Lorraine Wylie

Painfully shy and suffering a bad bout of acne, 20-year-old Gary Numan seemed an unlikely star. Critics didn’t do much for his confidence when they sneered at his music and labelled his performance wooden. But audiences loved him. In a music industry hungry for change, Numan’s distinctive voice, unique sound and android-like persona sated the appetite for an alternative to mainstream monotony.

Today, 40 years later, the techno-pop pioneer is still playing to packed venues around the world. Following a successful tour in America, he’s already gearing up for the next performance, which just happens to be in Glasgow, a city close to his heart. Taking a break from a busy schedule, Numan, was in reminiscent mood as he looked back over his career sharing the highlights, including the moment when an unexpected birthday surprise reduced him to tears.

“The first major concert I ever played was in Glasgow in 1979 so, you could say, my entire touring career began there,” he begins. “We played at the Apollo, which apparently was haunted. Sadly, it's since been knocked down.

"I’ve very fond memories of Scotland. In fact, one of the best whale watching trips I’ve ever been on was on a boat out of Dervaig on the isle of Mull. We went another from Tobermory a couple of years later. Come to think of it, when we lived in the UK, our family probably spent most of our time in Scotland. I love the place, it’s absolutely beautiful.”

In the same year they played the Apollo, Numan and his Tubeway Army found success with their single Are Friends Electric as well as its parent album, Replicas. A few months later, Cars, considered his most enduring song, went to the top of the charts in both the UK and Canada while settling at a respectable number nine in the States. The following year, in 1980, Numan decided to include it in his album The Pleasure Principle. Many artists find it difficult to choose a favourite piece of work but the singer has no such hesitation.

“I’d have to say, the latest one, Savage is my favourite,’ he admits. “I honestly think that, at the moment, my song writing is as good as its ever been. To see an album so uncompromising do so well in the charts was incredibly exciting and emotional. Played live, the Savage songs are very powerful and definitely the most exciting moments of the set. For me anyway."

Maturity may have sharpened his creative edge but has it mellowed the crippling shyness that blighted Numan’s early years?

“I have a mild form of Asperger’s Syndrome which has always made small talk difficult,” he says. “I tend to fixate on things and take them to the extreme. I don’t mean obsessive in the way my wife is about housework. But if something interests me I have to know everything about it. For example when I was into planes and air display flying, I wasn’t happy with simply taking part. I had to become a qualified examiner. Same thing happened with boats, I simply had to know everything there was to know about them. On the whole, I think having Asperger’s is a good thing, it has given me a slightly different perspective on life and I wouldn’t wish it away. It can make social settings feel awkward but I have Gemma to help me with that.”

Gemma, his wife of 25 years, is his most loyal fan. In fact, the couple first met when Gemma’s father arranged for the schoolgirl to meet her idol and get his autograph. Although it wasn’t until years later, when her mother passed away and Gary rang to ask how she was coping, that they finally started dating. Today, the couple are happily married with three daughters.

“We’re very close and work well together but we’ve certainly had some tough times,” he shares. “Depression is bad enough when one partner is suffering but when both are going through it at the same time, only the strongest relationship can survive. At one point, we were under a lot of emotional stress.

"We spent seven years trying for a child, we also had to deal with the trauma of losing our baby. Then Gemma was struggling with post-natal depression. Just when it seemed things couldn’t get worse, I also became depressed. I think one of the best coping mechanisms is to write down what you like about your other half. Remember all the lovely things that made you fall in love with them. If you can get back to that point, you’ll be alright.”

With the help of IVF, the couple finally became parents.

“We were ecstatic when our daughter Raven was born,” he says. “We’d been told we couldn’t have children and simply assumed we’d need more IVF to have another baby. So when our second girl, Persia, arrived, it was a complete surprise. As for Echo, baby number three, well, I’ve no excuse. I can’t blame her on our ignorance of the facts. I think we were just lazy.”

Having struggled to have children, spending time with his family is always a priority. “The last time we played in Glasgow we had the children with us so when we had a day off we all went to a converted castle hotel just outside the city. We stayed the night there instead of sleeping on the tour bus. I loved that place, it was absolutely beautiful. Great memories.”

No doubt the biggest milestone of 2018 was Numan’s 60th birthday. “I dreaded being 60!” he laughs. “My birthday coincided with the tour in Belgium and I remember that morning waking up and feeling miserable. I just wasn’t comfortable with a 60th birthday. I don’t know why but I started thinking things, like I’ve been with my wife Gemma for 25 years and it feels like no time at all so if the next 25 go in as fast, I’ll be 85 before I realize it.

"Apparently, there is a scientific explanation as to why time seems to speed up but I can't remember what it is! Anyway, the actual day turned out to be amazing. The fans all sang happy birthday, the children had secretly filmed messages for me and they came up on the big video wall behind me, then the children came on too and I just cried! I had the cake and everything. They even decorated the bus with bunting, it was like a big party bus, just wonderful. It was a brilliant day. But then, of course, next morning I woke up and I was still 60!”

With four decades of experience, has he any advice for other young hopefuls?

“Advice is a funny thing. What works for me may not work for anyone else. So the best advice I can give to anyone wanting a career in music is to ignore advice. Know what you want to achieve, have faith in what you’re doing, in your own music and don’t let people and all their ‘advice’ sway you from your path.”

Back in January, when I interviewed the star, he hinted at ‘projects on the horizon’ but wouldn’t go into detail. Now, despite my best attempts, Numan won’t be drawn into discussing his plans.

“I’m saying nothing,” he chuckles. “I hate all the secrecy and I don’t want to sound pretentious or anything but I really can’t talk about it at this stage. I don’t want to jinks anything!”

Fans will be wondering if he’s found a new sound or perhaps it’s another passion. He’s done planes and boats. Maybe this time, its Cars. Watch this space!

Gary Numan plays Glasgow Royal Concert Hall on Tuesday, Nov 20