Interview with Noel Galagher, Wild Child Of Rock'n'Roll

OASIS
MEANDERING IN FOOTPRINTS

     If religious groups were to start demonstrating against us and putting Oasis' career in jeopardy, wouldn't that be fabulous? It didn't stop Marilyn Manson and people who are religious are really funny people... It's all blind-faith with a money-basket at the end of it! No, thank you..."

      When one is on the mount of popularity the reality becomes a parallel universe. Three years ago, while promoting 'Be Here Now' album, OASIS were the greatest band in the land, riding on rock notoriety but hanging out with our dear PM; and, Noel Gallagher was generally full of cock-talk which turned out to be a coke-talk. The band had Knebworth Festival behind them, '(What's The Story) Morning Glory?' was a mega selling release (its current standing at 4.2 million copies has made it the best selling album of all time in Britain!), the band's (well, Liam's mainly) antics were regularly reported by the tabloid press while Noel kept on talking about making 3 albums only before calling it a day...

      After a (musical) pause of a couple of years things started developing unexpectedly for the band with two founding members leaving but not before completing work on the new album, 'Standing On The Shoulder Of Giants' (a misquote of Sir Isaac Newton's sentence from a letter dated 1676), Creation closed its sonic-setting doors... Two new members, Gem Archer (guitar, ex-Heavy Stereo) and Andy Bell (ex-Hurricane #1, Ride guitarist has switched to bass) joined, Noel founded his own label, Big Brother... In meantime the Gallagher brothers became husbands, Liam had a son Lennon and Noel recently joined the star-parenthood league with a baby girl Anais (after Nin, the French erotic authoress)... The older brother sold his 'Supernova Heights' in London, moved to the countryside (Chalfront St Giles, Buckinghamshire) and purchased Mike Oldfield's villa in Ibiza for wife and "kids (?) to be safe while I'm touring..."

      Dressed in flared blue-jeans Noel is holding court in Alvin Lee's (of the Ten Years After legend) studio the band has leased for a year as its creative base (and conveniently near to his new mansion); the guitarist/songwriter we meet today has become -- after discovering self-criticism few years ago when he started dissing 'Be Here Now' and even its predecessor, 'Morning Glory', designating them the 'coke-albums' now -- humble, self-deprecating and reasonable instead of brazen, loud and the biggest  thing since... the pre-sliced Beatles? When everything appeared to be settling back on the up-escalator again, the news arrived of a Dutch TV programme claiming to own the copyright to the 'Big Brother' name for Europe and was considering suing the band for using it for its label's moniker. At least the 'Shoulder Of Giants' is reality-based album, Noel concurs.

      "This is the first record I wrote when I was straight, that's for sure. I stopped 'partying' about two years ago but it had nothing to do with me becoming a responsible adult. Album was recorded when everybody was straight and if that makes us mature adults, so be it. In the end, it is another record."

      - This album is more personal, it digs deeper and expresses more of your own psyche; is that due to being sober and possibly more open and confident to travel that path which might have been obscured before by your being 'mad-for-it'?

      "I think this is exactly true; when you are on coke you tend to be emotionally..."

      - Constipated?

      "Yeah, stunted; when you are off drugs you tend to be able to express yourself better. I'd write  music and melody one day and when I sat down to write lyrics few days later I was able to remember what I was feeling when writing that song. For the difference of the last couple of albums, when I came to write the lyrics, even though certain songs would be sad, I would never be able to remember what I was feeling at the time and wrote any old rubbish. 'Champagne Supernova' for instance, what's that all about?"

      "It would be nice if 'Champagne Supernova' had some great and deep meaningful lyrics but in the end it doesn't matter because the tune in itself is so good. That's what separates me from the likes of Richard Ashcroft (ex-The Verve) and Thom (Radiohead) Yorke because they can articulate their feelings better than I can. I'm probably better at writing music and melodies and they are better at writing words. That's a positive thing and gives me something to strive for and I feel it is very early days of songwriting for me. Once I master the art of writing the correct words for the right songs, then I'll consider myself to be a great songwriter, for the moment I consider myself to be a pretty good one."

