Noel Gallagher

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Noel Gallagher
Gallagher performing in concert in America in September 2005.
Background information
Birth name	Noel Thomas David Gallagher
Born	May 29, 1967 (age 39)
Origin	Manchester, England
Genre(s)	Rock, Britpop
Occupation(s)	Singer-songwriter, guitarist
Instrument(s)	Lead guitar, Vocals, Bass guitar, Drums, Mellotron
Years active	1991–present
Label(s)	Creation Records Big Brother Records Epic Records Sony BMG Music Entertainment
Associated acts	Oasis Smokin' Mojo Filters
Website	oasisinet.com
Notable instrument(s)
Epiphone Supernova (discontinued), Gibson ES-355, Fender Telecaster, Gibson Les Paul

Noel Thomas David Gallagher (born May 29, 1967 in Burnage, Manchester, England) is the lead songwriter, guitarist and occasional vocalist with the English rock band Oasis. He is the older brother of Oasis lead vocalist, Liam Gallagher. The two are famous for publicly squabbling.

In the 1990s, Gallagher was centre-stage of what the media coined the Britpop movement. The band enjoyed much critical and commercial success. His outspoken opinions on other bands and modern culture have, more recently, earned him something of an "elder statesman" reputation, leading NME to dub him "The wisest man in rock".^[1][2]

Contents 1 Biography 1.1 Early years 1.2 Oasis 1.3 Britpop, the height of fame and the Blur rivalry 1.4 Post-Britpop years 1.5 Personal life 2 Songwriting and musicianship 2.1 Changing band dynamic 3 Controversy and feuds 3.1 Damon Albarn and Blur 3.2 Liam Gallagher 3.3 Robbie Williams 3.4 Phil Collins 3.5 Other musicians and celebrities 3.6 Politics 3.6.1 Live 8 4 Discography 4.1 Guest appearances 5 Sour Mash Records 6 References 7 Notes 8 External links

[edit] Biography

[edit] Early years

Gallagher was born in Longsight, Manchester, to Irish parents Peggy and Thomas Gallagher. He is the middle child of three — his older brother, Paul, was born in 1966, and Liam was born 1972. The Gallagher brothers grew up in the suburb of Burnage. Noel had an unhappy childhood. He and his brothers were often beaten by his alcoholic father,^[3] and he was often reclusive — Liam described him as "the weirdo in the family"^[4] As the oldest child, Paul was given a room to himself, and Noel was forced to share with Liam.^[5] His childhood nickname was Brezhnev, after the former Soviet leader known for his bushy eyebrows. The Gallagher brothers were regular truants — as teenagers, they were often in trouble with the police. They allegedly broke into cars and stole bicycles, and at the age of thirteen, Noel received six months' probation for robbing a corner shop.^[6] It was during this period of probation, with little else to do, that Gallagher first began to teach himself to play guitar, imitating his favourite songs from the radio. Many claim that Gallagher was first turned on to music at his first gig, a Stone Roses show at the International Two club. While this may be true of his younger brother, and Gallagher, by pure coincidence, was also at the gig, he claims that this was neither his first gig (that distinction belongs to Irish band Stiff Little Fingers), nor was it the one that first made him seriously consider being a musician. Apparently the gig in question was another Mancunian band, The Smiths.

At some point in the early 1980s (sources vary), Peggy left her husband due to his violent mood swings brought about by his alcoholism, taking their three boys with her. Noel has since maintained a strained relationship with his father, not withstanding periods in the 1980s in which all the Gallagher siblings (along with numerous cousins and uncles), at one time or another, worked for their father's construction company. Other jobs Gallagher held include writing signs for an estate agent, as well as working in a bed factory and a bakery.

Having left his father's building company, Noel took a job at another building firm sub-contracted to British Gas. There he sustained an injury when a heavy cap from a steel gas pipe landed on his right foot, crushing it. Following a period of recuperation, Gallagher was offered a less physically demanding role in the company's storehouse, freeing up time in which to practise guitar and write songs. Gallagher now claims to have written at least three of the songs on Definitely Maybe in this storehouse (including "Live Forever" and "Columbia").^[7] Much of the late 1980s found Gallagher unemployed and living in a bedsit, occupying his time with recreational drug use, songwriting and guitar playing.^[8] This was not helped by the fact that he suffers from dyslexia.^{[citation needed]}

Gallagher's musical interests at the time revolved largely around British rock music, most notably The Beatles, whose influence is heavily reflected in his songwriting. Other influences were T.Rex, The Rolling Stones, Slade, The Kinks, and more contemporary bands such as The Smiths and The Stone Roses. Gallagher has been criticised for plagiarising his greatest influences — for example, he has used the opening guitar riff from T.Rex's 1971 hit "Get It On" in "Cigarettes & Alcohol" (1994).

