Gallagher’s barbed comments have not just been limited to his Britpop contemporaries. When George Michael released the politically-charged single “Shoot the Dog”, Gallagher observed “He’s? trying to make social comment, this is the guy who hid who he actually was from the public for twenty years, now, all of a sudden, he’s got something to say about the way of the world. I find it laughable. That’s even before you get to the song, which is diabolical.”[54]
His musical tastes lead him to regularly attack “pop” acts. He said of Kylie Minogue: “I don’t hate Kylie, but I hate her music with a passion ? it’s just unbridled filth, it’s disgusting.”[55] In early 2001, he was criticised for saying that the Backstreet Boys “should be shot”[56] and, when asked about American youngsters’ taste in music, he stated “[They] shouldn’t be able to buy records until [they are] 16. You’ll buy any old nonsense ? fucking Britney and Eminem.”[57]
In late 2006, Gallagher bore the brunt of a verbal attack from Elton John, who took offence to Gallagher describing him as one of a number of “precious” celebrities who shield themselves from normal public life, saying, “Life is a great thing, why shut yourself away from it? I can’t understand people like Elton John?” John struck back saying, “After what fucking Noel Gallagher said about me I couldn’t give a shit about Oasis? He’s just such a tosser, and he looks like Parker from Thunderbirds.”[58] Gallagher’s friends Serge Pizzorno of Kasabian defended Gallagher saying “Elton’s just a fat man in a tracksuit. Whereas anything that comes out of Noel?s mouth is absolute genius. Noel is the last man you want to start with. He?s so quick he can destroy anyone. Elton John needs to watch out.”[59]
Of hip hop, Gallagher said, “What?s masquerading itself as hip-hop-slash-R&B is fucking horrible. These guys will go on the telly going: ‘Hey kids, stay in school, don?t do drugs’, and then they’ll be shooting each other down at the shopping mall. The disregard for women, stuff like that, I find it quite sickening. And the clothes they wear, and it’s all about ‘me, me, me’, and ‘I wanna fuck you up?’ Give it a rest you bunch of idiots.”[60]
The resurgence of British indie music in recent years has seen Gallagher lash out again. He has recently told Australian press about his dislike of modern British indie bands, describing the band Bloc Party as “indie shit”. He went on to say “Every time I read an interview by them, they’re talking about their favourite music; ‘Yeah, I heard a Björk B-side that was interesting’? It’s either good or it’s bad. So it either makes sense to your brain or it doesn’t? There’s no such thing as ‘interesting’.”[61] Gallagher mocked the Kaiser Chiefs for wearing makeup, with Liam calling them “a bad Blur”.[62] When asked to comment on Keane, a band comprising a singer, keyboardist and drummer, Gallagher said “Traditionally speaking, the three biggest twats in any band are the singer, the keyboardist and the drummer. I don’t need to say anything else.” Keane pianist Tim Rice-Oxley replied saying “The biggest twats in a band? We don’t really care. I think he’s a cunt to be honest. He was in a band that was very brilliant in the mid-nineties and now they’re just not important anymore. No one really cares.” The Kaiser Chiefs’ singer Ricky Wilson, however, claimed he “was chuffed to bits” to be on the end of one of the Gallagher’s famous insults. The same can be said for Sum 41, who printed Gallagher’s comments regarding them ? “I’m just glad I lived long enough to hear the shittiest band ever” ? on their official website.[63] In 2005, Noel criticised the White Stripes for announcing they would write a song for a Coca-Cola advertising campaign. Although Oasis tracks have appeared on commercials, they were not specifically written for that purpose.
Gallagher has not been shy about slating his idols either. When Beatle George Harrison accused Oasis of being little more than a “passing” fad, Gallagher replied “George was always the quiet Beatle, maybe he should keep that up.” (This, however, was not as threatening as his brother’s promise to play golf off Harrison’s head.)[9] However, when Gallagher and Harrison actually met, they got on well.
More recently, Gallagher has gone on to criticise American punk rock band Green Day for plagiarising the hit “Wonderwall” in the song “Boulevard of Broken Dreams”. He stated, “If you listen, you’ll find it is exactly the same arrangement as ‘Wonderwall’.” When asked about his own habit of “knicking riffs” from other groups, Gallagher replied, "Yeah, but not whole songs! They should have the decency to wait until I am dead. I at least pay the people I steal from that courtesy
Ο ΤΥΠΟΣ ΕΧΕΙ ΜΕΓΑΛΟ ΙΣΤΟΡΙΚΟ!:lol:
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