Confession
April 1996
Compiled by Derek Langsford

I feel I should never have opened my mouth. Up until April 25th there were only a handful of questions being asked this month. I posted to the Digest that a few more would be nice as 30 seems to be a reasonable number, offering a wide variety of subjects and hopefully keeping it interesting for Gary. Well, I inadvertantly opened the floodgates and in the last week I accumulated a total of 58 questions (with none from me)!

Gary answered all 58 in two days. I think that really shows how much he appreciates his fans and also that he enjoys the sessions.

Most of you are following the instructions for emailing questions but a few still are omitting your whereabouts. I'd like to see this info on every submission of questions. Even those who have done so before, otherwise I have to go look up prvious sessions to find the relevant info. Please make my job easier by including all requested info with each submission.

Thanks,

Derek


From Dan Coffey (COFFEY@bprn24.bloomberg.com) of Princeton, New Jersey, USA:

Q1.  Of all the albums that you recorded with a group of musicians, which
     was the most pleasant and why?

A1.  'The Fury' although it wasn't really a group of musicians, just Mike
     and Ian. The reason is that we got on very well and I liked what they
     contributed to the album.


From Si Wooldridge (swooldri@mlsmc.mlm.att.com) of Chippenham, Wiltshire, UK:

Q2.  How do you feel about the recent news of Status Quo planning to sue
     Radio One for lack of airplay, and also what the backdown they made
     over the  Beatles (first saying they were boring and refusing to play
     their single, and then playing it anyway a few days later)?

A2.  I think the whole thing, from both sides of the argument, is pathetic.
     On the one hand you have people with a big stick who like to wave it
     around and on the other you have spoilt children who can't stand
     rejection. I wonder how they would feel if they had been turned down by
     Radio One for the last 13 years as I have.


From Andy McHaffie of Reading, Berkshire, UK:

Hi Gary..

I recently bought the Techno Army CD, and have to admit I was pretty
disappointed.

I really don't like to be negative, but being sycophantic I guess is worse.
It's probably my (and quite a few people I know's) least favourite Gary
Numan associated recording.

I realise that it's NOT a new Gary Numan album, but after hearing
Sacrifice, and then some songs from Exile on the Premier tour, it was a
real disapointment, and even your liner notes read almost like an apology.

Some of the stuff such as Are 'friends' Electric, We are so fragile, and
the remixes of Cars are real good, but other stuff such as "She's got
Claws' and the Sacrifice stuff was at the other end of the spectrum.

So, I guess my questions are:

Q3.  Was it completely up to you to do the album or was there some sort of
     contractual obligation to do it ?

A3.  I thought I'd made it quite clear that this was not a Gary Numan album
     or even a collaboration album such as the Sharpe and Numan 'Automatic'
     release some years ago. I also thought that I'd hinted quite strongly
     at various times that this was probably NOT the album for fans to buy
     so I'm amazed that anyone should be disappointed. What on earth did you
     expect if even I'm inferring that people should avoid it? I was paid
     twenty thousand pounds to spend two afternoons singing some vocals for
     cover versions of my songs recorded by another band, that's why I did
     it. Also, for what it's worth, when I agreed to do it I had been told
     that it was going to be a serious 'Techno' album. I'm not a great fan
     of 'Techno' as you probably know but it did seem to make some sense at
     the time. It was only later, once the deal had been done, that I first
     heard the actual music. Too late to pull out then and anyway I felt
     that I could disassociate myself from it, if need be, with the sleeve
     notes. The sleeve notes, in my opinion, make it crystal clear that the
     album was really nothing to do with me, apart from the vocals, and that
     it is most definitely not a Gary Numan album or collaboration of any
     kind whatsoever.

Q4.  And where would YOU place it up against your other collaborations ?

A4.  As I said it's not a collaboration so I wouldn't place it anywhere in
     a Gary Numan album list. It's a Techno Army album and that's the be all
     and end all of it.

