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Post by gdforever on Nov 9, 2011 13:52:02 GMT -5
Liam Gallagher: not a day goes by when I don’t think about Oasis Liam Gallagher tells Neil McCormick about his new band - and delivers a withering verdict on Noel’s No1 album.
Liam Gallagher’s voice crackles down a bad phone line from South America. When I ask him to speak up, he snaps back: “That’s the story of my life, mate, I’m always having to go one louder.”
Fans of Spinal Tap will recognise the reference to the comical rock band whose guitar amps have dials that go all the way up to 11. It seem entirely appropriate for Gallagher, who has always had a cartoonish edge to his persona, an almost comically exaggerated intensity and aggressive confidence that helped make him Britain’s loudest, lairiest, coolest and quite possibly craziest rock star for much of the past 20 years. Two years on from the end of Oasis, the group who made him a household name, he remains on fighting form. “I speak the same talk, I walk the same walk,” he declares of his role in his new band, Beady Eye. “When I go on stage I try to eat that microphone. That’s it really. I’m not Jumping Jack Flash. I stand as still as I possibly can. I’m in a bubble, man, singing them songs, trying to blast through people’s souls, change their lives. I’m not thinking about anything except getting the message across. I don’t even know what the ----ing message is! I just wanna blast them with rock and roll.”
The problem for Liam is that the public no longer seem entirely convinced by such bellicose self-confidence. Beady Eye have been touring the world, playing theatres rather than stadiums. They return to Britain tomorrow, for a five-date tour, with some tickets still on sale. “There’s no rush to conquer the world,” Gallagher insists. “I’ve conquered it, mate. It’s all been done. I just want to make music that I like, and if people dig it, then great. As long as I’m not in a band with me brother fighting over M&Ms, that’s a success in my eyes.”
Oasis were the biggest band of the Britpop era, stadium-rocking giants who inspired a generation. At the group’s heart were the battling Gallagher brothers, Noel and Liam, the songwriter and the singer, a pair of complimentary and conflicting talents whose furious internal chemistry might have been the very definition of a unit greater than the sum of its parts.
Until the bond finally broke in Paris in 2009, after one backstage argument too many. It seemed a moment of both sadness and possibility. As even Liam acknowledges, there was a sense that Oasis had run their course. “I was absolutely devastated Oasis split up,” he admits. “But I just look at the positives now. We smashed it, man. We took it as big as we could. And hey, we inspired a lot of kids. I suppose we done what we came to do. It could have been different but the people in the band, that’s the way we are. I don’t regret having an argument with our kid, I don’t regret the break up, it had to happen.”
Younger brother Liam quickly reconvened with guitarists Gem Archer and Andy Bell, and touring drummer Chris Sharrock, this four fifths of Oasis turning into Beady Eye. Older brother Noel has taken his time concocting a solo album with a band of floating contributors dubbed High Flying Birds. But now that both sides of the schism have shown their musical hand, the public have had the opportunity to demonstrate where their allegiances lie. Beady Eye’s debut, Different Gear, Still Speeding, was declared a pleasant surprise by critics, reached number three in the UK album charts, and has sold a respectable 157,000. Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds received universally glowing reviews, went straight to number one and has sold 230,000 in its first fortnight. “It’s all right,” is Liam’s rather begrudging verdict on his brother’s album. “I’m glad that people like it, man. He’s got good songs. No balls, though. No attitude. Everyone knows what Noel Gallagher can do, and it’s great, but it’s boring. I’ve heard it all before. Being number one is not all it’s cracked up to be. The Birdy Song was number one. I’d much rather be number three. You’ve got somewhere to go then.”