[edit] Oasis

Main article: Oasis (band)

In 1988, Gallagher auditioned to be vocalist for the band Inspiral Carpets. Though rejected for the position, he was hired by the band as a guitar technician and toured with the band for some years along with his friend Mark Coyle. In 1992, he returned from an American tour with the band to find that his brother Liam had become the lead singer with a local band. Originally called "The Rain", Liam had pushed for the band to be called "Oasis". It transpired that Liam had joined the band with the hope of adding his brother, and his songwriting abilities, to the formula. Gallagher attended one of their concerts at Manchester's Boardwalk, finding himself unimpressed by the group's act. After persuasion from Liam, he agreed to join the band, on the condition that he maintain creative control of the group and become its sole songwriter. His control over the band in its early years earned him the nickname "The Chief".^[9]

At the end of 1992, Gallagher contacted Tony Griffiths of Liverpool band The Real People (who he had met when they were supporting The Inspiral Carpets), and arranged to record a professional-sounding demo at their Liverpool studio. The resulting tape, known as the Live Demonstration tape, later formed the basis for their first album.

In May 1993, the band heard that a record executive from Creation Records would be scouting for talent at a club in Glasgow called King Tut's. Together, they found the money to hire a van and make the six-hour journey to the city. When they arrived, they were refused entry to the club as they were not on that night's set list, forcing the band to bully their way in.^[10] They were given the opening slot and impressed the scout, Alan McGee, who then took the Live Demonstration tape to Sony America and invited Oasis to meet with him a week later in London, at which point they were signed to a six-album contract. Gallagher has since claimed that he only had six songs written at the time, and has put his success in the interview down to "bullshitting".^[11] However, McGee believes that when they met, Gallagher had fifty or so songs written, and merely lied about how prolific he had been following the contract.^[12]

Oasis' first single, "Supersonic", was released April 11, 1994 and peaked at #31 on the official UK charts, despite Gallagher's claims that he wrote it in "the time it takes to play the song."^[13] "Supersonic" preceded Definitely Maybe, Oasis' debut album, which was released in 1994 and was a critical and commercial success. It became the fastest-selling debut album in British history at the time, and entered the UK Charts at #1.^[14] However, Gallagher faced problems when it became apparent that, on the album's second single, "Shakermaker", he had used the melody from "I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing" (the song made famous from its use on Coca-Cola advertisements in the 1970s). In fact, the first verse of "Shakermaker" had originally been the same as the verse used in the advert. Gallagher's unlicensed use led to Oasis being successfully sued by The New Seekers for A$500,000. His songwriting landed the band in trouble again in 1994, when Neil Innes, formerly of the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band, successfully sued on the basis that a substantial part of the melody of Oasis' first UK top 5 hit, "Whatever", was taken from his song "How Sweet to Be an Idiot".

Despite their rapidly growing popularity, Gallagher briefly left Oasis in 1994 during their first American tour. The conditions were poor, he felt the American audience — still preoccupied with grunge and metal — did not understand the band. (Liam summed up his view of the problem saying, "Americans want grungy people, stabbing themselves in the head on stage. They get a bright bunch like us, with deodorant on, they don't get it."^[15]) Tensions mounted between him and Liam, culminating in a fight after a disastrous L.A. gig.^[13] Having effectively decided to quit the music industry, he flew to San Francisco without telling the band, management or the crew. It was during this time when Noel wrote "Talk Tonight" as a "thank you for the girl he stayed with, who "talked him from off the ledge". During recording sessions for Oasis' second album, (What's the Story) Morning Glory?, the Gallaghers had a violent fight involving a cricket bat, when a drunken Liam invited everyone from a local pub back into the studio whilst Noel was trying to work. Further problems arose when tension mounted between Noel and Tony McCarroll (then the drummer of Oasis), and, in 1995, the band asked McCarroll to leave. He was replaced by Alan White.

[edit] Britpop, the height of fame and the Blur rivalry

On the back of Definitely Maybe, Oasis quickly gained a strong following in Great Britain. Gallagher's extensive catalogue of songs — ironically written in the storehouses and the bedsits he had so bemoaned — were the fuel behind Oasis' success in the 1990s, and made him a rich and respected man. They won him acclaim from critics and peers, such as Sir George Martin, producer for The Beatles, who stated "I consider Noel Gallagher to be the finest songwriter of his generation".^{[citation needed]}

Gallagher followed up the debut in 1995 with Oasis' first UK #1 single in "Some Might Say". This preceded their second album, (What's the Story) Morning Glory?. Though it suffered initial critical apathy, the album became the second fastest-selling album in the UK, entering the UK album charts at #1 and peaking at #4 on the Billboard Top 200 chart.^[14] Morning Glory became the springboard to mainstream commercial success for Gallagher and the band. Noel and Liam became household names, and as the momentum of the album built, Oasis went on to become one of the most popular and successful British acts of the 1990s. The album even propelled the band to success in the United States, albeit temporarily. The track "Cast No Shadow" was written for Richard Ashcroft, the lead singer of The Verve. Around the same time, Ashcroft wrote "A Northern Soul" for the album of the same name for Gallagher.^[16] Oasis had become so popular that a June 1996 NME article argued that "If Noel Gallagher, the most successful songwriter of his generation, champions a group, then said group are guaranteed more mainstream kudos and, quite possibly, more sales."^[17] The NME article grouped the bands Gallagher praised, including The Boo Radleys, Ocean Colour Scene, and Cast, under the banner of "Noelrock".

