Shake Along With Me!

Noel Gallagher's Lawyer?

2010-08-22T19:47:00.002-05:00

10 reasons the '90s were better

2010-07-18T11:31:00.000-05:00

A great list from MSN Music about why the 90s rocked!
You know you're getting older when you think pop music isn't as good as it used to be.Like making an involuntary noise when you sit down or thinking policemen are getting younger, it's an inevitable consequence of the aging process.That said, Ben Chalk isn't convinced it's just a matter of nostalgic opinion.

1. There were no TV talent shows
In the summer of 2001, this writer was approached by a TV production company about working on the website for something called "Pop Idol." Reasoning that TV talent shows had died a death in the 1980s ("Star Search," anyone?), and, more worryingly, that it sounded like a cough medicine, he turned it down. You can't win them all. Not unless you're Simon Cowell, of course, who, 'inspired' by the runaway success and enormous money-making potential of the show he was originally employed as a judge on, created the "X Factor" and "American Idol" and made gazillions of dollars by squeezing all the life and originality out of pop and spawning an entire generation who think Leona Lewis and Clay Aiken are the pinnacle of musical talent. Tragic.

2. Television supported new music
Not only were there no talent shows on TV in the 1990s, there were a number outlets for new music which don't exist anymore. In the U.K., "The Word," for example, is much maligned these days but where would a band like Oasis make their TV debut now? In Canada, there was "The Wedge" and "City Limits" on Much Music where videos from Nirvana, Soundgarden and other alternative acts made their debut. It's hard enough to see any music videos on Much now, let alone cutting edge ones.

3. Big album releases were an event
On 21 August 1997, Oasis released their third album, "Be Here Now." It was rubbish but that's not the point. The point is that people queued outside record shops (remember them?) all night to buy it and it shifted nearly half a million copies on its first day of release. This was old hat at that point since similar instances had happened in the U.K. and North America surrounding albums by Guns n' Roses, Nirvana and other bands. Perhaps it's just us but we can't help finding it sad that only new mobile phones generate the same level of excitement these days.

4. We had proper rock stars
At the start of the 1990s, Guns 'N' Roses were the biggest rock band in the world. They took drugs, shagged groupies, caused riots, got kicked off planes and raised hell in a manner befitting their position. Then it was Nirvana, whose frontman didn't just whinge about being depressed, he actually did something about it. Then came Oasis who sung "you might as well do the white line" and prompted questions in British parliament about their behaviour. Now we've got Coldplay. Ugh.

5. There were music movements
The 1990s kicked off with the Stone Roses playing a massive outdoor gig at Spike Island in Widnes for 27,000 young people dressed in flares, tie-dye t-shirts and 'Reni hats'. Then came the all-devouring grunge movement with its flannel shirts and self-loathing, which in turn was overthrown by Britpop and its retro cool. And remember all that Lilith Fair business? In short, there were musical movements with their own distinctive style and attitude. What have we had since? Emo? Please.

6. Good dance music was popular
Dance music began as an underground phenomenon and continues to thrive there but, for a few years in the 1990s, some of the best stuff sold by the bucketload. The Prodigy, Leftfield, Chemical Brothers and Orbital all had hit albums. These days the biggest-selling dance music is in the shape of dodgy corporate-sponsored compilations.

7. MTV actually played music
The M in MTV is for "music." It's sad that this needs to be pointed out what with the station now showing vacuous reality shows and the like instead of videos and concerts. In the 1990s this was not a problem and MTV actually led the charge showcasing and making stars out of lesser known bands and movements, while also commissioning unique performances such as those found on their seminal "Unplugged" series.

8. The charts mattered
Of all the ramifications downloading and file-sharing have had on music since the 1990s, the increasing irrelevance of the charts is surely the saddest. People under 20 might not believe it but listening to a chart countdown used to be a genuine event which could assume tribal importance if a record by your band made No.1. In the U.K., Oasis and Blur had a rivalry that almost exploded into violence over competing singles releases. Now the only people who care about charts are industry executives - and even that's when they're not looking at the job listings.

9. Pop music ruled the world
Spice Girls' "Wannabe" went to No.1 in no less than 31 countries and sold seven million copies, making it the biggest-selling single by a girl band ever. Backstreet Boys and N'Sync battled it out for singles supremacy selling over 3 million units combined in less than a week. Who are our pop stars now? Rihanna? Susan Boyle? Gaga? Not the same.

10. You could make loads of money from music
We want to live vicariously through our music stars, do we not? We want them to be obscenely wealthy outlaws, living in ludicrous mansions, travelling the world in private jets, answerable to nobody and sticking it to the man. Well, too bad, those days are over. Established superstars can still rake in millions with mega-tours but the unstoppable decline in record sales of the last 10 years means that any new artist hoping to make serious cash has to whore themselves out with commercial endorsements, product placements and 'alternative revenue streams'. Not very rock 'n' roll, is it?

I Can't Believe It's Not Beatles: Rock Band

2010-06-08T23:03:00.001-05:00

Yet another joke about how Oasis were Beatles imitators. This is from BBC Comedy (Harry Partridge).

In my opinion, Oasis were very different from the Beatles. And if you're going to try and imitate/be inspired by a band, it mine as well be the Beatles, right?

Paul McCartney directing Beatles film?

2010-06-06T10:20:00.001-05:00

Not sure how much I believe this, but here's the info!

Sir Paul McCartney is directing a film based on photographs his late wife Linda took of The Beatles at the height of their fame.

The intimate photofilm will be created using previously unseen pictures of the group, taken between 1967 and 1970, the year they split. The film will be a loving tribute to the band Sir Paul founded and to US-born Linda, who died of breast cancer in 1998.

The singer, 67, originally began the project in the early Nineties but abandoned it after Linda’s death made it too difficult to carry on. Now, more than a decade later and after his bitter divorce battle with Heather Mills, the star has decided to revive it.

The portrait will document the recording of classic hits such as Hey Jude, Let It Be and The Long And Winding Road at a time when other photographers were not allowed access to the group.

The soundtrack could even include unreleased Beatles tracks, such as the long-awaited Carnival Of Light and a secret jamming session recorded at the London Roundhouse in 1968.

The method behind the film involves laying out photographs and re-shooting them using a movie camera. The frames are then speeded up so they run together, much like a child’s flip-book.

Sir Paul is also said to be working on a book of Linda’s pictures with the couple’s daughters, Stella and Mary, which will be published later this year. A spokesman for Sir Paul said he was not aware of the singer revisiting the photofilm project.

Source: Daily Mail

Noel Gallagher, Becks, Snoop, and more in Star Wars-theme Adidas commercial!

2010-06-04T17:19:00.000-05:00

Check out this bizarre/awesome new commercial from Adidas featuring David Beckham, Snoop Dog, Noel Gallagher, Ian Brown, and Harrison Ford (Han Solo!):

Russell Brand talks about his innocent soul, Noel Gallagher, and Jarvis Cocker

2010-05-24T19:40:00.002-05:00

From Spin:

In the upcoming, Get Him To The Greek, salacious British comedian Russell Brand reprises his Forgetting Sarah Marshall role as rocker Aldous Snow. This time around, though, the Aldous Snow experience isn't limited to the silver screen. Out June 1, the soundtrack to the film is credited to Snow's band Infant Sorrow and features 15 songs written by the likes of the Libertines' Carl Barat and Jarvis Cocker and sung by the star.

We spoke with Brand about Aldous Snow's rock star inspirations, dirty lyrics, and whether or not his fictional alter ego would get along with his fiancée, Katy Perry.

Aldous Snow exudes an instantly recognizable rock star charisma. Who were some of the frontmen that you were studying when you created the character?
Mick Jagger. Noel Gallagher. There's a little bit of Robert Plant in there — some Jim Morrison as well.

There's something about the walk. It's a very particular rock'n'roll strut.
What you're referring to is the winky walk. There is some sexuality to the perambulation that's undeniable. All the great rock stars lead with their manhood. Noel Gallagher doesn't have that quite as much, but what I took from him is that he don't care about nothing. He's a friend of mine, actually. I asked him how come he's got that attitude and he said as long he's got his guitar he knows that people will be willing to pay ten quid to come see him. That means he doesn't have to put up with the bullshit. I tried to give Aldous some of that same attitude.

How would Aldous Snow feel about Katy Perry?
He'd be into her. There's very little that Aldous wouldn't be into. I mean that in a quite literal sense.

Which younger bands do you think have some of the classic rock star vibe?
I can't think of any. Can you? Bands are more preppy nowadays. That's why I think of Aldous Snow as a man out of time. He would've fit in better in the '60s or '70s. Rock stars didn't have to care back then. Early rock'n'roll was about hedonism and escape. Now it's all about being conscientious. Bono from U2 is a statesman; Chris Martin does yoga. Do you think Zeppelin or Guns N' Roses had any interest in that? We could use a little bit more of their attitude.

Let's talk about the album. People like Jarvis Cocker and Carl Barat from the Libertines wrote songs for you to record. Was it intimidating to have them writing for you?
Jarvis and Carl were in England while I was recording in Los Angeles, so I never had to sing in front of them. But in general I was very nervous to sing. I'm very shy about it. I'm most comfortable doing comedy. I've gotten used to singing, though. In the end, I got over it once I realized there was no need to be embarrassed. I was doing exactly what Aldous Snow is supposed to be doing.

A lot of the songs on the album are sorta smutty -- stuff like "Furry Walls" and "The Clap." In a way they reminded me of classic rock like Aerosmith's "Walk This Way" where the --
Sorry, what's lewd about "Walk This Way?" It's about being confident, isn't it?

The first couple lines are, "Backstroke lover always hidin' 'neath the covers / Till I talked to your daddy / He said you ain't seen nothin' till you're down on a muffin / Then you're sure to be changing your ways."
So it's about buggery and eating vaginas. Thank you for explaining it to me. As you can see, I'm an innocent soul. I think everything's innocent. I had no idea about that one. Now I'm beginning to question everything. I can't even imagine what other songs I like are actually dirty -- aside from my own, which are extremely vulgar.

Aside from Aldous Snow, has your comedy been influenced by any musicians?
Morrissey. The lingering touch of the frosty fingers of Steven Patrick are in every word that I utter. The Flight of the Conchords, too. The songs they write are such good songs that you almost realize later on that they're a little bit silly. Jack Black and Kyle Gass from Tenacious D were also important for me. But hold on a moment. What were we talking about? What am I supposed to be promoting?

You tell me.
Ah, yes. The album. Infant Sorrow's Get Him to the Greek. The single is "Just Say Yes." Jarvis Cocker wrote it. Have a look at the video, which I directed. It has genuine porn stars in it. So you'll enjoy it

More info on Scorsese's George Harrison doc

2010-05-15T22:25:00.002-05:00

From Variety:

Here comes the sun.

Martin Scorsese revealed Thursday that he has finished shooting documentary "Living in the Material World: George Harrison," working in tandem with Olivia Harrison, the musician's widow.

Producers are Scorsese, Harrison and Exclusive Media co-chair/CEO Nigel Sinclair. A 2011 release date is being eyed.

Exclusive, which holds worldwide rights, is shopping the project at Cannes, where Scorsese and Harrison are promoting the doc. There's no domestic distrib yet.

"Living in the Material World" is a production of Scorsese's Sikelia Prods., Olivia Harrison's Grove Street Prods. and Exclusive's Spitfire Pictures documentary label.

Scorsese is fascinated by rock 'n' roll musicians, and has chronicled some of the most iconic artists of the 20th century, including the Band ("The Last Waltz"), the Rolling Stones ("Shine a Light"), Bob Dylan ("No Direction Home: Bob Dylan") and, now, George Harrison.

Scorsese said the former Beatles' life was a remarkable musical and spiritual voyage. He and Olivia Harrison both said George Harrison was always trying to find the balance between the physical and the spiritual, hence the film's title.

"I grew up a Roman Catholic and wanted to become a priest, so it is a subject matter that has never left me. The more you're in the material world, the more the search for serenity," Scorsese said.

Harrison said she spent countless hours pouring through her husband's notes, cassette tapes and photos. Many of those materials have never been made public before.

Film also uses never-before-seen footage in tracing the guitarist and songwriter's life, from his days with the Beatles until his death in 2001. It includes interviews with those closest to him, including Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Eric Clapton, Eric Idle, Tom Petty, Yoko Ono and Phil Spector.

