Iconic UK new wave artist Gary Numan ushered in an entirely new form of electronic synth music with 1979's "Cars." While the sound would go on to define much of the next decade, the breakout smash came to Numan in mere minutes -- after nearly being attacked by thugs in his own vehicle. Yet Newman's artistic and personal journey has not been for the faint of heart, characterized by massive highs (his immediate superstardom with "Cars") and equally massive lows (struggles with not only recalibrating his music over server decades, but also his personal demons).

In this second episode of The Story Behind the Song podcast, host Peter Csathy interviews Gary Numan about all of this as the pair discuss the hypnotic classic "Cars." As always on TSBTS, the guest musician also reveals the story behind one of their personal favorite tracks from their own catalog; Numan chooses “The Gift,” a song off his most recent album, Intruder, which was released earlier this year to largely effusive reviews.

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Theme music courtesy of Juan Pieczanski.