Gary Numan has revealed that he doesn’t listen to music for pleasure, admitting that he can’t help but pick it apart when listening.

In a new interview with The Observer, Newman said listening to music can feel “a bit like working” so he avoids it.

Newman said: “I don’t listen to music at all. Not for pleasure. It’s impossible to listen without picking it apart, so it’s a bit like working.

“Also, I’ve got three children, four dogs and a very noisy wife, so if I do find a quiet moment I treasure it.”

Recently, Numan joined The Mission’s Wayne Hussey, members of The Cure, Depeche Mode and The Smiths to cover the band’s 1988 single ‘Tower Of Strength’ to raise funds for COVID relief.

The project was also joined by Martin Gore, Lol Tolhurst, Andy Rourke, Midge Ure, Gary Numan, Budgie of Siouxsie and The Banshees, Slowdive’s Rachel Goswell and Bauhaus drummer Kevin Haskins.

The group dubbed the project “ReMission International” and retitled the track ‘TOS2020’. Sales of the single will be donated to charities chosen by each contributing artist. A digital release emerged on August 28 and 12” vinyl and CD editions were released on October 2.

“When COVID-19 hit I started receiving messages asking ‘why don’t you re-issue Tower Of Strength for the front line workers?’,” Hussey said of the project in a statement.

“The song had apparently been adopted as an anthem by some NHS workers, and it got me thinking that I would like to contribute something to the greater cause at this unprecedented time and the only thing I could really contribute is music.”