OASIS - Interviews

Excerpts from:

"WHFS" - Washington, Baltimore, USA

107.7 "The End", Seattle, USA

RTE 1 "The Late, Late Show", Ireland

2FM "Dave Fanning Show", Ireland

Paolo Hewitt

BBC Worldwide

"Modern Rock Live" Global Satellite Network

Compiled & Edited by Keith Cameron & Owen Morris

Liam - Don't believe the hype

Noel - Somebody, who was in a band in Glasgow, knew us through somebody else and said: "do you know any bands that would come up and play a gig, so they said "well I know this band called Oasis" so he said, well will you ask them "will they come up", so we said yeah, "we'll come up". We hired a van, put a loads of people in it, we charged them money for the petrol. I said "your paying money towards the petrol, we'll get you into the gig for free, we'll have a good night" and they said fine. So we got to the gig after driving all day, and the promoter said "I've never heard of you, you not supposed to be playing here tonight, so you know, we not gonna let you play", so we sort of pointed out the fact to him that he had two security guards on the door and there were seventeen of us. I sorta stood there and said "so what you gonna do about that then?", and he said "ummmmm, well if you put it like that, I suppose I can give you sorta half an hour" So we went on. When the doors opened, it was about half seven, started playing and unbeknown to us Alan McGee just missed his train back to London round the corner and he had an hour to kill for the next train and he just decided that he was going for drink in the club, walked in the door as we were going on stage, and someone said, he said "who's this band" and they said "oh there a bunch of guys who just threatened to smash the place if we didn't let them play" and he went "all right, they any good?" they said "never heard of them, they're from Manchester aren't they, some lippy mancs. Bought a drink, watched us do the gig, came off stage, give us a six album deal.

Interviewer - was he drunk?

Interviewer2 - oh, a bit of inter-band bitching going on now, hey!, scrap, scrap

Liam - no he was fat.

Interviewer2 - i can relate to that

Noel - no he wasn't drunk, cause he didn't have leather pants on

Bonehead- that's all right, he had mine on.

Interviewer2- You're banned from the hacienda by the way.

Interviewer - hey see he's the boss, he's the boss

Noel- I'm left handed so I should play guitar left handed but I it play right handed. I can't read or write music; I can't even spell me name to be quite honest.

Interviewer - What do you mean?

Noel - Well, you know.

Interviewer- C'mon

Noel - I'm only joking

Interviewer-You can't put down dots?

Noel - No, I don't know any of that, I don't even know the chords when I'm playing, I just, I just I mean, I met other guitarist's who are first in reading and write music and they reckon it's a blessing I suppose.

Interviewer -I see and what do you do? Put it in a tape then?

Noel - Yes, just stick on to like little tape recorders and just play back and play it back till I'm happy with it and then deliver it to the chaps.

Bonehead - George Harrison

Alan - Ringo

Liam - John Lennon

Bonehead - Paul McCartney

Liam - Keith Richards

Alan - Mick Jagger

Liam - John McEnroe

Bonehead - Ryan Jones

Interviewer- Sarah, does that answer your question?

Liam - Elvis Presley

Interviewer- This guys are wiseacres

Alan - Ian St.John

Liam -Kurt Cobain

Interviewer - I think they're pulling your chain

Alan - Terry Wagon

Liam -Bruce Forsythe

Interviewer -Thanks a lot

Bonehead - No its not mate, its all about eye sight

Caller - I understand, but it's gonna happen anyway, so you might as well finish the show with a late song

Bonehead - No, no, no you're got it totally wrong mate. You're got it totally wrong.

Liam - You picked on bonehead today he's having it

Alan - he's got the hump today

Liam - he's got the hump today, he's in a mean mood man

Bonehead- None of us, we don't wanna go blind, do you know what I mean...walk round with a little dog on a lead

Noel - Em, we always thought we were the greatest band in England anyway, so for somebody to say it.. it didn't really surprise us, but it does tend to put a lot people off when your being, your being plastered across all the music press and people just tend to go "oh well they can be that good because, you know, because of what the media say" but you know people can actually go to the shop and buy 3 singles by us today and next week they'll be able go buy 3 singles, and next week they'll be able to buy 3 singles an album and a load of b-sides, so there'll be at least, you know, nearly 25 songs, so, we are not just an invention of the press, you know we're actually a band who does write songs and we do put them in the shops so people can go and buy them, and then they can judge us by the music, because all the hype and all the stuff about ferrys and all that lasts for a week in the press then it's forgot about, or it lasts for 6 months and people keep mentioning it, but the album and the records will be in the shops for the next 50, 60 70 years It's like Bill Shankly always said, you've gotta win the league before you can enter the European Cup haven't you, so.

Liam - Yeah but listen, the press are mad for it, we're mad for it, I love being in the press it keeps everyone on their toes, its good.

Liam - Oh I love people pissing people off me, I love pissing myself off.