      "I'd say there are five, out of ten, songs on this album -- 'Who Feels Love', 'Gas Panic!', 'Where Did It All Go Wrong?, 'Sunday Morning Call' and 'Roll It Over' -- that have lyrics that are pretty good. 'Go Let It Out!' is a pop song, 'Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is' I intended to go back and re-write the lyric but ran out of time and the words to 'I Can See A Liar' are not very good..."

      - You are not mentioning 'Little James', Liam's songwriting debut?

      "Well, the lyrics are quite good on it... So, out of the nine actual songs, six are pretty good and three of them are quite a throwaway, lyrically speaking."

      - The album was recorded by the old line-up but there are new members now...?

      "It is better atmosphere within the band, everybody seems to be pulling in the same direction and everybody is completely obsessed with music and just playing well... We still like to have a laugh and go out and have a drink but we keep the band separate from the recreational side and it seems that everything is in its right place. The playing is a lot better and when we finally play Europe you'll see the change in Alan's playing because there is a new bass player who is different... We've also turned it down a bit because we used to turn up with a bank of amplifiers and turn it up. I'd be doing backing vocals and could never hear what was going on but it was all to do with the power of the band. We now use smaller amplifiers and it is much clearer musically." 

      - I was talking to your friend Mani (the Primal Scream's bassist) recently and his theory is that Bonehead had to leave because of being a Manchester United supporter and you two, the Man. City lot, used to take enormous piss out of him until he could take it no more?

      "No, he is way off the mark... It doesn't matter who you support, that's a joke; we used to take the piss out of Bonehead but that was nothing serious... If that was his reason, that'd be very childish! I don't know the reason because I had not spoken to them since they left. You know, if only Mani weren't in a band, in a friendly band at that, I'd have definitely asked him to join us. One great thing with Gem and Andy joining us is that they are also songwriters which would lift the pressure off me. There are four, including Liam, songwriters in the band now and they all can contribute to the album. I've already written my five songs and they need to come up with the rest. I am excited about the situation."

      - You've certainly changed a tune regarding your songwriting monopoly?

      "And why not? It's more exciting like these, it is more unpredictable, it can be a surprise for me as well... If you asked me 18 months ago how the new Oasis album would sound like I could tell you exactly because I wrote all the songs. With three other songwriters it is going to be exciting for me to find out what album we'd come up with. I have no idea how it is going to sound and could be a score of a lot of different elements. The current situation is what makes a band real and I feel we can make five, ten more albums."

      - The future figures greatly in your answers now for the difference from the past when you talked about doing three albums and quitting...?

      "I didn't think I'd have anything else to say after three albums and didn't feel I could sustain my own interest after such amount of time. I had already written three albums and knew what they'd sound like and I knew there would be a full-stop of some kind. I knew we'd become a massive stadium band and it didn't appeal to me and, as a matter of fact, still doesn't... I knew there would be a change but everybody assumed I'd disband Oasis... if the other two hadn't left, I'd have probably gone; familiarity breeds contempt and after eight years it really becomes boring. And now, it is like a brand new band..."

      "Because this album was recorded before Andy and Gem joined, the next album will feel like the rebirth of Oasis. I'd would like to cut it as soon as possible and ideally I'd like to have a new single early next year and a new album by the Summer 2001. That would make the new boys feel more part of the band. Yet, we can't make any concrete plans because these things usually ride by their own timetable... And if this album is successful world-wide then we could still be touring by the beginning of next year; it all depends... There is definitely going to be another record, I can tell you that much."

      - Earlier on you said there had been no pushing you to deliver 'Shoulder'; now that you have your own label, who's gonna tell you to get on with it?

      "No-one and that's fine; the way we work, or have worked so far, is that I'd write songs until we have enough for an album and we'd then get into a studio. With four people  writing, it should be even easier because there are going to be many more songs to choose from. I'm quite excited about the future, am very enthusiastic about it and I would not need much more motivation to record... Now that we are masters of our destiny, it gives you even more reason to get into a studio because we are selling records for ourselves. The more we do, the more money we make..."  

      - When you held a press conference to suppress the damage by two departures, were you dubious about your prospects, the band's future?