Harrison wrote and released songs until his death. One note his widow found: "Goats on a roof."

Project reteams Scorsese, Sinclair and exec producer Margaret Bodde, who worked together on "No Direction Home."

"Living in the Material World" is now being edited by David Tedeschi, who cut both "No Direction Home" and "Shine a Light."

Scorsese said he worked on the doc simultaneously with "Shutter Island," and that working on a nonfiction film and a feature at the same time is a liberating experience. Similarly, he worked on "No Direction" at the same time that he was making "The Aviator."

"In a complicated way, it frees me from the constrictions of a feature. I have a narrative freedom," Scorsese said.

Rihanna Covers Wonderwall

2010-04-21T22:21:00.002-05:00

Rihanna covered Oasis' "Wonderwall" in Switzerland on April 19th. Here's a couple clips from Youtube:

Great article about Definitely Maybe

2010-04-11T21:57:00.002-05:00

From the Gibson website, here's Michael Wright's thoughts on the epic debut album from Oasis, Definitely Maybe:

“Is it my imagination, or have we finally found something worth living for?”

Yes, we have, Liam Gallagher. Yes, we have.

In 1994, England was ready to shake off years of bleak Conservative rule and spotty native Anglo music to throw the party to end all parties. Certainly the Stone Roses, Suede and Blur brought kids to the house, but Oasis was the guy who commandeered the stereo, smashed the front window and whipped a Carlsberg can at the poor officer responding to the scene.

Supersonic, indeed.

Definitely Maybe lit the island country and the world (fair enough, not so much America) on fire. The fastest-selling debut album of all time in the UK, Definitely Maybe mobilized hooligans and hairdressers alike. That summer, the whole of England was ordering gin and tonics and lifting two fingers to the establishment because tonight — TONIGHT I’M A BLOODY ROCK ‘N’ ROLL STAR!

That very invocation to anarchy and idolatry kicks off the album, with songwriter-guitarist-sibling foil Noel Gallagher bending the G-string on his trademark ES-335 mercilessly before pick-sliding into a fifth-gear riff that never lets up. If ever there was a song to kick the door in for a band, “Rock ‘n’ Roll Star” was it.

“Shakermaker” follows, oddly enough, with a melody pinched from a hippie Coke commercial. But the lyrics — featuring a Manchester music shop name-check and the first post-Beatles utterance of the word “plasticine” — root the album in a uniquely British context, no less Anglocentric than “Waterloo Sunset” or “Penny Lane.”

The frivolity of “Shakermaker” only greatens the impact of the track that follows; “Live Forever” stands as one of rock’s all-time great anthems. Soaring, reverb-drenched guitars bathe painstakingly sincere lyrics, beckoning “Maybe you’re the same as me/We see things they’ll never see/You and I are gonna live forever.” A mere three songs into his debut album, Noel Gallagher had already joined John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Pete Townshend and Ray Davies in the rarified air of the English songwriting elite.

“Up in the Sky” ironically returns the album to earth, sending it back into head-bobbing rock mode, with the propulsive march of “Columbia” following close behind.

Then, after much-baited tension and anticipation, the album reengages the fiery rock of its opener with perhaps the heaviest one-two-three punch of boozing, brawling anthems ever queued: “Supersonic,” “Bring It on Down” and “Cigarettes and Alcohol.”

“Supersonic” encapsulates the stagger of a late-night bender, with lyrics wildly careening from autograph requests to bartender summons. Even as they spill over into the ridiculous (“I know a girl called Elsa/She’s into Alka Seltzer”…huh?), the unrelenting momentum of Gallagher and rhythm guitarist Paul “Bonehead” Arthurs steers the song headlong into rock and roll oblivion.

From there, the only place to go is…harder, faster…with “Bring It on Down.” If ever a song sneered up from the gutters and challenged you to a fight, it was this one. Even oft-ridiculed drummer Tony McCarroll couldn’t hold back the sheer force of this guitar-overdriven juggernaut. “You’re the outcast/You’re the underclass/But you don’t care/Because you’re living fast.” Liam Gallagher’s Lennon/Rotten hybrid sneer has never dripped with so much venom.

And then comes, perhaps, the greatest drinking anthem of all time, “Cigarettes and Alcohol.” When there are no jobs and no prospects, this is as good as it gets. “Is it worth the aggravation/To find yourself a job when there's nothing worth working for?/It's a crazy situation/But all I need are cigarettes and alcohol!” For kids on the dole from years of Thatcherism aftershocks, this was their song. This was their life.

The silly, lasagna-themed vignette, “Digsy’s Dinner,” cleanses the palette (if you’ll forgive the pun), before the band launches into the final epic track (though not the final track) on an epic-track-laden album: “Slide Away.” The unbridled passion of “Live Forever” spreads its wings once more for this paean to teenage love, when the heart most recklessly tumbles headlong into nothingness. Brother Noel claims he wrote the song with a Les Paul given to him by Smiths guitar god Johnny Marr and has often referred to it as Liam’s, if not the band’s, finest moment.

Definitely Maybe closes, curiously, with the warm, playful acoustic number, “Married with Children,” almost a musical acknowledgement that everyone who has hurtled through this relentless, white-knuckle gauntlet deserves a quiet smoke before heading off into the night.

So closes the album that NME readers recently voted “the best of all time,” with The Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band finishing second and Revolver third. Great as those albums were, they never got you drunk and stole your wallet. Cheeky album.

Video Rewind: Supersonic

2010-04-11T21:25:00.009-05:00

Lyrics:

I need to be myself
I can't be no one else
I'm feeling supersonic
Give me gin and tonic
You can have it all but how much do you want it?
You make me laugh
Give me your autograph
Can I ride with you in your B.M.W ?
You can sail with me in my yellow submarine

You need to find out
'Cos no one's gonna tell you what I'm on about
You need to find a way for what you want to say
But before tomorrow

'Cos my friend said he'd take you home
He sits in a corner all alone
He lives under a waterfall
No body can see him
No body can ever hear him call

You need to be yourself
You can't be no one else
I know a girl called Elsa
She's into Alka Seltzer
She sniffs it through a cane on a supersonic train
She made me laugh
I got her autograph
She done it with a doctor on a helicopter
She's sniffin in her tissue
Sellin' the Big Issue

She needs to find out
'Cos no one's gonna tell you what I'm on about
She needs to find a way for what she wants to say
But before tomorrow

'Cos my friend said he'd take you home
He sits in a corner all alone
He lives under a waterfall
No body can see him
No body can ever hear him call

Screenshots:

All attitude

Finally a little silliness

Noel looks Liam here...

Beautiful shot, I've never noticed this moment before

Tough guy

Cool shot

Review:
The first Oasis video is also one of their best. There were actually two music videos produced for "Supersonic," one for the UK and one for the US. This is the UK version and the one I prefer. The black and white parts are awesome and the attitude exuded by the band fit perfectly with the mood of the song. And of course it hearkens back to their beloved Beatles and their rooftop concert.

Happy Birthday "Supersonic"!

2010-04-11T11:02:00.003-05:00

16 years ago today (April 11) Supersonic was released as Oasis' debut single.

Video of the Day - Oasis on the John Stewart Show October 17, 1994

2010-03-07T19:09:00.003-06:00

Before he became super famous, comedian John Stewart had his own show on MTV. On October 17, 1994 Oasis performed Supersonic (and you can see some of Rock N Roll Star during the credits). I think this is their first televised performance in the U.S. They would later perform on Letterman (first time in 1995) and Leno (first time in 1997).

So check out this great performance of Supersonic thanks to youtube user Howdo59: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ElpYu-S0g3o . That video does not allow embedding, so to give you a taste here is a low quality snippet of the performance:

Video Rewind: Stand By Me

2010-02-13T13:44:00.008-06:00

Video:

Lyrics:
Made a meal and threw it up on Sunday I've -
Gotta lot of things to learn
Said I would and I'll be leaving one day -
Before my heart starts to burn

(Bridge)
So what's the matter with you?
Sing me something new... don't you know
The cold and wind and rain don't know
They only seem to come and go away

Times are hard when things have got no meaning
I've found a key upon the floor
Maybe you and I will not believe in the things we find
Behind the door

(Chorus)
Stand by me - nobody knows the way it's gonna be
Stand by me - nobody knows the way it's gonna be
Stand by me - nobody knows the way it's gonna be

If you're leaving will you take me with you
I'm tired of talking on my phone
There is one thing I can never give you
My heart can never be your home

Screenshots:

Review:
A great Oasis video from Be Here Now. To give you some background on the story behind the video here's some information from the ever-reputable (ha!) Wikipedia:

The video for the song was a reworking of a famous series of adverts for The Guardian newspaper. Entitled 'The Whole Picture', the adverts showed people appearing to be engaging in criminal and/or anti-social acts—only for it to be revealed that they are actually helping someone else.

I like that it is not a literal interpretation of the song, but still fits with the lyrics. Especially at the end when the truth of the characters' actions are being revealed while Liam sings "Nobody knows the way it's gonna be." Too true. The video is visually a treat too. Something about the colors, clothing, etc. just makes it nice to watch. I don't know how else to explain it. Liam looks gorgeous and Noel looks cool. The actors all fit well, from the little girl to the fighting sisters.

And what I really like is that the video fits my optimistic attitude that usually comes from on Oasis song. We all want to see the bad in people, but if we look deeper we might find that people are inherently good. At least I like to think so.

Rating: 10/10

Video Rewind: Shakermaker

2010-02-06T20:20:00.006-06:00

This is the first in a series of posts I'll do where I look back at Oasis' extensive collection of music videos. To kick off the series, I'll be looking at the song that gave this blog it's name: Shakermaker.

Video:

Lyrics:
I`d like to be somebody else and not know where I`ve been
I`d like to build myself a house out of plasticine
Shake along with me
I`ve been driving in my car with my friend Mr. Soft
Mr. Clean and Mr. Ben are living in my loft
Shake along with me!

I`m sorry but I just don`t know I know
I said I told you so
But when you`re happy and you`re feeling fine
Then you`ll know it`s the right time
It`s the right time
To shake along with me!

Mister Sifter sold me songs
when I was just sixteen
Now he stops at traffic lights
but only when they`re green

Screenshots:

Gotta love this picture...

Ahhhhhhhh Shake along with meeeeeee

Remember this guy? Yeah, most people don't

What a mean look

Liam and Paul McCartney (Red Rose Speedway)

Mr. Sifter sold me songs...

I think this is on here twice, but that's OK because it's my favorite part of the video

My Thoughts:
This is one of my favorite Oasis videos. Everyone in it just looks really cool and relaxed. Liam looks especially good. And Noel does some classic Noel looks. Both of the Gallagher brothers really stare down the camera, something I find oddly hypnotizing.

This video + the psychedelic music = epitome of cool.

10/10

John Lennon Museum in Japan Closed by Yoko Ono

2010-02-06T16:03:00.002-06:00

From Spinner:

A museum dedicated to deceased Beatle John Lennon is set to close its doors after 10 years this September, the exhibition's general manager Junichi Mizusawa has announced.

The John Lennon Museum situated near Tokyo, Japan, was the first museum in the world to be officially approved by Lennon's widow Yoko Ono -- and now with the 10-year agreement not being renewed, all items on show will be returned to her.

Displaying around 130 artefacts, from guitars and clothing to hand-written lyrics and letters, the museum has been visited by over half a million visitors since opening on the 60th anniversary of his birth in October 2000.

Ono, commenting on the closure said, "After 10 years here, John's spirit is now moving on - looking onward to the next journey. Thanks to your love for the museum, what we'd thought would be five years became 10."

Speaking about the need to keep moving on, Ono also explained her reasons, "John Lennon's destiny spanned the whole world. His spirit came alive through movement, and without movement, it dies. If the Museum which houses his spirit never moved, it would be a grave, not a Museum. John does not have a grave. When he passed on, I publicly announced that I would not be holding a funeral for him. I did so because I knew his spirit would live forever."

Noel Gallagher performing at 2010 Teenage Cancer Trust!!