Liam’s affected nonchalance over his brother’s achievements is somewhat undermined by how often he brings the subject up, and the increasingly inflammatory and insulting way he talks about him, describing him in terms that cannot be repeated. You might have thought the break up of Oasis would have put an end to their squabbling, but it has continued in the media, with comments and insults going back and forth. Liam has gone as far as issuing a libel writ against his brother over remarks suggesting Liam missed the 2009 Reading festival because he was hung-over. Noel has subsequently conceded that Liam had a doctor’s note for laryngitis. But when I have the temerity to suggest to Liam that lawsuits may not be the best way to resolve family issues, he bubbles up with anger. “You think so? Telling lies to get benefits with your lot, you journalists, I’m not having it. The minute he apologised, it got ----ing dropped. And I’d do it all over again.So you be careful.”
The Gallagher brothers may be the most psychoanalysed siblings in rock history; the tragedy of their relationship is that they don’t seem interested in examining it themselves. Noel is probably least culpable, in that he tends to withdraw from conflict, yet it is not hard to detect in Liam’s rebelliousness a desire for the unforthcoming approval of his older brother. “It doesn’t bother me, mate,” Liam insists.
“We’re not the only family that’s a bit weird. I know lots of brothers and sisters that don’t get on. It’s just that ours was in a band that everyone became obsessed with.”
For all the bullish declarations that there are no regrets, both Noel and Liam speak with sadness about Oasis coming to an end. “There’s not a day goes by when I don’t think about Oasis and the music, but it wasn’t meant to be,” admits Liam, who recently suggested they could reunite for the 20-year anniversary of What’s The Story (Morning Glory) in 2015. “Who knows, man, who knows? Time is a great healer, they say. I’m certainly not putting out an olive branch. Me and our kid are still at loggerheads. I’m not desperate to be in a room with that miserable ----. Me and him would get into a scrap immediately. But I’d do it for the right reasons, for the music and for the fans. I don’t need the ----ing money.”
Arguably, both are better off apart, and, in a sense, both are creatively flourishing, albeit on a smaller scale than Oasis. Beady Eye may not quite have nailed it with their debut but there is a tangible ambition to create something worthwhile. “May be we’re just not cutting it. May be the tunes ain’t good enough to cross-over.
“So we’ve got to keep trying, got to keep taking it to the people, got to keep barking up some of the wrong trees, gotta keep making music. I’m optimistic. I know where to go next. We’re going where we would have gone with Oasis. It’s gonna get a bit grander, a bit Spectorish. I’ve got a soul man and my soul is tuned in to music and I’m going to sing songs every day of the week. That’s what I do. I’m more than motivated.”
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Post by hanofjoh99 on Nov 9, 2011 14:11:12 GMT -5
Best interview ever!!!!!!!!!!When I go on stage I try to eat that microphone. That’s it really. I’m not Jumping Jack Flash. I stand as still as I possibly can. I’m in a bubble, man, singing them songs, trying to blast through people’s souls, change their lives. I’m not thinking about anything except getting the message across. I don’t even know what the ----ing message is! I just wanna blast them with rock and roll.”
This is the best thing he ever said, the part he says I don't even know what the message is, is gold
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Post by hanofjoh99 on Nov 9, 2011 14:12:01 GMT -5
"I try to eat the microphone" that's classic, I love that
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Post by songbirdsally on Nov 9, 2011 15:07:44 GMT -5
“I speak the same talk, I walk the same walk. When I go on stage I try to eat that microphone. That’s it really. I’m not Jumping Jack Flash. I stand as still as I possibly can. I’m in a bubble, man, singing them songs, trying to blast through people’s souls, change their lives. I’m not thinking about anything except getting the message across. I don’t even know what the ----ing message is! I just wanna blast them with rock and roll.” And that's why he I love Liam!
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Post by J.B on Nov 9, 2011 15:55:45 GMT -5
The idea of Liam still wanting Noel's approval and acceptance is heartbreaking.
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Post by daii on Nov 9, 2011 16:12:43 GMT -5
The idea of Liam still wanting Noel's approval and acceptance is heartbreaking. hahahhaah, he is a sweetheart.
