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Gem Archer On Working With Noel Gallagher, Oasis And More


Taken from an interview with Gem Archer from the current issue of MOJO.

"Before I joined Oasis I only knew Noel in a very slight way. I'd been round his house to watch football, I'd bumped into him at gigs. It does take a long time, like everyone says to get to know Noel. But he's a totally different man now, to what he was then. He's always been self-knowing, but he's even more so now. He doesn't give out that Darth Vader thing he used to. I wouldn't be surprised if he could levitate on the sly (laughs).

I've been involved with him musically for a long time. When I joined, one of the new songs was Gas Panic. That opening line "What tongueless ghost of sin crept through my curtains?" (Pause) Whatever it is, I think he sings and writes his way out of it, or through it. He doesn't force things on the listner. He writes about what he's going through as a prism through which others connect.

Noel writes great songs but makes even better records - I've seen forever how he's conscious of how big crowds hear songs. The last album wasn't what I expected, but I loved it immediately. The openness of it - to go into the studio with no songs! Noel always has songs.

Ever since I've known him, he was playing to the max of his limits. He's not a virtuoso and he'd never want to be. it's not John Squire-esque, it's not John Frusciante, but it's got personality - it's all about the song and the sound. He's always buying gear. He's got the best keyboard collection in England, probably. he uses two fingers, and it's the right two fingers (laughs). These days he's playing less guitar than ever, but that's because he's concentrating on his singing. But I tell you what, man, his right hand is the best there is - his timing is impeccable. Ridiculous. 

The end of Oasis doesn't sadden me. It's understandable. I had 10 years in that band, and at any point I thought it could end tomorrow, or it could go on 20 years... OK, 20 was a bit optimistic. But that was then. To do it again would sadden all of us. The last tour we did sold out three nights at Wembley, so it was hardly, 'let's put this animal down.' We all kept that plane in the air. And today, when you play Rosario in Argentina, and the kids who were too young to see the band all have Oasis T-shirts and they know all the words... to my mind it was just perfect how it was."

MOJO is on sale now in store and available digitally.


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