I met Gary Numan at RAF Swanton Morley air show in about 1993. On practice day. He came over and spoke to us on the arena. (I was in the motorbike display team). The man is an absolute gentleman. We didn't realise who he was at first. My wife was changing our little toddler. She handed him a nappy full of poo to get rid of. He took it without question and put it in the nearest bin. She was mortified when she found out it was her teen idol she handed a fully loaded nappy to.
At 62 he is making bitchin music and not flying... (at least far as I know). Looking forward to his new record for 2020 called Intruder. His last 2 records, Splinter & Savage are great records.
Hearing you Numanoid, fu covid , let's get back to the gigs, the fun, the parrrrrtys, ......that moment when your at the gig.....and the lights go out.. and the first dark deep note hits,,,,,,,,,,,
He gave up flying in the mid-90's, after so many deaths among pilot friends and mentors. Gemma helped convince him to give it up. Glad he's among the living and back in top music form, because he used to think he'd die in a plane crash, eventually, like so many of those peers and mentors... and he'd once made peace with it. It's very cool he did the aerobatic piloting for about 15 years, but I much prefer him on the ground... and on stage! Safer, I'm sure. 😮💨 😅
It's sad he left piloting because there had been so many deaths among his piloting friends and mentors, and because of urging from Gemma (her fear of losing him), but ultimately it's probably for the best. It took far too long, but a return to Wembley Arena this year proves he's still got the musical chops, even at 64. I finally saw him live this year, in Austin, TX. My first Gary Numan show. He'd dropped off the radar here, for me all the way in Texas, when I was a little kid in the early 80's, so I didn't know he still toured, let alone with new albums. I'm so glad I "rediscovered" him and his incredibly long back catalogue, most of which I hadn't the foggiest idea existed... and am still trying to acquire -- some of the albums are hard to find, like the ones originally released on Numa Records. Here's to Gary's return to charts, big stages... and finally getting into my playlists. 😂 I even recently read both autobiographies and joined his Patreon. Now I wait for the follow-up to Intruder and the subsequent tour.
Observer is played towards the end, though. As a passionate Numan fan, I dread the day he stops touring, it's something I have gone on for over forty years and the excitement never wanes. How the musicians have the energy baffles me, I start to get tired just travelling from one venue to another.
I think PPL is now lapsed. I think you need a minimum number of flying hours per year to retain it if I remember correctly. That's why I had to give up my own private jet 😉