However, Morning Glory's success also laid partly in a well-documented feud with fellow Britpop band Blur. The differing styles of the bands, Oasis being gritty, working-class, and Northern, and Blur being art rock, middle-class, and Southern, coupled with their prominence within the Britpop movement, led the British media to seize upon the supposed rivalry between the bands. Both factions played along, with the Gallaghers taunting Blur at the 1996 Brit Awards by singing a rendition of "Parklife" when they collected their "Best British Band" award (with Liam changing the lyrics to "Shite-life"). However, it was Noel who proved the most aggressive, telling The Observer that he hoped Damon Albarn and Alex James of Blur would "catch AIDS and die".^[18] He subsequently apologised^[19] for this in a formal letter to Melody Maker magazine. Much banter was exchanged between the bands (including Albarn threatening to "twat" Noel), but in a 1997 interview Gallagher maintained "I've got nothing against him… I just think his 'bird' (Justine Frischmann) is ugly." Gallagher maintains that the rivalry was conceived by the magazine NME and members of Blur's entourage as a ploy to raise their respective profiles on the back of Oasis' success, and that since this point he has had no respect for either party. However, Albarn has suggested the roots of the feud were much more personal.^[20]

The success of Oasis and his newfound fame and fortune were not lost on Gallagher, and both he and his brother became famous for their "rock and roll lifestyle". They drank heavily, abused drugs, fought fans, critics, peers, and each other, and made celebrity friends such as Ian Brown, Paul Weller, Mani and Richard Ashcroft. Noel Gallagher was known to spend money extravagantly, buying various cars and a swimming pool, despite the fact he can neither drive, nor swim. He also famously named his house in Belsize Park in London "Supernova Heights" (after the song "Champagne Supernova"), and his two cats "Benson" and "Hedges" after his favourite brand of cigarettes.^[21]

Oasis went on to have greater success than Blur with their next two singles, "Wonderwall" and "Don't Look Back in Anger" charting at number 2 and 1, respectively. Originally, Noel had wanted to take lead vocals on "Wonderwall", but Liam insisted on singing it. As compensation, Noel decided he would sing lead vocals on "Don't Look Back in Anger".^[22] The latter is now regularly played at Oasis' live shows, with the crowd encouraged to sing the chorus. 1995 also saw Gallagher join his idols Paul Weller, Paul McCartney and close friend and Oasis fan Johnny Depp to form the Smokin' Mojo Filters. The supergroup, assembled by Weller, covered The Beatles' 1969 hit "Come Together" (the song's lyrics "He no Mojo filter" inspiring the name for the makeshift band) for the charity album Help!. Noel has also collaborated with the Chemical Brothers, Ian Brown, The Stands, The Prodigy and Weller, amongst others.

In March 1996, Noel and Liam Gallagher met their father again when a British newspaper paid him to go to their hotel during a tour. Noel left for his room, later commenting "as far as I'm concerned, I haven't got a father. He's not a father to me, y'know? I don't respect him in any way whatsoever". Liam took the opportunity to confront his father and threaten him.^[23]

Also in 1996, Oasis sold out two nights at Knebworth, playing to over 250,000 fans. Both nights included acoustic sets featuring a full brass band for the rendition of "The Masterplan". These shows represented the largest crowds ever to see a single act in British history, a feat only topped by Robbie Williams' three night gig at the same venue some years later. Gallagher then provided lead vocals at Oasis' MTV Unplugged set when Liam backed out minutes before the set was due to start. Liam claimed to have been struck down with a "sore throat"; the band later found out that Liam does not like performing acoustically.^[24] Noel was further angered when Liam proceeded to heckle him from the balcony while the band performed. Noel was again forced to fill in for Liam on a short North American tour when the lead singer walked out on the tour on August 21, supposedly to buy a house with his girlfriend. Liam returned a week later, but tension between Noel and the rest of Oasis mounted, and on September 11 Noel left the tour, causing many to question the future of the band. Gallagher claims he had intended to finish work on Oasis' next album and then retire to the English countryside, but this never came to pass.^[25]

Following the worldwide success of Morning Glory, Be Here Now became Oasis' most eagerly anticipated album to date. As with the previous two albums, all the tracks were written by Gallagher. After an initial blaze of publicity, positive critical reviews, and commercial success, the album failed to live up to long-term expectations, and public goodwill towards Be Here Now was short-lived.^[26] The album was ultimately regarded by many as a bloated, over-indulgent version of Oasis, which Gallagher has since blamed on the drug-addicted state and indifference of the band at the time.^[27] He was critical of the album even before its release. When asked by an American interviewer what was "new and different" about Be Here Now, he simply replied "It's got a different cover."^[28]

Gallagher began to suffer drug-induced panic attacks during this period. His lonely, paranoid state inspired the song "Gas Panic!", subsequently included on the 2000 album Standing on the Shoulder of Giants. Gallagher claims to have quit drugs on June 5, 1998. He stated in 2001, "I liked drugs, I was good at them. But I'd had panic attacks for about a year and I stopped because I wanted to. After you make the decision, it is quite easy." Between 1993 and 1998, he claims, "I can hardly remember a thing."^[29]

[edit] Post-Britpop years

After the near-hysterical hyperbole surrounding the release of Be Here Now had started to wane, critical response to the band became calmer and more considered, leading to a media backlash. In 1997, Noel was criticised for attending a high-profile and well-publicised media party at 10 Downing Street, hosted by the newly-elected Prime Minister, Tony Blair, along with other celebrities and industry figures that had supported New Labour in the run-up to the general election. Both brother Liam and Blur's Damon Albarn declined their invitations, with Albarn commenting "Enjoy the schmooze, comrade."^[30] The perception of Gallagher as someone now mixing with politicians — and, in particular, a famous photograph of him sipping champagne with Blair — conflicted with the "working class hero" status championed through songs such as "Up in the Sky".