      "Not then, although I was considering changing the name of the band... If ever I was near ending it all was at the end of the previous tour but a long rest let me overcome it... So, by the time of recording this album, I was in the correct frame of mind to write and that affected playing in the studio, as well. A lot of little things have changed and it wasn't one big one that affected everything. The real factor that the new record sounds a lot better than the last two (studio albums) in particular is the fact that we had two years off, just to get away from the music business and get out of the album-tour-album-tour lifestyle. That was the big thing because it allowed us to sit back and analyse what we'd done and how and where we wanted to go, how to do it... And I eventually did it with a clear mind."

      - If you could, would you turn back the clock to observe Oasis trip to the top because, self-admittingly, you were too narcoed out?

      "We had success and I didn't comprehend it. Now, if this album sells less than the previous one, as 'Be Here Now' sold less that the 'Morning Glory', then it will be considered a failure. As far as I'm concerned it is already a success because it got made. But, if we make enough money on it so that the next one doesn't cost us anything really, then it'd be successful financially. Spiritually it's a success already and professionally as well. I feel it is better record than the previous two but I wouldn't bank on it being a success because quality means nothing. Phil Collins sells a lot of records but they are all shit; Velvet Underground never sold any records but are one of the greatest bands of all time... So, go and work that one out."  

      "I came to the point when I realised I had to get off drugs and realising that is a battle half-won. I was going to a premiere of a little independent British movie, 'Final Cut', with Jude Law and Sadie Frost, and felt like staying off drugs and drinks for the evening. My health was suffering and you can lie to people around you that you are fine but, deep down, you know you are not. You can find excuses and after that evening, I stayed off drugs for a week, it became months and then years. I looked into my own eyes in a mirror and knew the truth. For instance, I don't remember playing Knebworth at all, not a fuking thing!"

      "I'm looking towards this tour now and I'll be doing a lot of sightseeing because I had been around the world 15 times and never saw anything. I was in some of the greatest cities in the world and would stay in a hotel room getting drugged and drinking. My wife would ask me how was Australia and I would have no clue; she'd ask me how was Mexico City, I'd ask when we were there and she'd say 'You are there now!' and I'd still only reply it was warm, room was comfortable and the hotel bar very nice!"

      - You were certainly playing the 'fame-game'?

      "Fame is okay for about a year and then it gets on top of you and you either adopt to it or become its victim. I decided to adopt and move out of London because of all the photographs... Not the professional posing but the snapshots; one person would ask me for a pose with them and by the time they got a camera out, set it up, asked somebody to do it, there would be 200 people around and I'd be doing a photo-shot in the street! And, when I'm shopping people are always looking what I'm buying and it puts me right off."  

      - After returning to normal space-time continuum, what do you consider to be the biggest mistake you ever made?

      "My biggest mistake? There are too many to mention but the first to spring to mind is our last album, 'Be Here Now'... The songs are a bit low... 'Morning Glory' might be the best selling album of all time but I still prefer 'Definitely Maybe' because it is a better record. 'Morning Glory' has only five good songs but it sells and pays the bills."

      - Your clean-and-sober state should allow you to enjoy fatherhood more?

      "I don't know about that because fathers usually don't have much to do with new babies. Changing nappies and all that, I'll avoid it because I'll be touring. I don't think it is important for a father to bounce a baby his knee, he becomes more important in later years, when a child is in puberty, or at the age of 14, 15... I don't know what sort of a father I'm gonna be, you can never predict the future... But, I hope I'll be a good father and that means to listen and not tell them what to do. They'll be from a different era and you need to listen to their problems, hopes and aspirations and stir them in the right direction, not push them... Once they start talking you should start listening to them."

      - Has Liam given you any advice on parenting and how much has it changed him?

      "No, he's given me no advice and it has changed him a little bit. There is no major change because only when kids start walking, talking and breaking things around the house, it is then it changes you... I think then it will be difficult to leave them and go touring because for the first three years they don't do much but shit, fart, piss and eat..."

      - It is said that certain age brings wisdom; have you become more tolerant in relationship with your brother?

