Top 25 Gary Numan Quotes

Ultravox were the blueprint for what I wanted to do, but I stumbled across them by accident.

When I was 11 I became a massive fan of The Monkees. We had a so-called ‘band’ of kids on my street and we’d go along to people’s houses and mime to Monkees records.

I much prefer touring to anything else. Studio work is great, and can be hugely satisfying, but live work has the excitement and the lifestyle that I love.

I have a condition called Aspergers Syndrome, which is like a mild form of autism It means I don’t interact properly in certain social situations.

I am very old-fashioned about marriage. It is for life and I mean it. I always knew that when I met the right girl, the life I had before – being single, in a band, girls everywhere – would be over.

I’m hopeless at small talk and have a problem making eye contact.

Fame came quickly. I was only 19 when I secured my initial recording contract and my first two hit records – ‘Are ‘Friends’ Electric?’ and ‘Cars’ – were number ones.

I collect fantasy swords, replicas from films, and have them displayed on the wall as you go up the stairs.

I sometimes wonder if I might be a bit of a disappointment to people, because they are expecting all these ’80s hits and what they get is a dark industrial wall of noise.

I don’t believe in sharing my money. If I go out and work my nuts off and make some money, I don’t feel that I should have to share it with my community.

I’d see an old person on the street and start crying. I couldn’t understand how people could cope, knowing they only had so long left. It would be like dominoes and then the last one fell and I’m a little heap on the floor. Doctors put me on anti-depressants for a couple of years.

Any time anyone says anything nice about me, whether it’s Lady Gaga or your neighbor, it’s a nice feeling, I’m very grateful for it. It’s very helpful for your career. Every time someone says something complimentary it introduces you to their audience. It gives you credibility.

I genuinely don’t know how many albums I’m going to sell when the new album comes out, because I honestly don’t know how many fans I’ve actually got at the moment.

The idea of collaborating with anyone else was quite daunting. If Battles had any trepidation in asking me, I can assure you I had more after agreeing to do it.

My dad was a baggage handler at Heathrow and careful with money. He worked hard and had three jobs when I was young. I wish I’d inherited his care for money. Sadly, I’ve grown up to be rather scatty when it comes to finances.

I’m very into science-fantasy, that kind of swordfights and magic and technology thing.

Before breaking into music, I had various jobs: forklift driver, driving a courier. But I was forced into working rather than doing it off my own bat because that was my dad’s way: you got a job and paid your way.

I got involved in music because I love everything about it, but now I’m in it you see the other side and it isn’t much fun. Not as glamorous and enjoyable as you imagine.

I think if you are creative then it’s an unstoppable thing. It just keeps coming throughout your entire life.

Being a display pilot is probably the thing I’ve been most proud of in my life. Don’t really fly anymore now though. I have three small children and as most of my friends were killed in different accidents, I realised that it was probably just a matter of time before I went that way.

I think any song should sound good just played on a solitary instrument with the vocal. If you have those basics you have all you need. The production then just polishes that idea into the finished thing.

‘Are ‘Friends’ Electric?’ was two songs: the verse part and the talking part. Two different songs I couldn’t finish. One day I was playing the main verse part of ‘Are ‘Friends’ Electric?’ and after a few minutes I got frustrated, as normal, then started to play the other song, and realized they went together.

I would never take part in one of those Eighties nostalgia tours, although I’ve been asked many times, because it’s like admitting you have nothing new to offer. As long as I can keep making music I’m happy with, and people want to come to my gigs to hear it, I’ll carry on.

If you’ve been massive and it’s all slid away, you tend to get written off. It’s quite difficult to overcome that, which is why I’ve got this problem with nostalgia.

I’ve spent a lot of time in the United States and I’m not under any illusions that it’s a crime-free nirvana. I’m well aware it has plenty of problems, though they seem to be associated with particular areas.