Gary Numan claims David Bowie ‘had a problem with him’ and once kicked him out off a TV studio during tense rivalry in the 1980s

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Gary Numan shared a story about an encounter with David Bowie, where Bowie apparently asked him to leave a television studio.

The 68-year-old singer discussed David Bowie – who passed away in 2016 at age 69 – while appearing on the ‘I’m ADHD!’ podcast, hosted by comedian Paul Whitehouse and his wife, Dr. Mine Conkbayir.

Paul and Gary had a short-lived competitive relationship in the early 1980s. During a recent podcast conversation, Paul asked Gary if he’d ever met David Bowie. Gary responded that he had been in the same room as Bowie on several occasions, and that Bowie apparently didn’t like him.

Let me tell you, dealing with a celebrity can be tricky! There was this one time a performer I really admired – I was a huge fan, honestly – had me removed from a television show. And believe it or not, he actually had me escorted out of a room once! It was awful, especially because I looked up to him so much.

Apparently, Bowie felt Gary was imitating him, specifically objecting to his shift towards a more electronic and industrial style of music.

Gary thinks some of the lyrics in David Bowie’s 1980 song ‘Teenage Wildlife’ were aimed at him, specifically pointing to the line ‘Same old thing in brand new drag’ as a criticism of new wave musicians like himself.

He explained to the hosts that he recorded a song called ‘I Die U Die’ back in 1980. It was then turned into a short film that aired during Kenny Everett’s Christmas special.

The director, I believe his name was David Mallet – he often worked on David Bowie’s music videos – told us that Bowie would be filming something for the Kenny Everett show the following Thursday.

Someone asked if I wanted to go watch it, and I was so excited – it was a dream come true! I went with my friend Russell, who plays the guitar.

They led us into a small side room, and because I was so young, I ended up in the back. I hadn’t even been famous for very long – only about ten minutes, it felt like.

I was trying to peek inside from the back door, but my view was limited. Still, we were all in the same room together.

Everything suddenly came to a halt, and there was some confusion about what was happening. Then, David Mallett arrived and told us that Bowie didn’t want us there and that we needed to leave immediately.

He added: ‘Then I got taken off the program. I wasn’t on the special.’

Mine then asked him: ‘Was it jealousy, insecurity?’

Gary said he wasn’t sure why, but he was really angry at the time. Looking back now, he realizes the other person was a big deal and likely saw him as a rival.

He seemed insecure, likely because his career hadn’t been going as well as it once had.

He was likely upset by it. I suddenly became the center of attention, and I think he reacted impulsively in that moment. It bothered me at first, but I quickly got over it, and it hasn’t bothered me since. It’s really just an interesting anecdote now.

This news follows Gemma, Gary’s wife, sharing that she’s lost the use of one arm due to a rare problem after surgery for a slipped disc in her spine.

Gemma, age 57, posted a health update on Instagram with a picture of herself and singer Gary taking a walk in Kew Gardens, London.

She explained she was still recovering from the paralysis in her left arm, a complication following a complex spinal surgery she had late last year.

Okay, so basically, a multi-level discectomy? It’s this surgery, and honestly, I’ve read everything about it. They go in and take out the bad parts of your spinal discs – the ones that are bulging or broken – but at multiple levels of your spine. It’s all about taking the pressure off those nerves, which is amazing. I’m just fascinated by how they can fix something so delicate! It’s incredible.

Although uncommon, paralysis is a possible risk of this surgery because it’s performed near the spinal cord and nerves.

The news came just months after the death of Gary’s younger brother John in November. 

In another post, Gemma shared that she became paralyzed right after her cervical spine surgery on December 11th.

‘Paralyzed left arm straight away! It’s one of the sad things that can happen,’ she added.

She explained that physiotherapy has allowed her to start moving her lower arm and biceps again, but she still has no movement or feeling in her shoulder and nearby areas.

The injury has been made all the more difficult by the fact that Gemma is left-handed. 

She purchased a small paint kit hoping it would lift her spirits, but she became upset when she discovered she didn’t know how to use it.

‘Get back, cried and realized I can’t use it cos I’m left handed,’ she wrote. 

I attempted to compensate by constantly flipping the paper. It’s frustrating, especially because my dominant hand is losing control.

Gemma and the musician, who have three children together, haven’t been back to their Los Angeles home since September. She traveled to the UK on December 4th, just a week before a scheduled medical procedure.

Married since 1997, the couple has been through a difficult time lately. Gemma’s health has been declining, and Gary recently lost his younger brother, John Webb. Gary received the sad news about John while performing on tour last November.

Gemma and Gary have three daughters Raven, Persia and Echo, who are based at the family home in LA. 

I’m ADHD! No You’re Not is available on all podcast platforms every Thursday. 

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2026-04-02 21:49