Noel Gallagher - Rolling Stone - 29th August 2000

So, what is going on with Oasis?
We had a bit of a fall out in Barcelona. Not about anything particularly important, but we decided that for the good of the tour I would go home and they'd get a replacement to stand in. After that, the gigs we've done in England have been great. But you know we're not really sure what's happening next year or the year after, so as soon as we know what we're gonna do, we'll let everyone know. We'll put everybody out of their misery.

We're just concentrating on doing these gigs [Reading, Glasgow, Leeds], then going on holiday and then living that thing we call life for a little while -- and then seeing what we want to get back into it.

Have you worked on any new material?
I wrote two [songs], just after I finished the last record. I wrote another one the other day but it's got no words, so that's half a song. So I've got two and a half songs. Apparently, the rest of the guys have got over fourteen, which I find very hard to believe. Liam's been writing for a while. I've heard a couple of his tunes, and they're alright.

What do your new songs sound? Are they different or along the same lines?
Well, we're not experimentalists. We're not into space jazz, you know what I mean? We're into rock & roll music. What we do is what we do and the sooner people work that out. . . I mean, we're never gonna make an experimental, electronic record because we like playing Les Pauls through loud amplifiers. That's the end of it. It's rock & roll music, man. That's what we do.

So this rumor about Oasis not touring anywhere else but Britain, does that hold for America as well?
I love touring. I absolutely love it. It comes across in interviews that I don't actually like touring, but playing is fantastic. Meeting the people that you play your music for is great as well, and it's just that the vibe on this particular tour for a six- or seven-week period was so fucking awful that I didn't want to be around it anymore. So I went home.

But then there was the announcement that you weren't going to tour outside Britain anymore.
Yeah that was a typical management company statement.

So that's not the case then?
Well, I've done the America tour, so they got it and I think that last American was one of the best things we done ever in America. I thought it was fantastic. I thought all the gigs were great.

America's not off the list entirely then for you, then?
Not for me.

So what's going on with your side project, Tailgunner?
We had a single out Monday [in Britain]. I don't know how it's doing in the charts as we speak but, yeah, Tailgunner are on tour, again, with another drummer. I've got plenty of stand-ins knocking around the British music industry at the moment. So I've got a stand in doing me drummin' in Tailgunner, and I had a stand-in in Europe doing me guitar bits [for Oasis]. I spoke to Mark [Coyle], who's the main man behind Tailgunner and they're up for recording another album pretty soon. And I don't know whether I'm playing drums on it or not.

Do you have any other side projects?
Not at the moment. I might be signing a group for my record label [Big Brother] in a few weeks.

What are they like?
Can't tell ya . . . They're English. And they're more like the Rolling Stones than the Black Crowes, if you know what I mean. They're from the North, somewhere very near Manchester.

Are you on speaking terms with Liam at the moment?
The relationship has been portrayed as rather rocky in the British press.I was out with him on Sunday. I went out with him on the booze and that, and everything's cool. It's just that our fall-outs seem to be a bit more public than other people. We're two very separate, sarcastic people and there's nothing we like better than getting into a bit of verbal tennis, if you like, but it doesn't mean anything. I wouldn't be going on stage with him tonight [at Reading] if I wasn't his fucking best mate.

It was well reported you were upset about your first gigs back with the band at Wembley. What happened?
Well I thought the first night, the Friday night, was great. The second night was awful. It was one of the most awful experiences I've had in my fucking life. Liam hadn't been to bed the night before and I found that very disrespectful to the audience. Subsequently, that gig got reviewed and it was said to be one of the best performances by a British band in like God knows how many years, which makes me think that maybe I'm going a bit fucking mad and I don't know the state of my own band any more.

Is Oasis still very much your band? How's it going to work if they've written fourteen songs and you've written two?
Well that's what I'm trying to say. We don't know how it's going to work or if it's going to work. We're just concentrating on doing these gigs and going on holiday and hopefully reconvening and sorting it out like proper fucking adults do. We're not children, you know what I mean? Not like saying, 'Well you said this about me and I said that about you, and you done this and you done that and blah, blah, blah.' It'll be nice if we could sort it out like adults do.

