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October 1995 - Nathalie André [L’INDIC #21] L'heure de vérité

Note: Liam answers questions for the 21st issue of the French magazine "L'INDIC". This is a translation and not direct quotes.

(JN:) = Journalist’s Note (JN: “”) = the journalist quoted Liam in English or French.

The hour of truth

In just a few months, Oasis has managed to establish their name, an image and their music. Who could’ve missed “Definitely Maybe” and its collection of singles. Almost a year after their first steps in life, the Gallagher Brothers have come back to remind those who did not believe they would last. Detractors of all kinds and gossip mongers have been proven wrong with the release of “(What’s the Story) Morning Glory?”. Gone is the hooligan attitude. Oasis has decided to put on its finest suit and clean up its act. The phenomenon marches on.

“Morning Glory” gives the impression of being more polished than “Definitely Maybe”. How did that happen?

(Liam) I don’t know… We just recorded it and that’s it. You know, I can’t talk about the songs because they don’t come from me. I don’t know… We just recorded it… We always write good songs, and I sing. If people don’t like it, we don’t give a shit as long as we like it. It’s the best second album we could’ve released and that’s what matters. We weren’t pushed by anyone, nobody told us to go in this or that direction. These songs were written a long time ago. There are only five new songs, three on the album and two for the B-sides, that’s all. The rest existed already. I sing better, much better, and the others play better. We’re really in it now.

So, you are the voice and that’s it, but Noel also sings on this album…

Yup… Unfortunately. I don’t care if he sings his acoustic songs, but I don’t think he should be singing on the rock’n’roll tracks because he doesn't have the voice for it. People don’t understand and it doesn’t go over well, huh?!!!?

So, you want to keep being just the voice. Do you not want to start to play an instrument, because if he continues to sing, you’ll risk turning into a Bez? (Bez is a member of Happy Mondays who plays percussion and dances.)

Ah yes, I want to play but only for myself, not for the band. If we both start going at it, we’ll start beating each other up even worse, and that won’t be good. I don’t want to write. He’s the writer, I’ve got nothing to fucking do with that. I’m learning to play the keyboard when I have a bit of free time, but it’s just for me. Of course, if I were to write an amazing song, we would play it probably. But that’s not the goal, it doesn’t interest me. As for Bez, he can’t sing. I can sing, and he can play the maracas better than anybody, there is no competition (laughs).

Is that how you spend your free time?

Yeah, but it doesn’t happen often because the band takes up most of my time. Besides, I wonder what I would be doing if the band didn’t exist.

You’ve had some trouble with one of the songs on “Morning Glory”.

Yeah, a song that’s called “Step Out”… Stevie Wonder… Apparently, it sounds like one of his songs that’s titled “Alright”. Fuck, a guy from the label or maybe Stevie Wonder himself forbid us from using this song on the record. Apparently, it sounds too much like “Alright”. I don’t know, I don’t know his music and I don’t give a fuck. Besides, it’s not me who writes the songs. It’s fucking Noel again, who’s messed things up.

Speaking of Noel, he said last year that Oasis would only last for three LPs and then disappear. What do you think and if so, what would you do?

I think once again that he was talking bullshit with his big mouth. But I understand what he was trying to say. Maybe he was going through some difficult times and he’s the one who’s getting it in the neck, remember. I don’t care, I sing. He writes and is responsible for the success of Oasis. That kind of bullshit “I can’t do it any more, I won’t be able to write another record”. Bullshit. He’s a loser sometimes. Holds himself back. I think we have to continue and not make plans for the future. We have to have fun when we play our music. That’s how we started, and I don’t see why we shouldn’t continue like this. If he can’t write songs for Oasis any more, we’ll change our name. He’ll continue on his own. I don’t care…

You don’t seem to be affected by the same pressure that weighs on him?