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Post by howsoonisnow on Nov 9, 2011 16:18:12 GMT -5
It's kind of sad, he's starting to really miss Oasis. I hope he'll manage convice Noel to do the reunion tour. It'll be really beautifull having them playing MG, a true communion moment between the audience and them. I would die to see that.
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Post by daii on Nov 9, 2011 16:24:32 GMT -5
I hope the same....
liam, you could start to convincing noel, sending something for christmas ha ha...
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dion
Oasis Roadie
Posts: 362
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Post by dion on Nov 9, 2011 16:44:48 GMT -5
The idea of Liam still wanting Noel's approval and acceptance is heartbreaking. It's the nature of siblings.
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Post by alwaysnow on Nov 9, 2011 16:50:42 GMT -5
Great read, thanks!
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Post by Just Call Me The Roller on Nov 9, 2011 18:48:44 GMT -5
The idea of Liam still wanting Noel's approval and acceptance is heartbreaking. It's the nature of siblings. Unlike Liam, who loves Noel as much as possible (even if in a quite unusual way, maybe), I don't think Noel's heart has any feelings for Liam... It just seems that he doesn't love or hate him, he just couldn't care less about his brother.
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Post by Bittersweet Split on Nov 9, 2011 19:37:20 GMT -5
It's the nature of siblings. Unlike Liam, who loves Noel as much as possible (even if in a quite unusual way, maybe), I don't think Noel's heart has any feelings for Liam... It just seems that he doesn't love or hate him, he just couldn't care less about his brother. Noel seems a bit too mechanical. Ow, fight. Fight makes pain. Liam makes fight. Do not like pain, aha! Do not like Liam. Wait, good? Good stuff from Oasis. Oasis me and Liam. Do like Oasis. Hmmm.... (Oasis Good) - (Fight/Pain/Ow) = Outcome. Bye bye Liam it was fun *Go talk to shitloads of press. I love the guy, but Liam is a little more emotive, I really feel for him. Despite the fact that I feel that me and Noel would have more common interests, I feel like I'd probably get on better with Liam.
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dion
Oasis Roadie
Posts: 362
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Post by dion on Nov 9, 2011 20:01:17 GMT -5
It's the nature of siblings. Unlike Liam, who loves Noel as much as possible (even if in a quite unusual way, maybe), I don't think Noel's heart has any feelings for Liam... It just seems that he doesn't love or hate him, he just couldn't care less about his brother. Once again, it's just the older/younger sibling dynamic. Nothing Liam can possibly do would impress Noel, I'm the eldest of my siblings and if my sister discovered the cure for cancer while scoring a hattrick for England in the world cup final my reaction would be something along the lines of "meh... I had some toast for breakfast, beat that". There's an inherent superiority complex that comes with always being one step ahead of someone.
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Post by gdforever on Nov 9, 2011 20:17:03 GMT -5
I love you so much that I am going to hit you over the head with a guitar, repeatedly leave you in a lurch, and outright say you're no good without me while simultaneously yammering about how I don't need you at all. I'll imply the illegitimacy of your firstborn while you are suffering because of the breakdown of your marriage.
With love like that who needs hate?!
Noel may be less demonstrative than Liam but he is also seems a lot more constant. He wasn't the one to come out with comments like "it takes more than blood to be my brother" etc. Noel may not have always been kind about Liam personally (as many brothers aren't)..but he never and continues not to allow others to bag on Liam to him.
When the presenters were making a big deal about how quickly his first tour sold out he was the first to continue to emphasize that their tour had been bigger. When an interviewer started talking about BDI being unsuccessful commercially Noel stopped him and said that BDI had done fine, comparable to the Arctic Monkeys and Kasabian. The first that any of us had heard that.
He may not be big on words and flash statements...but he's led a hard life. A harder life than Liam. His growing up was more violent. He spent several more years toiling away. When he got his success he worked way harder for it than Liam beginning to end. (Liam's voice and attitude may have been as big a part as the songs but Noel worked harder at songs and the music than Liam did)
This idea that Noel is a less worthwhile person is absurd. He's a loner and harder to know. But I don't believe that there is any moral superiority in being fickle and demeaning. Liam is currently trying to build himself up by knocking Noel down...and I think there is nothing more disgusting in a persons character than behavior like that.