2010-01-31T19:26:00.001-06:00

The 2010 Teenage Cancer Trust at the Royal Albert Hall line-up:

* Wednesday 17 February – Depeche Mode
* Monday 22 March – Them Crooked Vultures, brought to you by American Airlines
* Tuesday 23 March – Comedy night: Jimmy Carr, Noel Fielding and Rhod Gilbert
* Wednesday 24 March - Suede
* Thursday 25 March – Noel Gallagher
* Friday 26 March – Noel Gallagher
* Saturday 27 March – Arctic Monkeys
* Sunday 28 March - JLS
* Monday 29 March – The Specials
* Tuesday 30 March – The Who

Tickets go on sale on Friday 5 February, and can be purchased from the following websites: www.teenagecancertrust.org www.royalalberthall.com / 0845 401 5030 www.gigsandtours.com / 0871 230 7136

Support acts to be announced, check www.teenagecancertrust.org for details.

Cary Elwes as George Harrison? The craziness that is the Yellow Submarine remake

2010-01-31T18:08:00.006-06:00

So Robert Zemeckis is set to direct a remake of Yellow Submarine. For those of you not familiar with Zemeckis, he's was executive producer of "The Tales From The Crypt" TV series and the writer of the Back to the Future films. More pertinant to The Beatles film, however, is that he wrote and directed the 1978 film I Want to Hold Your Hand.

I remember my mom and I watching this movie when I was young. It gave me a glimpse of the Beatle-mania she tried to tell me about. She was crazy for the Beatles, like every other girl her age.

But I digress. The YS remake is supposed to be starring:

Peter Serafinowicz as Paul McCartney
Dean Lennox Kelly as John Lennon
Cary Elwes as George Harrison
Adam Campbell as Ringo Starr

I'm really only familiar with Cary Elwes, who I love mostly due to his work in The Princess Bride and Men in Tights. I don't know what to make of the fact that he is playing my favorite Beatle. I guess I'll just have to wait and see...

Video: Noel Gallagher on ESPN Talk of the Terrace January 31 2010

2010-01-31T16:39:00.002-06:00

Noel discusses Manchester City and says there will be an upcoming announcement about some gigs. He'll only play old songs, not anything new. :(

Video of Elizabeth Peyton's Live Forever Exhibition

2010-01-31T14:21:00.003-06:00

This not new news, in fact the exhibit is no longer at the New Museum, but nonetheless I was happy to come across these videos of the exhibition. You'll recognize paintings of figures from the Britpop phenomenon, including Liam Gallagher. The exhibit is currently on display at The Bonnefanten Museum in Maastricht, The Netherlands. Some of my favorite works are the ones that feature Liam: Flower Liam, Blue Liam, and Jarvis and Liam Smoking.

Liam Gallagher: Hottest Man?

2010-01-25T17:39:00.008-06:00

Click here to vote on the hottest male for the NME Awards. Both Liam and Noel Gallagher are nominated. Below are some visual aids to help you make your decision:

Oasis get several nominations in NME Awards

2010-01-25T17:31:00.003-06:00

Click here to vote.

Here is the full list of nominees:

Best British Band (sponsored by Shockwaves)
Arctic Monkeys
Biffy Clyro
Kasabian
Muse
Oasis

Best International Band (sponsored by 4music/T4)
Green Day
Kings Of Leon
Paramore
Vampire Weekend
Yeah Yeah Yeahs

Best Solo Artist
Dizzee Rascal
Florence And The Machine
Jamie T
Julian Casablancas
Lady Gaga

Best New Band (sponsored by USC)
The Big Pink
Bombay Bicycle Club
Mumford & Sons
The xx
La Roux

Best Live Band (sponsored by Tuborg)
Arctic Monkeys
Kasabian
Muse
Radiohead
Them Crooked Vultures

Best Album (sponsored by HMV)
Arctic Monkeys – 'Humbug'
Kasabian – 'West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum'
Muse – 'The Resistance'
The Cribs – 'Ignore The Ignorant'
The Horrors – 'Primary Colours'

Best Track (sponsored by NME Radio)
Animal Collective – 'My Girls'
Arctic Monkeys – 'Crying Lightning'
Florence And The Machine – 'Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up)'
Jamie T – 'Sticks N' Stones'
The Big Pink – 'Dominos'

Best Video (sponsored by NME TV)
Arctic Monkeys – 'Cornerstone '
Biffy Clyro – 'The Captain'
Kasabian – 'Fire'
The Maccabees – 'Can You Give It'
Oasis – 'Falling Down'

Best Live Event
Blur at Hyde Park
Jay-Z at Alexandra Palace
Muse at Teignmouth
Oasis at Heaton Park
The Dead Weather at Shoreditch Church

Best Festival
Download
Glastonbury
Reading And Leeds Festivals
T In The Park
V Festival

Best Dancefloor Filler
Dizzee Rascal And Armand Van Helden – 'Bonkers'
Florence And The Machine – 'You've Got The Love'
La Roux – 'In For The Kill' (Skream Remix)
Lady Gaga – 'Poker Face'
Yeah Yeah Yeahs – 'Zero'

Best TV Show
The Inbetweeners
Never Mind The Buzzcocks
Peep Show
Skins
True Blood

Best Film
(500) Days Of Summer
In The Loop
Inglourious Basterds
The Twilight Saga: New Moon
Where The Wild Things Are

Best DVD
Kings Of Leon – Live At The The O2 Arena
Flight Of The Conchords – Complete HBO Second Season
The Killers – Live From The Royal Albert Hall
The Mighty Boosh – Future Sailors
Nirvana – Live At Reading

Giving It Back Fan Award
Kasabian and Noel Fielding for free 'Vlad The Impaler' video
Danger Mouse for leaking 'Dark Night Of The Soul'
Lily Allen for her Twitter ticket treasure hunt
Arctic Monkeys for their Oxfam golden tickets
Vampire Weekend for giving away 'Horchata' from the album 'Contra'

Hero Of The Year
Beyoncé Knowles
Noel Gallagher
Rage Against The Machine
Matt Bellamy
Alex Turner

Villain Of The Year
Noel Gallagher
Liam Gallagher
Simon Cowell
Kanye West
Lady Gaga

Best Dressed
Lady Gaga
Liam Gallagher
Noel Fielding
Florence Welch
Karen O

Worst Dressed
Lady Gaga
Matt Bellamy
Katy Perry
Liam Gallagher
Elly Jackson, La Roux

Worst Album
Green Day – '21st Century Breakdown'
Lady Gaga – 'The Fame'
The Jonas Brothers – 'Lines Vines Trying Times'
U2 – 'No Line On The Horizon'
Arctic Monkeys – 'Humbug'

Worst Band
Green Day
Oasis
Jonas Brothers
Paramore
JLS

Hottest Man
Head to NME.COM now to rate possibles including Alex Turner, Liam Gallagher, Peter Doherty, Matt Bellamy, Brandon Flowers and Julian Casablancas

Hottest Woman
Head to NME.COM now to rate possibles including Lily Allen, Alison Mosshart, Rihanna, Lady Gaga, Florence Welch and Karen O

Best Website (excluding NME.COM)
Muse.mu
YouTube
Facebook
Twitter
Greenday.com

Best Album Artwork
Muse – 'The Resistance'
Green Day – '21st Century Breakdown'
Kasabian – 'West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum'
The Cribs – 'Ignore The Ignorant'
Manic Street Preachers – 'Journal For Plague Lovers '

Best Band Blog
Muse (Muse.mu and Twitter.com/muse)
Radiohead (Radiohead.com/deadairspace)
Noel Gallagher (Oasisinet.com)
Los Campesinos! (Loscampesinos.com)
Paramore (Paramore.net)

Liam Gallagher snogs Fran Healy

2010-01-18T12:30:00.002-06:00

Oasis star Liam Gallagher gave me kiss on the lips, reveals Fran Healy of Travis

Jan 18 2010 By Rick Fulton

TRAVIS star Fran Healy has revealed how Oasis wildman Liam Gallagher got him in a clinch - and snogged him.

Fran said he was backstage at Oasis's three concerts at Wembley stadium last summer when he bumped into Liam.

Fran said: "He kissed me square on the lips and said: 'I f****** love you."
Married dad-of-one Fran added: "Liam is a doll."

The bands have been pals since Travis - who had a big hit with Sing - supported Oasis on European and US tour dates in the 1990s.

But Fran is sure that guitarist and song writer Noel Gallagher will be back after recently quitting the band following yet another bust-up with his younger brother.
Fran said: "I have not heard from Noel for years. But I'm sure they'll return. The solo projects are a perfect digestive before the inevitable Oasis reunion. But I will say that my solo project will definitely be the best solo project."

Fran is busy finishing work on his debut solo album, Wreckorder - which features Sir Paul McCartney - and plans to take it on tour.
He said: "I have no idea how Wreckorder will be viewed.
"So far, folks have been open to the idea of this solo excursion.
"But it's all down to the songs. If it's a pile of s*** then it will stink and if it stinks then I would like it to sink without trace.
"I think it doesn't stink though. I have played it to some people now and the reaction has been very exciting."

New Liam Gallagher pictures

2010-01-18T12:23:00.002-06:00

Nothing exciting, I guess the paps were having a slow day if they got these kind of pointless pictures of Liam and what seems to be Nicole Appleton.

To see all the photos, click here.

Who would be a good replacement for Simon Cowell? Noel Gallagher?

2010-01-12T23:14:00.002-06:00

I agree with this writer's analysis of the current American Idol situation. I don't think it can last long without Simon if there is a similar show with him on it.

Source

Your Left Field Choices to Replace Simon

By DREW MAGARY

Updated 1:17 PM CST, Tue, Jan 12, 2010

FOX
By now, you’ve undoubtedly heard the news that Simon Cowell, official Crass British Judge of FOX’s ratings behemoth “American Idol,” and perhaps the richest man on Earth to rock a $3 haircut, will be leaving the show at the end of this year, and moving over to become executive producer and judge for “The X-Factor,” a singing competition FOX will air next year.

Cowell will own part of that show, and stands to make even more money from it than the tens of millions FOX was offering him annually to remain on “Idol.” Cowell pulled a similar switch in his native England years ago, ditching “Pop Idol,” the British version of “American Idol,” for “The X-Factor.” “Pop Idol,” without Cowell, ended its run in 2004, essentially supplanted by Cowell’s new show.

And that’s likely what will happen here in America. FOX will now be airing two singing competitions that are basically the same, only one will have Cowell and one will not. Which one will you decide to watch? Well, consider that “Idol” has now lost its two biggest stars – Paula Abdul and Cowell – within months of one another. Abdul will be replaced by Ellen DeGeneres, who will be far less entertaining than the ever-loopy Abdul. Also, DeGeneres is unlikely to add anything to the show other than bad dancing and shockingly timid humor. The media seems to adore DeGeneres for reasons that escape me. I doubt the American public will be so enthused with her taking over the show.

Cowell was the one element of “Idol” that kept it grounded firmly in reality. He was the only one to cut through the slovenly applause from the audience to give a proper assessment of each singer’s performance. He offered sharp contrast to all the annoying gleefulness surrounding him. If “Idol” wants to avoid the fate of its British counterpart, they’re going to have to replace Cowell (and, while they’re at it, DeGeneres and useless fourth judge Kara DioGuardi) with someone as unapologetically acerbic. Perhaps they could even improve upon Cowell, and find a judge who offers a similar attitude, but doesn’t hit on the other judges and sport v-neck shirts 24 hours a day. Here are a few ideas, offered with little or no concern for practicality.

W. Axl Rose: With “Chinese Democracy” finally released to the world, the Guns N’ Roses frontman has little to do all day except indulge his own paranoid fantasies. Rose is completely and utterly INSANE, even more so than Paula Abdul. So imagine the joys of seeing him lord over a live telecast. Would he show up? Would he throw things? Would he jump into the crowd and hit someone with a glass bottle? Not only would I watch “American Idol” if Axl Rose was a judge, I’d go back to school and write term papers about it.

Madonna: I’d enjoy just trying to figure out what kind of accent she’s affecting each week. Wait, was that an Afrikaans dialect? Is she from Cape Town now?

Sting: He’s both arrogant AND British, giving him two vital qualities Cowell also possessed. Also, Sting has a beard now. NICE! People are always more truthful when they can hide behind a nice, bushy beard. The danger of having Sting on is that he may end up droning on and on about some cause you don’t care about. Or he’ll do yoga on the judge’s table. Scary thought.

Conan O’Brien: Not a good fit, but I see plenty of free time coming in his future.

Noel Gallagher: The former Oasis guitarist and singer is British AND he’s an even bigger jerk than Cowell and Sting combined. The only problem is that I’ve seen Gallagher in interviews and can’t figure out a word he’s saying.

