Mat Whitecross, director of Supersonic, has spent many hours doing new interviews with Liam and Noel and many months swamped by never-before-seen Oasis footage. Here he talks to Tom Howard about some of the filmโs most entertaining and fascinating moments.
1. The bit where Liam sings โSad Songโ
The scene: A never-heard-by-anyone version of the tune is used to soundtrack Liam and Noelโs bust-up at Rockfield Studios while recording โ(Whatโs The Story) Morning Glory?โ
Mat Whitecross: โOne of the first people we met was Mark Coyle [producer of early Oasis albums], who is this amazing psychedelic guru. Mark was a music obsessive. Him and Noel met touring with the Inspiral Carpets [in the early โ90s] and Noel would bring him tracks to mix. Every so often Mark would give us this stuff. With โSad Songโ he was just, โIโve got no idea where this came from.โ We were like, โIs that Liam? That doesnโt make any sense.โ But Liam lends something beautiful to it. No one, including Liam, remembered recording it. But he had no recollection of any of the footage that was recorded, or pretty much anything thatโs happened in the last 20 years.โ
2. The bit where Liam nails โChampagne Supernovaโ in one take
The scene: In some previously unseen footage from Rockfield Studios in 1995, Liam performs some effortless magic
Mat Whitecross: โItโs pretty unreal when you think how important those songs are to people and how beautiful the delivery is. Itโs interesting the way Liam talked about it. He didnโt think people had any faith in Oasis and it wasnโt really until they delivered the second album that people were like, โOK, maybe somethingโs cooking here.โ The first album had been a big success, but no one really realised theyโd become this phenomenon. Liam says that recording the first two albums was his favourite time because there was no one hovering over them with a spreadsheet or breathing down their necks โ it was just, โWe could sit here for another six weeks, hammering different versions out, or we could just go to the pub.โโ
3. The bit where Oasis plays โAll Around The Worldโ in 1992
The scene: Five years before it appeared on the bandโs third album โBe Here Nowโ, and before theyโd even done a demo, they were rehearsing the song at the Boardwalk in Manchester
Mat Whitecross: โItโs unbelievable how driven and smart and ambitious Noel was, to take a song as great as that โ which he kept telling anyone who would listen was their โAll You Need Is Loveโ โ and say theyโre gonna save it for the third album because it needs a massive f**k-off string section. That takes balls. Thereโs a bit in the film where Mark Coyle says you have to be Mussolini to have a masterplan that savage. We had all the โBe Here Nowโ demos, and a section on Noel hanging out with Johnny Depp and Kate Moss in Mustique, and we had an interview with Johnny lined up, but the film was already seven hours long so we dropped it.โ
4. The bit where Peggy Gallagher describes Liam as โa devilโ, and the brothers as โnaughty boysโ
The scene: An interview with the Gallaghersโ mum Peggy about her and her sonsโ upbringing
Mat Whitecross: โSheโs the heart of the film in some ways. Thereโs no bullsh*t from her; sheโs very funny. Liam says thatโs where they got their sense of humour. She lives in the same house the family moved to when they escaped from their dad and itโs beautiful but not excessive. Liam phones her, like, five times a day. Every time I spoke to Peggy she was like, โI donโt know why the hell they donโt just phone each other, because theyโll be ringing me every day asking after each other.โ I felt a bit like their parent at times. I could see it from both their perspectives.โ
5. The bit where Liam says โobviously me and our kid donโt have a relationship any moreโ
The scene: Heartbreaking moment at the end when, after all the brotherly love, Liam looks back with anger
Mat Whitecross: โLiam seems very cut up about it. Not to the point where heโs going to beat on Noelโs door, but he relished being in a band. He talks about a sense of loss, not just of the band but of his brother. Noel finds it strange that other people find it strange. He says they were never a touchy-feely family and all families are different. One of the first things I did was show them the footage backstage at Top Of The Pops, because the closeness and warmth really touched me. I donโt think it was my imagination that they were moved by it, but theyโd quickly move on and go, โHeโs a sh*tbag.โ Thatโs part of the fun.โ
6. The bit where Liam tells US immigration โIโm going to steal your soulโ
The scene: After getting kicked off the ferry for fighting on the way to Amsterdam, the band go to America for the first time. Liam doesnโt know the drill
Mat Whitecross: โAnd itโs followed by a cavity search. For Liam, going to Amsterdam and getting sent back was the first time heโd ever left the country. The States was uncharted territory and Liam had read what rock stars were supposed to be, but then you go through immigration and they donโt give a f**k. I bet even Ozzy Osbourne behaves himself going through customs.โ
7. The bit where Noel talks about how his dad used to beat him
The scene: The film delves into the Gallaghersโ childhood, and we hear about Tommy Gallagherโs treatment of his wife and older sons Noel and Paul. He never touched Liam
Mat Whitecross: โWhen we finished the film, Noel and Liam both said separately, โIs there too much about family?โ Theyโve always said they donโt want to be defined by their history, but all the cod psychologists like me go โWell, of course it had an impact.โ What I loved about Noel talking about it was him saying, โIโm not gonna let it have an impact on me, thatโs what happens to other people, Iโm stronger than that.โ He says the only impact his dad has had is that to this day he hates raised voices and slammed doors. He remembers a lot of slammed doors and the great thing about having a posh house is you canโt slam a cupboard because itโs all on those soft-close hinges, so even if you want to have a row you canโt. Liamโs thing has always been that he wouldnโt treat someone the way his dad treated his mum. Thatโs a big deal for him.โ
8. The bit when Bonehead says he wishes theyโd split up after Knebworth
The scene: The film begins and ends with footage of the bandโs defining August โ96 shows at Knebworth. For Bonehead, that was enough
Mat Whitecross: โNoelโs thing is, โIf weโd had the balls to do something like that, maybe weโd be talked about in the same hallowed tones as The Beatles. On the other hand, I had more to give, more to do and I was always writing and had a stack of songs.โ When we met Bonehead, he said they should definitely have stopped then โ big mistake to carry on. Liam was adamant that wasnโt true, saying, โYou keep going because what else we gonna do? Go home and become a plumber? F**k that!โโ
Source: NME
Photo: Jill Furmanovsky