When do you think that might happen? Do you guys have a timetable?
No, we don't. Oasis doesn't work to a time schedule.

So holiday lasts until whenever you feel like it then?
Well, yeah. Rock & roll's not about conforming to the clock. A clock is too time restricting. If it's gonna happen it'll happen when we feel like. Who's to say when we're gonna feel like it? I don't know.

How did you feel when they started throwing stuff at the band in Europe, and you weren't there? Were you watching that from afar?
I found it funny, actually. That'll fucking teach them to send me home [laughs].

When that was happening, were you speaking to the band by phone?
No, we're not really sociable animals. We don't hang out outside unless we by accident bump into each other at other people's gigs or something. We're not in 'Summer's End, Buddhist cult' man, where we're all on the same vibe. We're five completely different people, who live in different parts of the country almost, and we get together for things like this and we do our shit and then we all go our separate ways and it'll be same for this weekend. We'll be doing our shit and we'll be going our separate ways, and then somebody, usually from the management, will make a phone call, and we'll all get together and we'll all sit down and hopefully like adults we'll all be able to sort it out.

A few years ago you thought you could take on the world and Oasis was going to be together forever. Do you see the band together in a couple years from now?
You do when you're young, don't you? And [then] there's other things that come into your life. We've all got kids now.

Noel Gallagher - The Observer - 6th August 2000

My old man said be a City fan ...

As Manchester City return to the Premiership, Noel Gallagher recalls his first game and revels in the cigarettes and alcohol lifestyle of his early heroes

The first game my dad ever took me to was City v Newcastle United at Maine Road in 1971. That was it; City became my team. United were in the Second Division then and we were the top team in Manchester for about 10 years. But over the years, when City have been struggling and United have become the best team in Europe, Ive sometimes wondered why my dad brought me to Maine Road rather than Old Trafford. The reason is basically a family one my dad hated his brothers. They were all Irish people who came over here and decided to support United. My dad chose City instead, just to piss them off. No other reason than that Liam and I should by rights have been United fans.

My dad used to take us into the Kippax Stand and sit us up on this narrow brick wall at the back, where wed lean against this big sheet of corrugated asbestos, and then he'd piss off to the bar with all the other dads. I remember in that first game we absolutely murdered Newcastle 5-1. But the only goal I saw because if City got anywhere over the halfway line it got a bit chaotic and we were too small to see over the crowd was Malcolm Macdonalds.

The Kippax was basically a big shed. It was very dark there was no lighting and a really huge roof coming down low, so it was like looking at a television screen.

In the Seventies everyone used to wear scarves and have Rod Stewart haircuts. You could still drink in grounds so there was always fighting especially if away supporters who were mixed in among City fans because there was no segregation then celebrated a goal. Nowadays in football grounds fans tend not to sing a lot. But in the Seventies it was deafening in the Kippax. It was like the sound coming out of a speaker. We sang Lily The Pink, one about Colin Bell called Colin The King and all the naive old ones like Tommy Booth Walks on Water. It was only in the Eighties that songs began getting witty and complicated and having swearing in them.

When we were at primary school my dad took us mainly to night games, because on a Saturday hed be in the bookies betting on the horses, as Irish fellas do. Wednesday night games were even better than Saturday afternoon games. The pitch seemed greener and it was usually an exciting game like an FA Cup match. We began going regularly on Saturday afternoons when we went to secondary school and met other City fans, and my mum could trust us to go out on our own. I went religiously every other Saturday between the ages of 12 and 21. The first season we were in the Second Division, after we lost to Luton, we went to every single game, home and away. Wed just left school and signed on and there was fuck all else to do. We used to get train specials it was 2 to anywhere in the country on Saturday afternoons to places like Oxford, Barnsley and Ipswich, which took about six months to get to and from.

