Noel Gallagher’s never been one to hold anything back, especially when he’s talking to journalists. Turns out, that’s because he’s one of the few musicians who apparently loves doing interviews, as a new Esquire U.K. cover story reveals: “I could do this all day long. It’s sick. … I get to be a gobshite, and I get to do that thing: to be the last of a dying breed.”
From there, the affable curmudgeon (yes, Gallagher pulls that off) is off to the races. He slags off some of his usual suspects (Radiohead, One Direction, modern pop stars/music), while grumbling about the pedigree of Fleetwood Mac’s Lindsey Buckingham (“I can’t remember him setting the world on fire.”), and Led Zeppelin’s Jimmy Page (“He’s a good guitarist but I’m not sure how many solo albums he’s fucking made.”) in context of talking about reunited bands that “didn’t have anybody in the lineup as fucking brilliant as me.” He drops some Yogi Berra-esque science—“I’ve never seen Oasis live but there couldn’t have been that many better than us.”—and, later, added “pop star fragrances” to his hate list: “My fragrance? Oh it’s coming, it’s coming. Toe-Rag it’s going to be called. And the bottle’s going to be a massive toe.”
But in an about-face from previous interviews, Gallagher actually praises Kanye West (“Fame’s wasted on these cunts today. Bar Kanye. You watch him on the MTV Awards and you think, ‘You can fucking stay, you’re alright’”), and even has some nice things to say about brother Liam, calling him “a great singer and a great frontman in a great band. At his best he was the best.” He also calls his mother, who still lives in his hometown of Manchester, “hardcore”: “Hard work and a fucking filthy tongue, that’s what I inherited from my mum. She taught the Nineties how to swear. And what’s the word, stoicism? Yeah, she was hardcore. She didn’t give a fuck.”
Throughout the entire piece, however, Gallagher’s in a philosophical mood about Oasis’ messy breakup, his past drug use, how he shamelessly enjoys the trappings of fame, and how much he loves his wife and kids. Oh, and an Oasis reunion is not in the cards if he can help it. But despite his bluster, it turns out that Gallagher’s self-deprecating, reflective side is actually what makes this Esquire interview stand out: “Every ludicrous thing I’ve ever said, I accepted the consequences because I don’t think I’ve ever said, ‘Oh, it was taken out of context, that.’ Fucking wankers say that.”