“Elvis never wrote a song in his life”: Liam Gallagher on the true king of rock and roll
If there was anyone who would claim themselves to be the king of the castle in the theatre of rock and roll, it definitely would be Liam Gallagher. Whether he’s the exact human embodiment of hedonism or the victim of a slightly swollen ego, there’s no denying that the Oasis singer has created an unmistakable wrath in the industry that is equally terrifying as it is iconic to come face to face with.
In that vein, Gallagher’s acerbic tongue has many uses – lashing out at other artists and taking scathing swipes at his brother, for one, but it has also been known to dole out the praise on certain heroes of the Oasis universe only when completely necessary. It was on one of these rarer latter occasions that he decided he needed to reset the rock and roll monarchy, declaring a new king of the genre for himself.
Before you start rolling your eyes – no, surprisingly, he didn’t actually choose himself. However, that said, his answer hardly comes as a major shock to anyone who has listened to either of the Gallaghers speak about their musical inspirations for more than five minutes. After all, there’s really only one other British band who reached the godly, spiritual heights that Oasis have set in their sights – and even the Mancunian mob have to bow down to that.
Of course, we could be talking about no one else apart from The Beatles, whose quintessential songbook has proved overtly pivotal to the entirety of the Oasis back catalogue, from beginning to end. In that spirit, Gallagher singled out the leader of the Fab Four as the heir to the rock throne, shoving off the reigning monarch in the process.
He said in a 1996 interview: “Elvis never wrote a song in his life, did he? I don’t reckon he was the king, though – I reckon John Lennon was the king. I just like Lennon’s rawness, but then again, McCartney wrote ‘Helter Skelter’, which was a top fookin’ tune. I’m on that, me. Totally.” Leaving no illusion as to his thoughts nor his words, Gallagher’s worship of the Fabs took on a certain royal prescience in viewing them, especially Lennon and the ultimate overlords of the scene.
Despite this, demonstrating that he can never be too philosophical, the singer hastened to add: “The Beatles talk to me totally. I mean they don’t talk to me, the music just channels in though, especially Lennon.” Although he takes a slightly no holes barred approach, there’s no denying where Gallagher’s heart lies – and with Beatles anthems like ‘I Am The Walrus’ becoming equal staples to the Oasis setlist over the years, it’s clear that the band were never so blindsided as to fail to acknowledge how their path was carved.
So, there we have it – a new royal order is in place, thanks to Liam Gallagher. He’s the type of rocker who may be blazing but has a certain quintessential charm that makes you warm to him in spite of – and sometimes because of – it. In that sense, he’s not too dissimilar to Lennon himself. Gallagher may be lining himself up to assume the throne at some point down the line in his future, then, after all.