Thanks SO much for a brilliant tour !


From Ashley Fletcher (Ashley_Fletcher@muwayf.unimelb.edu.au) of Melbourne, Australia:

I've been a big fan since I left England in 1980, thanks for all the great
music. My question is:

Q5.  What is your definition of New Wave music?

A5.  I have no idea I'm afraid. It seemed to refer to the late punk period
     for a while but then the term seemed to hang around and got tagged on
     to everything else that came along, whatever type of music it was,
     including the early electronic bands. Maybe it means different things
     in different countries.


To me it is English music based around yourself and other bands from 78 to
82 era. The American press seems to have a different view.  I ask because
one day soon I will make a New Wave page based on that era. Therefore my
second question would be:

Q6.  Can I quote your definition on the page?

A6. Sorry, I can't really give you a definition.

Looking foward to the new album and live video (if that will be commercially
available) as I will probably never see you live in Australia.


From Michael Ward of Liverpool, New York, USA:

gary, i have been a big fan of most of your different periods of work.

Q7.  does  your outside work with other bands color your musical styles and
     tastes for  different periods?

A7.  Not that I've noticed. I've not done that much outside work anyway but
     I can't really think of any of the acts that I have worked with that
     have made a difference to what I do.


and, knowing the problems you have had with supporting outside bands
(sounds like most were not particularly grateful)

Q8.  do you ever see yourself assisting other up and coming bands that are
     truly influenced by yourself?

A8.  It's possible I suppose, although being influenced by me is not a
     requirement for me working with anybody. It would depend on the band,
     time available and a few other things.


From Jeff Tolva (The Machman) of Elgin, Illinois, USA:

After buying the "Techno Army" release, all I can say is that it's quite a
departure from your more recent material.

Q9.  Why exactly did you do the album with Techno Army?  Who is/are Techno
     Army as the sleeve says nothing about the group?

A9.  A lot of money and, initially at least, the passing thought that it
     may open up a few doors in the dance world. Not that I'm that bothered
     about getting in to the dance scene as I think I said on last months
     Digest Questions. Techno Army are a two piece who, I think, specialise
     in doing cover versions in alternate styles of other artists.

I look forward to Exile even more now...

I suppose as it's been a source of hair-raising discussion these past few
months, I'll ask the question many have wondered.

Many of us know of your hair transplant some years ago, but...

Q10.  Are you wearing a "hair piece" of some sort these days too?

It really doesn't matter to me, but I was a bit curious -:)

A10. I'm not sure but I don't think I could wear a hair piece even if I
     wanted to. I have now had three hair transplants, the first two being
     some years ago which were done using the older 'punch graft'
     technique. This was extremely painful an caused quite a lot of damage
     to the skin which I still suffer with on occasions. About three and a
     half years ago I had another one, using the new 'microsurgery'
     technique, which was a complete triumph as far as I'm concerned. I
     still have my vampire pointy peak at the front but the hair in it is
     now much thicker and it's allowed me to change my hairstyle as you've
     probably noticed. However, underneath all that is some quite unpleasant
     scarring, over two hundred stiches worth to be exact, and my head is
     actually quite 'bumpy' now because of all the surgery. That's
     why I don't think I could wear a hairpiece but, in any case, I don't
     feel I need one now anyway as my hair looks okay these days. Whatever,
     apart from dying it, I'm not intending to do anything else to it, it
     hurts too much.

From the Berserker archives:

Q11. Do you recall why the two tracks:  "Pump It Up" and "The God Film"
     (and "Child with the Ghost" inserts Derek) were NOT extended on the
     extended version(s) of Berserker?

All of the other tracks from that album were extended and all tracks on
subsequent extended albums were extended.

A11. Not absolutely but I would guess that it was because those songs
     didn't have extended versions made of them.

Thanks as always for your time, Gary!


From Troy L. Walters of Indiana, USA:

Hello Gary.  Glad to hear the tour was such a success, but wish I could
have seen for myself -- someday...

