A new feature documentary on the pioneering electronic pop musician Gary Numan is set to premiere at the SXSW Film Festival in March, it has been announced today. Titled Android in La La Land, the film follows Numan’s move with his family from the UK to LA, getting back in the studio and out on the road after a long period “in the wilderness” dealing with his Asperger’s syndrome, depression, anxiety and near bankruptcy.
“He talks about everything that’s happened in his life and where he is now with total honesty,” explains co-director Steve Read, the former Loaded magazine art director. “We’ve had the most extraordinary access to one of the most extraordinary artists in the world today. It is as up close and personal as it gets”.
In the trailer for the documentary, above, Numan describes the rollercoaster of fame, from his success with huge hits Are ‘Friends’ Electric? and Cars to the personal crisis that followed, saying, “It’s like, imagine you’re standing at a train station and this express train comes flying through, and you put your hand out and you grab it and it whisks you away at lightning speed and everything is a blur. Then, at some point, you lose your grip, and you find yourself in the middle of nowhere, a bit beaten up and totally lost”.
The film is also described as a love story, with the trailer introducing Numan’s three adorable daughters, Raven, Persia and Echo, and his biggest-fan-turned-wife Gemma, of whom he says, “Everything changed when she came along”. Set against a backdrop of gig venues, his garden shed studio and LA liquor stores, the film looks as atmospheric as it is intimate.
Read our interview with Gary Numan on his Splinter tour [https://i-d.co/en_gb/article/gary-numan-is-the-dark-prince-of-synthpop]