“How to party”: Liam Gallagher on the best example of a rock star lifestyle
“Tonight, I’m a rock ‘n’ roll star,” declares Liam Gallagher in the chorus to one of Oasis’ biggest hits, but his statement stands true far beyond the five-minute runtime of ‘Rock ‘n’ Roll Star’. As the frontman for one of the biggest guitar bands of all time, the Mancunian embraced the rock and roll lifestyle. When he wasn’t performing to the masses at Knebworth, he was throwing insults at rival bands in the press and relishing in the intoxication of young fame.
Oasis are almost as well-known for their drug-fuelled antics and arguments as they are for their anthemic tunes. Tales of the band fighting behind the scenes, arrogantly claiming that they were bigger than The Beatles, and even accidentally taking crystal meth before a gig have been widely told and retold. And along the way, Oasis have become one of the most infamous modern symbols of the rock and roll star.
Three decades on from the height of Britpop, the Gallaghers aren’t quite as rock and roll as they once were. They’ve managed to put their differences aside for a reunion tour, and Liam has spoken about cutting down on substance use, acknowledging that he doesn’t drink as much anymore and admitting that weed bores him. They’ve attained some sense of balance, something that Gallagher believed another rock star achieved before him.
Decades before the days of Oasis, the Who reigned in the realm of rock. Led by songwriter Pete Townshend, the London-born band became one of the biggest guitar outfits in the world, creating genre classics like ‘Baba O’Riley’ and ‘My Generation’. They also embodied the rock and roll lifestyle, though Gallagher thought one member had the perfect balance.
Speaking with Forbes, Gallagher suggested that drummer Keith Moon had obtained the balance, stating, “He knew how to play the drums, and he knew how to party.” Despite his widely known love for The Beatles, Gallagher acknowledged that Lennon “wasn’t much of a party man,” noting that he chilled towards the end.
“And I’m sure it will happen,” Gallagher admitted, “but you won’t catch me making f**king bread at any point. Listen, man, I’m lucky to still be here, And obviously, Keith Moon’s dead and that, but I think Keith Moon had it. He loved playing them drums, man, and he played them well. But he went out and partied as well.”
It’s a strange pick from Gallagher. Moon could be and has been considered the ultimate rock star, embodying the lifestyle that has become so closely attached to the word, but he had a difficult relationship with it, too. Moon struggled with alcohol addiction, leaving his bandmates worried and even trying desperately to keep him alive.
Although Moon certainly created some stellar music and partied alongside it, he struggled with the balance between the two, despite Gallagher’s suggestion. Eventually, he passed away at just 32 after an overdose of a drug used to treat alcohol withdrawal. Moon is a strange pick from Gallagher, then, as it’s difficult to suggest that he had mastered the balance of the rock star lifestyle.
Really, the so-called rock star lifestyle doesn’t include balance. It’s typically associated with excess and chaos, with hedonism and extravagance, with sex, drugs and rock and roll. It’s the kind of lifestyle that is easy to get swept up in but one that can also take its toll both mentally and physically.
