Outspoken, straightforward and with a great sense of humour, Liam Gallagher is a perfect interviewee.
Ask him any question, and you’re sure to get a brutally honest, insightful reply. The rock icon doesn’t hold back his emotions and appears to have a strong opinion on virtually everything – even if it’s something he has no idea about. With only a few days left until his second solo album Why Me, Why Not hits the shelves, Liam shared his views on a variety of topics from politics to sports in an exclusive new interview with the Mixdown magazine.
Despite his feeling of pride towards the Oasis legacy, Liam seems determined to show everyone he’s so much more than just 90’s nostalgia. As soon as the interviewer mentions Liam’s new music, the rock star demonstrates high expectations and a genuine enthusiasm.
“Listen, man. I loved being in Oasis, I loved being in Beady Eye and I love making music. It’s just what I do. So it’s nice to put another record out. It was an easy album to make, there was no stress. I think there’s some decent songs on there. It’s not about being back in the spotlight. It’s just a bit of fun for the fans, and if you don’t have a good record, you haven’t got any gigs, d’you know what I mean?”
Despite his brother Noel’s sarcastic comments about the ‘army of songwriters’, Liam doesn’t seem ashamed of the fact that Gregg Kurstin and Andrew Wyatt helped him out with some of the lyrics. After all, Liam never claimed to be a talented songwriter, and he admits this time he needed more help with the lyrics than he did with As You Were, since Why Me, Why Not is a way more ambitious and ‘a lot bigger’ project in comparison with its predecessor.
Liam is definitely proud of his new creation. Earlier he has labelled the nostalgic and wistful Once one of the best songs he’s ever written. It’s a sentiment he still passionately defends.
“I’ll tell you this: if Noel Gallagher wrote Once, you’d all know about it. He’d be shouting about it from the rooftops. These songs don’t come around a lot, and in this day and age when they do, it just needs to be appreciated. Come back in 30 years’ time, and I can guarantee you Once will be getting just as much love as Live Forever or Slide Away. It’s a classic”.
Recently Liam has been devoting a lot more attention to his family. His kids accompany him at his gigs, while his son Gene even took part in the recording of One of Us. However, it appears he wasn’t that honoured and excited to feature on his dad’s record and took it in his stride.
“Our drummer was caught in traffic, and the song needed bongos. Gene plays drums, so I asked him and I thought he’d be a lot more impressed by the invitation. He was kind of just on his phone and went, “Alright”. He did it in one take. I thought I’d blow his mind with the experience, but he just asked what was for lunch. He wasn’t all that impressed”.
Everyone knows Liam wears his heart on his sleeve, so it’s no wonder someone might expect some political comments from the rock icon. Who else if not the man who seems to have an opinion on everything? Nevertheless, Liam insists it’s not the reason why he’s in the music industry.
“God no. I’ve never felt political. A lot of my heroes, like John Lennon, got political and look what happened to him – it’s not for me, man. I can’t think of anything worse. I’m an artist, not a politician. If you’re coming to my gig, you want a bit of a break. You don’t pay 30 quid to have some git ramble on about what’s happening in the House of Commons. I’d rather shoot myself in the face”.
Meanwhile, Liam happily starts ranting about other topics. Among them happens to be cricket.
“I hate that sport. I once went to cricket with my mate Guigsy. He was like, ‘Come and check it out’, and I said alright. So I went to the pub, had a couple of beers and fell asleep. Then I woke up, and it was still fucking going on!”
This year has marked the 25th anniversary of Oasis conquering the world with their brilliant debut album Definitely Maybe. On multiple occasions Liam named it as his favourite Oasis record. The album inspired so many new bands. 25 years on, it still consistently remains in the charts. Liam still has fond memories of these days and proudly talks about the band’s legacy.
“I’m very proud I was a part of Oasis. It’s a privilege to mean so much to people’s lives, because I know what it’s like. The Stone Roses album blew my head off, so I get what it’s about. After all, I’m a fan of music too, and I love what we did. I’m proud to have been the voice of a generation”.
Only in a few days’ time, Why Me, Why Not will mark a new chapter in Liam’s soaring solo career.
Source: Mixdown magazine