The turn of the century did not bode well for Gallagher. In 1999, Bonehead quit the band after a row with Noel, with Guigsy following soon afterwards. As a result, the fourth studio album, Standing on the Shoulder of Giants, was recorded by just the Gallaghers and White, with Noel playing all guitar parts. Gallagher appeared unfazed with Bonehead's departure, commenting, "It's hardly Paul McCartney leaving the Beatles, is it?".^[31] After the recording sessions were completed, Gallagher selected Gem Archer to join in place of Bonehead. Though Archer's official role is rhythm guitarist, in reality, he and Gallagher now often split the roles of lead and rhythm guitar.

1999 also saw the end of Creation Records as Mcgee decided to quit Creation and sell the rest of the 51 % of shares to Sony as he had became fed up with the label and Sony. Gallagher took this opportunity to set up Big Brother, which now handles Oasis' distribution in the UK (Sony/Epic Records continues to handle the band's international distribution as of 2005). The name refers the George Orwell novel Nineteen Eighty Four, but is mainly a reference to Gallagher^{[citation needed]}, as the elder brother of Liam. Each release's catalogue number is prefixed "RKID" (our kid), as a reference to Liam. The first Big Brother release was the single "Go Let It Out" on February 7, 2000, the lead single from Standing on the Shoulder of Giants. The single peaked at number one in the UK chart. The album also customarily peaked at number one, but was met with an even greater level of contempt by the critics than their previous effort. Around the time of the album's release, Andy Bell, formerly of Ride, joined the band as bassist.

2000 also saw Gallagher's rivalry with Damon Albarn rear its head once more, having cooled off in the late 1990s. In response to a comment made by Gallagher, decrying him as a "knobhead" who "dresses like a dustbin man", Albarn accused his old foe of selling out, saying "I just think it was a shame when they started appearing in Hello! and OK! magazines… For me it seemed such a betrayal of what they were all about."^[32]

In 2006, it was claimed that Gallagher had been instrumental in Italy winning the 2006 Football World Cup. According to Italian striker Alessandro Del Piero, Gallagher was the Italian Football team's lucky mascot for the 2006 World Cup. Gallagher struck a friendship with the Italian star after he appeared at some of their Italian gigs. He was invited to the World Cup by Del Piero, and was the inspiration behind Italy's semi-final victory over Germany, in which Del Piero scored. Gallagher was asked to be in Berlin for the final, and he proved to be the lucky mascot for Del Piero as the striker scored one of the penalties in the shootout to decide the destiny of the World Cup.^[33]

In November 2006, Gallagher won a Spanish court case against fellow musician Mike Oldfield. Gallagher had bought the Ibiza villa for £2.5 million from Oldfield in 1999, but quickly discovered that part of the cliff-top property was falling into the sea. He was also annoyed by the huge "eyesore" of a yacht moored in his view — but it turned out it was his with the house. Gallagher and MacDonald spent summer 2006 at the villa, and the resulting court case paid Gallagher a six-figure sum in compensation.^[34]

In late 2006, Gallagher toured the UK, Europe, Japan, America and Australia in a series of acclaimed intimate semi-acoustic gigs accompanied by Gem Archer and Terry Kirkbride on percussion. March 2007 will see Gallagher perform in Moscow — the first time an Oasis member has performed in Russia. The set list included acoustic Oasis songs such as "Married With Children", "Half the World Away" and "Talk Tonight" as well as acoustic versions of Oasis favorates such as "Don't Look Back In Anger", "Slide Away" and "Fade Away" as well as a version of "Wonderwall" similar to the Ryan Adams cover of the song. A version of The Beatles' "Strawberry Fields Forever" was also included.^[35] However, Gallagher dimissed claims that he was planning to embark on a solo career, saying "I could do it easily but if I was a solo artist I would be the biggest solo artist in the country easy, no messing, within a year...seriously... but I prefer being in a band. But don't ever think that I couldn't do it. I could. I'd be bigger than Elvis. I would."^[36]

On Valentines Day 2007 Gallagher joined the rest of Oasis to collect the "Outstanding Contribution to Music" Award at the Brit Awards 2007. Gallagher collected the award from his friend Russell Brand, saying "We'd like to thank everyone who has bought our records. It's been a fucking pleasure."^[37] Following the ceremony he commented on the award saying ""Yeah, we're finally up there with The Eurythmics, Sting and Bob Geldof. I don't think congratulations are in order, to be honest." Gallagher clarified his decision to accept the award stating "We're taking it now because otherwise they're going to ask us every year. It seemed the right time. We'd put out Stop The Clocks and we're all under 40. So we just decided, 'Fuck it, lets do it now'."^[38]