Gordon Ramsay: “WOT? YOU CALL THAT A PROPA RENDITION OV “YESTERDAY,” DEARIE? (spits on contestant) RUBBISH! ABSOLUTE BOLLOCKS!”

Mick Jagger AND Keith Richards: Again, British. And if you were the sort of person who enjoyed watching Simon flirt with the hot contestants from the judge’s table, Mick and Keith will be more than happy to one-up him.

Elton John: Kinda pointless now that Adam Lambert has already had his run.

Random, Annoying British Music Executive You Don’t Know: And here is your leader in the clubhouse. FOX is not exactly known for their imagination, so it’s a strong bet that they’ll try and replace Cowell with someone who is kinda like Cowell, yet somehow fifty times more annoying.

Then again, perhaps the best choice to replace Cowell will be no one. Without him, it’s not a question of whether or not “Idol” will sink, it’s a question of how rapidly it will do so.

Vampire Weekend on Oasis split

2010-01-10T20:55:00.002-06:00

Excerpt from an article about them. To read the whole article, click here.

As for the British music scene, Vampire Weekend remember when Oasis duo Liam and Noel Gallagher split up for good, as the Columbia boys were due on stage before the Gallagher brothers for the Paris Rock en Seine festival in August.
"It was very awkward" recalls Tomson, "watching their crew breaking down all the lights and instruments (...) people started crying".
But the younger, clean-cut New York generation looks back fondly on the Manchester bad boys. "We all liked their first few albums", Tomson says, but "lost touch from there. I will be sad to see them go".
Oasis were the face of Britpop, or, in Batmanglij's words, "the pinnacle of British idiocy!".
But how would Vampire Weekend like to be remembered, years from now?
"Pop music cannibalises itself" says Batmanglij, shrugging off the question nonchalantly. If Vampire Weekend can capture the mood as they did with their first album, that will do for now.

Oasis covers

2010-01-09T17:53:00.004-06:00

I did a post awhile back about bands and/or singers covering Oasis songs. I think it's time for an update since more have been done since I made that post. So I've highlighted some recent ones below and some information about them. It's interesting to have women covering them!

Leona Lewis - Stop Crying Your Heart Out

"What people don't know ... is that I'm very into rock bands," said Lewis with a giggle, in an exclusive Canadian newspaper interview with Sun Media in Toronto.
"I love Oasis and I did a cover of Snow Patrol's Run on the repackage of the first album (Spirit) in the UK, and that did really well. And I wanted to do another cover on this one. Originally, I was going to do, like, Wonderwall or something. And (mentor) Simon (Cowell) was like, 'Do Stop Crying Your Heart Out.' And I was like, 'It's amazing. Yeah, let's do it.'
"I was a bit scared at first. I was like, 'Maybe I shouldn't do an Oasis cover, 'cause their fans are like hardcore.' But it's a great song."
Lewis admits she's sad that Oasis split up this year but understands how it could happen.
"At some point, the thing runs its course, and people want to do their own thing," she said.

Acoustic:

Lily Allen - I'm Outta Time
Lily Allen and Liam Gallagher seem to get along well (recently engaging in some drunken antics on a plane, but they've also been spotted leaving parties together too -- she has apparently known the Gallagher for a long time), and apparently she is an Oasis fan. She covered the Liam-penned tune on BBC1's Live Lounge in December 2009.

Liam Gallagher and the birds and the bees

2010-01-09T17:30:00.002-06:00

Funny video of Liam in 2009 discussing bees...he makes a wonderful analogy between the relationship between birds and bees and John Lennon and Paul McCartney. Very amusing! Per usual, he seems a little off his rocker.

Video of the Day - Oasis performing at King Tut's

2010-01-09T16:46:00.003-06:00

Youtube user DefinitelyOasisVideo has recently posted a video of Alan McGee discussing the night he discovered Oasis at King Tut's (apparently May 30, 1993).

Here it is below. Liam sounds amazing.

Noel's thoughts on Liam's talent

2009-12-29T23:04:00.006-06:00

Now that Oasis no longer has Noel Gallagher and Liam is leading the band on his own, it's interesting to look back on what Noel has said in the past about Liam's musical abilities. So here's a sampling of Noel speaking about Liam's singing, song writing, guitar playing, etc. The comments range from very positive to quite negative. I gave approximate dates for when the comments were made, they could be a year or two off.

2003- Noel on his brother's songwriting. It's about 3 minutes into the video. Mostly negative, but does say the songs that made it into Heathen Chemistry were "fantastic." He also talks about a "cringe-worthy" song Liam wrote that mentioned all the other titles of Oasis songs:

2002- Noel commenting on Liam's guitar playing (mostly neutral, really just shows how Noel loves to wind up Liam by ignoring him -- and you wonder why they don't get along!?):

2002 - Noel speaking about Liam's songwriting...or really just once again showing that he isn't very nice to Noel (pretty negative -- he wants him to stop writing):

1997 - Howard Stern interviewed Noel and asked him about Liam's contribution to the band. It's about 4 minutes in. Not very positive.

Return from hiatus...

2009-12-29T22:44:00.002-06:00

So much has happened since there the last post on this site. I'm going to try and just pickup from what's currently happening. Oh, and let's try and ignore the fact that THE BEST BAND IN THE WORLD BROKE UP. Oh well, at least we have Liam Gallagher and The Rest (well, minus Noel of course) can bang out some good tunes for "Oasis 2.0" (please let them come up with a better name!!).

Today's pop musicians take simplified approach to tough times

2009-12-29T22:34:00.002-06:00

Interesting article from Deutsche Welle about musicians and the economic/social climate's effect on their music:

Musicians have a long history of chronicling the eras they live in and tough times seem to inspire great creativity. Today, musicians seem to be taking the easy way out, but that may not make their music less meaningful.

Belts are being tightened everywhere. Record companies are looking for new business models in a bid to survive as consumers become more discerning about where they spend their precious disposable income. Like any business at this time, the music industry is suffering from anxiety.

But, financial implications for their livelihood aside, how are musicians reacting to this time of uncertainty and insecurity?

In an interview earlier this year, ex-Oasis guitarist Noel Gallagher said - with tongue planted firmly in cheek, one suspects - that he hoped that the current financial crisis would continue, so "a few more decent albums could come out of it." He said that times of social and economic upheaval and uncertainty usually inspired greater creativity from musicians and artists.

Music has a long history of cataloguing changing social trends, political uncertainty and global insecurity. Popular culture theorists are generally united on the thesis that hardship normally creates important music.

Creativity out of adversity

"Historically, artists make their best music - in hindsight - when they're struggling and when they're trying to find their voice," David Sanjek, professor of music and director of the Center for Popular Music at the University of Salford, told Deutsche Welle. "They're normally trying to find a way out of a hard social situation and are using that to inspire their music and lyrics, so Noel Gallagher's statement has an essence of truth about it."

Philip Kiszely, a cultural historian and lecturer for the theater and performance degree program at the University of Leeds, believes that, while hard times like the current global economic situation can inspire musicians to react and speak out about society's anxieties, times of prosperity can have a similar effect on creative output.

Punk bands from the late 1970s, like the Sex Pistols, emerged from a difficult period in British history, which included the Three-Day Week energy conservation measure and the trade union strikes during the Winter of Discontent, Kiszely told Deutsche Welle.

"But if you look back at the 60s, it's kind of the opposite," he added. "The Swinging London scene with the Beatles and Rolling Stones was all about fashion, privilege, and economic prosperity. In the 60s there was this feeling that things were happening, things were changing and you see that in the music that was created at that time. So music and lyrics were affected by the social climate, but in a very different way."

The 1980s were a more dramatic example the social context affecting musical and lyrical output, according to Kiszely.

"There was a real reaction on both sides of the Atlantic to a political swing to the right," he said. "Bands were getting politicized, not just along party lines but also in gender politics, and they were protesting against being shoe-horned into a wider, right-wing reactionary culture."

There was a very radical music scene in Europe and the US during the 80s, where the music and lyrics had a real connection to the socio-political situation of the time, he added.

Noughties fail to live up to previous decades

As for the current era of upheaval and uncertainty, Kiszely named British rock bands Arctic Monkey, Reverend and the Makers as "the most interesting contemporary bands in terms of reacting to the times and the social climate."

The Arctic Monkeys represent a new era in that they developed through MySpace. "Making it big without any real record company support is very 'now' but it also resonates with the past," said Kiszely. "Reverend and the Makers, meanwhile, really address current issues in their lyrics and engage on a level beyond the music."

Jon McClure, lead singer of both Reverend and the Makers, said he believes that musicians have a responsibility to chronicle the times they live in but he feels that the majority of contemporary artists are not living up to the politicized and socially-aware heroes of the past.

"We're in two wars, we see body bags coming home every single day, we're melting the ice caps, we're in one of the biggest financial crises the world has ever seen and we're seeing human rights abuses all over the planet - how can we, as artists and human beings, not comment on that?" he told Deutsche Welle.

If aliens came to earth and examined the cultural output of Western Europe and North America from the first decade of this century, they'd have a hard time finding evidence that there had even been a war in Iraq or that the financial system was corrupt and broken, said the singer.

"The job of art is to reflect the world around it and, in my mind, art has wholly failed the masses in the Noughties," said McClure. As for the music industry, he said there are currently more rappers than bands who are "articulating the times we're living in."

Finding meaning in simplicity

David Sanjek agrees that the musical output of the first decade of the 21st century may lack substance, but he argues that the reflection of our times may come not from the music's obvious message but from the meaning people attach to it.

"Audiences at times of social discontent don't always go in search of music which is addressing the issues of the time," he said. "In some cases we see people looking for music that isn't overtly political or ideological but finding meaning in it anyway.

"In ten years, we could look back and say that the music of our time was very popular but not very challenging - but it doesn't have to be challenging," he added. People are "choosing to spend their disposable income on music that makes them feel better."

Author: Nick Amies
Editor: Kate Bowen

RIP Michael Jackson 1958-2009

2009-06-27T14:48:00.006-05:00

I know I am not the only one who was devestated by the news of Michael Jackson's death. He passed away on Thursday at the age of 50. Even though he is physically gone from this world, his music, dance, and passion for entertaining will live forever.

I want to dedicate this song to Michael Jackson. It's one of my all-time favorites, and I feel it fits him so well. "We see things they'll never see/You and I are gonna live forever." I think this applies to Michael, especially the last twenty or so years of his life. Many people, especially the press, did not understand the King of Pop, and critisized his behaviour. While he may have been eccentric, and made some mistakes (I'm thinking the infamous dangling baby), I truely believe that he meant well and never hurt anyone. He simply wanted to create the fun childhood he so deserved, but never got to have due to his constant working and abusive father. A positive thing to come out of his tragic death is that he is finally at peace, probably playing at Neverland in the clouds above.

So I'm dedicating Live Forever by Oasis to the King of Pop, Michael Jackson:

Elvis Costello: Noel Gallagher is "deluded," not even a songwriter

2009-06-17T17:23:00.004-05:00

From The Telegraph, see the bold quotes for the Noel Gallagher part:

On a roof terrace overlooking Manhattan, an awning flaps lazily in the breeze. The man sitting underneath it is wearing sunglasses, as well he might given that a) the afternoon sun is unforgiving, even in the shade, and b) he is a rock star. Well, rock star up to a point. At 54, Elvis Costello is still leaping from genre to genre like a young pond frog spoilt for choice with waterlilies.

Having produced hit after New Wave hit in the late Seventies with his band The Attractions, he turned a little bit country in the early Eighties. After that came, in no particular order, recordings of jazz, swing and opera, as well as his innovative work with the Brodsky Quartet, a collaboration that is still going strong after 17 years.

Now he is back with Secret, Profane & Sugarcane, an album of bluegrass and traditional American country music, recorded in Nashville. It’s a beguiling collection. Appeals to the heart and the head. And lyrically it reminds you why Costello has been described as Britain’s answer to Bob Dylan – reminds you, indeed, why Dylan wanted to tour with him and why songwriters as great as Burt Bacharach and Paul McCartney have queued up to collaborate with him.

But this said, he is still a bona fide rock star and today he is dressed like one, in his black suit, black shirt and black tie – and his purple fedora and matching socks. The sunglasses could not be more rock star, in fact, big as they are with silver frames that contrast with his gingery sideburns and ’tache.

