Hi Gary...

Q1. Where do you stand on people taping your shows for
    their personal use (or to swap with friends) ie no
    selling....

Thanks a lot for your time...

A1. I have no problem at all with people taping shows for their personal
use, or taking photographs or video for that matter. My only objection is
when fans, or non fans, go out to record a concert with the sole aim of
pressing up a few hundred or a few thousand copies to sell to others at a
profit. In the past I've had people sending bootleg T-shirts to me
complaining about the quality as though it was my fault they bought it in
the first place. Bootleg records as well. I like to see a reasonably
healthy bootleg scene going on but it must be kept in proportion. It could
at times undermine my own efforts and the only way that I could control it
would be to ban all cameras and recorders which would mean extra security
to enforce the ban and that would mean extra cost which means higher ticket
prices. If the bootleg scene gets out of hand we all suffer except the
people who would most deserve to.

Q2. On the 1996 tour do you plan to do more rarely or never performed songs
    on stage as you did in 1993 and 94?  Would songs like "Crash", "Subway
    called 'you'" and "Complex" be possibilities?

A2. Yes, I hope to do as many rare, older songs as possible. We will be
recording and making a film of the next tour so it is important to have as
few songs from the last two albums played on the next tour as possible. If
I duplicate too many songs from one tour to the next you don't get value
for money with a live album. It can be a difficult thing to judge though.
When you've written as many songs as I have it becomes increasingly
worrying trying to decide what goes, what stays and what's to be added. Not
only that but one persons favourite is another persons most hated,
especially when you are talking about rare B-sides and some of the more
obscure album tracks. I just don't know what people want to hear.

Q3. Did you know that rap artist Sir Mix-A-Lot built his 1991 song "Lockjaw"
    around a sample from "Zero Bars"?

A3. I've never heard of Sir Mix-A-Lot but I guess he owes me some money.

Q4. Any plans to use acoustic drums in the studio again?  I thought the
    "Sacrifice" material sounded real sharp with acuostic drums on "Dark
    Light".

A4. The truth is my studio is actually in a fairly small room in my house
and I don't have room for real drums even if I wanted to use them, which I
don't to be honest. Real drummers in the studio are, or can be, a complete
pain. It takes hour upon tedious hour to get a drum sound together. Then
when it is finally sounding okay and your ready to record they have a
break, come back refreshed, hit the drums harder and the entire sound is
gone again. Plus they never play the same thing twice which can be exciting
but normally isn't. I would say 'That was great, do it again' and they
would say 'Do what again?'. Besides which I only have two microphones and
I'm buggered if I'll buy any more just to record a drummer. Live is
different and I agree they really do add something but maybe that's the way
it should be. Live albums should have something special about them,
something more immediate.

Q5. I write music with my computer.  I would like to start playing some
    analog synths from the '80s.  I thought I would ask you, since you are
    the sythesizer god, which ones you would recommend?  Your music is
    great...

A5. My favourite analogue synth is, without doubt, the Oberheim OBXa. I
still have one in my garage and one of these days I'll get it fixed and use
it again. The Prophet 5 also had some good moments. I know people go on a
lot about Mini-Moogs and bass end but to be honest they were very limiting
and I preferred the ARP Odyssey for bottom end anyway.

Q6.  When do you think you might tour America again?

A6. I would like to say next year when the new album comes out but the
truth is I don't have a clue. We are intending to try for another deal with
a major (ish) record company with the next album and if we are successful
then touring outside of the UK becomes much more likely. Without that deal
though, and the financial and promotional support that it would give us,
any tours away from home are extremely difficult to envisage. Please
believe me when I say that I would love to tour abroad again. I feel that I
have learnt so much since I was last abroad, I'm better at it now, I have
better songs or at least a greater variety, better everything really and it
is incredibly frustrating to see it going to waste.

Q7.  Are there plans (for you) to work with Chris, Cedric, Rrussell or
     Andy in the near future?

A7. No. I haven't seen or heard from RRussell for about 5 or 6 years I
think. I saw Chris once after a show about 4 years ago but apparently he
now lives in France and has a family. Cedric I haven't seen for about 3
years and Andy something similar. I'm very bad at keeping in touch and to
be honest even when I was working with the people you mention I only ever
saw them when we toured, never socially. We were never close friends. The
only band member that I was ever truly friends with was Paul Gardiner.

Q8. Gary, do you plan to continue making extended albums? Since 1979 I
    have always treasured those extended mixes.  Now instead of getting
    one per 12 inch vinyl, I get a whole album.  I really enjoyed
    Sacrifice Extended. A fan from afar for many, many, years. Rudy.

A8. Yes but only if people want them. When I record songs the original
versions are often much longer than the final edited versions. Songs have
to be edited some times so that you can fit them all onto an album. A vinyl
album, which is still the time standard that most people follow, can only
have about 20 minutes or so per side. CD's are better but if you put more
stuff on a CD than on vinyl people without a CD player complain. This
problem is becoming less as more and more people get into CD and soon vinyl
will be a rarity but at the moment it still causes some problems. The
reason for the extended mixes albums is so that those original longer
versions can be heard. Also, it is sometimes possible to stretch a song,
much as you can do with a 12" mix. These stretched mixes are also going to
go to waste unless they go out on a 12" single or as an extra track on
something or other and so the extended mixes album gives those tracks an
avenue as well.

Q9. I have been reminiscing over "The Fury" lately (one of my favorites)
    and "God Only Knows" has special meaning to me (most of your songs do).
    Where did you come up with "The Oxygen Law?"

