Video: Noel Gallagher Talks Oasis Split

In addition to announcing the October 17 release of the first of two new solo albums, Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds, during a press conference today, former Oasis guitarist/songwriter Noel Gallagher revisited that fateful night in August of ‘09 when the long-running feud between he and his brother Liam boiled over into a pre-show row that led to his departure from the band. Check out Noel’s lengthy account above (via Daily Swarm), in which he describes how a rift over Liam’s fashion label, one thrown plum, and a guitar wielded “like an ax” were the final straw.


Oasis singer and fashion designer Liam Gallagher is so reliably negative that it’s really no surprise to hear he revels in concert mishaps and audience chaos. What’s kind of amazing, however, is that he’s willing to admit that Oasis shows are boring without conflict.

“I like it when s**t happens at Oasis gigs otherwise it’s the same gig really,” Gallagher told fansite Stopcryingyourheartout.com. Referring to a 2005 concert in which there was a 25 minute delay after a barrier was broken, Gallagher added, “I like s**t like that, as long as no one dies or gets hurt or gets the f**king fever cause they’re too cold. I like it when s**t happens like that because I think once you have seen Oasis once, you have sort of seen we don’t really do that much, know what I mean.”

Also, I could’ve predicted Liam isn’t a fan of Duffy, but I didn’t expect the AT&T commercial singer to accuse her of being a sell-out: “Duffy, she was alright ‘til she opened her mouth, the music’s alright, know what I mean, ‘til she done that f**king stupid advert and things like that… It’s f**king ridiculous.”

It looks like Noel Gallagher was right when he told Q magazine (via ChartAttack) that his brother Liam “will f*cking freak out” at his hopes for every member of Oasis to record a solo record before the band’s next release.

In a televised interview from Brazil (not sure of the interviewer’s name at this time), Liam responded to Noel’s plans to release a solo record. “I could do that, but I don’t want to do that,” he said. “I’m in Oasis, you know what I mean. If everyone starts going off doing solo records then you might as well just f*cking split the band up, you know what I mean. I’m part of a band and that’s the way it is. If you go on going off doing solo records then there’s no Oasis, you know what I mean. Someone’s gotta be here keeping it together.”

So Noel’s 5-year hiatus plan could be a problem, but once again it’s interesting to see how the Gallagher brothers only communicate with each other through interviews and the occasional tweet.

If the previous comment’s aim wasn’t pointed clearly enough at his brother, Liam gets more explicit at the end of the Q&A. When asked what the best and worst parts to being in Oasis were, he responded: “The best part is obviously the music, playing the gigs, meeting people from different parts of the world. All that stuff. That’s good. The worst part is being in a band with your f*cking brother.”

Twitter has turned into a never-ending reality show for rock stars. You’d think they would only use their 140 characters for promotional purposes (some do), but for others in the rock Twitterati, tweets are oddly personal and revealing. Kind of like the confessional on The Real World or Big Brother, et al.

Cantankerous rocker Billy Corgan’s official Twitter (there was an imposter for a while) is chock-full of God shout-outs and pseudo-theological praise for “Love,” “Truth,” “Joy,” and “Peace.” It’s almost like he’s trying to tweet his way out of being an egoist. Of course, some celebs have ghost Twitterers, but in Corgan’s case it would be a Holy Ghost Twitterer.

One tweet from Oasis’ Liam Gallagher cracked me up because the Gallagher brothers are basically estranged, despite being on a successful tour. Liam finally spoke to Noel, however, with the help of Twitter as an intermediary. After Noel slagged off the band in the press as a “rudderless ship,” Liam tweeted that the last gig was “AMAZING! Don’t know what tour your on RKID…” Awww, he called him rkid again.

Then there’s Trent Reznor. Sure, he said yesterday, “I might be happy and engaged, but I can still be a prick,” but his impending nuptials have actually brought out the soft side of the “Head Like a Hole” singer. One example: “Now that I’m in love and gone all soft on you, can anyone recommend any romantic comedies? Got a weird urge,” he tweeted.

It isn’t all God, romance, and brotherly love for twittering rockers though. Joy Division’s Peter Hook had to go and start another round of Smiths reunion rumors. Ugh.

The Chinese government has canceled Oasis concerts in Beijing and Shanghai next month because they discovered that Noel Gallagher performed at a 1997 Free Tibet Benefit Concert in New York in 1997. What’s more, the Chinese government has revoked Oasis’ performing licenses.

In a statement, a spokesperson for the band said: “The licensing and immigration process for the two shows had been fully and successfully complied with well before the shows went on sale. The Chinese authorities action in cancelling these shows marks a reversal of their decision regarding the band, which has left both Oasis and the promoters bewildered.”

NME noted that the 1997 “Free Tibet” concert, which is apparently cause to ban a band from performing in China, also featured Beastie Boys, Radiohead, Rage Against The Machine, Bjork and Red Hot Chili Peppers. Will they all have their licenses revoked? Radiohead has protested China’s treatment of Tibet many times, including dressing the stage with Tibetan flags on the first gig of their 2008 tour.