In conversation he is expansive and articulate, but easily sidetracked. And it is disconcerting talking to a man with whom you cannot make eye contact. ‘These?’ he says touching them. ‘I’m blind without them. They have prescription lenses in. Anyway, trust me, you don’t want to see what’s underneath them. I’ve only had three hours’ sleep.’

He and his wife, the multimillion-record-selling jazz pianist and singer Diana Krall, live mostly in Vancouver with their twin boys who are two-and-a-half years old. Is the lack of sleep because of them? ‘No, I’m just an early riser and yesterday I flew in from the West Coast so I’m still on West Coast time.’ His son from an earlier marriage – he’s been married three times – is 34. How is he finding being a father again at his age? ‘Wonderful. Being a father at any age is wonderful.’

Who do the twins take after? ‘Thankfully their mother. Light hair and light eyes. I see temperamental things that might be like me. They travel a lot for young children. They’ve just crossed the Canadian prairies on a tour bus with us and they will be here in New York in a few hours, and then my wife is going to Europe to do some television shows, so they will stay here with me while she does that. I have help of course, but it’s great. We can sit and watch football or read The Hungry Caterpillar.’

Krall was playing shows up until the seventh month of her pregnancy. She was also doing interviews; I know because I was one of the masochists who requested one. I bow to no man in my admiration for her music, but, boy, is she a scary person to interview. Break the ice with her and you find cold water.

Anyway, the point is, the twins have been listening to music since before they were born, and I ask Costello if he sings to them now. ‘No, and I don’t think they are all that keen on my songs. It’s Randy Newman they love because he wrote Toy Story. They know the score so they can say what action is happening when. Randy must have a great trick there to imprint that music in children that young.’

The twins, he tells me, by the way, think he looks like Mr Potato Head, or at least that the drawing of him on the sleeve of his new album does. For his own part, he describes himself as a combination of Cheeta, the elderly chimp from the Tarzan movies, and Liza Minnelli. ‘The dynamism of Liza,’ he adds, ‘with the hairiness and long arms of Cheeta.’

Oh, and another aside while we are at it; he was born Declan Patrick MacManus in London in 1954, the year Elvis cut his first record, and he has had his stage name since 1977, the year Elvis Presley died (the Costello part was taken from his great grandmother).

But back to his music. Does his 34-year-old son like it? He smiles a rare, gap-toothed smile. ‘You’d have to ask him. I think so yeah, but I can’t speak for him. I can speak for my wife because we are both musicians, so of course we influence each other in our musical choices, but as for him, I can’t really say. Up to a certain age you can say our life together is beautiful but then the child becomes a separate person with his own identity. I love them all and am proud of them all. And I often don’t feel deserving of the love I get back from them.’

His relationship with his own parents seems to have been equally healthy, even after their divorce in 1972. It was a musical family. His mother sold records, his father was a successful big-band singer and his grandfather a trumpeter, working the cruise ships. Does he ever look in the mirror now and ‘see’ his father looking back? ‘I see both my parents. My dad in some respect but also my mother. I look like both of them. I think we made some of the same choices. They worked hard to make sure I had a decent standard of living. And I’ve worked hard, every single day since I left school. I think I have a protestant work ethic.

‘Never sleep in the day. My mother doesn’t enjoy great health and I sometimes hear my dad’s voice in my own saying to her, “You should take a nap during the day”, but she won’t. I’m a bit like that. I haven’t taken a holiday in 16 years.’

In his case the not wanting to sleep during the day is to do with his insomnia. That said, he now points to a couple of sun loungers on the other side of the roof terrace and suggests that we could always go and have a lie down on them and carry on the interview there ‘side by side, like Eric and Ernie’. Elvis Costello, it seems, is in a playful mood. This isn’t always the case. He has a reputation as a serious man – serious about music, serious about politics, serious about the subject of Elvis Costello.

This is reflected in his physical paradox – he manages to convey an air of slovenly nonchalance and tightly coiled energy. And it occurs to me that his reputation for reticence and being difficult may be something to do with his manner and voice. He is a mumbler. As it competes with the breeze, the traffic and the sirens below, his voice becomes so whispery, I worry it won’t pick up on my tape. He shields the recorder with his hat. ‘See? The hat has two purposes, shields my head and shields your mic.’

His whispery speaking voice is in contrast to his singing voice, which has extraordinary range and power. We had originally been scheduled to do this interview when he was over on a visit to London, but then he decided he would have to rest his voice that afternoon and when I heard the concert at the Barbican that evening, I could see why.

‘You do have to be a bit careful with your voice,’ he says now. ‘It is an instrument. I think when you know the songs, your voice works around them, finds the slots with more ease, but you need to know how to pace yourself because we were doing 10 new arrangements in that show. I try to find the character for each song and I wasn’t sure how much vocal stamina it would take to follow one from the other. It seemed to hold out OK.’

The Barbican audience that night was warm, with many standing ovations; he was in a friendly mood, too, with much good humoured banter. Was this, I ask, a case of him making amends for the comment he made in 2005 that, in effect, he had fallen out of love with England? ‘I don’t care if I ever play in England again,’ he said at the time.‘I don’t get along with it. We lost touch. I don’t dig it. They don’t dig me.’ He shakes his head.

‘That was a mischievous sub-editor taking a quote out of context. I was opening for Bob Dylan and was just coming off stage and I was saying that, compared to America, I feel like I don’t connect any more in Britain. My mother rang up and said: “Did you say you hate England?” You can scour that interview and you won’t find that quote. Then the broadsheets pitched in with arts page editorials about what it all meant. I mean, if I’d known that was all I had to do to get publicity I would have said goodbye to England earlier.’

It’s not the first time he’s been taken out of context. At the end of the Seventies, details of a drunken argument in a Holiday Inn in Ohio were leaked. Having apparently described the soul legend James Brown as ‘a jiveass nigger’, and Ray Charles as ‘a blind, ignorant nigger,’ he woke up with a hangover and called a press conference in New York to apologise.

‘I said some stupid things and can’t blame anyone but myself,’ he says now. ‘I hope I have made amends now and anyone who has followed my career will know I am not racist and cannot doubt my respect and admiration for black singers. But the English thing I didn’t even say. I don’t know whether any one noticed, but I haven’t been in England for 20 years. I moved to Ireland 20 years ago and now I am mainly in Vancouver. But ultimately…’ A shrug. ‘I didn’t get into this business to be loved.’

But loved he is. Besides T Bone Burnett, Elvis Costello has worked with, among others, Bacharach, Brian Eno, McCartney. It’s often said he’s the Kevin Bacon of the music world, connected to everyone and everyone connected through him. ‘I don’t feel I went looking for them, though. Most of the major collaborations came to me. I didn’t go knocking on Paul McCartney’s door.’

Sounds like a cue for a Wings song. ‘Exactly. It’s funny but with Wings, Paul didn’t refer to the musical language of the Beatles at all, he wouldn’t even make passing reference to their harmonic cadences, what he did instead was create another highly original sound. But by the time our collaboration occurred I thought his reluctance to refer to the Beatles was perverse, because everyone else was ripping the Beatles off.’

And as McCartney once said, ‘I think I can do Paul McCartney better than Noel Gallagher can do Paul McCartney’. He nods. ‘Well Noel is deluded about a lot of things, most obviously that he is a songwriter at all. That he even brackets himself in the same sentence as Paul is laughable. You have to keep these boys in line! None of us are Irving Berlin or Burt Bacharach, you know. I sat at the side of the stage recently watching Burt sing Alfie and it was magical.’

He had been a member of the Beatles fan club as a child, so working with McCartney must have been daunting enough, but to work with Bacharach must have been… well, what? ‘We worked section-by-section, phrase-by-phrase, both composing, answering one another, it was a fairly extraordinary thing for him to allow me to do – after all, he doesn’t exactly need to collaborate at this stage in his career.

‘It’s probably what appealed to him. Having a dialogue in music. With him it was a case of finding the lyrics that would confer the meaning of the music that was already in the song. It was so vivid to me.’

Yet this is not the collaboration of which he is most proud – that would be his work with the country singer George Jones. ‘In 1981 I had not a writer’s block exactly but an impasse because I had done five albums and I felt I was no longer saying what I was feeling, so I used other people’s songs and that became the country album Almost Blue.’

To his fans, was that like Dylan going electric? ‘I don’t think it was that big a deal. We joked about it and put on the album – “Warning! This album contains country and western music and may offend narrow-minded listeners.” I didn’t have people heckling but even if they had at least that would have shown they cared.’

He sips his coffee. In his youth he was a legendary drinker. It is just coffee these days. No hard liquor. Did it get in the way? ‘Not so much that really, I just drank my share and it was enough.’

But is it true he split from the Attractions because of arguments fuelled by drugs and alcohol? ‘We just had our time, I think. We thought, “let’s go and do some other things independently.” In the end we were copying ourselves. Self parody. Other people were doing it just as well as us.’

There is something endearingly Eeyorish about Elvis Costello. At one point I find myself in the bizarre position of defending one of his songs, to him – Every Day I Write the Book. ‘It was OK,’ he says begrudgingly. OK! I say. It was the soundtrack to the summer of 1983! ‘I like singing it now, but I don’t much care for the record.’

So the layers of personal meaning and association that the listener brings to it count for nothing? ‘That is to confuse quality with nostalgia. Certain songs have indisputable quality such as I’m Gonna Make You Love Me by the Temptations. Objectively that is a great record with five great vocal performances on it. But the records that were the hits were not always the best songs, they were just the ones the labels put out which caught the mood of the time.’

He even manages to downplay Barack Obama’s request that he be the bandleader at his inauguration. ‘I’ve not met him. My wife has and says he’s very charming. He sent his regards to me, which was nice of him. You’d think he would have too much on his plate to bother with a pop singer.’

The Clintons were fans, too, naming their daughter after the Elvis Costello song (I Don’t Want to Go To) Chelsea. ‘I think Bill is more a fan of my wife,’ he says. Even so, last year, Costello hosted Spectacle, a chat show series on Channel 4, and proved an able interviewer, his skills honed from standing in for David Letterman.

Guests ranged from Lou Reed, Smokey Robinson, Herbie Hancock, Elton John and Tony Bennett… to Bill Clinton. ‘That Bill took an hour out of his time when his wife was running for president to come on was good of him. That was only the second interview I did. It was bad enough trying to remember the technical stuff, like which camera to look at, without having to think of coherent questions.’

Another week featured what was probably the last television performance by the Police before they disbanded, again. ‘With them it was a case of let’s have some banter with these three guys who after tomorrow night are probably not going to see each other again for a very long time. I had been on the road with them and knew there had been this begrudging tolerance of each other.’

Costello was known as an acerbic songwriter in his early years, as well as a thorny personality. I ask what he makes of the perception that he was an angry young man who mellowed. ‘I don’t think there is any mileage in that. I just think it is a safe thing to say. A safe guess. Mellow about what?’ One thinks of the energy of his early music. Oliver’s Army. Pump it Up.

‘You saw that concert at Barbican, there was a lot of energy in that. A 23 year-old couldn’t have done that.’

What about the anger of the lyrics of Tramp the Dirt Down, in which he looked forward to the death of Baroness Thatcher. ‘Well that was much later. To people who say I have lost the fire of some of my early commentary, I say there are many ways to express things. Shipbuilding is not a ranting song, it is melancholy.

‘The River in Reverse, the song I wrote about [Hurricane] Katrina, wasn’t a pious song, that was an angry song about the lack of care for the victims.’

Besides, often his songs were about love and betrayal. Of The Crooked Line, one of the songs on his new album, he says that it is the first time he has written about fidelity in an unironic way. ‘I think when I was younger I was not very good at writing love songs that didn’t have a twist. You know, Smokey Robinson writes the heartfelt songs, whereas it was my job to write the songs about weakness and failure in love.’

He says it took a long time to admit that it was love with Krall, not just musical empathy. He believed they could be friends and collaborators. ‘Then something happens that you can’t control and I’ve never felt better in my life.’

So The Crooked Line is about finding love and happiness after two unsuccessful marriages? ‘Actually, it was written for someone else to sing. Imagining a much longer relationship to reach a peaceful place. If I was going to write something that personal it would be in the song, I wouldn’t need to explain it. Maybe none of my songs are directly from my own life.’ Note the ‘maybe’. Costello is always careful in his use of words.