No, not at all. Again, I’m not the songwriter. He’s the one who has to deal with all this shit. I get the impression that writing a song is as easy as taking a dump. Writing's always been easy for Noel. Now, he takes his time and doubts himself constantly. It might be the first time in his life that he’s working, so, sure, he complains. He’s afraid that “Morning Glory” is inferior to “Definitely Maybe”. But I know that it’s clearly better. It’s the best second album that Oasis could’ve made. No regrets. He’s afraid of people’s reactions, comments from journalists. Bollocks! Noel knew he was capable of writing the best songs but he’s a perfectionist. I don’t get it, he’s the one who started writing songs and declared himself chief. If he doesn’t like it, he should’ve done something else. I’m taking the piss, but he’s my brother and I love him. I respect what he’s done and what’s left for him to do. The guy’s kicking himself constantly and he’s already written the third album. During our last tour, he would grab his guitar and play. He was humming and playing melodies that sounded like the Beatles. I was wondering what it was, and he told me it was songs he was working on. I asked him if he was working on Beatles tunes and he told me to fuck off. I understood then that he had finished the third album. I have to learn the lyrics, we have to go in the studio for a week and Bob’s your uncle (a British expression). The songs are worthy of “Whatever”, ballads worthy of the Beatles, classics already!

“Morning Glory” was released a year after your first LP. You’ve always said that you should take your time and not rush things. Like the Stone Roses, guys that you admire…

I adore the Stone Roses but those guys are lazy, and we aren’t. I love their music, but that doesn’t mean that I want to spend five years in the fucking studio. I don’t like the studio, it bores me. When we go, we stay fifteen days and get the job done quickly. One song a day. What do you think? Not many bands do it like us. Other bands waste their time tormenting themselves over a tune. We get it started. We don’t care, we have great songs. Two guitars, a base, a voice and a chorus, that’s rock’n’roll. It’s not hard! We mix it, we go to the pub and then on tour.

You like the stage?

I love it. I love being a rock’n’roll star just for the evening. The rest, I don’t care. I like being on stage because people look at me with a big smile. I like that feeling, I know that we make great music and seeing young people with joy on their faces, it reassures me. It reminds me of when we started in small venues and the crowd would push to the front of the stage. It was exceptional and it still is. We can’t lose that otherwise we would bore ourselves and bore people. Right now, when I’m on stage, I feel… dangerous. Yeah, I feel dangerous. Imagine me on a fucking stage yelling like a madman. I can’t control myself sometimes. That’s why I feel dangerous.

On “Morning Glory”, some songs are acoustics, I mean, more laid-back. Are you easing up?

Noooo. But, when we started working on the songs on the album, we were hanging out with the other drummer (JN: Tony McCarroll). He couldn’t follow, the songs were too complicated for him. Alan (JN: White, the new drummer) is more subtle, he adapts and he’s really talented. The other one, he would always play the same stuff (he starts hitting the table and imitating a drum machine with his mouth).

It was fun too when Tony hit the drums like he was deaf.

Yeah, but you can’t do the same on a ballad, you have to be more (he starts doing a softer, more jazzy rhythm with his vocal chords)… We’re doing calmer songs, I don’t know why, maybe the drugs were better that day. I have no idea, I’m the singer not the songwriter.

You don’t seem to want to invest yourself too much in the future of Oasis?

No, I prefer going to the pub. I come back energized, I sing a song, I watch telly, and I have a snack. I go to bed, get up, go back to the pub and that’s the story of my life. Not complicated. It’s my life in Manchester and it’s the kind of routine I had in Wales during the recording of the album. Fifteen-day vacation, a bit of work and the rest of my time at the pub. (Silence… he then starts talking about music, something he’s avoided doing so far). We couldn’t have done a second “Definitely Maybe”. I don’t see the point. It looks like I don’t care but being the singer of Oasis, it’s my whole life. We play, we do what we’ve got to do but we don’t speak a lot. That’s why it’s difficult for me to talk about it with journalists. It’s not that I want to snub you but seriously, I don’t know what to say about it. The songs get done, Noel plays them for us, and we like what he’s written. It’s very simple. And I don’t know if it sounds like stuff other bands could’ve made. I’m not interested. What I know is that we do our work honestly and we’re happy that people appreciate it. As for the rest, you might want to ask Noel himself.

