Gary Numan and the Art of Success

I was on a couple of mid-range flights, recently (6 - 7 hours) and was scanning the entertainment system for something I had not already watched. A documentary about the life of Gary Numan grabbed my attention.

Who remembers "Are Friends Electric" and "Cars"? Two of the more defining electronica songs of the 1980's, at a time when punk was still riding a wave. And it was fascinating to watch the documentary and hear Numan state two things that resonated:

First, he did not know he had hit songs. He just did what he loved, and as a result, he defined an entire music moment, and, some would argue, a lifestyle.

Second, when he was signed to a record label, and was "expected" to churn out new songs, he fell in to deep depression. He hated it, eventually seeing a decline in his music industry status and leaving the limelight behind. But he also hated taking anti-depressants, which, he says, caused him to focus on getting a kitten rather than talk about making music.

I totally get the kitten thing, and, thankfully, after giving a cat a new home, Numan also realised that anti-depressants were just a coping mechanism, and left him not caring about anything (apart from the cat, one would hope). It was when he took himself off the medication, and decided to simply go back to doing what he LOVED to do, regardless of record deals, that he found his creative voice, and produced a new album that has been very well received.

It made me think of the meaning behind some of his earlier lyrics, like, perhaps, the value of the single life we lead:

Now the light fades out

And i'm wondering what i'm doing in a room like this

There's a knock on the door

And just for a second I thought I remembered you

And it appears that the cat is thriving!