This Day in Oasis History: Liam vs. Mick Hucknall

2009-06-09T17:54:00.005-05:00

In 1998 Liam Gallagher got in yet another fight. A story from the Daily Star about it is below. More recently Noel also responded to Mick when he used the same insult against the Gallagher brothers. The NME story about Noel's response is below the Daily Star article.

Liam is Hucked Out
LEE HARPIN and JACQUI SWIFT

LIAM GALLAGHER will be barred from ever drinking again at London's exclusive Metropolitan Hotel - following his fracas with Simply Red frontman Mick Hucknall. The yobbo singer is now deemed too unruly to be allowed inside the celebrity drinking joint after brawling with Hucknall and also threatening other hotel guests. Liam, 25 - who was joined at The Met Bar by his brother Paul and a crew of other pals - steamed into the Simply Red star after he was quoted in a magazine saying Oasis were an embarrassment to Mancunians.

Manchester-born Mick had also hit out at Liam's brother Noel in the interview describing him as "a bit of a dickhead." Last night an official spokesperson at the London Met Bar attempted to play down reports of a row between the two Manchester pop stars insisting: "We know nothing and we've got no comment to make either."

But another well-placed source employed at the Metropolitan Hotel said:"All the talk yesterday was that Liam Gallagher should now be barred from drinking here again."

The Daily Star can now also reveal that Oasis lout Liam has got himself banned from at least another TWO bars in his Manchester hometown because of his row with Mick Hucknall.

A spokesperson for the city's trendy Dry Bar last night insisted: "Liam wouldn't be welcome here."

At the nearby Barca Bar - into which Mick Hucknall invested money - a spokesperson said: "Liam is barred from here."

Last year the Oasis frontman got himself banned from London's media watering hole the Groucho Club after causing £5000 damage in a snooker room.

************

Oasis' Noel Gallagher slams Mick Hucknall after Manchester comment
Oasis

Noel says Mick’s comments are 'irrelevant'

* Nov 22, 2008

Oasis' Noel Gallagher has responded to comments made by Simply Red's Mick Hucknall about Manchester, saying his opinion is "irrelevant".

In an interview Hucknall had referred to comedian Harry Enfield's TV sketch in which actress Kathy Burke visits the city, home of Liam and Noel Gallagher, and comes back with a Liam-esque swagger. He suggested that the band had contributed to people holding negative stereotypes of Mancunians.

Noel delivered an open letter to The Sun, slamming Hucknall.

"You still going?" he wrote. "The last time I heard of you, Fanta-pants, you were getting slung out of Knebworth for being shit and fat. What you have to say about Manchester and its righteous natives is irrelevant as you are from Warrington."

Noel and Liam are set to carry boxer Ricky Hatton’s belts to the ring tonight (November 22) in Las Vegas before he fights Paulie Malignaggi.

Pro Shot clips of Oasis in Heaton Park - Power cuts, ticket refunds, and more!

2009-06-07T18:34:00.002-05:00

North West news segment on the Thursday Oasis gig in Manchester:

Oasis Live in Heaton Park - Wow!

2009-06-05T18:32:00.005-05:00

"All this confusion, am I confusing you?"

What a start to Oasis' UK summer stadium tour! After having to stop the show twice due to a blown generator, Noel said it would be a free gig. Despite the technical problems, the Gallagher brothers and crew rolled with it, and continued the show, even going past the 11 pm curfew. Noel later regretted the offering a refund for everyone with tickets, telling the audience to ask for a refund if you're a c***.

Added to the setlist were some amazing songs! Live Forever, My Big Mouth, Roll With It, and Half the World Away!! The only song dropped was Ain't Got Nothin'.

Fans unhappy with the show can indeed get a refund, there is a form to fill out on the band's official website to send in to get your money back. Most reviews have been stellar though, so hopefully the Gallagher's wont end up shelling out the entire $5 million worth of tickets they sold to the gig!

But remember there are still two Manchester gigs left, let's hope this weekend doesn't include anymore technical failures!

Here's another video of the power cut. It happened coincidentally happened at a time that the audience just thought the song had ended!

New Liam Gallagher Song: Man of Misery and Pretty Green Launch

2009-06-02T19:23:00.005-05:00

This is a big week for Liam Gallagher. His new clothing line Pretty Green launches on Thursday, June 4 and also that day Oasis begins their UK stadium arena tours with a gig in Heaton Park in their hometown of Manchester. A new Liam Gallagher song "Man of Misery" can also be heard in some of the preview videos for the new clothing range. Watch the video below to see a behind-the-scenes look at Liam's work.

New Beatles museum opens in Hamburg

2009-05-30T23:10:00.002-05:00

From the Times:

Hamburg, hit by declining tourism figures, is calling on the Beatles to ease it through the crisis. Or, as the Fab Four would have put it: Help!

“John Lennon used to say that he was born in Liverpool but grew up in Hamburg,” says Ulf Krueger who has been pushing the port to brand itself as a Beatles city for more than 20 years.

The moment has come: a five-storey Beatles museum, complete with a life sized model of the Yellow Submarine and a mock-up of the Hamburg clubs where they played, was opened today to a Ringo Starr-like drum roll.

Around the corner, a square has been renamed Beatles Platz, shaped like a gramophone record, with John, Paul, George, Ringo in stainless steel — and a fifth Beatle, who could be either the sacked drummer Pete Best or the bassist, Stu Sutcliffe.

From Beatles Platz there are now Beatles tours that take visitors around all the grubby corners of the Reeperbahn, Hamburg’s Red Light district, where the group played and partied before becoming famous.

But does Hamburg know what it is letting itself in for? Recreating the group’s life in the north German city might be a little too strong for sensitive 21st-century tourists.

“They were like five wild animals in those days,” recalled Horst Fascher, who was a manager and bouncer at the Star Club and the Top Ten where the Beatles astonished the Germans with their innovative pop. “They didn’t really know how to live away from home — they didn’t know how to go out to a restaurant or wash their clothes.”

The bulky, bearded Mr Fascher — speaking at an opening-night party attended by transvestite bar owners and a scarred man reputed to be the main pimp on the Reeperbahn — said that his mother had saved the band, cooking them stew and doing their laundry.

Lennon, Mr Fascher remembers, used to urinate out of the window of his mother’s apartment on to the street below. It is not clear whether this will part of the Beatles Experience.

The Beatles came to Hamburg in the summer of 1960, earning more than in Liverpool but under the toughest of conditions: 48 nights in a row playing four-and-a-half-hour straight sets on weekdays, six on weekends. They lived in a cinema storage room in two bunk-beds, next to the womens’ lavatory. They had to use the water from the bowl to wash and shave.

“It was a pig-sty,” wrote Lennon later.

When they moved on from the Indra club, the impresario denounced George Harrison to the police — he was 17 and therefore not allowed to work — and he was deported. In protest Paul McCartney and Best nailed a condom to the wall of their room and set it on fire. They, too, were arrested and deported.

However, Hamburg was formative. The Beatles grew up — mixing with strippers and gangsters, coshed by one manager’s strongarm boys after destroying an amplifier — and learnt to play together in front of large crowds. The Star Club could accommodate 2,000 people, most of them Reeperbahn low-life.

They were told to move around on stage and they could improvise as never before, Lennon appearing dressed only in his underwear and a lavatory seat, or mimicking a Hitler toothbrush moustache. Pete Best was replaced by Ringo Starr, who was playing in another Hamburg club. And Stu Sutcliffe fell in love with a photographer, Astrid Kirchherr, and stayed on to study in a Hamburg art college before dying of a brain clot.

It was Ms Kirchherr who became the German muse of the Beatles, taking atmospheric black-and-white photographs of them, getting her mother to arrange stay-awake Preludin drugs for the band and, according to legend, persuading them to have their hair cut in moptops.

“Her then boyfriend Klaus Voormann borrowed the idea of a floppy hairstyle from the French Existentialists,” said Ulf Krüger, who acts as Ms Kirchherr’s agent and manager, “and since Klaus’s ears stuck out she advised him to let the hair grow over the sides. Then Stu wanted it, then George Harrison.”

That became one of the Beatles early trademarks and one floor of the new museum, packed with Beatles kitsch, has a place of honour for moptop wigs.

Ms Kirchherr, now 71, was at the opening yesterday in the building that used to house the Erotic Arts Museum, but was saying nothing about the stormy 1960s. And Klaus Voormann, who went on to play sideman with Lennon on the album Imagine, let his pictures speak for themselves. In a series of oils and sketches he shows Lennon asleep face down in a plate of bacon and eggs, Harrison in his police cell and McCartney picking up his pep pills from Rosa the lavatory attendant. Those were the days.

The great bulk of tourists to Hamburg are from Britain, many of them now put off by the weak pound. And the Reeperbahn is no longer the draw it once was for stag parties: sado-masochistic clubs are being converted into harmless chill-out clubs and respectable hotels are replacing the brothels. Now the hope is that the Beatles will act as a magnet for those who are still nostalgic for the 1960s.

“It was time that Hamburg paid tribute to this talented band,” said Ole von Beust, the Mayor of Hamburg, who nonetheless stayed away from the opening party. Which was perhaps just as well: shortly before the museum threw open its doors, police arrested a suspected fugitive kidnapper, described as the most-wanted man in Germany, in a Reeperbahn side street.

John Lennon would have relished the spectacle and it is a safe bet that he would have been yelling at the police.

Complete list of xfm's 100 Best British Songs

2009-05-30T14:11:00.004-05:00

Below is the full list of the results of xfm's poll of the 100 Best British Songs. First, here's a sampling of how different artists did on the list:

Oasis: 9
Muse: 7
The Rolling Stones: 6
The Stones Roses: 6
The Beatles: 5 (6 if you include John Lennon's solo work)
The Jam: 5 (6 if you include Paul Weller's solo work)
Radiohead: 5
David Bowie: 4
The Who: 4
Blur: 4
The Kinks: 3
Coldplay: 3
The Verve: 2
The Libertines: 2
The Smiths: 2
The Clash: 2
The Sex Pistols: 2
Arctic Monkeys: 2

I'm surprised by how many Muse songs made the cut, and that The Who, David Bowie, and the Beatles didn't do better.

The List:
1. Oasis - Live Forever
2. Oasis - Don't Look Back In Anger
3. Oasis - Wonderwall
4. The Stone Roses - I Am The Resurrection
5. Joy Division - Love Will Tear Us Apart
6. The Verve - Bitter Sweet Symphony
7. The Who - My Generation
8. Arctic Monkeys - I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor
9. The Clash - London Calling
10. Oasis - Champagne Supernova
11. The Smiths - There Is A Light That Never Goes Out
12. Muse - Knights Of Cydonia
13. Pulp - Common People
14. The Rolling Stones - Gimme Shelter
15. Blur - Song 2
16. The Kinks - Waterloo Sunset
17. The Jam - A Town Called Malice
18. The Beatles - Hey Jude
19. The Rolling Stones - Sympathy For The Devil
20. The Stone Roses - Fool's Gold
21. Blur - Parklife
22. David Bowie - Life On Mars
23. The Smiths - This Charming Man
24. The Stone Roses - I Wanna Be Adored
25. Radiohead - Paranoid Android
26. The Jam - Going Underground
27. Kaiser Chiefs - I Predict A Riot
28. Radiohead - Creep
29. Muse - Plug In Baby
30. Elbow - One Day Like This
31. The Beatles - Come Together
32. The Rolling Stones - Paint It, Black
33. The Who - Baba O'Riley
34. Manic Street Preachers - Motorcycle Emptiness
35. Muse - Time Is Running Out
36. Coldplay - Yellow
37. Manic Street Preachers - A Design For Life
38. New Order - Blue Monday
39. John Lennon - Instant Karma!
40. Muse - Hysteria
41. Oasis - Supersonic
42. The Libertines - Can't Stand Me Now
43. Snow Patrol - Run
44. The Who - Won't Get Fooled Again
45. David Bowie - "Heroes"
46. Franz Ferdinand - Take Me Out
47. Sex Pistols - God Save The Queen
48. The Undertones - Teenage Kicks
49. David Bowie - Jean Genie
50. The Libertines - Don't Look Back Into The Sun
51. Led Zeppelin - Whole Lotta Love
52. Stereophonics - Dakota
53. The Jam - That's Entertainment
54. Oasis - Cigarettes And Alcohol
55. Radiohead - Fake Plastic Trees
56. Muse - Supermassive Black Hole
57. The Beatles - All You Need Is Love
58. Sex Pistols - Anarchy In The UK
59. Muse - Starlight
60. Snow Patrol - Chasing Cars
61. Oasis - The Masterplan
62. Massive Attack - Unfinished Sympathy
63. Muse - Feeling Good
64. The Specials - Ghost Town
65. Ash - Girl From Mars
66. The Stone Roses - She Bangs The Drums
67. The Who - Who Are You
68. Oasis - Slide Away
69. The Clash - Should I Stay Or Should I Go?
70. Coldplay - Viva La Vida
71. Arctic Monkeys - When The Sun Goes Down
72. Oasis - Rock 'N' Roll Star
73. The Jam - Down In The Tube Station At Midnight
74. Primal Scream - Rocks
75. Buzzcocks - Ever Fallen In Love With Someone...
76. Ocean Colour Scene - The Riverboat Song
77. Primal Scream - Loaded
78. The Beatles - Revolution
79. The Cure - Close To Me
80. The Kinks - Lola
81. Feeder - Just A Day
82. Coldplay - Clocks
83. David Bowie - Space Oddity
84. The Verve - The Drugs Don't Work
85. Blur - The Universal
86. Feeder - Buck Rogers
87. The Rolling Stones - (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction
88. The Beatles - Strawberry Fields Forever
89. Radiohead - Karma Police
90. Pink Floyd - Another Brick In The Wall Part 2
91. The Stone Roses - Made Of Stone
92. Blur - Country House
93. Stereophonics - Pick A Part That’s New
94. The Rolling Stones - Brown Sugar
95. Radiohead - High And Dry
96. The Jam - Eton Rifles
97. The Rolling Stones - Ruby Tuesday
98. The Stone Roses - Waterfall
99. Paul Weller - You Do Something To Me
100. The Kinks - You Really Got Me

