Behind the wheel with Gary Numan

Interview: Danny Scott
 
Where has been your favourite road trip destination? 
I’m not trying to be awkward or clever, but my favourite destination is wherever my family and I are headed. We’ve got a stretch Chevy van with beds, Wi-Fi, telly and a loo, and at least once a year we take off from home in LA and we drive... somewhere. Road trips are now a family tradition. It’s where we all laugh and talk about rubbish and make memories that will last us a lifetime. 
 
Where’s the number one place on your bucket list? 
The Antarctic. I’ve been up into the Arctic Circle, but I’m told that the South Pole is on a whole other level. I just love that sense of isolation and nature being in control. I keep hearing stories about how the side effects of humanity are changing things, so I just hope I get there before we really mess it up. 

What’s your ultimate travel song? 
In my younger days, I used to listen to stuff like David Bowie and T-Rex, but if I’m in the car on my own, I need silence. I had a number one hit in 1979 with a song called ‘Cars’, about how I could lock the doors and feel safe inside a car. I still feel like that. I love the peace and quiet of my own space because it allows me to think. That’s where all my problems get solved... behind the wheel. 
 
What is your most dramatic road trip story? 
It was back in the early-80s. We were in Iceland, being looked after by a guy from the record company. He turned up in a 4x4, saying he wanted to show us some waterfall or lake or something. Anyway, we set off in the snow and we skidded off the road. Miles from the nearest town, no GPS, no mobiles. We thought, being from Iceland, he’d have shovels, food, blankets and a radio in the car. Nothing. We were there several hours before a truck luckily came past and rescued us. I remember the truck driver saying that they were about to shut the road. We could have been stuck there for days. 

What are your three packing essentials and why?
No kidding, I have never forgotten that experience. If we are on one of our family road trips, I pack food, water, space blankets, an emergency starter in case the battery goes flat and even bear spray. Too much? I have seen grizzlies from a distance and that was close enough for me. 
 
Do you have any clever travel tips? 
When I’m touring, I always download the Township app – it’s one of those farming and city-building games. The kids and I play online. It’s a small thing, I know, but those moments of ordinary connection matter so much when you’re thousands of miles from home. 
 
What’s your dream car – and drive?
If I was a single man, it would be a Koenigsegg, driving coast to coast in the States. Having said that, I’m not sure I could afford one!

Are you a good traveller?
Again, it’s something that’s changed over the years. Maybe it’s about getting older... I don’t know. My favourite journeys are with my wife, Gemma, and the kids. 
 
What’s been your craziest travel experience to date?
We were all driving back to Los Angeles on the Pacific Coast Highway a couple of years back and we saw what we thought was a huge meteorite in the western sky. But it just kept going... this huge trail of fire. We pulled over and, just for a few seconds, we thought it was going to smash into the earth. Armageddon! Then we realised it was a returning SpaceX capsule. It was a beautiful, breathtaking sight. 
 
If you could live anywhere else in the world, where would it be, and why?
We moved to LA in 2012, but I still own a place in Scotland... it’s got a bit of land, a river, incredible scenery. If you could guarantee decent weather, I could live there. But that’s a big ‘if’.

Gary Numan will be playing UK dates throughout the summer

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