Caller - Oh well I like your guys music

Liam - Thank You

Caller - but I just can't appreciate anybody who's so caught up in themselves, sorry

Liam - All right, nice one

Liam - It's just on a poster on me bedroom wall, just sitting there with the word oasis and I just thought "that's very nice"

Caller - Oh, Ok

Liam - I thought "I'll have a bit of that"

Liam - It's better then be called "Ned's Atomic Dustbin" int it? what kind of name is that?

Liam - You got to love yourself mate, or nobody else will love you.

Noel- It's like, It's like when, there's something awe inspiring about five young guys in a band with guitars, there like the magnificent seven or something, apart from the fact that there's five of us but, do you know what I mean it's like. and it's right, the times right for rock 'n' roll again. I think people had enough of Jesus Jones and all these bands with drum machines

Bonehead - lock up your sequencers, lock up your drum machines

Noel - and like the Cure and the Goth and all the rest of it or indie dance or whatever it is and people are going back to the good old you know, good old rock song, played with guitars, with no keyboards on it, apart from a piano, no effects you know, just like straight base tune.

Liam - Maybe oh, I don't really want to know you.... I'm telling you... I'm telling you...Guigsy I am telling you to

Noel - Actually, actually me and our kid are just using this band as a stepping stone for our double act on the David Letterman show as comedians

Liam - Cheers, Hurrah, Hurrah.

Caller - I was wondering who influenced them, if they're gonna do a MTV unplugged, you know I was wondering including the promo, I mean the non-promo, the wrong record when they started singing on the full song you played them three times and is it too late to win tickets.

Liam -I haven't got a clue what you just said then

Alan - Start again

Bonehead - maiatsnukmiatsmadsnok

Interviewer - What that the classic influences question? lets isolate that. You guys, who you been listening to...who'd you grow up listening to? The Beatles or something?

Bonehead - Is that what he just said?

Alan - Is that what you wanna know, what's his name?

Interviewer - What's your name

Caller - Dave

Alan - Dave, say it again Dave, what d'ya wanna know mate?

Caller - I was wondering who influenced you in formulating your music?

Alan - In formulating our music, right. The Beatles, The Small Faces, Kinks, Elvis Presley

Liam - the Sex Pistols

Caller - oh, the Kinks are great

Liam - the Sex Pistols

Caller - Oh, the Sex Pistols are great too. I was wondering if you are gonna do MTV unplugged?

Alan - Is that the second question?

Caller - Yeah

Alan - emm, I dunno, one day maybe

Liam - I suppose so yeah

Caller - I hope they offer it to you

Liam - why not eh?

Alan - We'd do it

Caller - The third question was is it still too late for tickets though, since I got three songs all together

Interviewer - Dave, were you at the show last night? Is that what your saying?

Caller - No, I'd like to go tonight.

Interviewer- are you trying to scam tickets? is that what your telling us?

Caller - No. You know the add, if you're the 7th caller..

Interviewer- oh I see

Caller - They started singing and you played the wrong song and then you played the full song. That's three songs

Noel - What the Beatles mean to us as a band is. Some people who are maybe I dunno...10 years or older than us can remember life without the Beatles, we can never remember life without the Beatles, the Beatles have always been there for us. We don't remember what it was like before 1962 because I was only born in 1967. So as far as I'm concerned the Beatles have been with me since the day I was born. You know, so they're just.. plus they made, you know the first two records I ever heard were the Beatles, the red album and the blue album and that's what taught me how to play guitar

Liam - I just really fucking love the Beatles

Bonehead - you cant swear on national radio like

Liam - Oh I'm sorry, I'm sorry

Noel - Its nice that people think that our music sounds like the Beatles, I particularly don't think it sounds like the Beatles at all to be quite honest

Noel - Smoke where you want, drink when you want, whenever you want. I'd get the age of consent right down, legalise drugs, shagging in the streets

Bonehead : Ban baggy trousers, baggy jeans would be right out

Noel : Kill all people who like grunge music

Bonehead : Surfboards go out the window

Noel : Yeah surfboard, kill all surfboarders, melt the snow, generally have a good time and anybody who wears a cowboy hat should go over the electric hair I would say.

Interviewer - How Irish do you reckon you are?

Noel - I'm half. Cause I was born and raised in Manchester but me Mother, was from Charlestown in county Mayo and me dad from Duleek in Meath so that makes me exactly half, although which half it is I wouldn't know Interviewer : So you were back in Charlestown a lot though, were you not? Noel : We used to go for the, when we used to have 6 weeks holidays in England for the school summer, me mam used to religiously drag us by the earhole, accros the Irish sea for six weeks, because we'd never seen the likes of nettles and fields and stacks of hay and all that, and she was determined to give us a bit of Irish culture.

Liam - We've give it up like we said, were born again Christians we don't do none of that rock 'n' roll stuff no more. You've gotta have a laugh thought aint you, everyone's up their own arses these days, you know what I mean? I'm having fun. But I don't mean it...I'm a born again Christian now, as you can see.

