Liam Gallagher’s five most scathing reviews of fellow singers
There’s no doubt about it, Liam Gallagher is well-known for his contributions to Britpop, for lending his voice to Oasis’ most anthemic choruses, and for playing to a quarter of a million people at Knebworth. But he’s perhaps better known for his utterly unique personality.
Agitating and argumentative, the rock ‘n’ roll star seems to take every interview and every tweet as an opportunity to insult other musicians, from his bandmates to the Beatles. Even Far Out Magazine, who he once called “spunk bubbles” on one of our more surreal days in the office. In short, nobody is safe from his cutting, and somewhat curious remarks.
Gallagher’s most well-known feuds, however, are with fellow Britpoppers. Of course, his most infamous public argument was with his brother and Oasis collaborator Noel Gallagher. Their feuding increased in intensity during their time in Oasis, leading to physical fights, catty comments, and even causing their break-up in 2009. So intense was this tiff that it is remarkable that a reunion ever actually came about (and sustained itself).
As Noel once famously said of his brother’s irked disposition, he’s a man with a fork in a world of soup. And while plenty of people have dismissed all the hubbub as public pantomime that doesn’t ring true when it comes to the genuine truth of a friendly man himself, there are others who have been on the receiving end of one of his barbed critiques who could fiercely refute that fabled ‘friendly and misunderstood’ claim.
Perhaps the second most famous feud Gallagher has partaken in was with Blur in the so-called battle of Britpop. The press incited antagonism between the two melodic guitar bands in the 1990s, leading the members of each band to throw light-hearted insults at one another in response. But even outside of the realm of Britpop, few artists have been able to escape Liam’s wrath.
Over the last three decades, the Mancunian has consistently criticised his peers and predecessors, from suggesting Chris Martin looks like a geography teacher to making fun of Radiohead for writing about trees. He’s hit out at 1990s alt-rockers, songwriting greats, and even members of Oasis’ most potent reference point, the Beatles. Below, we’ve collated five of his most scathing comments about other singers.
Five singers Liam Gallagher hated the most:
Matt Bellamy
While Oasis were leading the Britpop movement in the 1990s, Devon-born band Muse were forging a different kind of guitar music. They used their guitars to create something darker and more dramatic, penning alternative-rock staples like ‘Supermassive Black Hole’ and ‘Uprising’ that would be rinsed by film music supervisors in the years to come. Although Gallagher respected their choice of instruments, he was less complimentary towards their frontman.
Bellamy’s drawn-out, dynamic vocal style may have won over many fans, but Gallagher found it off-putting. As quoted by Elle Canada, Gallagher once admitted that Muse scared him, describing them as “fucking creepy shit.” He also took aim at singer Matt Bellamy specifically, commenting, “They at least play guitars, but when I hear his voice, I’m like, ‘Ah, fuck him.’”
Billie Joe Armstrong
Not long after Britpop came to the fore, pop-punk also experienced a boom. The 1990s gave rise to some of the most beloved bands in the genre, including Billie Joe Armstrong‘s Green Day, who released signature hits like ‘Basket Case’ and ‘Good Riddance’ over the course of the decade. They captured the attention of skater kids, but, perhaps expectedly, Gallagher wasn’t a big fan.
The snarling Oasis rock ‘n’ roll star didn’t necessarily comment on the quality of Green Day’s music, but he did hurl a scathing hatchet in the direction of their frontman, Billie Joe Armstrong. While speaking with NME, he simply stated, “Fuck right off. I’m not having him. I just don’t like his head.” It’s not necessarily his most well-reasoned insult, but it’s pretty cutting nonetheless.
George Harrison
Liam Gallagher and his bandmates were just as indebted to the Beatles as any other band, if not more so. Oasis allowed the pioneering work of the Fab Four to guide them in everything they did, penning odes to the Beatles through catchy 1960s melodies and outright references. Oasis worshipped the Beatles, but that admiration still didn’t stop Gallagher from hurling an insult at the band’s lead guitarist, George Harrison.
After Harrison criticised the Britpop band and Gallagher, more specifically, the singer retaliated in an interview with MTV. He acknowledged his continuing love for the Beatles – the band he sees as the eternal heroes of modern music – and for Harrison but described him as a “fucking nipple”. He also addressed the comments to Mojo, stating, “George was always the quiet one, and maybe he should have stayed that way. I love The Beatles, but what the fuck does he know about rock ‘n’ roll?”
Bob Dylan
Many people would consider it blasphemous to insult Bob Dylan. His work is still referenced by budding lyricists to this day, his name sits atop almost every list of the greatest songwriters of all time, and his compositions are widely famous. But Gallagher isn’t afraid to throw criticism at the greats. “I know all about him and that, but he’s a bit of a miserable cunt as far as I’m concerned,” he commented during a chat with The Times.
Gallagher did share his admiration for one of Dylan’s songs, 1969’s ‘Lay Lady Lay’, a gorgeous track that pairs swerving soundscapes with playful percussion, but his admiration for the songwriter seemed to stop there. “People go nuts for him,” he acknowledged, “but he doesn’t really do it for me.” Fair enough. (Although, also maybe not ‘fair enough’ given that Dylan is undoubtedly one of the greatest and most important artists of all time).
Eddie Vedder
Gallagher seems to have a particular bone to pick with the alternative-rockers who accompanied him in the charts in the 1990s. Beyond his comments about Muse’s Matt Bellamy and his infamous hatred for Radiohead, Gallagher also wasn’t particularly keen on Pearl Jam, who veered further into the grunge realm. Their sound was markedly different from Oasis’, as he noticed during an interview backstage at Pinkpop Festival in 2000 while throwing a subtle insult at vocalist Eddie Vedder.
While Oasis focused on bright melodies and anthemic choruses, grunge had a much darker tone, one Gallagher simply couldn’t get into. “I’m not into writing fucking morbid music like the rest of these pricks that are playing here,” Gallagher commented, “They all write bollocks, y’know what I mean, they’re all in pain. Well, my fucking ears are in pain hearing your fucking voice… you twat.” It’s a quote that lives long in the memory and succinctly summons the sentiment of ‘Live Forever’ rather aptly.