Q12. I've been wondering, especially since the Human CD, if you ever listen
     to Vangelis, Jan Hammer and/or Yello -- and if so, do you consider any
     of them influences on your work?

A12. I don't have any albums by those people but I do like a great deal of
     Vangelis's film scores. He hasn't been a conscience influence but that
     doesn't mean that his work hasn't crept into my brain somewhere. I
     think Vangelis in particular is something of a genius.

And thanks for helping to make the past decade-and-a-half (plus) of my life
enjoyable.  Your music heals me in ways I can not put to words (which is
not always a good thing for a poet).  You are inspiring, and a sure cure
for the IDGAF Syndrome... (see
http://www.accs.net/users/tlwalter/idgaf.htm for info).


From Joey Lindstrom (joey@lindstrom.com) of Calgary, Alberta, Canada:

My trip to the UK to see the Premier Tour was something I'll never
forget.  I'll save the gushing praise (grin!) for my letter to the
Fan Club, but I would like to personally thank you for six wonderful
shows, and for the graciousness you (and EVERYONE associated with
you) displayed to your fans, including myself.  Meeting you, at last,
was a HUGE thrill.

Q13. I know that in the past, several fans from outside of the UK have
     made the trip to see you perform live, and I personally know of at
     least THREE Canadians who came to see you this time around: Michel
     LaFontaine, Andy McKenzie, and myself.  My question is this: what
     other far-away countries are home to fans who've made a similar trek
     (that you're aware of)?

A13. I have someone who travels regularly from Japan. People have also
     come from Australia, New Zealand, all over Europe, many from Canada
     and America, Scandinavia, Iceland I think and I was told that someone
     from Russia turned up a few tours ago.

Q14a I know you're booked to play two festivals in August (my
     ex-girlfriend plans to follow my footsteps and fly over to see them),
     with Exile coming out shortly after that (we hope, fingers crossed!).
     When do you think you might go out on tour again?  Or to put it
     another way, how much time do I have to save my pennies for another
     trip?  :-)  I realize that you likely don't have any firm plans made
     just yet... I guess I'm sort of fishing for a "ballpark" answer, just
     your idea of when you'd LIKE to go out on tour again.

A14a. A very rough ballpark time would be March/April next year.

[Andy McHaffie asked similarly:]

Q14b Will you be touring again in the Autumn to promote Exile ?? I really
     hope so, because the 2 gigs I saw of the Premier tour were
     WONDERFUL!!! ]

A14b. A tour in the autumn is now very unlikely.


Q15. I was part of the "Numanoids On Tour" coach tour, organized by
     Peter Gilbert and Frank Drake.  These fans on the coach, and a great
     number of the walk-in crowds at most of the venues, tend to look,
     dress, act, dance, and even sing "just like Gary".  Now, I know that
     if I were in your position, this would quite frankly weird me out
     just a little bit.  You've had to deal with this phenomenon for
     almost your entire career: how does it make you feel when you
     see/meet these people?  (Don't get me wrong: these people, for the
     most part, tended to be ABSOLUTELY NORMAL in most respects and
     treated me like part of the family... I am not running them down.
     After all, I showed up wearing a garish ice hockey uniform with your
     name on the back!).

A15. It does strike me as a bit odd from time to time but, in the main,
     I'm used to it. It's when I see them dancing, at various times, by
     using my stage movements that I feel most uncomfortable with it.
     Still, whatever makes you happy.


Q16. Matthew Holbrook warns me that the British Government is
     considering a bill that would ban the importation of garish ice
     hockey uniforms, particularly those that are predominately red in
     colour and have big flaming C's on the front.  If it became an
     election issue, would you vote in favour of such a law?  (insert a
     great big huge grin right here!)

A16. I'm just waiting to rent the video of that film called 'Canadian
     Bacon', the one where America declares war on Canada. I'll let you
     know about your ice hockey uniform after I've seen the film but, I
     have to say, it doesn't look good for you and your 'fashion'
     statement.