Players in the Seventies were guys who went to the pub before the game, smoked cigarettes and liked to bet on the horses, whereas players now are just programmed robots. You see Alan Shearer and just think youre the most boring person in the world. We used to watch people like Stan Bowles and Rodney Marsh real characters and Colin Bell, Franny Lee and Mike Summerbee. The late Seventies, early Eighties team, with people like Peter Barnes, was really good. But the best City player Ive ever seen was Georgi Kinkladze. A mate of mine who worked at Maine Road rang me up when we signed him and said: Ive just been to watch him; hes playing a different sport. I said: Heard it all before, mate. But he was right. We went to Kinkys first game and came away thinking well, were either going to go and win the European Cup now or well be in the Fourth Division in five years which we nearly were. You see, all City fans are arsed about is the pitch looking good on a Saturday and turning up to see the one player whos better than anyone at Man Utd. For three or four years, it didnt matter that we werent in the same league or that United were winning everything and qualifying for Europe because we had the best player in Manchester, bar Roy Keane. Kinky was amazing. It was widely accepted that we had the best player in the country. Plus he looked good in the kit. In the end he had to go because he was frustrated. Why did he score all those great goals, where he took on eight players? Because he had no City player to pass to. They were all shit. What, Peter Beagrie?

Weve had quite a few bad players: Steve Daley would admit himself he was never worth a million pounds. But that was Malcolm Allisons school of buying players. How much do you want for him? Five hundred thousand. Well Ill give you a million. Clive Allen and Niall Quinn were both good, even though everyone said they were past it. Weve had some good managers, like Peter Reid we even finished above United one season under him, which is unheard of and Billy McNeill, who got us promotion the first time we went down. Every time a new manager arrives, I always say: Hes going to be the one, the one to help us win a bit of meaningful silverware, but they never are so Im not going to say that about Joe Royle. City fans have this thing that as long as you look good in the kit or sat in the dugout, then it doesnt matter what youre like. Howard Kendall didnt look cool and neither did Brian Horton, whereas Malcolm Allison did. He turned up at Monday morning training in a white Rolls-Royce with a bottle of champagne and some actress in the back of the car. Thats football management.

The thing that fucks me off about players now is that they come off the pitch and say well we worked hard. Did you? Bricklayers work hard and they dont get paid 50 grand a week. Its no wonder that all these kids go round smashing up town centres when all the England players go on about is getting stuck in, standing your ground, working hard and being aggressive. Whereas the French players like ballet, man! Their supporters cause no trouble because the idols they look up to are artists. Not fucking get stuck in lads, they dont like it up em, foreigners. Fuck off. Theyre playing a different sport.

David Beckham is the best player England have got by a country mile. Its quite amazing what he can do with a football. I do feel sorry for him, but it comes with the territory. Hes a great player. Beckham and Scholes are all England have got. George Best was dead right when he said recently United were better than England. Roy Keane, Jaap Stam and Ryan Giggs would walk into the England team; even Denis Irwin might.

I say all that as a City fan. In the Eighties I used to hate Man Utd with a passion. But as you get older, you mellow. I hated Mark Hughes and Eric Cantona, but Paul Scholes? Hes like Ashley off Coronation Street.

Its great that City are back in the Premiership. Theres lots of games in London so Ill go a lot, plus itll be the first time the end of an Oasis world tour has coincided with the start, rather than the end, of a season. And I cant wait for the derbies; theyre pure, unadulterated hatred, like when Celtic play Rangers.

Well be top of the league some time in the first six weeks, for a week; Ill put 50 grand on that now with anybody. Therell be City fans on TV saying its the European Cup for us now, cock. Piss off. The middle 15-20 games will take care of themselves. Its the last six games that will decide if we stay up. We have to play four of the top six: United, Arsenal, Liverpool and Chelsea. Relegation is going to be between eight teams again, and we have to beat those other seven twice to stand a chance.