[edit] Personal life

Having originally backed out from marrying girlfriend Meg Mathews on Valentine's Day 1997, the couple were wed in Las Vegas, Nevada on June 5, 1997, preceding the release of the third Oasis album, Be Here Now, on August 21. On January 27, 2000, Mathews gave birth to a daughter, Anais. However, Gallagher and Mathews divorced shortly afterwards, in January 2001, following Liam's own announcement of his separation from Patsy Kensit. It is rumoured that Mathews could not abide Gallagher's desire to move to the countryside and missed partying with her friends in London. He has since entered a long-term relationship with Scottish girlfriend, Sara MacDonald, who was said (7 March 2007) to be pregnant.[8]

[edit] Songwriting and musicianship

Gallagher is often criticised for the praise he gives to his own songs. Though many consider this to be intense arrogance, he himself maintains that it is merely self-confidence and points out "If you'd written 'Live Forever', you'd be walking to a different tune the next day too."^[39] Gallagher has often been accused by critics of plagiarising the music of his heroes, but he has maintained outright homages in his music are his intention. In a 1996 Guitar World interview, he described himself as "a fan who writes songs" and stated, "I'm not saying, 'I'm the greatest songwriter in the world. Listen to me.' Usually, I'm saying, 'These are the greatest songwriters in the world. And I'm gonna put them all in this song"'. His response to critics about the topic of "blalantly pinching riffs" was, "No, I don't feel guilty. But you feel pissed off because you didn't do it first."^[40]

Though naturally left-handed, he chooses to play guitar right-handed, which he claims is the only thing he can do with his weak hand.^[41]

[edit] Changing band dynamic

Gallagher's role as chief songwriter for Oasis has been challenged since the turn of the century as he allowed a greater level of lyrical input from the other band members. Standing on the Shoulder of Giants included Oasis' first ever album track written not by Noel, but by Liam. Heathen Chemistry included a further 3 tracks by Liam (including "Songbird", which was released as a single), one by Archer and one by Bell. Don't Believe the Truth featured another 3 tracks by Liam, one from Archer and two from Bell. The latter two albums have been greeted with increasing critical and commercial success, particularly Don't Believe the Truth.

Heathen Chemistry proved to be the last album to feature drummer Alan White, who left in ambiguous circumstances during the early recording sessions for Don't Believe the Truth. He was replaced by Zak Starkey, current drummer for Gallagher's heroes The Who and Johnny Marr, and son of Ringo Starr who, as a former Beatle, is one of the Gallagher's chief influences. Indeed, Gallagher was ecstatic to perform the classic "Won't Get Fooled Again" with The Who (and Starkey on drums) at a charity concert at London's Royal Albert Hall in 2000. The loss of their longtime drummer prompted Gallagher boastfully to comment, in a 2005 interview, that he puts Oasis' trouble with drummers, in part, to the fact that he is himself a talented drummer, saying "I get a lot of stick for it, but I'm the best drummer in the group."^[42]

Don't Believe the Truth's second single "The Importance of Being Idle" became the second Noel-sung Oasis track to top the UK charts and was named 2005's finest track by Q magazine, as well as being nominated for the NME's "Best Song of 2005" award. However, on recent Oasis albums, Noel's increasing role as lead singer, apparently to compensate for his diminished role as songwriter, has caused some tension with Liam. He recounted a particular exchange to The Big Issue magazine in 2005, which illustrates the situation:

Liam: "Well, I'm supposed to be the singer."
Noel: "Well, I'm supposed to be the songwriter."
Liam: "Well, I should be singing more."
Noel: "Well, I should be writing more songs."
Liam: "So are you saying that if we stop writing more songs, I can start singing more songs?"
Noel: "Well, that's pretty much what it fucking boils down to, yeah."

[edit] Controversy and feuds

Gallagher is well known for his controversial, outspoken statements in the press. He acknowledged his tendency for "faux pas" in the song "My Big Mouth" on Be Here Now. He has defended himself on numerous occasions saying "people think [I'm] controversial for the answers [I] give to silly questions in interviews, but if somebody asks me what I think about Live 8 or Robbie Williams or Madonna, I'm not thinking about insulting those people; I say what I genuinely feel is in my heart. My conscience is clean, d'you know what I mean? Y'know, I'm true to myself — fuck everybody else"^[43] and "What would you rather read? 'The guy from Keane's been to a rabbit sanctuary 'cos one of the rabbits needed a kidney implant, so he swapped his with it' — or 'Liam Gallagher sets fire to a policeman in cocaine madness while his brother Noel runs down Oxford Street nude'?"^[44]

[edit] Damon Albarn and Blur

Perhaps the most infamous of Gallagher's controversial statements was in a 1995 interview with The Observer, where he expressed a wish for Damon Albarn and Alex James of rivals Blur to "catch AIDS and die", a comment which he quickly publicly apologised for.