A9. 'God Only Knows' is about being in an aeroplane when you know something
is wrong and you're sitting there waiting for it all to happen. The oxygen
law is just a referance to burning and fires need for oxygen. Nothing
clever or deep I'm afraid. By the way the lyric sheet on the album is wrong
for the following line. The line printed as 'It Remains Me' should be 'It
Reminds Me' as the character in the song is thinking back to a previous
accident.

Q10. How's the search going for a contract with a major record label?

A10. It starts seriously when the new album is finished which will be just
before Christmas. We have a major business festival in France called MIDEN
where most of the dealing goes on.

Q11. Is there still going to be an unplugged album, and when?

A11. I'm not sure. The reaction to the unplugged album idea was quiet to
say the least and so I have doubts about fans interest in it. At the moment
I've put it at the bottom of the list of things to do but, if people do
actually want it and I've misread the feeling, just let me know and I'll do
it next year.

Q12. What kinda computer are you using?

A12. I use an Apple Macintosh Quadra 650 for most things. I also have an
Atari Mega 4 that I use as my stereo hard disc recording and editing
machine for mixing down to and an Atari 1040 to play games on. I did have
another 1040 but I gave it to my brother last march.

Q13. Do you ever vacation in the States?

A13. Vacation means holiday doesn't it? I had a 6 day holiday in 88 when I
went a Greek island called Skiathos. I had another 6 day holiday in 89 when
I went to Reno to watch the air races. They were the only two holidays I've
had since about 1977. We do intend to go on holiday next year though for a
couple of weeks and at least one week of that will be in America. Of course
if I get a decent record deal that plan could fly out the window so nothing
is certain.

Q14.  Now that you appear to have some control of your IRS catalogue is
      there any chance of a comprehensive "Gary Numan - The Singles"
      compilation, from "That's Too Bad" and "Bombers" to "A Question of
      Faith" and "Absolution"?

Q14. As far as I understand it I can re record the IRS songs but not use
the originals. A compilation album from 'Thats Too Bad' to 'Absolution'
would therefore involve a joint project by Beggars Banquet, IRS and Numa or
BB and Numa with the IRS songs done anew. You may also want to include the
other collaberation singles that I've been involved in, although I
certainly would not, and so the difficulties would begin to mount up. I
think the number of singles must total something like 35 or more now so it
would be a double CD at least. The problems become even more difficult when
you begin to consider that Beggars are perhaps likely to want a larger than
pro rata slice of the cake because 'Are Friends Electric' and 'Cars' are
the biggest sellers and they belong to them. Such an album is not
impossible to get together but it's far from simple. As you've said at
another time a compilation album that included 'Cars' being released in the
states and having a reasonable amount of the more recent material
'Sacrifice' inparticular could be a very useful thing to release. Maybe a
new record company would do that as a lead in to the next new album (which
has the working title 'Exile' by the way).

Q15. What, if anything, can we as fans do (besides keeping our faith) to
     assist you in obtaining a record contract in the US?  Would a
     letter-writing campaign help?  Who would we target?  Radio stations?
     Record companies?  In short, if we were YOURS TO COMMAND, what would
     you have us do?

A15. I really don't know. Fans in the UK organised a rally outside Radio
One here to try and get them to play my music but it actually did more harm
than good and simply hardened the radio stations attitude toward me in a
very negative way. Letter writing can help but it can also piss people off
if they get too much of it. Keep the faith, spread the word and hope that I
get my act together soon.

Q16. Assuming that contract became a reality, how would you feel about
     bringing in a big-name producer... someone like Daniel Lanois, as an
     example... to produce your next album?  How much loss of creative
     control would that represent?

A16. Each producer works in different ways. Some insist on complete control
and domination of an album, some do little more than engineer and suggest
something once a day. Some think they should be stars and act accordingly,
others are intimidated by stars and so contribute nothing meaningful at
all. As a rule I don't like working with producers. I have my own vision
and I don't like people to mess with it. Sometimes I've been forced to work
with others and sometimes I felt the need to but, in the main, I prefer to
be on my own. The biggest problem with record companies is that, despite
all the bullshit and the crawly bum licking that goes on, they very rarely
believe enough in the artist to leave him or her alone and just let them
get on with it. I hate the political dance that goes on as soon as a record
company gets involved. I need their power but I really don't need their
opinions. I hate the way an album is watered down, diluted to appease the
opinions from everyone that has one from the top man to the door man. They
say a truly great album is a masterpiece of comprimise but that's bollocks.
How much more interesting and varied the music biz would be if we were all
allowed to make what we wanted to make, mistakes and all.

Q17. I would like to create and sell the Digest's own Gary Numan memorabilia
     to subscribers.   One-off samples of a t-shirt, hat, mouse pad, and
     keychain appear to be of VERY good quality.  Only the store making the
     stuff would  make a profit.  In an interview, some 10 years ago you
     said "it's ok as long as it ain't crap and I don't take the heat for it
     if it falls apart after three washings".  I'd appreciate knowing how
     you feel about my idea.  If you have no problems with it at all, I
     wouldn't mind (if possible) getting that in writing (in case any
     questions come up later with people like customs agents).

     Thanks for your time and thanks for making yourself available to us.

A17. I have no idea whether you need my approval in writing or not. I'm not
sure what you intend to sell and whether I should be worried or pleased
about it. I have about as much business acumen as my cat has meaningful
conversations so I suppose I should ask someone. To be honest I don't mind.
It would be cool for people that are part of the digest to have something
that only they can get.

That's about it. Thanks again for taking the time to do this and please
pass on my thanks to all the digest subscribers for their support.

Bye bye.

Gary Numan.