A Tale of Two Cars (rewritten)

Of all the so-called "New Wave" artists, Gary Numan was one of the quirkiest of them all and a big fave. He had a monster hit, and rightly so, with a tune called "Cars." It was a stripped-down, funky, danceable, rockin' tune. It had a catchy synth line, and a percussion effect that's still one of my favorites. It has a sound like a cross between a whipcrack, handclaps and a gunshot. It's on the last beat of every bar in the "chorus" as it were and on every-other beat in the verse.
 It really brings out the backbeat and powers the song along. You could listen to it now and say it was "dated," but I think it stands the test of time as well as anything. I could listen to it every day. "Here in my car, I just don't know where I are, should not have stayed at that bar, might get my ass pulled over in Cars...da-doop, WHAP! Sha-doop, da-doop, WHAP!" No, not really...I can't remember the lyrics just this very second.

 Imagine my surprise when I found out that Nine Inch Nails covered it, and that Gary was standing-in and playing keys on some of their shows, and it was on YouTube. I couldn't click fast enough. Oh, HELL yeah. The ultra-bright white stage lights that accompanied the aforementioned electronic backbeat really drove it home visually, but I was immediately struck by the sheer power of this song. Reznor doesn't fuck around. Neither did Gary.
 I thought Gary Numan looked like a million bucks, especially considering he's been around since Day 1 of MTV, at least. I always suspected he might be a robot anyway, and he did little to discourage that idea during his earlier career. Bonus points for the whiteface thing. Seeing him with NIN he didn't look a damn day older, at least from a distance. He looks healthier. A music video can make your day. Maybe he's a clone...
 I was also exposed to a monster drummer- Ilan Rubin. His energy caught my attention in about two seconds. The way he moves his body and reaches his sticks to the sky and slams his drums like someone tearing down the Berlin Wall or whatever is what the backbeat is all about. Ordinarily I'd say he was purely wasting energy, but in this case, where the backbeat is so strong and is actually the hook of the song, it should be emphasized with everything you've got. I'm right there with him on that. It's how it should be. I checked more into Ilan and found to my great delight that he's one of those rare drummers who could blow your mind with chops, but instead plays for the SONG. He sounds like a basic meat-and-potatoes drummer most of the time but he's anything but. He does do drum solos occasionally and he manages to hold your attention.
 Good ol' Gary Numan. He'a a character. Good ol' Nine Inch Nails. They're characters. They may be satanic, but so is about every other band in the mainstream. It's a shame but it is what it is. Maybe that's why the backbeat is so powerful. Rock & Roll is the "Devil's music." Yep. Such is life. Rock on.

"Cars" by Gary Numan, with official video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Im3JzxlatUs

Live, with NIN: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6qlUFKFHNIU