Quotes by Gary Numan

“I love lyrics by bands that have struggled, and they have gone through experiences, be it drugs, sex, whatever it might be, but have gone through experiences that I perhaps havent, and I find that struggle with demons fascinating, I love all that stuff. I dont often see that in these reality TV people.”

“And I used to go the punk clubs such as a gay club in Poland Street that everyone would go to because it was the only place you could go to looking like that without getting beaten senseless.”

“Theres no point in lying saying I am doing really, really well because Im not; Im cult level.”

“If I thought that any of this was pre ordained, then it takes away any kind of incentive to struggle, or to put up with things, to reach for those impossible dreams, all those dramatic things.”

“I think that when we are dead, we are worm food, I dont believe there is a greater place. I dont believe there is a greater purpose or a greater being. I have none of that. I wish I did to some degree, because the older Im getting, the more I am aware of death and the inevitability of it, and it frightens me now, in a way that it didnt when I was younger.”

“Yea things are good!”

“I honestly try really hard to talk to people, as though everyones the same. No-ones better, no-ones worse, I dont think one job is better than another. I really try to look at the world and everyone in it evenly. I seem to be widely misunderstood often.”

“If you didnt have a record company or a PR company that was really out there pushing you then you couldnt get to them, so everything drifted away. Then the internet comes along, and all of a sudden, you have this central place where anyone, anywhere in the world can type Gary Numan into a search engine and find me and find out whats going on.”

“Id been a Bowie fan before punk and used to get no end of trouble. I was always getting knocked about and having to run up the street, getting chased by people. It was horrible.”

“The reason I started, and got into playing punk as a band was quite mercenary, to be honest. I wanted a record deal and everybody was signing punk bands, so I started doing it. My own weak pop version of it really, we werent particularly good or convincing, but thats what I did, and it worked and I got a deal.”

“Without doubt, there are unexpected pressures that come with success, that I would be surprised if many people are prepared for, or even aware of beforehand, that takes getting used to. But then again, when youre doing very well, you earn a great deal of money so at least you can sit there worrying in a nice big house, rather than a little house.”

“When you decide to do this kind of music then you just accept the facts.”

“I genuinely dont know how many albums Im going to sell when the new album comes out, because I honestly dont know how many fans Ive actually got at the moment.”

“It was a great feeling the first time I got to No.1 with Are Friends Electric? in 79.”

“For years I couldnt understand why people thought I was so arrogant - now it all makes a bit more sense.”

Ive always considered myself to be fiercely patriotic. I love Britain - its history and the down-to-earth attitude people have.

I became famous so quickly and so young - it was daunting. I was immature and I used to say some really stupid things in interviews. I never smiled on stage so I looked really serious, but it was because I hated my teeth and was incredibly nervous.

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 dads way: you got a job and paid your way.

Strangely enough, when the Sugababes Freak Like Me went to number 1, which was built around my Are Friends Electric song, I had another song called Rip go to number 1 in the Kerrang TV chart, so I was pulling new people in from very different areas of musical interest. That was quite an amazing week.