“Proper dude”: Noel Gallagher on one of the best rockstars he ever met
Noel Gallagher has come a very long way since those early Oasis rehearsal sessions at Manchester’s Boardwalk. A true rock and roll underdog story, his band came from nowhere but came to define an entire musical era. This incredible story and the enduring success of Gallagher’s songwriting have earned him a place in the upper echelon of rock music. As such, the Mancunian musician has crossed paths with some legendary names over the years, some more favourable than others.
Gallagher, like his brother, has always been fairly outspoken when it comes to the world of music and celebrities. Back in the 1990s, at the peak of Britpop infamy, Oasis were embroiled in various conflicts and rivalries, most notably with Blur. However, Albarn and company were not the only ones to come under fire from the Gallaghers. Over the years, everybody from Dave Grohl to Lewis Capaldi has faced the wrath of Noel Gallagher. As you can imagine, therefore, not every musician harbours fond feelings towards the songwriter.
Outside of his various feuds and ongoing arguments, Gallagher has managed to make some friends within the music industry, including some of his earliest heroes. He seems to have a sense of solidarity with the various other iconic indie bands to have emerged from Manchester, fostering friendships with the likes of Morrissey, Johnny Marr, and The Stone Roses, all of whom played a key influence in developing his music taste pre-Oasis. However, one of Gallagher’s greatest rock and roll encounters happened, not with a fellow Mancunian but with New Jersey’s finest.
Recounting a tale to Apple Music in 2021, Gallagher shared, “I had lunch with Bruce Springsteen about three or four years ago.” Representative of just how far the songwriter has risen since his early days, the story takes place in Formentera, where he was hanging out with Jade Jagger, daughter of The Rolling Stones frontman. According to Gallagher, Jagger invited her godfather and some of his friends to join them at a restaurant. As it transpired, that godfather was Calvin Klein, and his friends included Bruce Springsteen.
“We’re at the table with about eight people,” the Oasis guitarist recalled, “and everyone’s like, ‘Who’s sitting beside Bruce Springsteen?’ and I was like, ‘I am! I fucking am.’” Springsteen might seem like an unlikely influence on Gallagher, but, as he explains, “I’m not a massive Bruce Springsteen fan, but I love his big tunes.”
Despite the differences in their musical output, the pair apparently got on like a house on fire. “Honestly, we had the best four-hour chat about music ever,” the songwriter shared. Even stranger, Springsteen is apparently a big fan of Manchester’s indie heroes, The Stone Roses. “He was like ‘You’re from Manchester, right? How about that fucking Stone Roses album?’” Gallagher remembered, “And he said, ‘Whatever happened to those guys?’ and I went, ‘Let me pour you a drink and tell you the whole sorry tale.’”
This star-studded restaurant visit in Formentera still sticks in Gallagher’s mind. “He was honestly one of my best-ever meetings,” he said, adding: “This guy is a complete fan of music, and he was a proper dude.” Admittedly, what else could you expect from ‘The Boss’? For upwards of five decades, he has been writing, recording, and touring material around the world, exploring countless different genres along the way.
Gallagher might not have a plethora of friends in the music industry after spending decades slagging people off, but Springsteen is certainly in his good books. After all, even the most contrarian of songwriters cannot deny the lasting brilliance of The Boss’ work, having soundtracked multiple generations of American rock.