All my best to everyone, and if you see Richard Beasley soon, tell
him Joey from Canada still owes him a Premier Lager.  ;-)


From Al Crawford of Centreville, Virginia, USA:

In the last batch of questions that Derek sent you, the old favourite about
you working with Bill Nelson on _Warriors_ arose.  Now I've heard this
story several times, both from your side and his, and the two answers seem
to tally exactly.  However, the careful wording and tone of your responses
have sparked a couple of questions that I'd really like to know your answer
to.

Q17. Every description of the working relationship between you and Bill
     seems to boil down to him finding you shallow (something you seemed to
     agree with in retrospect) and you finding him to be something of a
     pretentious git.  Your relation of this, however, seems to indicate
     that, you, at least, have changed.  Do you think that if you and he
     were to work together nowadays, things would be different?

A17. To me, enjoying life comes a long way before art in terms of its
     importance so in that respect Bill would probably find me just as
     shallow. However, anyone that thinks that creativity comes from some
     fucking inerstellar beam is a complete twat so I really don't give a
     shit one way or the other. It boils down to this, I don't see music as
     being very important in the great scheme of things therefore I don't
     see my own little part of it as being important at all. I use music to
     express whatever I feel like expressing but I do not believe that
     creativity is some projected beam of inspiration. This may make me seem
     shallow to some people that seem to think that they are blessed in some
     way because they are creative. However, there are a great many ways to
     judge a persons depth of character and someone that makes such
     judgements about me on a brief acquaintance and a most questionable
     philosophy is perhaps the most shallow person of all.

Q18. Was it a big disappointment?  I get the impression that you were
     something of a fan and had looked forward to working with him, so was
     it all a big letdown?

A18. Yes, it was a massive disappointment. I was a huge fan of Bill Nelson
     and had hoped that things would go differently. He was, and is, a very
     talented man.


From Andy Westwood (100771.653@compuserve.com) of Kingswinford, West Midlands, UK:

Although I'm not a musician, I've always been interested to know what
instruments - particularly electronic instruments - you use. On early
albums you used to list the synthesisers and drum machines used by each
player on each track, and I'd listen hard to try to pick out the various
sounds.

Q19. How often do you change your keyboards these days?

A19. Not that often. Every two or three years I drop some out and add some
     new things so I never completely change. It's more an evolution of
     equipment.

Q20. Do you feel that synthesisers have become as powerful as they can get,
     and that you can now obtain all the sounds you want from the same kit,
     or do you feel the need to change frequently to avoid re-using the
     same sounds?

A20. I think they can get a lot more powerful although with power comes
     complexity which is a real pain. I'm not overly concerned with not
     repeating sounds. If a sound is good then I see no reason for not using
     it several times. However, unlike a guitar, synth sounds can begin to
     date a record after a while and so a certain amount of gear change
     keeps things fresh.


Q21. Was this why your heavy use of the PPG on 'The Fury' and 'Berserker'
     was seemingly limited to those albums alone?

A21. Pretty much although it was also used on 'Strange Charm' before it
     slipped away.


On a similar point, I'm interested in how you have played around with
sampling over the years, although samples don't seem so prevalent in your
more recent work, particularly Sacrifice and the new Exile tracks.


Q22. Do you see sampling as being an integral part of your music these
     days?

A22. Not really but then i don't really se sampling as being that
     different to conventional synthesis providing you're creating sounds
     and not stealing them. (Wjich I did quite shamefully when I stole all
     those film samples)


Q23. And are you happier to use a straight sample (e.g. the spoken parts in
     'Call Out the Dogs') or do you try to modify the sounds you sample to
     your own taste - in other words, how much do you have to treat a sound
     before you are happy to call it your own?