      "I have become and the relationship has improved... I just let him get on with his own thing. I used to get really worked up and argue with him and I can't be bothered to do it anymore. I'm 32, been there, done it, Liam is only 27. He is still going through what I went through and I expect him to be like me when he is 32, and I'll be 37... But, you know, all our arguments were nothing mega, just little things, like what's the best Christmas song of all times, or who has the best shoes on, really childish..." 

      - What is the worst rumour you heard about yourself?

      "There was a story about me having a 40,000 pound cocaine habit a week, which is utterly ridiculous. That would be like doing 29-grams a day and considering there are only 24 hours a day, I'd have a nose the size of Eurotunnel! Generally, 90 per cent of the stories written are untrue, made-up..."

      - Will you be eager to be involved with your label on the day-to-day basis?

      "Hope so, eventually; this year I won't be because we'll spend the best part of it on a tour. But, I've got three people from Creation to work on it and in the future, when we possibly slow down on the touring front and tour every five years instead of every couple, I will be more involved. I have no plan of signing up any bands to my label for about two years, no artist from Creation is coming over, despite of all the rumours, because they all are going straight to Sony... er, everyone is contracted to them and it is up to Sony what they do with them. But, you know, Primal Scream are welcome on my label, anytime!"

      - Will your solo album be on your label or, possibly, offer it for Download-ing?

      "Perhaps... I constantly write songs that are not suitable for Oasis and I've got a bunch of tunes that one day I'll turn into an album. Whether I'll ever release it is a big question; I'll record it to prove to myself that I can. I'm definitely going to record it but whether Oasis's career will allow me to release it is a big question and the answer is -- probably not. The songs I have are more ballady, sentimental and personal and I can't see Liam singing them because he's got a loud voice and not a soft and expressive one. He is more like John Lydon, a shouter... I plan to have it recorded by the age of 40, which gives me 8 years to achieve that."

      "I can't work the Internet and would only consider putting my music on the it when someone explains to me how it works. Now, I don't know anything about to be thinking about putting our music on it..."

      - In a recent interview you caused another controversy by calling Jesus "a cunt" and qualifying religion as a "fucking Jesus and all that bollocks"; what do you believe in?

      "I probably said that trying to make my point about organised religion. I used to read the Bible and thought it was the best book ever written in a sense that it appeals to everybody on the planet. It is very clever but I don't think it has any relevance for today's society, at all. All the wars ever fought are down to religion. All I'm saying is that he is a con..."

      "(Theory of) Evolution seems okay to me... In the Bible, does it mention dinosaurs? No, and they were real, I saw them in the museums... How can I believe in Adam, happily strolling through the garden and coming across Eve and going and having a shag and that's how the human race started?! If God were to have invented an animal, would he have come up with a 30-meter monster with a tail the size of Oxford Street? No, I wouldn't think so. Evolution is real and I don't believe that there is one guiding force in the universe... What about that comet fragment with a trace of life on Mars? If that was accepted the whole religious thing would collapse and the American society with it because its whole philosophy is based on 'In God we trust'.

      "I told that to one journalist but the trouble nowadays is that there are no more one-to-one interviews because everything gets on the Internet, instantly. Every interview has become like speaking to the whole world."

      - A CoE spokesman was asked about your statement and he said it was expected from people who "seek notoriety"?

      "How could I be still seeking notoriety when I'm already notorious?! I don't need publicity anymore, thank you very much. If religious groups were to start demonstrating against us and putting Oasis' career in jeopardy, wouldn't that be fabulous? It didn't stop Marilyn Manson and people who are religious are really funny people... It's all blind-faith with a money-basket at the end of it! No, thank you..."     

      "This (pointing to the studio) is our church..."

      It was one of the rare moments when the 'old' (outspoken) Noel surfaced -- the other was when I suggested that a song like 'Gas Panic!' could benefit from a remix by the Chemical Brothers to which he barked back "I don't believe in remixes, I hate them!" -- but while exiting this sonic cathedral a thought occurred: how come the rockers usually conform to become the exact copy of what they rebelled against in the first place?

      Is that thing called -- life?

Sasha Stojanovic
Copyright MM