Like a B-Film

If you'd like to buy Electric Friends merch including stickers, T-shirts, mugs and more, please head to https://electric-friends.printify.me/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.