It's funny that you mention other bands because, sometimes Oasis reminds of Jesus & Mary Chain. What do you think?

Nothing at all. I don’t care. That’s bullshit, we don’t sound like them.

You know them?

No (laughs). Okay, alright, you’ve got a point. No, I don’t know their music so honestly, how is it possible that we sound like them? I don’t think the Jesus & Mary Chain could’ve written “She’s Electric”, “Wonderwall”, “Cast no Shadow”, “Don’t Look Back in Anger” and “Roll With It”. We aren’t Jesus & Mary Chain. Who are they anyway? (Laughs) Music is magic and one day, journalists will need to stop overthinking everything.

Where are you at with Oasis at the moment? Do you think its peak is near?

We’re slowly getting closer. Right now, I feel like we’re going through a bit of a weird period. We realize that we’re getting better with time, but we don’t know when it’s going to stop. We are, without a doubt, on the rise. Everything is working out, we’re lucky. But I’ve realized, as much as I like to sing and be on stage, I have nothing to say about it. I like everyday things.

What interests you then?

Everything and nothing. But I don’t have time to do much, since most of my hobbies involve going to the pub, getting wasted, drugs. Charm a few ladies (JN: “”) and usually fucking fail badly (JN: “”). I’m told that I’m famous and I might be the only one not realizing what’s happening. Then again, the fact that I’m telling you this probably means I know (laughs). But it doesn’t affect my everyday life. I still go to the pub, I still do the same stuff and I still see the same people. On that level, my life hasn’t changed. It’s changed because now, I can fuck off to other countries and escape Manchester’s grey weather. And also, I can get champagne (JN: like right now, which I’m taking advantage of). And every time I don’t have fags on me (JN: he smokes Marlboros that he calls Marlborettes, shorter than having to say, “can you pass me a Marlboro cigarette?”),there’s always some guy from the label to get me a pack. Try doing that in Manchester if you don’t do music (laughs). My mates have already asked me if success isn’t getting to my head. A bit, sometimes. But I don’t care, I’ve never wanted to be famous. It’s just happening right now and that’s all. It’s not my fault. But I’ve always wanted to make good music. Fame comes with it, whether you like it or not. You’ve got to protect yourself even when you’re a headliner.

Like in Glastonbury. It was most likely the biggest concert of your career.

Piece of cake (JN: “”). I like playing in front of thousands of people. Big concerts are amazing. You’re on stage and it’s as easy as playing in a small venue. But I don’t care, I like to sing, that’s all. If we played in front of ten people, I’d sing the same. Then again, if you're asked to be the headliner at Glastonbury, you’re not going to say no (laughs). It’s a privilege to be asked to. But we handled that concert the same way we did the one the night before in a small venue in Bath.

Speaking of big concerts, you will soon be playing huge venues (Earl’s court in London and a gigantic tour in the UK). Is it a step you had to take or is the record label pushing you to do these dates.

We do it because of the demand, because of the fans. Every time we do a tour, it’s sold out before we can even do our first gig. Tons of fans stay on the sidewalk, frustrated because they did miles to come and see us and they can’t get into the venue. This tour is for them. And it’s our choice to make them happy. But I wouldn’t want oasis to start playing stadiums like some. Concerts outdoors, it’s exciting if you do one but, if you start going on tour only to play stadiums, it’s a mess. Stadiums, they’re meant for football. The ideal venues are the ones that can accommodate 6000 people. The band feels good, and the fans can see you. Everyone’s partying. After that, you get to talk to people. Some have been with us since the beginning, they’ve seen us a hundred times. You’ve got to respect everybody.

