On 28 August 2009 the inevitable end to Oasis came after a backstage brawl between Noel and Liam Gallagher. Both brothers went onto start new projects almost immediately. Liam's Beady Eye has proven to be a slow burner, while Noel's 'High Flying Birds' project has enjoyed more soaring heights of success. The older Gallagher's debut record reached number 2 on the UK charts and has recently been nominated for an XFM New Music award. On top of that, Noel has also been nominated for the NME 'Godlike Genius award [previous winners include Dave Grohl, The Cure].
So where do you meet a godlike genius to discuss his divinity? In a dingy backstage room at the Palais Theatre in St Kilda.
With Gallagher in Australia to play the Big Day Out tour, TheVine was issued with a caveat to not mentioned Liam Gallagher. Keeping that in mind, we shared a couch with Noel to talk about fame, Manchester City, the roundness of Karl Pilkington's head and why Noel's songs are better than Muse's.
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How's the tour going?
Great.
And the Big Day out crowds?
They've been great - boringly fucking great. It's been really good every night. I don't know, it's a strange thing. The gigs pass me by in under a minute because I'm up there doing it. I don't know man, I feel good though.
Is the solo experience easier?
I'm enjoying it more than I thought I would. I thought I'd be stressed out about it, but it's been very, very easy. I haven't had any nerves whatsoever - apart from playing on TV shows. I don't like doing them. In fact, I fucking hate them. Apart from that, I've been strangely calm about it all.
Was it daunting starting from scratch again?
Not really, because when you're doing it, it's a gradual build up to the first gig. From recording the first song to doing the first gig it's a gradual step and you grow in confidence with the record you've made and the band you've put together. So when it comes to the first night, it's just the next step.
I don't allow myself to think about things that much. I always used to think of the big picture in Oasis, like where it would be in five years from now; what's this going to look like in Wembley Stadium. For this I don't look too far ahead, because, maybe then, it would have been daunting. After being in that band for 18 years to thinking, what am I going to do here? But I just took some time off and then made a record and that was it. I take it one step at a time.
Assuming Oasis was a vehicle for you as a songwriter, would you say that these High Flying Birds songs were always going to come - whether it was through Oasis or as a solo act?
Well, I think I only wrote a few of the songs on the album while I was a solo artist. I'm always writing songs. I'm writing songs right now - well, not this fucking second, but I'm writing on the road. The songs I'm writing now might be on my next record or they they might on an album three years from now. It just depends what I feel like when I go into the studio. 'What a Life' and 'Broken Arrow' I wrote while I was a solo artist…I don't really write from that perspective, you know? I just write songs all the time. The songs I'm writing now may not be for the solo stuff - I might form a band next, who the fuck knows.
I've noticed, that over the years, your lyrics have become more and more emotional, rather than circumstantial.
Yeah, although, I can still write a healthy dose of nonsense when I want to. The best lyrics are the ones that you mean. Some of my best words, I think, are on more obscure tracks like the B-Sides. Instead of trying to write big stadium rock anthems I try to write what I'm an expert about. And what I'm an expert about is life in the big city. I live in the centre of London and I know what it's like. I try to let my words speak to the listener, rather than speak about me. I don't really want people listening to lyrics about me. I would rather open a window and shine a light on a part of you that you didn't see.
It's easy to pull a sad element out of certain Oasis songs which are generally quite upbeat: 'Hello' is a perfect example.
For my mind, one of the best Oasis songs is one of the saddest and uplifting songs and that's 'Some Might Say'. It's a great chest beating air thumping anthem, but if you read the words it's almost like you're trying to find redemption from something.
"The sink is full of fishes"?
Yes. Although, that doesn't mean a great deal (laughs). There is a sadness to that. Maybe it's the Irish in me, I don't know. What can I say? People perceive words differently and the listener is king. It's not up to me to define what my words are about because that would spoil it for you. You have to work out for yourself what the song means, don't try and work out what it actually means, because that spoils it. Who really wants to know what was going through fucking Leonardo's [Da Vinci] mind? That's the beauty of the Mona Lisa. I mean, who is she?
So it's about the power of ambiguity?
Absolutely.
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Source: www.thevine.com.au