New York Magazine: Liam Gallagher, the Most Quotable Person Alive

2009-05-30T12:06:00.003-05:00

Quotes from New York Magazine's website:

"I'm right into the Blur reunion, 'cos it'll finish off the Kaiser Chiefs and put them to bed. There's nothing worse than a shit Blur. And at least the original shit Blur are back to finish off all these other shit Blurs. I'm bang into the Blur reunion." —Liam Gallagher seems to be happy to have his old rivals back in the mix [Contact Music]

"I've been going because I had the experience of having this private thing suddenly dragged out into the public, and have people I don't know take a vote. It was a very angry-making feeling both in November when it was taken away from me and also this past Tuesday when I was sitting in front of my television wondering, 'Gee, I hope it's OK the Supreme Court thinks I'm married.' Excuse me, it's none of your business." —David Hyde Pierce on Prop 8 [View via E]

"I am like, literally, shitting my pants." —Diane Kruger's unfortunate reaction to being in Inglourious Basterds [Guardian UK]

"I can't stop seeing the choreography when I hear it. My foot just starts doing the steps. It's so embarrassing. I don't want people to think I'm dancing to my own song, but I can't help it." —Beyoncé can't stop dancing to her own tune, "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" [Contact Music]

"I got to see what the world would look like if there were no people. This planet has rejuvenated itself over and over again. Its species are just witnesses. [Earth] is going to reclaim itself once it tires of us. And all that will be left are the bones." —Seth Green on what he learned while traveling to Tanzania, Dubai, Thailand, Palau, Micronesia [HuffPo]

"She's either very silly or very clever. She is definitely some kind of monster." —British rockers Kasabian on Lady GaGa [Contact Music]

Meg Matthews getting married again...and starting a rock n roll wallpaper range?!

2009-05-25T20:09:00.001-05:00

From the Sun:

I NEVER thought celebs could stoop any lower than when ANTHEA TURNER and GRANT BOVEY used their wedding to promote Cadbury’s Flake.

But MEG MATHEWS the one-time wife of OASIS star NOEL GALLAGHER, has gone one worse.

Meg is getting hitched again next spring — and is announcing a rock ’n’ roll wallpaper range while she’s at it.

Here’s a snippet of the toe-curling Press release: “Meg is available for interviews in relation to her engagement ... as well as the launch of her new Love Meg wallpaper range.

“The wedding is scheduled for spring 2010 and invited guests are likely to include friends such as KATE MOSS, SADIE FROST and STELLA McCARTNEY.

“Anais, Meg’s daughter with Noel Gallagher, will be chief flower girl at the ceremony.”

So not only is she hawking her wallpaper, she’s also using famous pals and rock spawn to be sure we all know she has famous connections.

I’m going to get some of that wallpaper.

My cellar needs a bit of a facelift.Me

Oasis' Live Forever named as best British song

2009-05-25T12:31:00.003-05:00

Note: This is from the Coventry Telegraph, but right now I'm a little confused as I am listening to Xfm's countdown of the Best British Songs, and #3 was Wonderwall, and Don't Look Back in Anger is currently playing and is #2. So there might be some type of mix up in this article!

OASIS claimed the top three positions in a poll of the best British songs of all time today.

Live Forever came in at number one, followed by Wonderwall and Don't Look Back In Anger.

A fourth Oasis song, Champagne Supernova, also made it into the top 10.

The poll was voted for by several thousand Xfm listeners.

Paul Jackson, group programming director for The Xfm Network said: "Oasis undoubtedly has one of the most significant catalogues of all time."

The survey was dominated by the North of England, with the Stone Roses, The Verve, Joy Division and the Arctic Monkeys riding high as well as Oasis.

Here are the top 10 best British songs, according to the survey:
1. Live Forever - Oasis
2. Wonderwall - Oasis
3. Don't Look Back In Anger - Oasis
4. I Am the Resurrection - Stone Roses
5. Love Will Tear Us Apart - Joy Division
6. Bitter Sweet Symphony - The Verve
7. My Generation - The Who
8. I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor - Arctic Monkeys
9. London Calling - The Clash
10. Champagne Supernova - Oasis

Oasis is more than Wonderwall

2009-05-23T16:52:00.002-05:00

An article highlighting some of Oasis' best songs for those who aren't familiar with the band:

Beyond Wonderwall: The Best of Oasis

Special Oasis Deal on iTunes

2009-05-08T17:42:00.003-05:00

On the main iTunes music page there is a link to an Oasis page that is selling Dig Out Your Soul for only $7.99 for a limited time. It actually looks like most of Oasis' studio albums are only $7.99. Good deal! You can also get Noel's acoustic gig album The Dreams We Have As Children.

The Oasis page also has a link to Noel's celebrity playlist, where he gets to create a playlist of some of his favorite songs. There's no Beatles on there of course because The Beatles are not currently available on iTunes. But Noel did pick other artists' songs, including Pink Floyd, The Doors, and the King himself, Elvis.

Noel Gallagher on Peter Green TV Special Tonight

2009-05-08T07:15:00.001-05:00

From The Sentinel:

Peter Green: Man Of The World BBC4, 9.30pm

LEGENDARY blues guitarist BB King has named Peter Green as one of the greatest exponents of the blues. If Peter Green had only written Black Magic Woman, his name would forever have a place in blues rock history.

Now, after years battling mental illness, Peter Green is writing and recording again. Man Of The World features archive performances and interviews with Carlos Santana, Noel Gallagher, founding members of Fleetwood Mac and Peter Green himself, telling the story of one of blues rock's living legends.

Noel Gallagher's Acoustic Album on iTunes Chart

2009-05-06T21:34:00.003-05:00

The Dreams We Have as Children is currently the #10 best selling album on US iTunes. It is currently the #3 best selling alternative album on US iTunes.

The Dreams We Have As Children #5 Alternative Album on iTunes

2009-05-06T07:19:00.003-05:00

Noel Gallagher's acoustic gig album is currently charting at #5 on the Alternative Albums chart on iTunes.

Noel Gallagher Live Acoustic Album Now Available on US iTunes!

2009-05-05T21:36:00.007-05:00

The Dreams We Have as Children, the album recording of Noel Gallagher's performance at London's Royal Albert Hall on March 27, 2007. It was released earlier this year in the UK through free downloads and newspaper give-aways, but this is the first time it is legally available in the US.

I highly recommend the album, it is pure magic. To download it from iTunes, you can go to this link: http://tinyurl.com/TDWHACUSA or simply search for it under the name of the album or "Noel Gallagher."

He performs a mix of Oasis classics and covers of bands like The Smiths, The Jam, and of course, The Beatles.

Outtakes from Q Magazine's Interview with Noel Gallagher

2009-04-28T22:58:00.002-05:00

Click here to visit Q's mini-Noel site. It has pictures, behind-the-scenes video, and more.

In this month’s Q cover feature, Oasis’s Noel Gallagher holds forth on subjects many and varied. So much did the great man say, we didn’t have room for it all in the magazine. Here, then, are further words of wisdom – and inevitable Liam abuse – from The Chief.

Noel on .... the cancellation of Oasis's planned first visit to China …
“I got a phone call saying we couldn’t go because I’d done that New York thing in 1997. For a good 15 minutes, I had no idea what they were talking about… I had no recollection of doing it. It was U2, Radiohead, Beastie Boys, a Tibetan concert in America. Sounds like a good gig! Anyway, I’d done some interviews on the day and the People’s Ministry Of Cultural Affairs had got hold of it… And they think now that I’m some kind of Tibetan trouble causer. Fucking outrageous. It’s a f***er for all the people who’ve bought tickets for the gigs, because how are they gonna their money back? It’s staggering, though. Those Communists have got long memories. You don’t f*** with ’em.”

Noel on ... being a rock star
“I do enjoy it, yeah, it’s good. It’s important that the rock star thing, whatever that is, it gives kids that are starting off… It still gives them that, That’s what I wanna do. When you’re 13, you don’t want to be playing your guitar and looking at Sid Vicious. Who wants to be Sid Vicious? Who the fuck wants to be that fucked up on smack. Even the Stone Roses, they were a bit intense about it. They never really looked like they were having a laugh.

Now, the Mondays looked like they were having a good time. I’m glad we made it look like the best gig in the world, because it is. The guys from Kasabian… They told me that all that really kept them going at school was reading the papers, and seeing that Liam had been arrested or I’d said this or that. They said, We used to see you falling out of nightclubs and it was like, That’s it – that’s where we’ve got to be. It’s amazing to think, when we did those gigs in 1997 at Earl’s Court with The Verve, Tom and Serge were in the crowd. Their Mom and Dad had driven them to London and dropped them off. It blew my mind – it happened for them.”

Noel on ... the rest of the band
“Gem and Andy came late, but fuck me, it was like the cavalry riding over the hill. Gem’s like me, he works backwards from the band. Me and him, I guess more than Liam and Andy, would drive it along at all costs because we know how to do it; we know how to find drummers when we need one, we know how to rehearse the band. Liam… He’s constantly thinking about what shoes to buy. Or developing new techniques of how to balance that f***ing tambourine on his head. Great, off you go.

“Andy? Don’t know. I think he sees himself as a bit of a Bill Wyman character. Sometimes I look at him onstage and think, He’s actually doing less than Duffy does. If I didn’t actually hear a sound coming out of the bass, I’d think that one of Kraftwerk had put one of their robots there. Is he actually moving? I’ll walk across the stage to him and he’ll go, What a gig! F***ing hell, man, you need a rocket up your arse.”

Noel on ... popular culture now
Do you know when people say you’re a product of your parents? I think that’s true to a certain extent, but you’re also a product of the times. The times shape so much. The times now are a bit weird because of the internet and all that – there doesn’t seem to be one prevailing thing. Back in the ’70s and ’80s, there were three channels on the telly, so you had all these shared experiences. There was a massive shared experience of Fawlty Towers, or Are You Being Served?, and everything was available to everbody else. There was no Sky, no laptops or any of that shit. There was radio, TV and the news.

“Who watches the news now? I do, I watch it a lot. But kids don’t, because there’s other things to be doing – like trying to f*** that goblin up the arse with a laser beam on that game your Mam bought you. You can switch off now and become so desensitised to everything. You can choose to put the TV on and escape into Jamie Oliver’s f***ing kitchen, where he skins a midget chicken and makes the best risotto that has ever been. So f***ing what?

