Gary Numan Opens Up About David Bowie Confrontation and Family Health Challenges
In a candid podcast appearance, music icon Gary Numan has revealed a startling incident from the early 1980s involving David Bowie, who allegedly had him ejected from a television studio. The 68-year-old singer shared this story on the I'm ADHD! No You're Not podcast, hosted by comedian Paul Whitehouse and his wife Dr Mine Conkbayir, where conversation turned to Bowie, who passed away in 2016 at age 69.
A Brief but Intense Rivalry
Numan and Bowie experienced a short-lived rivalry during the dawn of the 1980s, a period marked by musical evolution and competition. When asked by host Paul if he had ever met Bowie, Numan responded, 'I've been in the same room as him a few times. He had a problem with me.' He elaborated, 'He got me taken off of a show once. And he threw me out of a room once - it was horrible actually because I was such a massive fan.'
Bowie reportedly viewed Numan as a copyist at the time, taking issue with his adoption of a more electronic industrial sound. Numan believes that parts of Bowie's 1980 song Teenage Wildlife were directed at him, citing lyrics like 'Same old thing in brand new drag' as a dig at new wave artists like himself.
The Studio Ejection Incident
Numan recounted the specific event in detail. He explained that after recording his song I Die U Die in 1980, a film was made for the Kenny Everett Christmas special. The director, David Mallet, who also worked on Bowie's videos, informed Numan that Bowie would be filming at the studio the following Thursday and invited him to watch.
'So I go along with a friend of mine, Russell, who's a guitar player,' Numan said. 'And we are put in this little side room and I'm quite little and I'm at the back. I'd only be famous 10 minutes... And I'm at the back door trying to look over and I couldn't see much, but you know, we're in the same room.'
After a pause and some commotion, David Mallet entered and delivered the shocking news: 'Bowie's seeing you and he don't want you here you've gotta get out!' Numan added, 'Then I got taken off the program. I wasn't on the special.'
Reflections on the Rivalry
When asked by host Mine if the incident stemmed from jealousy or insecurity, Numan replied, 'Dunno. I was really upset at the time. Now when I look back on it, I understand that he had been massive. He probably saw me as a threat.' He speculated that Bowie might have felt insecure as his career was not at its peak, and Numan's sudden fame could have triggered a reaction.
'I think there was a level of sort of insecurity in him as his career wasn't, of course, quite what it had been,' Numan said. 'He was probably panicking about that. I've come along and I was the talk of the town for a moment and I think he just reacted in that moment. At the time it really bothered me. But soon after it didn't, and it hasn't ever since. It's just a story. It's an interesting story.'
Family Health Struggles
This revelation comes amid a difficult period for Numan's family. Last month, his wife Gemma, 57, disclosed that she has been left paralysed in one arm due to a rare complication following spinal surgery to treat a herniated disc. She shared the health update on Instagram alongside a photo of herself and Gary on a walk in Kew Gardens, London.
'Still recovering [from] the sadder outcome of left arm paralysis after my multi-level discectomy,' she wrote of the operation that took place at the end of last year. A multi-level discectomy is a surgical procedure where damaged or herniated discs are removed from several levels of the spine to relieve pressure on surrounding nerves.
Paralysis is a very rare but known risk of such surgery due to its proximity to the spinal cord or nerve roots. In a separate post, Gemma revealed that the paralysis struck immediately after her cervical spine operation on December 11. 'Paralyzed left arm straight away! It's one of the sad things that can happen,' she added.
Physiotherapy has helped her regain some movement in her lower arm and biceps, but she has 'nothing' in her shoulder and surrounding area. The injury is particularly challenging as Gemma is left-handed. She described buying a small travel paint kit to cheer herself up, only to break down when she realised she couldn't use it properly.
'Get back, cried and realized I can't use it cos I'm left handed,' she wrote. 'So I tried by turning the paper round all the time! It's s*** but that's with my lead hand which is now not really working with any control.'
Recent Family Challenges
Gemma, who shares three daughters—Raven, Persia, and Echo—with Numan, has not been able to return to the family home in Los Angeles since September. The couple arrived in the UK on December 4, a week before the operation. They have endured a gruelling few months, including Gemma's escalating health problems and the death of Gary's younger brother John Webb in November. Numan received this tragic news while on stage during his tour.
The I'm ADHD! No You're Not podcast is available on all platforms every Thursday, offering listeners more insights into such personal stories from public figures.