Even people in Bosnia, to whom you’ve dedicated one of your songs which will feature on a compilation album, with all profits being donated. ("Fade Away" was featured on “The Help Album”, a compilation album released to raise money for War Child.)

Yes, but honestly, I don’t know much about it (laughs). We were asked to participate, and we obviously accepted. Other bands who are as famous as us have refused. Some aren’t interested in anything and refuse to be generous. We play nonstop, and it’s a major reason for our success. We go everywhere, in England, the USA, in Europe, in Japan. We release a maxi single every three months with great B-Sides. We’re close to our fans. If we don’t do anything, we don’t know what to do with our time. We’d go out, we’d spend all our money, and we would act like rock stars. That means very little to me. I prefer buying myself clothes, pay my mum’s bills, a bit of this, a bit of that. Anyways, we don’t have that much money and very little time to spend it. On tour, we have very few days off. But, whenever I can, I like to look around me. I like hearing other languages, eat the local food, even if we eat a lot of sandwiches. I'm having fun comparing the different cheese sandwiches they serve around the world. They’re never the same. One time, in Japan, I caught hay fever. I go to the pharmacy, and I tell the guy that I’m crying, and I pretend to sneeze to make him understand that I have a cold and he’s got to give me some pills. He doesn’t understand anything and starts showing me tons of sunglasses because he thought my eyes hurt (laughs). That kind of stuff cracks me up, but fucking hell, this cold. And on top of that, it gets me out of Manchester. I don’t like that city, I don’t like London either. I won’t live there. I still live at my mum’s, still in our council house.

So, you can easily set aside your pride?

No problem. I’ll never let myself get screwed by the system. I’m the only one who can bring myself down, because of how I see life, which can be very negative but also very positive.

Do you take a lot of drugs?

No, not really. It depends on my mood. Anyway, I’m all set for tonight. Tomorrow, we’ll see, but tonight I’m meeting up with my mates and we’re going to have a blast. Clubbing’s not my thing, I don’t enjoy going to clubs. I prefer spending time with my mates in a hotel room, in a pub or in a flat.

New record, new drummer. What happened to Tony?

We kicked him out. He was too soft, way too soft to explode on stage like the drummer from Spinal Tap. He didn’t fucking do anything. It was just “Boum, doum, tchikitikitikiti boum”, it was enough for the first album, but the poor guy couldn’t follow any more. For the tracks on “Morning Glory”, we needed a more subtle drummer. Tony thought that he was the best drummer in the world, but he didn’t have any records, no turntable, nothing. I have tons of records at my mum’s. I’ve got everything, the Beatles, the Stones, Grace Jones, Neil Young, Sex Pistols, Blue Mink and loads more. And it’s not done, I want more! The only thing that pisses me off is that my turntable’s busted, and I need to get a new one.

You’re not going to tell me that you can’t afford it?

No, of course, but I’ve got tons of things on my mind. I want a place for myself first. You understand, we all live at home and it’s too much! The only problem is that I don’t have the time to arrange all that. If I bought a flat now, I would never be there, and I don’t want to pay rent for nothing. It would be completely stupid. And sooner or later, I’ll get robbed and that would really piss me off. At home, my mum is still there and that’s cool.

What does she think of her sons, your mother?

She’s really proud of us. We don’t need to ask her for cash to go out for a drink any more. So she’s happy.

What does she think of what the press says about you?

She doesn’t care because she sees us regularly and has a pretty good idea of where we’re at. We don’t hide much from her. She knows about the drugs and the rest… She knows that everything the press spreads about us is false most of the time. It’s like that coke thing... It looks cool for a band to do coke… But that doesn’t mean we’re completely fucked up. Everything I do, I don’t do it in front of her and that’s what matters. When I get home, she knows we’ll start chatting the two of us and she can always send me to get a kilo of potatoes and some washing powder from the shop. She gives me 50 quid, and I go do her shopping. I’m not the type to walk around calling myself a star. I stop off at the local fish and chips and grab some chips on the way home. At the same time, I can be on Top of the Pops. But what does it change? Nothing! It doesn’t get to me at all! We’re just a band that does music, and nothing more.