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Post by hanofjoh99 on Nov 9, 2011 20:36:47 GMT -5
The big brother will always defend his little brother in many ways. Sam switch loner to introvert, they are 5 years apart so that is a big difference. The times that Noel was inside the house practicing his guitar Liam was out there enjoying the Manchester Music scene. Noel was unaware that his own little brother was getting into The Stone Roses and all that stuff, he didn't even know that he could sing. In this present day Noel is going to defend Liam because he wants Liam to do well I think, on the other hand Liam will always be Liam, maybe he's matured a bit, he still resents a little bit that it was Noel who left. And also going back to the music, Liam feels that the Oasis legacy is also his too because it's him singing the song, I know there Noel's songs Liam's stamp is firmly on them too. There will always be conflict. for me I want them to get back together for the What's the Story tour.
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Post by Marcos on Nov 9, 2011 23:37:19 GMT -5
“It’s all right,” is Liam’s rather begrudging verdict on his brother’s album. “I’m glad that people like it, man. He’s got good songs. No balls, though. No attitude. Everyone knows what Noel Gallagher can do, and it’s great, but it’s boring. I’ve heard it all before. Being number one is not all it’s cracked up to be. The Birdy Song was number one. I’d much rather be number three. You’ve got somewhere to go then.”
Liam speaks the truth!
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Post by howsoonisnow on Nov 10, 2011 4:56:25 GMT -5
Liam is right in his way, Noel doing Noel's tune and it's good but not very rock n roll (= boring for Liam) is it? I think he's provocative but that's what he mean. Liam is a kid, he talks before he thinks but Noel isn't perfetc either. He always has despised Liam in the press. Sometimes he's able of saying Liam is a great frontman and other time he's taking him down (like when he said he had a hangover at the V festival). When he says "they're my songs, they just were realesed as Oasis", it's very contemptuous for Liam. It's like he thinks Liam didn't bring anything to the band and on the other hand, he's not singing Liam's related songs because he's aware of Liam's incarnation to the songs. So he keep contradict himself. Oasis wasn't his property, the songs he made with Oasis are not his only property as long as Liam has sung on them, so Liam is right to claim right on Oasis too.
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Post by sultrysummer on Nov 10, 2011 8:32:50 GMT -5
These two quotes (unrelated, both from mid-00s) are quite telling:
Noel: “He (=Liam) sees me as a father figure - and he hated my dad, so all of that's passed on to me a bit."
Interviewer: Is Noel like a father figure to you? Liam: “Is he fuck. He thinks he is but I don't listen to a word he says.”
In the latter one, Liam is sounding exactly like a 13-year-old boy.
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Post by Rolo on Nov 10, 2011 8:54:55 GMT -5
I think what it comes down to is Liam is still hurting from Oasis splitting up, he lived for that band, he loved it, Liam was always the one with all the passion, even in the later stages. I agree with a lot of people in this thread that he always seems to be looking for Noel's acceptance if you know what I mean, it's quite sad really.
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Post by daii on Nov 10, 2011 9:48:15 GMT -5
poor liam, he really loves oasis and his brother.
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Post by SunshineLullaby on Nov 10, 2011 9:48:38 GMT -5
Liam is right in his way, Noel doing Noel's tune and it's good but not very rock n roll (= boring for Liam) is it? I think he's provocative but that's what he mean. Liam is a kid, he talks before he thinks but Noel isn't perfetc either. He always has despised Liam in the press. Sometimes he's able of saying Liam is a great frontman and other time he's taking him down (like when he said he had a hangover at the V festival). When he says "they're my songs, they just were realesed as Oasis", it's very contemptuous for Liam. It's like he thinks Liam didn't bring anything to the band and on the other hand, he's not singing Liam's related songs because he's aware of Liam's incarnation to the songs. So he keep contradict himself. Oasis wasn't his property, the songs he made with Oasis are not his only property as long as Liam has sung on them, so Liam is right to claim right on Oasis too. The songs Noel wrote for Oasis are published under his name alone. They are indeed his intellectual property.