A23. Impossible to answer really as it depends very much on the sample.
     These days I try not to use stolen samples at all so I don't feel the
     need to have to treat them. Any treatment made to the sounds is for the
     sake of the sound, not to try and disguise or change it into something
     I can call my own.

Thanks for some EXCELLENT shows on the Premier Tour, probably the best yet.
Here's looking forward to Exile.


From Michael Zitaglio (102545.641@CompuServe.COM) of Southern New Jersey, USA:

        Hope you have recovered from the post touring blues, and the flu,
and putting up with Holbrook and Company (G).  Matt has told me all about
the tour and I am sorry I missed it.  Since you obviously have nothing
better to do right now, I thought you could answer some questions. (G) I
obviously have nothing better to do!(G)


Q24. Have you seen any of the new season episodes of Babylon 5? They're
     excellent, so dont miss them. If you miss one, check out the Lurker's
     Guide to Babylon 5 on the Internet.


A24. I don't know. We've just started getting Babylon 5 again but I think
     they're repeats of a previous series. I'll have to look at the Lurkers
     Guide to see what the new series titles are.

You mentioned concern about the ease of sending a message to the
shows executive producer Joe Straczynski.  Yes, it is that easy to send him
a message and talk to him.  His address is 71016.1644@compuserve.com.
I'm sure he would love to hear from you. I told him about you and that you
like his show. I even sent him tapes of 8 of your albums. He listened to
the Pleasure Principle and was so so about it.  He still has to try out the
others.  Give him a buzz, it may be interesting. If you post on the
Compuserve B5 forum, you will get an answer right away.  If you send a
message to his personal E-mail, it may take a while, since he gets a lot of
messages.  He goes to England all the timefor conventions, by the way.

Terri and I were at the Farnborough Air Show in 1992. It was the 50th
anniversary of the Battle of Britain.  It was a tremendous show.

Q25. Were you there and were you flying, and what did you think of the
     Russian aircraft? The SU-27, and Backfire Bomber were impressive.

A25. No I wasn't there but I love the Russian stuff.

Q26. Did you get the Harvard painted yet?

A26. Yes, it's now black and in American markings. At the moment I'm having
     a lot of trouble with the oil pressure. The engineers say it's okay but
     it isn't and I'm getting a bit fed up with it.

Terri wants to know what you thought of New York City when you were there.

Q27. Was there anything in particular that you saw or visited that you
     liked? Her favorite place is the Metropolian Museum of Art. She is
     fascinated by Ancient Egypt.

A27. I didn't visit anywhere really, just working. An Argentinian trid to
     pick a fight with us because of the Falklands War, I saw an old lady
     get mugged and I got into trouble with the police.


Q28. Terri also wants to know what makes you laugh?  What do you think is
     funny?  When she gets the blues, she watches old I Love Lucy episodes
     on video. What do you do?

A28. We have a TV series called 'Men Behaving Badly' which I think is
     brilliant. Another one called 'Filthy, Rich And Catflap' and a great
     Irish sitcom called 'Father Ted'. I also like 'Friends'.

I saw some of the pictures of you, Matt Holbrook, and Joey Lindstrom eating
Pizza at a hotel during your tour.  Now I know you love burgers and chips
and, as an American, I can appreciate that.  But as an Italian American,
Pizza and Milk?  EEyyuu!  That would give me some case of agita!

GN.  The Pizza wasn't mine. I hate Pizza. I love milk though and for
     several days on the tour it was the only thing that kept me going.


Q29. Are you interested at all in Carrier Aviation?  I'll be going on some
     travel at air bases and at sea so I'll try to keep the aviation
     "badges" as you call them, flowing.

A29. Very much. I have several videos about carrier aircraft, modern and
     old.


Take care of yourself. Dont take life too seriously. And please... don't
stress yourself out.  Thanks alot for your time and  come on over to
America.


Mike, Terri, and Victoria


From Stephen Barrett (sbarrett@iol.ie) of Naas, County Kildare, Republic Of Ireland:

Q30. I read that you are currently writing your first novel,which I
     believe is called 'Pray',and would like to know what stage you're at
     and when do you expect it to be published?

