Pixelsurgeon: How does it feel to be back in vogue again, with the Sugarbabes sampling Are Friends Electric, Basement Jaxx raiding your back catalogue for Where's Your Head At and We Are England, and of course your new single RIP?

Gary: It's all very flattering to be covered and sampled by other artists, especially when they do well in the chart. It's been going on for about 6 or 7 years now. Marilyn Manson was one of the first which was very cool, then other people like Nine Inch Nails, Foo Fighters, Fear Factory, Moloko, Damon Albarn, Beck. I think about 60 different bands have covered my stuff or sampled it in the last few years now. It's quite hard to take in to be honest. The most exciting part of it all though has been the current success of Rip on Kerrang TV. To have this video go to Number 1 in their chart and stay in the Top 10 for over two months has been an incredibly morale boosting experience. The week the Sugababes went to Number 1, with the Are Friends Electric sample, so Rip also went to Number 1 in the Kerrang chart. So I had, kind of, two singles with 24 years between them both Number 1 at the same time. I think I smiled for a week, even in my sleep. I couldn't believe that things had changed so much. Not that long ago my career was pretty much over, or so it seemed.

Presumably Sugarbabes and Basement Jaxx will be making welcome additions to your aviation fund. Are finding much time to fly these days?

The career started to pick up, slowly but surely, a few years ago. I grabbed that opportunity with both hands and the time spent flying was the first distraction to go. I only fly enough now to stay current. I will go back to it in the future though when all this dies down again.

Who would you love to sample or remix you? Do you have any dream collaborations you'd love to do?

Nine Inch Nails are my favourite band and they've already covered one of mine so no-one in particular comes to mind. I did just do a co-write on a song with Junkie XL for his new album and that was a great experience. He remixed the Fear Factory cover of my Cars song a few years ago which was excellent.

How was your trip to Mexico? Did you find any inspiration from there?

Mexico was cool. Well actually it was seriously hot but you know what I mean. I did find some inspiration there actually but not for music. I finally made a serious dent in my novel which I've been trying to get underway for some time now.

I read in one of your interviews that there is a DVD that follows the making of your latest Album. How is that coming along?

I have two DVD projects underway. One is a behind the scenes look at the making of the Rip video, the other is an in concert film from the last two shows we played in April in Manchester and London. They are coming along very slowly if I'm honest. The success of the Sugababes and Rip, the release of the Exposure compilation album, all the promo work for those things plus the Junkie XL track, other recordings for TV ads in America and what seems like a thousand and one other projects make progress on the DVD's quite slow. Not enough hours in the day.

Why is it do you think that you've maintained your cool factor, while many of your contemporaries have been forced into embarrassing 80s comeback tours?

I don't really like comparing myself to other artists. I'm not trying to be awkward and avoid the question but we all do things because of the circumstances we find ourselves in. I'm sure they have done what they thought was best. I just think they were wrong mostly. For my part I was convinced that if I was to be taken seriously as an ongoing, viable act in this day and age I had to do my best to get away from the 80's tag. Strangely enough my biggest success was in the late 70's but I still seemed to get pulled into any mention of the 80's. I took a massive gamble. My music became very heavy, very aggressive and not radio friendly at all. This was considered commercial suicide by many, which is probably true. I refused to take part in any 80's shows, be they TV or radio. I refused all TV opportunities if they had any kind of nostalgia element to them. In short I played down my entire history, even the most successful parts, to try and focus attention on what I was doing now. I refused all the 80's tours that were offered, even when I desperately needed the money because I was virtually bankrupt in the early 90's! I reasoned that I couldn't expect a new, and arguably younger, audience to accept me in any shape or form if I was constantly trying to remind people of what I used to do when I was more successful. That strategy reeks of desperation. That's why I think retro tours are the kiss of death. It's like a public admission that you have nothing new to offer. I avoided them like the plague. I avoided all things '80's' like the plague actually. I don't know if my way of handling my career was the thing that made the difference. Most likely it was just one factor in many things that have helped me to recover when others haven't.

Do you find it frustrating that people imagine you faded from the music scene, when in fact you've consistently put out albums throughout your whole career? Is your current chart success vindication for those years you've put in?

It has been very frustrating at times yes. Even now, some people think I'm using the Sugababes as a comeback vehicle. In truth I've put out about 18 albums over the last two decades plus a whole heap of singles and live albums and I've toured virtually every year since 1979. Still, it's my job to let people know that I make music, not the public's job to track me down. Therefore, the fault is mine and nobody else's. I've done a very bad job of promoting myself over the years. I don't see the current success as vindication for those harder years. My problems were more my own making than anybody else's. I don't feel vindicated, I feel very lucky.

You look like you're having a great time thrashing your guitar on stage. Do you prefer playing live or the studio?

Being on stage is, by far, the best bit about being a musician. I love it. Studio work is a very different thing. It's long, drawn out and most often very lonely work. And very stressful when you work alone as I do. Trying to come up with new things, sounds, techniques, whatever, year after year isn't easy. Live work is so immediate and exciting.

Looking back on your career so far, what have been the highlights?

Getting to Number 1 is great obviously. Playing at places as big as Wembley. But the most satisfying period I've ever had is now. To survive and see the career pick up after being all but dead and buried for so long has been the biggest highlight of them all.

Is it true that you interrupted sex with a groupie to stand to attention during the National Anthem?

Absolutely. I stood rigidly to attention, in every possible way. Nothing is too much trouble for her Royal Majness

You seem to keep up with technology by creating your own web site and messing around with DV. Have you always been interested in technology and has this had an influence on your music?

I think my interest in technology has been the defining influence on my music. It was my love of technology that turned me on to music in the first place, when I was very young, and then turned me on to synths when I first went into a studio. I love technology.

Is it satisfying to get new fans that are attracted by your new rockier stuff who've never even heard of your Pleasure Principal era tunes like Cars?

More than you can possibly imagine. It's all wrapped up in the way I see nostalgia, I hate nostalgia, and so new people getting in to me through new songs is so incredibly satisfying. If I had my way I would start again with every album and not play anything that had come before. My loyalty to existing fans would always stop me doing that though. But I would like to. I'm interested in now, very interested in tomorrow, not interested AT ALL in yesterday. I've had people suggest that I now re-release my original Are Friends Electric to 'cash in' on the Sugababes success. I can't think of any career move I could possibly make that would be more desperate or disgusting than that.

How important is your online presence in keeping in contact with your fans?

My NuWorld web site has been a vital link to my fans around the world. For many it's the only real contact they have with what's going on in the Numan world. The internet has made a phenomenal difference, most of it good, but not all. I work very hard running the web site and trying to keep it as up to date and interesting as possible. NuWorld is extremely important to me. I run it single handed and I'm very proud of the site. Last year we had just over 1.2 million visits. In 1995, after it's first full year, we had just 35,000, so things have improved a lot.


Interview: Rina Cheung © 2002 Pixelsurgeon
Thanks to Michael Gently