The most annoying person Noel Gallagher ever worked with: “He’s unbelievable”
At the time of writing, we are on the eve of the Oasis reunion, so just delete the next few lines where appropriate. Wasn’t it amazing / terrible / funny when the band brought out Paul McCartney and played ‘Hey Jude’ / when Noel and Liam had a fist fight in the middle of the first song of the tour / when the band rocked so hard it registered as a small earthquake in Manchester?
These are only some of the possibilities that could happen during these Oasis shows. The band are notoriously hot-tempered, and so we have to prepare for every possibility. The fact that the two have hardly been seen together since the announcement of the reunion (besides a side-by-side photo and a brief clip during an Adidas advert) hardly fills people with confidence either. The gigs are either going to be the best thing in the world or a complete disaster.
For many fans, though, they wouldn’t have it any other way. Oasis have always been on the brink of breakthroughs and break-ups, so why change now? Throughout their time as a band, Liam and Noel Gallagher have always been at each other’s throats, and that won’t change just because there’s a reunion.
If you want to find a quote of Noel Gallagher criticising his brother, just take your pick. While the band were together and in the years following their split, the two used interviews and press runs as a great opportunity to get a few brotherly digs in. “He’s rude, arrogant, intimidating and lazy,” said Noel, “He’s the angriest man you’ll ever meet. He’s like a man with a form in a world of soup.”
So, why the reunion? Well, this is in character for Noel Gallagher, as while he has strong opinions about a number of different musicians, he is also more than happy to set differences aside in the pursuit of good music. While he knows he has a decent singing voice, he admits that his brother adds some venom to the Oasis songs that he never could.
“When I would sing a song, it would sound good. When he sung it, it sounded great.” Noel admitted, “I can’t sing ‘Cigarettes & Alcohol’, ‘Rock n Roll Star’ and all that. I don’t have the same attitude as him. My voice is half a Guinness on a Tuesday—it’s all right. Liam’s is ten shots of tequila on a Friday.”
This isn’t new, either, as Noel has always been willing to work with great musicians, no matter how annoying they were, so long as they were good enough to hold their own. He admitted previously that one of the most annoying people he’s ever met was Jeremy Stacey, a drummer and record player from bands such as The Lemon Trees and Denzil. However, while Noel might have found Stacey annoying, he also admitted that he was a bloody good drummer, and so he was happy to put up with him.
“He’s a great drummer,” said Noel. “He might be the most annoying individual I’ve ever met, though. He’s that way all the time… an ongoing rolling thunder of annoyance. But what separates Jeremy from the rest is that he’s a fucking unbelievable drummer. It’s really the only reason I put up with him.”
