of its Japanese lyrics
How it was sampled by a classic 2000s dance track
Its beautiful B-side 'Photograph'
What his fans think about the divisive single
Clips used:
Gary Numan - 'This Wreckage'
Gary Numan - 'Photograph'
Basement Jaxx - 'Where's Your Head At?'
Gary Numan - (R)Evolution (audiobook)

[@IamaNumanoid-km5jq]

I LOVE this song! One of my favourites!

[@pinkchilldivestmentor]

Good job. Telekon is my favorite GN album. This Wreckage is a proud bold chill song.

[@damrat]

Items like this remind me how much I would have loved to have experienced the British airwaves in the late 70’s and early 80’s. I can’t even imagine songs like I Die: You Die, We Are Glass or This Wreckage being broadcast on American radio. Our pop mix in the U.S. was so bland in comparison. The lengths I had to go to find Gary Numan’s music past Telekon in my neck of the American woods was incredible.

[@LucySims1968]

Brilliant stuff. Telekon is a superb album and is so dark. Listening to it in the silent blackness under headphones iis an experience. Photograph is a stunning B side to This Wreckage, plus Trois Gymnopedies was the B side to I Die You Die (Am I right??) I wore my Telekon t-shirt to Wembley a couple of years ago and got nods, just shows us Numanoids remember the classics! We're on, Joy Citcuit, the image fix. Rewind cry well it's somewhere to go!!

[@user-ss7gx5rw9u]

Hindsight is a great thing and maybe remind me to smile or I'm an agent should have been singles instead but I still love it anyway.

[@prokesuk]

Whether or not it was a good choice for a single it was incredible as the song used to open the Teletour shows. Blew my young self away.

[@scatton61]

I was a night club DJ at the time and although I liked it, it was not a good dance record. To be honest it wasn't until I saw Gary perform this live that I appreciated how good it is.

[@CONSIDERABLYMORE1]

A brilliant song, with a brilliant groove. As we see today, time and again, with the right promotion, you can get a turd to No.1. There was fuck all promotion for the album or the song.

[@elektrenai219]

Iconic ..Crap choice of single.