Gary Numan: 'Bowie saw me as some little upstart stealing his thunder' 

As he gets ready for a tour that takes in two Irish shows, Gary Numan talks music, stunt planes and the time he was shunned by his hero 

Gary Numan plays in Dublin and Belfast in May. 

After a run of dates at Wembley Arena in April 1981, Gary Numan walked off stage having announced his retirement at the age of 23. It had been an amazing period, producing a run of hits including two UK chart-toppers in 1979 with Are Friends Electric? and Cars.

After three years in the public eye as a bonafide, albeit outsider pop star and at the height of his fame, Numan appeared to be calling it a day. He has performed sporadically since, and is about to return to the stage with an extensive tour that takes in gigs in Dublin and Belfast later in May.