GALLAGHER TAKES ON EVERYTHING
Mastermind of Brit pop group Oasis as foul-mouthed as ever
For nearly as long as he’s been writing rock ’n’ roll, Noel Gallagher has delivered great quotes.
As the brains behind the brawny Brit pop juggernaut Oasis, Gallagher spent the majority of the ’90s on record as both his music’s greatest booster and the industry’s sharpest-tongued critic (often at the expense of either his frontman/younger brother Liam or any band with the audacity not be The Beatles, The Stones or The Who — especially rivals Blur).
But as the great songs became few and far between (he reckons he wrote about 12 total), Gallagher adapted and, for the majority of the 2000s and into the current decade, any album he was involved with (be it Oasis or his own High Flying Birds) was as much a chance to check in with music’s greatest comedian as it was to listen to his new songs.
Now nearing 50 and promoting his second solo album, Chasing Yesterday, Gallagher has taken this process one step further, turning the media he was so happy to exploit against itself as he perfects his comedic routine.
This week alone, in interviews with Vulture, The Daily Beast and Stereogum, eagle-eyed readers could follow along as the man behind Wonderwall found ways to robotically answer questions about his new album, Kanye West and the future of Oasis as if he were perfecting a standup routine.
In the Q&A below, you will read some of that, but Gallagher being Gallagher there is much more than just the pull-quotes. He speaks genuinely about coming to terms with his past and spares no expense in chiding his brother, with whom he reunited during a family function. He also laments the passing of time and, with a permanent wink, never misses a chance to remind the reader he’s a genius — and you’re not.
Q Now that you’re nearly 50 ...
A Whoa now, steady on.
Q Sorry, now that you’re an established solo artist. Where’s your head at these days?
A It’s in a pretty good place. I keep getting told this by journalists who say to me “you seem so happy.” I go, “No, it’s the Prozac.” What can I say? F--king hell. I don’t know, because you define yourself as a person by where you’re at at the minute and I’m working and the work is good and I’m reasonably pleased. I’m about to go on tour and that’s shaping up all right. Record’s great, I’m great. It’s a bit cold but f--k it.
Q So let’s talk about Chasing Yesterday. What were you setting out to do with it?
A There’s no great idea behind any record I make. I don’t write for any specific project, I just write all the time. I’ve never come into the studio without at least 20 finished songs. The idea, really, is to f--king sell lots of records and make millions of dollars.
Q You’ve already done that so isn’t trying again kind of boring?
A Trust me, it’s not.
Q At the Grammys when Kanye drunkenly criticized Beck it reminded me a bit of the way Oasis would act at the Brits.
A I’m not sure we once ever took somebody’s moment away from them. I don’t think I ever did that. I never ever once got onstage while somebody else was getting an award. I would never do that. As little respect as I’ve got for other people at least I’ve got that much respect for people.
Yeah, Kanye though. He’s f--king out there, that’s for sure. As I understand it he was disrespecting artistry by f--king being onstage in the first place and then he was saying to Beck that he should respect artistry and give the award to Beyoncé. Somebody needs to go buy Kanye a dictionary and show him the word artistry and if that applies to Beyoncé then f--k me. Beck can play the banjo, by the way. If that’s not considered artistry then what kind of world are we living in?
Q Do you think you have a better understanding of what makes a successful record than you did in the Oasis days?
A The right singles and the right time? I’d like to think that if What’s The Story (Morning Glory) was coming out tomorrow it would be as successful. It wouldn’t sell as many records because the times are different. I’m in control of what happens in the studio. Once I finish the record it goes on someone’s desk and it’s up to them then. They’ve got to do right by me. In my mind I’ve made a record that’s at least as good as my last one. Will it sell as many copies as the last one? Probably not because the record industry is dying on its ass, but it won’t be less successful to me.
Q How are you and Liam nowadays?
A We’re all right. I’m a bit concerned that he’s started to grow facial hair.
Q I read that you were considering writing songs for him?
A Well he’d have to phone me up and get on his knees and beg while he had the phone to his ear. And shave. All his body hair. So he’s like a f--king bald Shaolin monk. And then maybe I’ll write him a decent chorus. Lord knows he could f--king do with one.
Q You two weren’t on speaking terms not that long ago. When did you patch things up?
A I dunno. Family is family, you don’t have to patch it up, do you? It’s just there. There’s Christmas and you’ve still got the same parents and all that kind of s--t.