Last year turned out to be really productive for Liam Gallagher. Following his triumphant comeback in 2017, now he again scored big after his second solo album Why Me, Why Not hit No. 1 in the UK charts and became the year’s biggest selling vinyl release.
On top of that, Liam brought out the insightful As It Was documentary, popped the big question to his long-term girlfriend and sold out his ambitious UK arena tour. His recent activities seem a striking contrast with his hedonic and careless image from the 90s. Now that Liam has found his feet as a solo artist, he has no plans to stay out of the limelight.
“I couldn’t be like these people who don’t do anything. They just look like they’re having a terrible time.”
These days Liam indeed has plenty of things on his to-do list. After his third wedding in the summer the rock idol already has plans to crack on with a new record. Eyes are on a summer 2021 release for his third solo endeavour. Liam is again considering teaming up with Greg Kurstin and Andrew Wyatt, the acclaimed songwriters who contributed to both As You Were and Why Me, Why Not.
Liam feels he’s finally in the right place. His personal life has drastically improved now that his once estranged daughter Molly accompanies him on tour, the gig venues are selling out at a supersonic speed, and the fans seem just as rowdy and passionate as they once were in the 90s. Yet there is a certain heartache that keeps haunting Liam for more than a decade. His brother Noel has cut off all contact with the younger sibling and gives no signs of ever coming back into touch. Besides, no matter how fulfilled Liam feels on stage these days, he’s still missing his bandmates.
“I’m gutted that I’m here doing this on my own. I find it fucking boring, being on your own. I joined a band, so doing it with our kid and Bonehead and the lads years ago was what I was into, was how I envisioned it. Being in a band – it was about the Roses, the Beatles or the Stones or the Pistols. Not fucking sitting here like Rick Astley or Julio Iglesias, doing a solo interview. I always imagined us all being around, having a fucking crack.”
Despite the fact that Oasis split up already a decade ago, Liam still keeps feeling nostalgic about the glory days of the once biggest British band. The rumours of a potential reunion still keep flaring up though – most often from Liam himself. Recently he claimed that they’d been offered 100 million pounds to get back together and tour. Noel immediately denied he had anything to do with the mysterious offer. Don’t believe the truth, then?
“The geezer’s ego is out of control. The reunion is gonna happen, believe me you. It’s gonna happen really soon, because Noel is greedy and he loves money and he knows that it’s got to happen soon or it won’t happen at all.”
Liam emphasizes that the alleged offer only includes a tour, even though the iconic frontman wouldn’t mind making a new Oasis album… With a few conditions though.
“I’d do a record, but listen, it depends on what kind of record it is. If it’s anything like that shit he’s putting out at the moment, I don’t think anyone wants that. I think people would give you 100 million pounds NOT to fucking make that record. They’d just go, ‘yeah, look, here’s 100 million quid for the tour and here’s another 100 million quid to not make a record like that. Noel can’t even sell out Apollo in Manchester – 3000 capacity in his own fucking town, the embarrassing donut.”
Liam definitely couldn’t miss a chance to rub in Noel’s recent ticket sales which leave a lot to be desired. It’s easy to guess his attitude to his big brother’s live shows too.
“I couldn’t think of anything worse than going to see him play live. Going to watch him and all these divs backstage sipping champagne and trying to be working class.”
Meanwhile, Liam has ambitious plans for his own solo journey. They might even include a Knebworth show to remind the fans of the Oasis glory back in 1996. Fair play to Liam, knowing how quickly he sold out this summer’s Heaton Park gig.
“Knebworth would be a piece of piss to be perfectly honest. And it’s definitely gonna happen!”
Despite criticising Noel’s recent solo music experiments, Liam gives him due credit for penning plenty of timeless Oasis hits that he still plays live. Yet he believes the band as a whole has made these tunes what they are now.
“I don’t sit there and go: right, here’s a song Noel wrote. I go: here’s a song by Oasis that we all made great. When I start singing a song, I just go: here’s a song that I made great!”
Liam certainly makes a perfect frontman: charismatic, self-confident and with a powerful, instantly recognizable voice. And still, what would be his job if the whole music thing hadn’t worked out years ago?
“I’d be a good getaway driver, because I don’t like going around roundabouts – I just go straight over them! I’m not into driving because I was into booze and having a laugh and all that. So I thought if I drove, I’d end up killing lots of people, as well as myself.”
Fair enough. That seems like a throwback to Liam’s hellraising days back in the 90s. The suggestion of a “perfect job” is interesting though, knowing that Liam doesn’t even have a driving license. But now that he’s more mature and responsible, wouldn’t he want to be able to drive out of the city to relax every once in a while?
“No, I much prefer to sit in the back and fucking bark orders,” he says without any hesitation.
Instead, Liam prefers to pay attention to the more important things. Family has always been a treasure to him and he’s looking forward to marrying his long-term girlfriend Debbie later this summer. How does the rock icon know when he’s in love?
“When you miss them, man. Totally. When you miss them and you just want to be with them all the time. I think that’s what it’s about, surely. I’m a romantic. But not to the point where I buy her flowers every day and chocolates and stuff. That’s fucking creepy, walking round the street with teddy bears and a little flower between the teeth. Instead, I let her have the remote control. It doesn’t really matter how many Number One records you’ve got or how many fucking parkas you’ve got, because at the end of the day, if you ain’t got love, then it’s nothing, is it?”
Despite placing family so high on his agenda, in the past Liam made a lot of mistakes concerning his personal life. Yet, he’s brave and responsible enough to admit them and try his best to make up for the things that went wrong.
“These things are not as easy as people make out, they try to make out they are, when it’s been black and white. So yeah, I have total regrets I haven’t met Molly earlier, that I haven’t yet met that other girl in New York. All you can do is draw a line under it or over it and make sure everything from then on and now on is fucking Biblical.”
Regardless of his past mistakes, Liam deserves so much respect for his commitment to making the world a better place. After all the highs and lows, he’s still there, standing motionless on stage and showing people the power of music. The last of a dying breed, Liam Gallagher is a gift that keeps on giving. Simply because he always puts his soul into everything he does, be it an interview, a documentary, a gig or a new record. Major props and keep it up, Rock’n’Roll Star.
Source, photo : NME