A30. It's still at the 'very early days' stage unfortunately. To really get
     on with it I would need to take at least six months, if not more, away
     from music and all other distractions. Because of that a publish date
     is impossible to predict.

Q31. When do you expect to release the live album and video of the
     Manchester Apollo show recorded on the Premier Tour? I absolutely loved
     the 3 shows I attended and think 'An Alien Cure' is one of your best
     songs ever. I long to hear it on the EXILE album.

A31. Because of the amount of new songs on the live album it will have to
     come out after 'Exile' which puts it very much towards the end of the
     year. I'm not so concerned about the video but I can't mix the sound
     until I've finished 'Exile' because of time problems so that will
     probably be out at the end of the year as well.


Q32. I confess that I've no idea what the songs 'Music for Chameleons'
     and 'Sister Surprise' mean lyrically. I'd really appreciate an
     explanation as to the meaning of the words please.

A32. I'm sorry it would take me too long to go through the entire lyric of
     both those songs. I can't remember them very well anyway so I'll have
     to listen to them and refresh my memory. Can you ask me again next
     month?

Q33. What make-up did you use on stage for the Premier Tour shows?

A33. Don't know what it was all called. A fairly pale foundation (which
     sweated off by about song five anyway), some old Biba browny coloured
     blusher for my cheeks which I've had since I first started. A Rimmel
     eye liner pencil and a waterproof Mascara that wasn't the slightest bit
     waterproof. By the end of each show the entire make-up effort was
     plastered all over my shirt collar and jacket.

Q34. I talked to Gemma after I got your autograph at HMV Manchester and
     she mentioned that you're coming to Ireland for an air rally in May.Is
     this true?  If so when will you be coming and where will you be in
     Ireland?

A34. Gemma is in this lovely little world all of her own sometimes. I don't
     know of an air rally in Ireland so I think she may have been confused
     or perhaps she meant an air display at North Weald which is near
     London. In England.


Thank you for answering my questions and I look forward to meeting you soon.


From Mark Darmofal (mhdst4@vms.cis.pitt.edu) of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA:

Q35. In an earlier Q and A you said (paraphrasing) "I write the music first;
     the words last."  Are your instrumentals then, the result of failed
     attempts at words, or when you write a piece of music, do you know
     whether or not it will be with words or an instrumental.  One song I'm
     particulary curious about is "Children."

A35. One or two I think were songs that I couldn't find vocal lines for
     rather than a failed attempt at words. Mostly though they are songs
     that I felt sounded complete without the need for words.

Q36. Do you have any funny/infamous/bizarre stories that you can remember
     from your last US tour?  I heard a rumour that you and Chris Slade had
     a bit of a row.

A36. Without wishing to sound like a pathetic little 'lad' none that I
     could easily talk about. My attitude to touring and what I hoped to
     expereince during them was very different then. I did say to Chris
     Slade that it would be better if he kept his drinking until after the
     show as he played very badly when he was drunk. He kind of hit me and
     pushed me down the bus into somebody bigger who pushed him all the way
     back again much to my relief.

Q37. You've dyed your hair blond, blue and black, but aside from a little
     dollop, never red.  How come?

A37. In the early days I had enough problems with Bowie comparisons without
     adding that piece of fuel to the fire.

Q38. Early on in your career, you've gave a great deal of credit to John
     Foxx.   Did you ever meet him and if so how did you two get on?

A38. Yes I did meet him and he was okay. I didn't get any kind of character
     vibe from him at all. For some reason though I didn't trust him at all
     but then again I didn't really trust anybody then.

Q39. Would you ever consider working with Mick Karn again?

A39. No.

(Gary's original reply was a little more colorful than this but after
bringing it to his attention he withdrew the comment for public
distribution).

Q40. Why is the song 'Warriors' called 'Warriors?'

