Catching Up With Gary Numan
Its been 31 years since Gary Numan, at the time still totally futuristic looking, released The Pleasure Principal, the album that put songs like Metal and Cars into the world, making Numan a new wave icon and, somewhat unexpectedly to him, a hero to the next generation of musicians.
Tomorrow night, Numans tour for the anniversary of the album will land him at The Best Buy Theater in Midtown, and we had a chance to talk to him to find out what fans, old and new alike, can expect.
New York Press: Whats the thinking behind touring for the anniversaries of albums. You did it two years ago
Yeah, we did Replicas in 1979 and it was the 30th anniversary of me going professional and it was almost my 50th birthday, so I went out and had some fun. What we decided to do on that tour was play all of the songs from Replicas and it was OK, not as horribly embarrassing as I had expected it to be. Now its the 30th anniversary of The Pleasure Principal and I started to wonder if my stance on old stuff, which has been aggressively angry, was a big mistake. So we did the anniversary of the album in the U.K. last year and it went well. We were going to do one show in Manchester and eventually it became a proper tour and the album has been re-released. This isnt something I want to make a habit of doing, however.
Playing these songs now, do you rediscover anything about them?
I did! When I wrote them, they just seemed like normal songs to meI was in the studio trying to play the right notes and sing them properly. Some of the songs Ive barely listened to since the year the album came out, so to go back to it after such a long break, I was surprised at how quirky it was and I was impressed with the structure.
There will be people who come out to see these shows because theyre Pleasure Principal fans but might not know the new stuff. How do you think the new songs will go over?
I think that while the structure of the songs is more conventional, I think the writing and arrangements [on new songs] are better. From a production point of view, its more fleshed-out now. Im happy doing Pleasure Principal but its 30 years old, so its exciting when the new stuff kicks in. And if people dont agree with that, its out there for them to judge; its what Im doing now and all my cards are on the table.
Which of the bands that youve influenced are your favorites?
Im a big Nine Inch Nails fan, I am a big Marilyn Mason fan. Some of the stuff has been really surprising, Afrika Bambaataa covered Metal, and that was surprising. I went to Universal Studios yesterday and in the parking lot, Basement Jaxx [Wheres Your Head At samples Numan] was playing and my kids were excited because dads on the speaker. Im not actually talented, Im just very lucky, so when people do a cover version and do a really good job, it makes you feel good and introduces you to new people.
Youve worked with Trent Reznor a bit in the past, will there be more coming from that collaboration?
We were with Trent in September of last year and he said it would be good to do something, but something that nobody expects, but thats easier to say than do. I am very aware that hes huge and Im not and I am very cautious about pushing this forward because I dont want him to think Im making use of him. The thing I worry about is that I am so passive that I give the impression Im not interested when I really am. Im just anxious not to appear pushy. Id like to get into a studio and just throw ideas at each other. Im crap at explaining music on the phone
Well, maybe Reznor, or any of those other folks, can join you on stage in New York
I hope so, theres an open invitation to anyone.