Caller : Oh my god, we are the ultimate oasis fans

Liam : You're not, you're not, you're not god

Alan : you're not god we're god

Caller - I was just wondering where you got off saying you were the best fucking band in the world?

Liam - yeah?

Bonehead - Yeah? well who is?

Liam - What was that, say that again I didn't hear that, go on

Caller - You said you were the best fucking band in the world

Interviewer - alright, alright

Liam - and I was totally correct

Interviewer - am i gonna cut her off? (yes) Amanda, watch your language for crying out loud

Caller - well that's what they said

Liam : Yeah? We are

Bonehead - If we're not, who is?

Liam - Everyone's getting on our case, what's up with it, what's up with everyone?

Caller - You guys rock so much

Alan - geezer

Caller - I've been listening to you guys since Live Forever came out, and you blow my mind, you rock.

Liam - oh baby, thank you

Alan - have you been smoking pot?

Caller - I just wanna ask you a question, do you have any advise for a guy who's in a band, that wants to get really big?

Liam - Yeah man, get a pair of step ladders

Bonehead - platform shoes

Interviewer - Does that answer your question?

Liam - It's two stars that have been travelling for ages they collide

Noel - To me, I said it all in Rock 'n' Roll Star, Live Forever and Cigarettes and Alcohol and that's all I've ever wanted to say in a song. So I have to try and say the same thing but in different ways so it can get a bit stressful to me personally but, as long as the music's good and the melodies are good, then you know, the rest will follow as they say

Noel - yeah well what you do, is you find your favourite record, you put it on, find out what the chords are, move it up two keys, switch all the chords round, nick somebody else's words, who's preferably dead who can't sue you, throw a few of your own in, put written by Noel Gallagher and just sit back and hope that nobody sues you. It's worked so far.

Noel - Let me tell you what it says here, it says here now - "Oasis Morning Glory - Squat", now that's not something you have to do when you listen to the record. It says "veruchis chevellia defendant le hertigage of the Beatles", that means we're extremely good, far better than the Beatles ever were, go buy the record or die.

Liam - It's meant to be a plant in't it, Morning Glory, or it's meant to be like when you wake up, like with a rather large one on in the morning, you know what I mean? And that's it, that's where he got it from, apparently.

Bonehead - But it is a plant, I had one in me back garden but it didn't grow, I bought the seeds "Morning Glory" it's a blue climbing flower

Liam - and its also a rather large hard one

Bonehead - in the morning.

Liam - you know, when you wake up Mikey. You know Michael you must have had one of them.

Bonehead - A bit of a stiffy in the morning

What I'd like to ask from Noel is, you seem quite romantic in your lyrics and sometimes in your music too, are you, are you romantic?

Noel - That is a damn fine question that, and one I'm not prepared to answer.

Guigsy - Yeah, I was off, lost the plot. I had to see a lot of doctors and have some tablets, which I don't have to take anymore it's top. So they got Scott, who we knew from a band called the "Ya Ya's" ages ago, and he just done one apparently, and Marcus rang me up and I'd been to the doctors the day before and he said "Just have a couple of weeks rest, you'll be alright", So I was like that, I'm mad for it, if you want me back, and the lads did so i went back.

Liam - Yeah, proving people wrong, that fucking, that you know what I mean, you can still play fucking big gigs, and it can still be cool d'you know what I mean?. It don't have to be fucking to 2000 people. You can still get right inside every fuckers head, to 20,000 people, d'you know what I mean, make you feel small. Fucking good enough

Noel - Come on Bone, let go feel atmosphere of crowd, see ya later its gonna be rockin'

Noel - The Maine Road gigs are again record breaking for some reason or other, most amount of people stabbed in the ticket queue I think, of all time, ever. The fastest amount of stabbing's. I think we brought the record, for world record of muggings for tickets as the were bought, or something like that.

Bonehead - Music, songs, the band, us

Liam - The great good looking singer, of course

Bonehead - Liam's beard. Not his beard like, his bird as from Liverpool - his beard.

Liam - as in facial hair like.

Noel - Cause of the way he sings, he's not like, he's not a trained singer or anything he just sorta belts it out, so he cant do more than 2 gigs on the trot or his voice starts to go, that's just the way it is, it's like emm. But I don't sing the songs he should sing or anything like that, only when he walks of stage in the middle of gigs.

Interviewer - But does it bother you?

Noel - No, not really no, as long as it doesn't bother anyone else, I don't really bother.

Liam - When join a band, and you go and be really better

Bonehead - Have you got a band?

Liam - Have you got a record company? and they do it for you, and then you become rich and famous and get loads of birds, like me

Noel - Oasis will definitely be the last band I'll ever be in because there is this is no, I don't there is another band that could ever compare to, because the people who are in this group are me best mates in the world, do you know what I mean, and we've been though a lot, you know, we've been together for like 5 years now, but we've known each other for like 10 or 15 years. So, I don't ever see myself being in another band really, to be quite honest.