By 2007, the tension between the two had cooled, at least from Gallagher's perspective (Albarn no longer discussed the feud). In a 2007 NME interview, Gallagher said "I've got a lot of respect for Damon, I really do mean it. Because I'm indifferent to Damon he thinks that I think he's a cunt. Our Liam will talk to him, I won't because he's just another singer in a band to me, but I don't think he's a cunt. Good luck to him!"^[45]

[edit] Liam Gallagher

The Gallagher brothers famously share a turbulent relationship. Their arguments have achieved a status as something of Rock Legend. One of their arguments was even released on a bootleg single entitled Wibbling Rivalry. There are only a handful of known incidents where the two have actually come to blows. During their first American tour in 1994, Liam took to changing the words of the songs so that they were offensive to both Americans and Noel. A confrontation after the show led to a chair being thrown, and Noel leaving the tour and heading for Las Vegas, claiming he had "visions of Fear and Loathing flashing in [his] eyes". He was eventually tracked down and returned to the tour before he could live out his dream of disappearing and buying a bar in Mexico.

While on tour in Barcelona in 2000, Oasis were forced to cancel a gig when Alan White's arm seized up, and the band spent the night drinking instead. Liam made a derogatory comment about Noel's then-wife Meg Mathews, and attempted to cast doubt over the legitimacy of Noel's daughter Anais, causing a scuffle in which Noel punched Liam, knocking him down. Following this, Noel declared he was quitting touring overseas altogether, and Oasis were supposed to finish the tour without him. He did return, however, for their gig in Dublin on July 8, 2000. During the gig, the two brothers shook hands at the end of "Acquiesce". He has since recanted his promise to quit touring overseas altogether.

[edit] Robbie Williams

After a well-publicised fallout with former Oasis-hanger-on Robbie Williams, Gallagher refused to recognise him as anything but "the fat dancer from Take That". This fueled a feud between Oasis and Williams. In 2000, following the poor critical reception to …Shoulder of Giants, Williams sent Gallagher a funeral wreath with "To Noel Gallagher, RIP. Heard your latest album — with deepest sympathy, Robbie Williams" written on it. From here, Liam took over from his brother heading up the feud, leading Williams to challenge the younger Gallagher to a fight for a charity purse. In recent years, Williams — now largely ignored by Oasis — has expressed his desire to fight Noel, describing him as a "mean-spirited dwarf".^[46] In 2007, Gallagher described Williams' 2006 album Rudebox as "fucking dog shit" and, when questioned as to why he felt Williams had been overlooked at that year's Brit Awards, he stated, "even Williams knows just how bad his music has become."^[47] However, only weeks later, when Willams was admitted to re-hab over his problems with prescription drugs, Gallagher refused to comment saying, "What would you like me to do? Would you like me to slag him off? I'm not interested… If you take drugs, you end up in rehab unless you're a fucking rock like me — and then you just give them up."^[48]

[edit] Phil Collins

One of the most consistent subjects of Gallagher's abuse is Phil Collins. Such insults include "People fucking hate cunts like Phil Collins, and if they don't — they fucking should" and "Why did he sell so many records in the '80s? I mean, fucking hell",^[49] as well as "Phil Collins sells a lot of records but he makes shit albums."^[50] Gallagher also claimed that Collins said he'd leave Britain for Switzerland if the Labour Party won the 1997 general election, and commented in the Daily Mirror, prior to the 2005 general election, "Vote Labour. If you don't and the Tories get in, Phil is threatening to come back from Switzerland and live here — and none of us want that." He also referred to Collins as "the anti-Christ".^[51] Collins struck back in 2005, stating that he had moved to Switzerland not for political reasons, but to be with his third wife Orianne, and was not a Conservative voter. He successfully convinced Paul Merton that the Gallagher brothers deserved to be put into Room 101, explaining: "They're rude and not as talented as they think they are. I won't mince words here, but they've had a go at me personally."^[52] Discussing this Wikipedia entry, Noel told MTV's Gonzo in 2007, "Phil Collins knows he can't say anything about me because I'm the fucking bollocks and that's the thing that does his head in, and the fact that he's bald."^[53]

[edit] Other musicians and celebrities

Gallagher's barbed comments have not just been limited to his Britpop contemporaries. When George Michael released the politically-charged single "Shoot the Dog", Gallagher observed "He's… trying to make social comment, this is the guy who hid who he actually was from the public for twenty years, now, all of a sudden, he's got something to say about the way of the world. I find it laughable. That's even before you get to the song, which is diabolical."^[54]

His musical tastes lead him to regularly attack "pop" acts. He said of Kylie Minogue: "I don't hate Kylie, but I hate her music with a passion — it's just unbridled filth, it's disgusting."^[55] In early 2001, he was criticised for saying that the Backstreet Boys "should be shot"^[56] and, when asked about American youngsters' taste in music, he stated "[They] shouldn't be able to buy records until [they are] 16. You'll buy any old nonsense — fucking Britney and Eminem."^[57]

