‘Numanoid’ Tim Hughes catches up with his synth-pop pioneering hero Gary Numan who gives his perspective on 35 years of groundbreaking music

STRANGE, unearthly, and robotic when he emerged on to an unsuspecting music scene enamoured with frivolous glam rock and attitude-laden punk, Gary Numan barely seemed human.

But behind the banks of electronics and the enigmatic persona is a man who is aware of his place in music history – an artist who has influenced generations of musicians.

“Musically I’m considered to be innovative and a pioneer of electronic music,” he tells me. “I’ve had my songs covered by some of the best bands in the world, which I’m proud of.”

It is 35 years since the release of his debut Tubeway Army, which was followed by his seminal number one albums Replicas and The Pleasure Principal, featuring, respectively, the synth-pop classics Are Friends Electric? and Cars. Since then Gary’s career has swung through highs and lows.

He is now solidly back, however, and with possibly the best album of his career – one which shows the sensitive side of this man formerly cloaked in alien mystique.

“The new Splinter album is emotional. It deals with heavy things I went through over the last few years,” he says, from his tour bus en route to a gig.

“It is dark, heavy in places, haunting and pretty in others. It’s been talked about in the media, and among fans, as one of the best albums I’ve made, so I’m happy with that.”

To what extent is it a continuation of the music he was making when he started out? “When you consider that Replicas came out 34 years ago, it would be hard for me to convince anyone that Splinter is a continuation of anything I did in that era,” he says. “I’ve made 17 albums since then. It is made by the same man though, so there will always be strands of my personality running through any album I make.”

And how does his stage persona differ from the real man? “It’s another part of me,” he says. “It’s not an act but a part of me that only comes out on stage. Being on stage is an unusual environment and it allows me to bring out the alternative version of the person I am most of the time.

“I have a very unusual job, which is not easy for a shy person, so I’ve developed mechanisms to deal with it.

“Stage fright is rare for me. It was worse when I was younger. That’s why I created images. I used to hide behind them.”

The native Londoner, born Gary Webb, was inspired to take his first steps in music by the gift of an electric guitar from his father when he was 15. The young Gary tried his hand at many things from fork lift driver to office clerk, before settling on his chosen career as electronic music pioneer – fronting the band Tubeway Army (with his drumming uncle Jess Lidyard, and respected bass player the late Paul Gardiner), before striking out alone.

So what inspired him to play electronic music when guitar bands were the norm?

“I literally stumbled across a synth in a studio in 1978 and the noises it made blew me away,” he says. “I was more interested in sound creation than playing technique so I was made for electronic music.”

He then changed his name. “My real name is Webb but I didn’t think that worked, so I chose the name Neumann from Yellow Pages,” he says. “I took out the ‘e’ and the extra ‘n’ so that people wouldn’t think I was German and so ended up with Numan.”

He rapidly amassed a loyal army of ‘Numanoids’ – many of whom stuck with him even during his less commercial period in the late ‘80s. Since his fortunes revived in the late ‘90s (buoyed by plaudits from bands he influenced) they have been joined by a new wave of fans.

To what does he attribute their loyalty? “The songs I guess,” he says. “I can’t think what other reason there could be. I’m very approachable when I meet them.

“I used to recognise the same people at the front, but over the last few years I’ve had so many new people getting into what I do that the front rows are now filled with younger people. They are energetic and that feeds us on stage.”

Inevitably the fans want to hear his classics. But does he ever get tired of playing Cars?

“I've grown to be very proud of it but it's definitely not the song I look forward to playing the most.”

Many artists have credited Numan as a formative influence and have recorded covers or used samples of his songs. They include Trent Reznor’s Nine Inch Nails, Marilyn Manson, Fear Factory, Afrika Bambaataa, Armand Van Helden, and pop popettes Sugababes, whose 2002 number one hit Freak Like Me heavily sampled Are Friends Electric?.

Music aside, Gary has another passion which has sustained him since his teenage years – flying. A member of the Air Training Corps as a youth, he obtained his pilot’s license and became a stunt flyer.

“I was an aerobatic display pilot for many years,” he recalls. “But I stopped doing that when we had children as it was too dangerous.”

And now, with a revived career and an album to rank among his best, where does he see himself going? “I want to continue making albums and touring but I’m also getting into film scores. Mainly though, I’d like to write novels. That’s probably my main ambition.

“Musically I’ve made countless mistakes but everything you do, right or wrong, shapes what you become. I’m very happy with where I am so I have no regrets. I see everything in the past as an important learning experience.”

  • LIVE Gary Numan plays the O2 Academy Oxford tomorrow at 7pm. Tickets are £25 from ticketweb.co.uk