Oasis in '05: "I tell you what’s even better than rock ‘n’ roll and that’s bringing up my kids. I love fatherhood, man"

'05:

Noel’s opinion of Don’t Believe The Truth was shared by Liam who felt it belonged in the pantheon of great Oasis records. The chat we had with him backstage at the Late Late Show was also memorable for some quality slagging of the opposition and a great drugs yarn…

“I’m down with this one, man. If it was our or anybody else’s fucking debut, they’d be saying it’s as good as Definitely Maybe. Morning Glory’s a great record. Be Here Now’s  a great record but the songs are too long. Standing On The Shoulder Of Giants and Heathen Chemistry had their moments, but this album really feels like we’re getting somewhere. It’s a band again.”

“Paul McCartney walked into our studio, had a chat and invited us to his studio where he played ‘Hey Jude’ live. So we returned the favour and ran through a load of our old stuff for him. You could see him listening out for any fucking bits we’d ripped off!”

“I tell you what’s even better than rock ‘n’ roll and that’s bringing up my kids. I love fatherhood, man. They’re my best mates and I know everything about ‘em. The one thing in life I won’t compromise over is them – they come first every time, no fucking argument.”

“Bloc Party? It’s like watching University fucking Challenge! There’s nothing worse – except maybe Man U supporters – than whiney cunts in bands. If they were trying to find a cure for cancer, fair enough, moan away, but this is music we’re talking about.”

“Chris Martin, who along with his band is signed to EMI, turned round recently and said: ‘Shareholders are the greatest evil in the world’. How hypocritical can one man be? I listened to X&Y the other day and it’s shit. If people think that’s the dog’s bollocks they’re tripping, man. Apart from it being a bit U2-ey, you can’t hear any of their influences. It’s not a crime to sound like you’re a fucking music fan.”

“I done mushrooms when I was 15. Me and Noel used to walk around Lime Park in Manchester. We’d do 250 at a time, man. We used to fucking go mental. Me and my mate Darrell, his mum and dad had gone out and we’d done loads of mushrooms and they’d come in about four o’clock in the morning and we were out on the patio pushing these big giant chess pieces around – and there was nothing there! And his mum and dad were looking out the window going ‘Darrell come in, what are you doing?’ And I’d be pushing this fucking big pawn! We thought it was completely fucking there, man.”

Read the full 14-page Oasis feature in the current issue of Hot Press, out now: