The greatest artist of the 1970s, according to Noel Gallagher
Noel Gallagher probably likes to think he knows a thing or two about blowing other artists out the water with his work.
Indeed, that whole sense of bravado was a pillarstone to the Oasis empire – something that made the brothers endearing and entertaining when they were young in the 1990s, but that ultimately tore them apart and wore a little thin as they got older. Of course, the reunion and the allure of money solved a lot of those problems, but the victory lap still had an air of the triumphant Britpop battle.
Yet in many ways, Gallagher would likely argue that he and his brother only learned their ways from the streak of stars who came before them. They’ve continuously made no secret of how The Beatles influenced them in a sonic capacity, but in terms of stage presence and persona, there was a far more electric and effusive ‘70s icon who took the throne.
Let’s just make one thing clear, though: as much as Gallagher worshipped David Bowie, it wasn’t as if he was about to change out his shirts and jeans for one of Ziggy Stardust’s most exorbitant costumes – he wasn’t that literal. Yet in a more figurative sense, the lessons the Britpop legend took from Bowie was far more about mantras and attitudes.
He saw this manifested most clearly when Bowie was applying all the lessons he learned from the seismic glam decade into a new era. “’Fashion’ is a great title for a song,” Gallagher espoused. “It’s one of those Bowie songs that doesn’t really have a chorus, but it’s all a chorus, you know what I mean?” There couldn’t have been a hint of jealousy in that, could there?
But then it got him thinking about that commanding effect more broadly. “It must have been awful to have been one of his contemporaries in the late ‘70s going into the ‘80s, thinking, ‘Wow, I’ve done something really great here’, and then every single Bowie put out would be fuckin’ better than the last one.”
He certainly wasn’t wrong about that one, but in saying it out loud, it also inadvertently reveals the blueprint of success that Gallagher has sought to replicate his entire career. The intent of getting bigger and better every time was understandable, but there was a discrepancy between what Bowie and Oasis respectively achieved.
This isn’t a criticism of the Mancunian mob, because we all know they’ve whipped up their own heady lane of acclaim, but where Bowie often knew when to step back or change tack, the Oasis method was sometimes more to throw everything and the kitchen sink at it, and watch to see what stuck. The Starman wasn’t quite that messy.
In any case, there was no point in comparing the trajectories of Bowie and the Gallaghers, as they were plainly so different from one another. It wasn’t that one was any greater or more illustrious, but the point remained that the ‘70s master laid the groundwork, while the ‘90s rockers were gleaning all the lessons while on their raucous rollercoaster ride.
