Space Music: Gary Numan, Asperger Syndrome and Roswell Return

Robert Lamb also co-hosts the "Stuff to Blow Your Mind" podcast and blog.

Numan emerges in his 80s stage car. (Peter Still/Redferns /Getty Images)

Several bits of cool space music entered the atmosphere this week. So pop on those headphones, slide into your favorite void suit and prepare to drift off into the wild black yonder.

First up, Fortean Times has a fantastic interview with British electronic music pioneer Gary Numan, famous for such hits as "Cars" and "Are 'friends' electric?" Mighty Boosh fans may also remember that he has a pilot license.

At any rate, the FT interview is loaded with cool insight into Numan's early sci-fi influences, his fascination with alien abduction experiences and how Asperger Syndrome has affected his work. Here's a taste:

FT:  How does your Asperger’s affect your creative work? Some people have argued that autism is linked to synesthesia. Have you ever experienced anything that would make you think you might be synesthesic?

GN:  No. All it means to me is that I sometimes annoy people and have no idea why; that I have a disturbing ability to detach emotion; that I have a ridiculous degree of focus, and that I have obsessive tendencies. Three of those four things are actually quite useful when it comes to a career in music, so I don’t see Asperger’s as a handicap in any way at all, far from it. I see it, overall, as a positive advantage. The one other thing it means to me is a crippling inability to interact socially with other human beings and that can be, and usually is, a real pain.

The complete interview is well worth the read and you can find it right here.

As for other cool space music happenings this week, the BodyTonic Podcast has this wonderful ambient mix from the Dutch electronic artist Roswell Return, who drops his own work in with the likes of Aphex Twin, Clark, Burial, Mogwai and even a few dreamy Cylon samples from "Battlestar Galactica."

Plus, the folks at Space.com put together The Astronaut's Playlist: Groovy Songs for Space Travelers, which is worth a look. I'll be honest: If I have to hear "Black Hole Sun" one more time, I'd probably make a dash for the air lock. But there's some good stuff on here too. I might have to slap together my own list at some point.

Oh, and if you're in Austin, TX for SXSW this week, drop by and Julie Douglas and me for our live Stuff to Blow Your Mind event! Details here.

Originally posted at HSW: Space Music: Gary Numan, Asperser Syndrome and Roswell Return

Skull still intact? Follow Stuff to Blow Your Mind on Twitter and Facebook.