In late 2006, Gallagher bore the brunt of a verbal attack from Elton John, who took offence to Gallagher describing him as one of a number of "precious" celebrities who shield themselves from normal public life, saying, "Life is a great thing, why shut yourself away from it? I can't understand people like Elton John…" John struck back saying, "After what fucking Noel Gallagher said about me I couldn't give a shit about Oasis… He's just such a tosser, and he looks like Parker from Thunderbirds."^[58] Gallagher's friends Serge Pizzorno of Kasabian defended Gallagher saying "Elton's just a fat man in a tracksuit. Whereas anything that comes out of Noel's mouth is absolute genius. Noel is the last man you want to start with. He's so quick he can destroy anyone. Elton John needs to watch out."^[59]

Of hip hop, Gallagher said, "What's masquerading itself as hip-hop-slash-R&B is fucking horrible. These guys will go on the telly going: 'Hey kids, stay in school, don't do drugs', and then they'll be shooting each other down at the shopping mall. The disregard for women, stuff like that, I find it quite sickening. And the clothes they wear, and it's all about 'me, me, me', and 'I wanna fuck you up…' Give it a rest you bunch of idiots."^[60]

The resurgence of British indie music in recent years has seen Gallagher lash out again. He has recently told Australian press about his dislike of modern British indie bands, describing the band Bloc Party as "indie shit". He went on to say "Every time I read an interview by them, they're talking about their favourite music; 'Yeah, I heard a Björk B-side that was interesting'… It's either good or it's bad. So it either makes sense to your brain or it doesn't… There's no such thing as 'interesting'."^[61] Gallagher mocked the Kaiser Chiefs for wearing makeup, with Liam calling them "a bad Blur".^[62] When asked to comment on Keane, a band comprising a singer, keyboardist and drummer, Gallagher said "Traditionally speaking, the three biggest twats in any band are the singer, the keyboardist and the drummer. I don't need to say anything else." Keane pianist Tim Rice-Oxley replied saying "The biggest twats in a band? We don't really care. I think he's a cunt to be honest. He was in a band that was very brilliant in the mid-nineties and now they're just not important anymore. No one really cares." The Kaiser Chiefs' singer Ricky Wilson, however, claimed he "was chuffed to bits" to be on the end of one of the Gallagher's famous insults. The same can be said for Sum 41, who printed Gallagher's comments regarding them — "I'm just glad I lived long enough to hear the shittiest band ever" — on their official website.^[63] In 2005, Noel criticised the White Stripes for announcing they would write a song for a Coca-Cola advertising campaign. Although Oasis tracks have appeared on commercials, they were not specifically written for that purpose.

When interviewed by a fan of hard rock and questionned on his apparant repetetive use of the same scale and chord progressions, Gallagher replied "to be honest, scales are for fucking fish". Popular heavy metal and neo-classical lead guitarist Yngwie Malmsteen was rumoured to have replied "and guitars are for musicians..." in public. However the incident was never publicized as much as Noel's other public feud's.

Gallagher has not been shy about slating his idols either. When Beatle George Harrison accused Oasis of being little more than a "passing" fad, Gallagher replied "George was always the quiet Beatle, maybe he should keep that up." (This, however, was not as threatening as his brother's promise to play golf off Harrison's head.)^[9] However, when Gallagher and Harrison actually met, they got on well.

Gallagher also criticised American punk rock band Green Day for plagiarising the hit "Wonderwall" in the song "Boulevard of Broken Dreams". He stated, "If you listen, you'll find it is exactly the same arrangement as 'Wonderwall'." When asked about his own habit of "nicking riffs" from other groups, Gallagher replied, "Yeah, but not whole songs! They should have the decency to wait until I am dead. I at least pay the people I steal from that courtesy."^[64]

In 2007, Gallagher accused contemporary Thom Yorke of Radiohead of boring fans saying "Thom Yorke sat at a piano singing, This is fucked up, for half an hour. We all know that, Mr Yorke... Who wants to sing the news? No matter how much you sit their twiddling, going, 'We're all doomed,' at the end of the day people will always want to hear you play Creep. Get over it. I never went to fucking university. I don't know what a paint brush is; I never went to art school." Yorke responded by simply saying his education had taught him "to respect other artists." Commentators observed that this is something which Gallagher has a tendency to fail to do^[65]

[edit] Politics

His political views have been seen as left-leaning, although they have sometimes been controversial. He described the protests against the second Gulf War in London as "a bloody waste of time", and in the same interview he said of the British, "We are a nation of moaning sissies, regardless of who governs. The British get on my nerves. They moan about the weather, about the French, about the Germans. They moan about cricket, football — they should just keep their mouths shut." He expressed his sympathy for Tony Blair, saying, "Whoever is the British Prime Minister is tied to America. It's been that way since the Second World War, and even Tony Blair can't change that." Politically, he says "politics is like football for me. Labour is my team and even if you don't like a striker you don't give up supporting the whole team… Labour is the lesser of two evils. What else should we have? Anarchy? Someone has to be responsible".^[66] Gallagher was mocked in 1997 when, while defending East 17 singer Brian Harvey he claimed most members of Parliament were on heroin and cocaine, before likening drugs to a cup of tea. He was condemned by Paul Betts, whose daughter Leah died after taking ecstasy. He has since laughed off his own comments, as he had clearly used cocaine during the interview: "One of my bad moments, I have to say."^[67]

[edit] Live 8

After the announcement of a series of benefit concerts known as Live 8, held on July 2, 2005, to coincide with the G8 Economic Summit held at Gleneagles Hotel in Scotland, Oasis declined to participate (Oasis was previously booked to perform at City of Manchester Stadium on that same evening). However, though both Liam and Noel had wished to attend, band management assigned them a stadium gig on the same night. Gallagher was the centre of controversy for his outspokenness once again. He raised his resentment that musicians are expected to rally at the convenience of Bob Geldof, the organiser of the Live 8 concerts, and was quoted as saying "It's the general thing that rock stars should be doing something to fucking sort [the worldwide poverty issue] out. And it's like, 'Well, all right, that's what Bono and Chris Martin are for.'" He was later quoted as saying "I don't like the way that somebody suddenly decides that all the bands in England are going to fucking play and everybody jumps to attention."

