FirstWord Gary Numan
Musical pioneer, family man and impulse buyer, Gary Numan talks to us about cinema, lies and sausages
First record you ever bought A Hank Williams Jr. album for my mum. Last extravagant purchase you made A dirt buggy.
First film you saw that really moved you The Ten Commandments. Terrifying. God sends down lightning from the sky. I was really little, before I realised God was bollocks, so it really bothered me.
Last lie you told Yesterday, to my kids. [Gary has 3 children, aged 7, 5 and 4.] They wanted to know when we were going to be home. I only lied to stop them from getting upset.
First movie you ever went on a date to Planet of The Apes. The first one. Not really romantic, but good.
Last time you cried May. We keep sheep as pets, and we had a german shepherd puppy that attacked and killed three of the sheep. Fucking horrific. Really upsetting.
First thing you do when you’ve got time off work Spend time with my children. Last meal on earth – what would it be? Chips. [Thinks] And sausages.
First crush Teresa Cunningham. When I was about 8. Loved her.
First great piece of advice you were given Early in my career, a Smash Hits journalist told me I needed
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For some simian cinema, check the reviews, trailers and listings for both Rise of the Planet of the Apes and James 'Man on Wire' Marsh's chimp documentary Project Nim. list.co.uk
2 THE LIST 25 Aug–22 Sep 2011
to learn how to lie, and that I was too honest. It’s the best piece of advice I’ve been given, but not one I’ve been able to follow. I am an open book. Last time you were star struck Easy. At the Mojo awards last month [Gary got the Inspiration Award recognising his influence]. Jimmy Page and Ringo Starr. I was so starstruck. I’m grinning like an idiot in the pictures going ‘How fucking cool is this?’
First song you’ll sing at karaoke Ha! ‘Cars’. It’s all over in about 60 seconds and about the only song I know all the words to.
Last time you exploited your position to get something My wife exploits it mercilessly. Last time was to get into The Ivy for Valentine’s Day. I could never do that. There’s a 50/50 chance they’ll never have heard of you. You’d feel like such a knob. First thing you’d do if you ran the country Quit.
end? My wife. no good at that sort of thing.
Last time someone criticised your work About an hour ago? Last crime you committed Fraud, speeding, embezzlement, lying to the taxman. The usual stuff.
First three words your friends would use to describe you Moody. Difficult. That’s it. I’m too shallow to warrant a third.
First job I used to install air conditioning into banks in London. Last person in the world you’d sleep with If the world was about to
First song at your wedding ‘Closer’ by Nine Inch Nails. With the lyric ‘I want to fuck you like an animal’? My nan was there. I hadn’t thought it through, obviously.
First thing you think of when you wake up in the morning My children. Last thing you think of before you go to sleep I need to read before I go to sleep to slow my brain down, which can be thinking about a million different things at once. Invariably sword fighting blokes hacking each other to bits.
Last song at your funeral ‘Everything I Own’ by David Gates. It’s about not saying the things you want to say to people whilst they are alive. I’m ■ Gary Numan plays the ABC, Glasgow, Tue 20 Sep. His new album, Dead Son Rising, will be released on Mon 24 Oct.
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