A40. A good question to which I'm afraid I have no answer. I can't remember.

Q41. Will there be any videos for the singles or songs from 'Exile'?

A41. That depends on what record company puts out the record and how much
     budget is available.


From Tony R. Boies of Winchester, Virginia, USA:

Q42. Assuming you have a son or daughter, he or she may become interested in
     flying. In the wake of what happened to Jessica Dubroff (the 7 year old
     who died trying to fly across the U.S.), do you think that there should
     be (more) age restrictions for pilots?

A42. I think it's perhaps a little foolish to allow people to fly at any
     age other than the one that allows them to get a licence and fly solo.

Tony R. Boies - http://www.shentel.net/nutmusic/tony/tony.html


From Matthew Tamea (mtamea@caci.co.uk) of London, UK:

Q43. How's tricks?

A43. Okay, I think.

(anyone else have any idea what this is about :-)

Q44. What ambitions in aviation do you have left, if any?

A44. To fly World War Two fighters.

Q45. I am seriously considering a job as a pilot with British Airways.
     Whilst it's not quite aerobatic displays, would you recommend it? How
     does John find it?

A45. I would recommend it if you love flying but you would have to be able
     to put up with a very strict routine and 'old boy' hierarchy. John
     doesn't fly for British Airways but loves flying airliners.

Q46. Did you have anything at all to do with the Witchman Remixes of Cars or
     was it a project that occured unbenown to you?

A46. I knew nothing about it at all. I don't even know whether they are
     official or not.


From Dan Coffey (COFFEY@bprn24.bloomberg.com) of Princeton, New Jersey, USA:

Hi Gary, Just wanted to preface saying that your Nu-World site is
amazing and I don't know how you do all that. Secondly, I think I can
speak for American fans when I say we were #*@$&! on tour with ya :)
I have a few questions:

Q47. I think I remember you saying that you don't drink or take drugs.
     Was that always the case, even in the Tubeway Army days?..it seems
     alot of up and coming artists rely heavily on such vices. I would
     think that has helped your longevity...

A47. Always. To be honest though I'm not a great advocate of the No Drugs
     message so I just keep my thoughts to myself about these things. I know
     the harm they can cause directly and indirectly but I've also seen the
     harm that drinking causes. It's the fact that one is illegal to the
     point of serious prison and the other is completely legal that
     irritates me. Hypocrisy beyond compare.

Q48. I noticed that some live songs sound so much like the albums they
     were from, which I find amazing. ie I Dream of Wires on Dark
     Light. Do you find that a problem with the changing equipment and
     programming personnel over the years? or is it down to a science.

A48. One of the advantages of using synths and sequencing is that you can
     re-create songs very well live. Not always but often. Changing
     equipment does cause problems from time to time as some sounds are just
     not achievable on a different instrument. It can create a lot of work
     trying to simulate these older sounds on new equipment.

Q49. I wondered If you have heard the Foo Fighters version of your
     Down in the Park yet? I find that they do it justice..

A49. Not yet but I've heard it's very good. I must say that I find all
     these bands covering my stuff very flattering.

Q50. Having played everything from Pubs, to Wembley, do you prefer a
     specific sized venue...would you enjoy playing stadiums if given
     the chance, or do you fancy the 1000-2000 seat venues more?

A50. Smaller places have a more intimate atmosphere, the larger gigs lose
     that but make up for it in sheer size and 'event'type vibe. I love them
     both. I would love to be able to play stadiums and arenas again.


Thanks again for the great Web-site!, looking foward to Exile, and a
fourth remix of Cars :)   I'll bet you stopped smiling right there.


From Joey Lindstrom (joey@lindstrom.com) of Calgary, Alberta, Canada:

I have no idea under what circumstances you left Beggar's Banquet
back in 1984.  However, they did do a reasonable job at promoting
you, both at home and abroad, due to their affiliation with WEA.  I
gather that their flood of re-re-rereleases of your old material
(including being the original movers behind the Premier Hits album)
means that they still consider you to be "marketable".  Certainly
they're still making piles of money from the back catalog, as are
you.