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Post by howsoonisnow on Nov 10, 2011 10:21:00 GMT -5
The songs Noel wrote for Oasis are published under his name alone. They are indeed his intellectual property. Of course, I not talking in a legal way. And I'm well aware of who wrote the song. I just mean in the general spirit they're Oasis songs, they're related to Oasis, to Liam's voice. It's not fair for Noel to say "They're my song, end of it, I don't think of them as Oasis song anymore, etc", because it despises Liam's role in those.
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Post by martinpaul on Nov 10, 2011 11:06:59 GMT -5
“It’s all right,” is Liam’s rather begrudging verdict on his brother’s album. “I’m glad that people like it, man. He’s got good songs. No balls, though. No attitude. Everyone knows what Noel Gallagher can do, and it’s great, but it’s boring. I’ve heard it all before. Being number one is not all it’s cracked up to be. The Birdy Song was number one. I’d much rather be number three. You’ve got somewhere to go then.” Liam speaks the truth! Exactly 100% right. I watched the Noel BBC/Radio 2 concert the other night and live the songs are better than the syruppy over produced album versions but Liam nails it there. No one doubts that Noel writes amazing songs, great melodies but essentially Noel on his own is boring, middle of the road lift music. If that's your bag then great, I'm off to my 3rd BDI show next week, whereas I wouldn't open my curtains if Noel was playing in my back garden. I'm not saying BDI's songs are better because some are weak but personally music for me is about excitment, anger, balls, attitude and putting yourself out there to fail.
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Post by howsoonisnow on Nov 10, 2011 11:57:23 GMT -5
There was a journalist (don't remember his name) who said in 1997
"Noel is the true genius behind Oasis, but without Liam it's boring".
I don't totally agree, but sure Noel has lost his rock n roll side without Liam.
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Post by tomlivesforever on Nov 10, 2011 12:56:55 GMT -5
I love you so much that I am going to hit you over the head with a guitar, repeatedly leave you in a lurch, and outright say you're no good without me while simultaneously yammering about how I don't need you at all. I'll imply the illegitimacy of your firstborn while you are suffering because of the breakdown of your marriage. With love like that who needs hate?! Noel may be less demonstrative than Liam but he is also seems a lot more constant. He wasn't the one to come out with comments like "it takes more than blood to be my brother" etc. Noel may not have always been kind about Liam personally (as many brothers aren't)..but he never and continues not to allow others to bag on Liam to him. When the presenters were making a big deal about how quickly his first tour sold out he was the first to continue to emphasize that their tour had been bigger. When an interviewer started talking about BDI being unsuccessful commercially Noel stopped him and said that BDI had done fine, comparable to the Arctic Monkeys and Kasabian. The first that any of us had heard that. He may not be big on words and flash statements...but he's led a hard life. A harder life than Liam. His growing up was more violent. He spent several more years toiling away. When he got his success he worked way harder for it than Liam beginning to end. (Liam's voice and attitude may have been as big a part as the songs but Noel worked harder at songs and the music than Liam did) This idea that Noel is a less worthwhile person is absurd. He's a loner and harder to know. But I don't believe that there is any moral superiority in being fickle and demeaning. Liam is currently trying to build himself up by knocking Noel down...and I think there is nothing more disgusting in a persons character than behavior like that. About your last point and in the fairness of balance what would you say about Noel in the same respect? Someone who for years has run his brother down not even for the purpose of building himself up but just because he can, because its easy, because it gets a laugh from the interviewer or reporter sitting opposite him. Doesn't sound like you should like him either.
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