We could get into Europe this season or get relegated without scoring a goal. Thats why I support City. -OSM

Oasis headline the Reading and Leeds festivals (25 and 28 August, ticket details: 020-8963 0940) and also play the Glasgow Green Festival on 26 August

Liam Gallagher - Worldpop - August 2000

What a year it's been for Oasis. First Noel quits overseas touring amid stories of brotherly fights, then there are the rumours that the band are set to call it a day. worldpop catches up with the wildest of the Gallagher brothers, Liam, in an exclusive video interview and gets the lowdown on fights, Nicole Appleton, Noel and the future of Oasis.


Are Oasis splitting up? Everyone's saying that this is going to be the last gig for Oasis?
Liam: It is … it is our last gig … last gig of the world tour.

Are Oasis going to split up?
We're not going to split up. It's the last gig of the f***ing world tour and it's been emotional.

What's happening with you and Noel?
Nothing, nothing man, everything's sweet. Everyone knows we had an argument and he left the band for a bit, but now he's back in the band.

Is it just a normal brothers' relationship?
Liam: Well I think so, people just read too much into it. Today we're getting on, tomorrow we might not get on well.

Why are people making such a big deal about it then?
The thing about Oasis is it's like a f***ing soap opera and we can't do anything about it.

But you're always talking about the in-band feuds.
I don't play it up cos it's true, it's what happens. I said to the papers yesterday that we were splitting up as everyone else says we are splitting up so I may as well join in cos if you say you are not splitting up, then they look at you like you are f***ing daft so you might as well join in with them.

Will Oasis make another album?
Noel has said he can't see you making another record together.We are, we're going into the studio in a couple of weeks' time. We are all writing. We're going to take a few weeks off and then go back into the studio and f***ing take it easy. It might not be an Oasis album but we're just going to see what happens, we're going to write music together. Get these ideas down and see how it goes. If it becomes an Oasis album, it becomes an Oasis album, if it doesn't, it doesn't.'

Are you upset that this is the last date of the world tour?
I'm gutted it's the last gig cos it's been a bit of a f***ing stupid tour.

Do you think you've had a good year, despite your up and downs?
It's been a great year, I'm getting divorced, it's been a great year. I'm happy, I'm rocking man. Little things make me happy.

Was it good to go on stage in Milan for the first time without Noel and show him you could do it?
No not really, I just wanted to do the gig to tell you the truth. It's good to play festivals here cos the ones abroad have been a pain in the arse.

You seem a lot happier since meeting Nicole, how is it going?
Yes, it's going really well man. She's great, she's top.

Is it love?
Is it love. I don't know man, it's sommat.

Is she here today?
No, I don't know where she is, probably getting pissed somewhere.

How will you be celebrating after the gig?
I'm going to be drinking like a f****ing demon. What's new? I'm just going to get wasted with my mates and then that's it. I'm going home tomorrow and then I've got to start looking for a house. I live in London, it's where my baby is. London is a big place, it's where I can escape from things. I get a bit mithered but …'

Do you look back and think how far you've come?
I don't think too much. I just get on and do it. If you start thinking about what's gone on and what's going to be and what was the bit in the middle all about, it'll freak you out. As soon as I joined the band I stopped thinking.

Do you think you are a better band with the new guitarists, Gem Archer and Andy Bell?
This is why we are not splitting up. We have to go on and make an album with these guys and I think it will be the best record we ever do, if we all put our heads together. There has to be a little change somewhere, not musically, but in the way we record. It can't be just Noel walking in with the songs saying, do this and that. We all f***ing play together.

Are you a more democratic with your writing?
Yes, five heads are better than one. I think Noel's played his cards.

Are you still bothered that Noel wants to work on a solo album?
What's the point of doing a solo album when you're in the best band in the world? What's the point? Let's make music for this band, let's make it better, even better. We started out to be in this band and that was it. There was none of this, oh maybe down the line I'll do a solo album. Maybe down the line I'll drive a milk float, that's not what I'm into. I want to make Oasis music.

Will you stop Noel?
If it's causing this many problems, he might as well do it.

Will you have any duets on the new album?
I'm in Oasis I love my band. I wouldn't do any duets. Doing duets is for girls.