People perceive you as “lads”. Is it just an image that you guys adopt to act tough? (JN: “Lads just means guys, real guys.)

I can confirm that I am indeed a guy, I don’t have tits (laughs). No, but seriously, we are like that. I’m really like that. I like football, girls, drugs, music and nice clothes.

And destroying hotel rooms?

Yeah, it was a part of the game. We don’t do it any more because we’ve done it already. People told us that we weren’t the first to do it, but we had never done it ourselves. We just wanted to know what it was like, that’s all! For me, that’s that, being a lad. But I’m a calm guy. I don’t look to fight with people. I stay polite with old ladies. I even open the door for them if I need to, I also help them cross the road. But, if someone really pisses me off, I’ll give them a good slap. Don’t be a dickhead! Like the other day at the pub. Some guy with two or three birds with him started yelling: “Fucking Gallagher! Bla-bla-bla…” even though he didn’t even know me! That kind of attitude really pisses me off. All that because he knew I was the singer in Oasis. A real cunt! As soon as I got up, he took off in his car. But if he had been in front of me, I would have smashed his face in.

In your opinion, what is Oasis' place in Britpop? (I assume the interviewer said Britpop, considering Liam’s response. But in French it said “la scène anglaise” “the English music scene”.)

I don’t like that term and I don’t like being associated with people like Blur or Menswear, all those people that do pop music. We’re not a pop band, we’re a band that plays rock’n’roll. We don’t write songs that you can play on the piano at your local pub. We talk about cigarettes, alcohol and sex! We’re not queer!

Do you really hate people that make pop music?

Who? Blur? Yeah, I’m really starting to hate them because of all these backhanded games they play with us.

Are you referring to the recent race to number one?

Yeah, I hate them for that because they think they’re bigger than us and that they have every right. Our EP, “Roll With It”, should’ve released on that date and these guys decided to release it at the same time, they call our record label to ask us to move our release. We told them to fuck off, and they didn’t move the release of their EP either. Race results, there’s going to be a clash and competition. No problem… The fucking English press, all those cunts from NME and others get involved and make a big deal out of it. Result, victory for Blur that rejoices. Not only because they are number one but because they have, supposedly, beat us. I say supposedly because the dice were loaded. They sold their shite a pound less, bollocks… And we’ve had problems with our barcodes. Anyway, all this is just a stupid game for stupid people made by stupid people. Being number one doesn’t mean you’ve made something good, quite the contrary. PJ and Duncan have a number one, Wet Wet Wet too and for weeks. That doesn’t mean they aren’t making shite. All of this disgusts me. The English press particularly disgusts me, and I don’t want to see them any more, as little as possible in any case. They’re pretentious wankers who think they pull all the strings. Leave us alone! All we ask is that they come to our gigs to do intelligent reviews, that's all! NME reminds me more and more of the Sun. It's a load of gossip because they've got nothing better to do than to stir shit up.

Do you get riled up like this when you watch football? Actually, did you see that Cantona is staying with Manchester United? That’s not very good for City.

Yeah, Cantona is one hell of a guy, a great player. I really admire him. He’s got a great character! But, unfortunately, I’m a Manchester City supporter and we're going to get our ass kicked in the derby again. I mean, we’ll see. Cantona might get thrown off the field before the end (laughs).

How do you feel right now? Are you ready to face what's to come?

Me? Always ready, like the scouts… I’m not afraid of anything, or anyone in this business. The only person I’m really scared of is myself. I wouldn’t want to lose my confidence. Sometimes I scare myself a bit. And I’ve got to tell you, there's another thing that gives me the creeps, spiders! Those cunts make me freeze. If I see one and miss it, I'll just run off. I’m really hopeless when it comes to that.

#thank you for translating #flowers 💐

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