Later, Gallagher became one of the more vocal skeptics in regards to the intended impact of Live 8, citing his belief that rock stars are not as influencing over world leaders as popular culture may believe. His explanation was "Correct me if I'm wrong, but are they hoping that one of these guys from the G8 is on a quick 15-minute break at Gleneagles and sees Annie Lennox singing "Sweet Dreams" and thinks, 'Fuck me, she might have a point there, you know?' And Keane doing "Somewhere Only We Know" and some Japanese businessman going, 'Aw, look at him… we should really fucking drop that debt, you know.' It's not going to happen, is it?"^[68]

[edit] Discography

Main article: Oasis discography

[edit] Guest appearances

Noel Gallagher has recorded as a guest musician on many bands' songs even co-producing an album. Here is a list of artists he has worked with:

• Paul Weller — "I Walk On Gilded Splinters" (Dr. John cover) from the album Stanley Road (1995); Rhythm guitar
• The Chemical Brothers — "Setting Sun" from the album Dig Your Own Hole (1996); Lead vocals and songwriting
• Beck — "Devil's Haircut" from the Devil's Haircut single (1996); Remix
• Goldie — "Temper Temper" from the album Saturnz Return (1998); Lead guitar
• The Chemical Brothers — "Let Forever Be" from the album Surrender (1999); Lead vocals and songwriting
• UNKLE — The Knock-On Effect from the Be There single (1999); Remix
• Claire Martin — "Help!" (The Beatles cover) from the album Take My Heart (1999); Acoustic guitar
• Tailgunner — Handful of tracks on the album Tailgunner (2000); Drums
• Proud Mary — Co-producer with Gem Archer and musician on the album Same Old Blues (2001)
• Cornershop — "Spectral Mornings" from the album Handcream For A Generation (2002); Guitar
• Paul Weller — "One X One" from the album Illumination (2003); Drums, bass, percussion & acoustic guitar along with Gem Archer
• The Stands — "Some Weekend Night" from the album All Years Leaving (2004); Guitar
• The Prodigy — "Shoot Down" from the album Always Outnumbered, Never Outgunned (2004); Bass (also featured Liam Gallagher on vocals)
• Ricky Gervais — "Free Love Freeway" from The Office Specials DVD (2004); Backing vocals, guitar
• Ian Brown — "Keep What Ya Got" from the album Solarized (2005); Guitars, keyboards, piano, backing vocals and co-songwriting

[edit] Sour Mash Records

Gallagher has formed his own label, Sour Mash Records, which releases records by the likes of Shack and Proud Mary. Gem Archer, who worked with him on the Proud Mary album, observed "I saw a different side of him. He really loves getting the best out of people. He likes having someone to go through the fine points of the recording process with."^[69]

[edit] References

• Wheeler, J: Oasis: How Does It Feel? (UFO Books Ltd)
• Paul Gallagher and Terry Christian: Brothers, From Childhood to Oasis (Virgin Books)
• Middles, M: Oasis: Round Their Way (Independent Music Press)
• Paolo Hewitt, Getting High: The Adventures of Oasis (Boxtree Press)
• Robertson, I: Oasis: What's The Story? (Blake Books)
• Moody, P: Oasis: Lost Inside (UFO Music Ltd)
• Various interviews with Noel
• CHRONOLOGY 1993 from Oasis FAQ

[edit] Notes

[edit] External links

• Official Oasis Website
• live4ever, the Italian Oasis website
• Oasis Online Argentina
• Listen to Oasis
• Oasis Australia
• Noel Gallagher at the Internet Movie Database
• Oasis News Updated News, Reviews, Tour Info.
• 1994 Interview with Noel Gallagher from PEOM
• Noel Gallagher Interview 2007

Oasis
Liam Gallagher | Noel Gallagher | Gem Archer | Andy Bell | Zak Starkey
Tony McCarroll | Paul "Bonehead" Arthurs | Paul "Guigsy" McGuigan | Alan White
Discography
Studio albums: Definitely Maybe | (What's the Story) Morning Glory? | Be Here Now Standing on the Shoulder of Giants | Heathen Chemistry | Don't Believe the Truth
Compilations: The Masterplan | Stop the Clocks
DVDs: Live by the Sea | …There and Then | Familiar to Millions | Definitely Maybe – The DVD
Films: Lord Don't Slow Me Down
Related articles
The Rain | Britpop | Owen Morris | Creation Records | Big Brother | Awards and nominations