Gary Numan Answers YOUR Questions

As well as celebrating his 50th Birthday just last week, 2008 has heralded another major landmark for Gary Numan – his 30th year in music. To mark the occasion, we at Gigwise decided to let Gary’s faithful fans pose their questions to the great man himself. Of the hundreds that came through, a final 20 were whittled down for Gary to answer in person,  and here they are:

1. Almighty Gary,
Back in the mid-eighties, I believe NME or some such magazine named you Wanker of the Year....Do you feel vindicated, being one of the most influential musicians of our era?
-Colleen Underwood
Kutztown, PA
Gary Numan: "I don't think of it that way at all. In the 80's some journalists thought I was a wanker, and I might have been, today another generation of journalists think I'm influential, and they might be right. I'm glad that I'm seen in a far more favourable and positive light these days but I don't feel vindicated in any way. I haven't lived through the last 25 - 30 years with a chip on my shoulder or felt that I was badly treated in any way. In many respects, although the press back in the 80's was quite hostile, I could have handled things better and so I accept much of the blame for that bad situation."

2. I'm only 17 and listening to your material loads, even though some people raise eyebrows that I listen to '80s new wave. I wanted to know in your own words what you think it is about your music that makes it so enjoyable for your long-time fans and younger audiences like myself?
Thanks for the music, see you on the 14th in Southampton!
- Sam North
Gary Numan: "If it's 80's new wave you are listening to I can't really help you. I don't much like it myself. Personally I was glad to see the back of the 80's. I think my best music was 1979 - 1980 and then from 1994 onwards. I couldn't really say why some people prefer that 80' stuff, it's a genuine mystery to me."

3. Gary I’m going bald and girls run away when I want to kiss them. What do you think I should do?
- Jack
Gary Numan: "Have a wank and leave the girls alone until you can afford a hair transplant."

4. I want to thank you for saving my life. At the time when ‘Replicas’ came out, I was at a very bad time in my life and was thinking that it just wasn't worth it anymore. When I picked up that album, it gave me hope. It allowed me to feel the surface coldness and numbness that was there but it still had a very emotional and hopeful feeling lying underneath. That combination allowed me to realize that I wasn't alone and that you could put on the novocaine long enough to heal. It is something that has been a constant in your music, regardless of the changing that you have gone thru. Thank you.
My question is that you have had a constant theme of anti-god or anti-religion in your music for sometime. Is it anti-god or anti-religion that you feel?
- Alan Malmstrom
  Florida USA
p.s. congratulations on such a beautiful wife! Damn good job!!!
Gary Numan: "I'm not anti God at all. I would need to believe there was a God to be anti it. I do not like religion it's true to say although my problem is, if anything, more to do with the individual faith than religion."

5. Me and my friend are going to see you on the 8th of March, which is your birthday. We've planning to give you a cake for ages, as we're really excited. Would you like us to give you a cake?
- Josh Flynn
Gary Numan: "I only eat Angel layer cake so, if that's what you have, thank you very much. If not, and you're okay with it, I'll share it with the band and crew. Whatever it is, thank you very much."

6. Hiya Gary, still a musical genius after all these years, we luv ya! My question is, what do you think about tribute bands, and especially the few Numan tribute bands that have been/are around today? Do you feel flattered by the fact that people want to keep your music alive in pub gigs in between your tours and hopefully ignite interest in people who may come and see you out of curiosity?
- Wend
Gary Numan: "I'm very flattered that Numan tribute bands exist but I'm not entirely convinced that they raise too much public interest. I can go on TV and be seen by millions and not really notice any upsurge in public interest so I'm not too sure that a Numan tribute band playing at a local pub is making that much of a difference. But that's not the point. I'm genuinely blown away that people put so much time and effort into getting these tribute bands together and playing their gigs. It's an honour that they feel that connected, and that supportive."

7. Hi Gary...I have been a big fan of yours since the 80s. I noticed you changed your sound. More harder, funkier...what made you go that route? Most musicians, as they get older tone it down.
- Julie
Gary Numan: "In 1994 I realised I had been writing songs for a number of years that were designed to keep my career alive and that I had lost my way creatively. I changed from that moment on and went back to writing things that I loved and felt passionate about. As soon as I did that the music was harder, more aggressive and I haven't looked back since."

8. This is Cindee Kay from Sacramento, California USA. I have one more question that is a little more "personal." 
I hear you really like your sex, how often do you get to have it?  And are you dirty in bed?  Are you a face man?  Ass man?  Or boob man? 
HOPE this didn't offend Gary, I mean no disrespect, just curious :P 
- Cindee
Gary Numan: "Whenever I want, with a beautiful woman who never says no. I don't know if you would consider me dirty in bed or not and I have to say that my interests go far beyond being a 'face man' or a 'boob man'. Until I met Gemma I lived the single mans dream to the full. I was successful, had money, wasn't ugly and so things were easy and plentiful. Since Gemma I haven’t even looked longingly at another woman. Can you even begin to imagine how good she must be?"

9. Your first ever record was released on 10 February 1978. If you could go back in time to meet yourself on that day, what advice would you give to yourself?
- Warren Farr
Gary Numan: "So much to say. I was totally unprepared for almost every part of what was to come and handled much of it very badly. I would warn myself about what was coming, what to enjoy, what to avoid. How to stay calm, how to rise above certain things. What things really matter and what doesn't. Who you can trust, who will shit all over you. It would take weeks probably. Most importantly of all I would tell myself not to forget to enjoy it. Not to be too busy trying to make sense of it all that I don't miss all the great  moments. I would dearly love to live through that again with an older head."

10. Hello Gary,
Your music has been used quite a lot in advertising. Do you feel that these ad's, when they appear, are good or bad for your profile?
-Harvey Dykes
Cornwall
Gary Numan: "I think getting music on ad's is great for profile. I don't own all my own music so I honestly don't know if I could stop someone from using a Numan song owned by another publisher but I'm sure `I could with songs I own myself. So far it's not been a problem though. I haven't wanted to stop anything."