Q51. In your search for a record contract that would include North
     American distribution again, would you consider rejoining the
     Beggar's Banquet fold after a 12 year absence?

Just a thought...

A51. Very much so and we are considering asking them if they would be
     interested in signing me again. I'm not sure they would be though as
     they have made no hint or offer since I left them in '84 or whenever it
     was.


From Jonathan West (Firefighter/EMT) of Nashville, Tennessee, USA:

I would like to thank you for all the years of joy your music has brought me.
I know you could have retired happily years ago and just continue to "share"
your music with us out of shear graditude.

Q52. What I have always wondered was a little about the process of how you
     compose.  Drumtrack first?  Bassline first? or perhaps lyrics.

A52. Normally drum tracks first at the moment although these things do
     change over the years. Often the drum track will go dowm with a simple
     guide drone to give a basic structure. Then a certain amount of
     keyboard layering to start to make it sound like a song. After that a
     rough guide vocal without lyrics. A bit more instrumentation, working
     around the guide vocal, then lyrics and real vocals, Final
     instrumentation which I call the 'Nitty gritty' period, then the mix
     and it's done.

Q53. How long does it take for you to write a song?

A53. 'Absolution' took about 4 or 5 hours including the recording and
     mixing. 'Cars' took about 10 minutes but that was only the tune and
     lyrics not the recording. At thje other end of the scale some songs
     have been worked on over a period of two years or more. Not exclusively
     you understand but as part of a package of songs.

I hope you stick to just you and keyboards, that's your best stuff.
Why dilute genius with mediocrity?  Oh yeah, don't forget to check the
batteries in your smoke detector.  We gotta keep you safe!


From Paul Ryan of Dublin, Ireland:

Q54. Were you pleased with Polydor's performance on the Premier Hits
     campaign?  Has their performance swayed you one way or the other in
     deciding to go with another major label for future releases ?

A54. I was very satisfied. I've felt for some time that the power of a
     major was the best path for me to follow so it only reinforced that
     opinion.

Q55. Have you any favourite songs to be released as singles from
     Exile yet ?

A55. I really like 'Dark' and 'An Alien Cure' but I think some of the
     others will end up being better than those two.

Q56. Will the delay in releasing Exile result in any extra material
     being added to it ?

A56. Afraid not. I've been very busy with other things throughout the
     delay period, what with 'Cars' etc so I've had no time to do anything
     on 'Exile' for a while.

Congratulations on the Premier tour. I'm really looking forward to the
Video and CD.


From Mike Sugimoto (sugimotl@cuug.ab.ca) of Calgary, Alberta, Canada:

Hi Gary. I wanted to start out by saying how much of an influance your
music has been on both my artistic life and my real life. Probably one of
the biggest has come from "The Seed of a Lie."

Q57. What inspired you to write that song, and what exactly is it about?

A57. It's about bitterness and feelings of revenge after someone you loved
     and trusted suddenly turns on you and leaves.

Thanks. Joey Lindstrom can't shut up about how much fun he had while he
was over in England with you. I'm jealous.


From Stefan Andersson of Sweden:

Q58.  What is/was your relation to Prince? ..and what do you think of the
      two covers you did of "U Got the Look" and "1999"


A58.  I've had no relationship with Prince at all, never met him, never
      spoke to him. I thought my version of 'U Got The Look' was okay but I
      wasn't so keen on '1999'. I only did those two songs because IRS made
      me anyway.


PLEASE NOTE!

Send your questions via email to:

Derek Langsford (dlangs@sunstroke.sdsu.edu)

with a subject line of:

Gary's Qs

Include your real name, town/city, county/province/state and country.

I reserve the right to delete and edit questions for content or length.

Thanks to all who participated.

Derek