“On the face of it, it’s probably for the best, because now everybody seems to live a better life – they can afford a plasma screen, an iPod, a car on credit, which is why we’ve got into the mess we’re in now.”

Noel on ... his fondness for Speaker's Corner
“I only live round the corner from it, go there all the time. It’s f***ing mental. It’s almost like a freakshow. When I first came to London, it was one of the first places I went to, because I’d read about it at school. It was where they denounced communism and fascism, f***ing brilliant. Now, it’s idiots up there talking about… And this is true, there was a guy trying to stop people birdwatching because it’s infringing on birds’ rights. Birds rights! And there was a group of people of stood round giving this guy the time of day.”

Noel on ... his lyrics
“I’d love to be like Morrissey… But who wants to listen to a song about how sad you are? Who wants to listen to a song about how much you love your girlfriend? I look at the big picture. If I can write great lyrics, brilliant, but it’s not something that I ever worry about.

“The words are just part of the ingredients. They don’t fall out of the sky easily for me, I must say. They’re a real pain in the arse for me. If I were a lyric writer, like Elliott Smith, f*** me, I’d have had 28 albums out by now. I can write music and melody and arrangements for fun, but the words always slow everything down.”

Noel on ... what he still wants to achieve
“We’re not a band that sets ourselves goals, or I’m not. In hindsight, it would have been nice to have had a Number One in America, so people would stop f***ing going on about us not cracking America. I’d still like to be here in five years' time. Stay vaguely slim.”

Noel on ... getting older
“When you have your photograph taken as much as one does, and you see… Like, there was a picture of me on The Sunday Times cover recently that was taken five years ago, and you just look older. It is a cliché and all that, but I’m 42 this year, my bones already feel like they’re 52, but upstairs I’m at ease. I can’t really wait to get to the f***ing end of it. I don’t mean dead, I’m in it for the long run… But I look at Neil Young and think, I can’t f***ing wait to be you. That f***er blows me away every time I see him.

“But I’m lucky in a way. Even if it was all to end in a bizarre gardening accident tomorrow, I’ve lived. So I’m not getting older thinking that my time is slipping away. I will look back on my life at some point, I’ll be forced to, and fucking hell man, what a gig. So I’m really cool with it… I’m not here cos of my startling good looks, d’you know what I mean? That kind of thing doesn’t mean anything to me.

“Saying that, I’m the oldest person I know who’s yet to start dyeing his hair. Virtually everybody that I know gets the old Grecian 2000 out. So I’m doing alright. And anyway, I think of it in these terms – I’ll never be as old as Paul Weller. As long as he’s going, you can’t touch me.”

Gallagher brothers see an increase in their wealth according to the Sunday Times 2009 Rich List

2009-04-23T19:41:00.002-05:00

An article from the Times (UK) also says Dhani Harrison is the richest young musician:

Simon Cowell, Andrew Lloyd Webber and the producer of the Mamma Mia musical are some of only a handful of music millionaires to have weathered the economic storm and protected their wealth this year.

While most performers and producers have seen their fortunes nosedive by more than ten per cent, a select handful have escaped the worst of the recession, figures from the 2009 Sunday Times Rich List show.

Poorly performing investments and the slump in property prices have led to huge estimated losses, with Sir Elton John’s value down 26 per cent, Sir Tom Jones down 24 per cent, and Simon Fuller, the music mogul behind Pop Idol down 33 per cent.

Of the top 50 music millionaires only seven have avoided losing a chunk of their wealth, with only three - Cowell, the Gallagher brothers, and Judy Craymer, the Mamma Mia producer - posting an increase.

Craymer, whose Abba stage show and film have grossed more than $2.5 billion worldwide, increased her fortune by 29 per cent to £75 million, according to the Rich List.

Mamma Mia, starring Meryl Streep, is the biggest grossing film of all time in the United Kingdom, ahead of Titanic and the Harry Potter series. The DVD was also the fastest selling this country has ever seen, with an estimated one in four households owning a copy.

Philip Beresford, the Rich List compiler, said: “Some people think she might be worth more than £100 million, but we’re a bit more conservative because she doesn’t own all of her production company. There is huge value in the Mamma Mia brand.”

The continuing success of Simon Cowell’s talent shows, X Factor and Britain’s Got Talent, have earned him a seven per cent wealth increase.

As artists signed to his Syco record label, including Leona Lewis, have also dominated the charts, Cowell’s fortune is vlaued at £120 million, up from £112 million, ranking him equal 15th in the list of wealthiest music millionaires.

Noel and Liam Gallagher, whose band Oasis released their seventh studio album, Dig Out Your Soul, last year, are reckoned to have increased their worth 16 per cent from £45 million to £52 million.

The top three are unchanged from last year. Clive Calder, the founder of Zomba Records, once a home to Britney Spears, is rated the most wealthy music millionaire, with an unchanged wealth of £1.3 billion. In 2002 he sold his company for £1.24 billion.

Second is Lord Lloyd-Webber, with an unchanged fortune of £750 million. Sir Paul McCartney clings on to third place, despite losing an estimated £60 million, bringing his wealth to £440 million.

Among the young music millionaires, defined as those under 30, Amy Winehouse’s fortune is estimated to have dropped 50 per cent to £5 million after speculation about her personal life.

Cheryl Cole, the Girls Aloud singer and X Factor judge, and her footballer husband Ashley, are new entries on the young list, with an estimated wealth of £13 million.

Joining the couple as another new entry on the list is Duffy, the Brit Award winning singer, with an estimated wealth of £4 million.

Dhani Harrison, son of George, the former Beatle, and his family, is rated the wealthiest young music millionaire, with a total wealth of £140 million.

Mr Beresford said: “We’ve all got to be very sober this year. It’s the first time I’ve ever had to do a rich list in a severe recession, some say near-depression. The biggest surprise looking at the whole music sector is the absence of any seriously rich young rock artists.

“It’s just the same old wrinkly rockers, but their income has changed to coming from touring. I presume it’s because record companies have become wiser and sharper in recent years and don’t give the same deals they used to.”

The full 2009 Sunday Times Rich List will be released on Sunday. The 112-page magazine charts the value of the assets in the country’s wealthiest individuals.

THE TOP 10 SUNDAY TIMES RICH LIST MUSIC MILLIONAIRES

1 Clive Calder £1,300m

2 Lord Lloyd-Webber £750m

3 Sir Paul McCartney £440m

4 Sir Cameron Mackintosh £350m

5 Simon Fuller £300m

6 Sir Mick Jagger £190m

7 Sting £180m

8 Sir Elton John £175m

8 Keith Richards £175m

10 Olivia and Dhani Harrison £140m

10 Sir Tim Rice £140m

10 Beatles Songs to Hear Before You Die

2009-04-22T21:36:00.002-05:00

Check out this list of 10 Underappreciated Beatle songs: Click here or visit this link: http://www.musicouch.com/Genres/Rock/10-Beatles-Songs-to-Hear-Before-You-Die.658373

The list includes youtube videos of all the songs so you can hear them if you haven't before!

Video of the Day - Noel Gallagher playing acoustic in a bathroom

2009-04-22T21:31:00.003-05:00

A preview of the song that will be released by (Red)Wire, "Waiting for the Rapture" performed acoustically by Oasis' Noel Gallagher. This bathroom actually reminded me of the current office of the Michael Scott Paper Company! (Red)Wire is a project of the ever-crusading Bono.

Russell Brand and Noel Gallagher Talksport Show

2009-04-19T19:18:00.002-05:00

Part 1:

The rest of the parts are up on Youtube. Courtesy of the wonderful GoWaysis.

Noel Gallagher - "I like a few women, but I like men an awful lot more"

2009-04-19T10:03:00.003-05:00

In honor of their Talksport show that is airing in about five hours, here is a great clip of Noel on the Russell Brand Show, July 28, 2008:

Patsy Kensit Ties the Knot Again

2009-04-19T09:46:00.003-05:00

The still beautiful, former Mrs. Liam Gallagher wed on Saturday. From The Mirror:

Patsy Kensit hoped it was fourth time lucky as she married her DJ lover in a glamorous ceremony on Saturday.

The Holby City star, 41, said “I do” to marry fourth husband Jeremy Healy, 47, in the lavish bash in Central London.

They were watched by celeb pals Liz Hurley and her husband Arun Nayar. Liz is godmother to Patsy’s nine-year-old son Lennon by Liam Gallagher.

Duran Duran singer Simon Le Bon and his wife Yasmin, comic Katie Brand and Prince Andrew’s ex-girlfriend Caroline Stanbury were also there.

Model Yasmin dazzled in a floor-length pink satin dress with matching pink and gold floral hair-tie.

The Sunday Mirror can reveal the private vows that Patsy and top dance DJ Jeremy exchanged at the ceremony, which follows a rocky three-year romance. A source revealed: “Patsy and Jeremy have had their problems but wanted to make sure this was for life.

“They wrote private promises. But they also exchanged traditional vows.”

Patsy wrote: “I promise not to be too needy, not to lose my rag and to accept you are not always around.”

And Jeremy vowed: “I promise never to cheat, to be supportive and to always be contactable.”

They met in the 1980s when child star Patsy began her Hollywood career in Lethal Weapon and Jeremy’s old band Haysi Fantayzee had a Top 20 hit with John Wayne Is Big Leggy.

They stayed friends during her marriages to musician Dan Donovan, Simple Minds frontman Jim Kerr and Oasis singer Liam Gallagher.

They finally got together in 2006 announced their wedding in 2007, but delayed it after rows.

Patsy arrived at the posh One Whitehall Place, at 7.40am with bridesmaid Marley – Jeremy’s daughter – for the wedding, covered by a mag for a five-figure sum. Her dress was by Prada.

Her sons Lennon Gallagher and James Kerr, 16, gave her away.

Nail technician Leighton Denny, who helped style Patsy, said: “She looked stunning and was wearing her long blonde hair down. Patsy was so happy and the atmosphere was fantastic. I’m glad she had such a perfect day.”

Nicole Appleton wants to win an Oscar

2009-04-18T10:18:00.003-05:00

From News of the World UK (this story is from earlier in the month, but it's so funny I had to share it):

TODAY was gonna be the day . . . that NICOLE APPLETON moved to Hollywood to become an actress. But instead she and Oasis hubby LIAM GALLAGHER are heading for a Wonderfallout 'cause he's keen to stay put.

It's caused bust-ups between the pair, because Nicole is desperate to move to LA to make it big. But former hellraiser Liam would rather settle down in Henley.

I overhead Nicole grumbling about Liam's decision at The Hill pub in Hampstead, north London, last week.

She told former All Saints member and close pal MELANIE BLATT: "There are no jobs at the moment. I want to move to Hollywood and become an actress. I'd love to win an Oscar. But Liam wants to move to Henley so we're looking at places."

I doubt she's got what it takes to be the biggest Nicole since Kidman anyway.

And here are the comments from people who read the article:

This article has 5 comments

Liam is so gorgeous he could do so much better than her

By Live forever . Posted April 10 2009 at 7:38 PM.

She will NEVER NEVER make it

By Bryan. Posted April 5 2009 at 10:33 PM.

This is hilarious. Hasn't she only been in that Honest movie? And she had to nude scenes to hide the fact that she couldn't act. Seriously, Liam could do so much better.

By Dani. Posted April 5 2009 at 7:21 PM.

Nicole; to win an Oscar, you need some sort of talent for acting. You're the 'other one' from a defunct girlband. I've seen 'Honest' and you were terrible in it.

Delusion is a terrible thing.

By Ed. Posted April 5 2009 at 11:52 AM.

She wants to win an Oscar? ROFL, gave me such a laugh. Who does she think she is?

By Tally. Posted April 5 2009 at 11:09 AM.

Video of the Day - Promo for Oasis Live in Peru

2009-04-16T22:17:00.001-05:00

For the April 30, 2009 concert (includes the Dig Out Your Soul promo video from the Fall):

New George Harrison album to be released

2009-04-16T21:11:00.003-05:00

From NME:

A new collection of some of George Harrison's best-loved songs is to be released this June.

'Let It Roll: Songs By George Harrison' will feature music from throughout Harrison's solo recording career, with tracks including 'My Sweet Lord', 'Isn't It A Pity', 'Give Me Love (Give Me Peace On Earth)' and 'Got My Mind Set On You'.

Three Harrison-penned Beatle tracks, recorded live at his 1971 Concert For Bangladesh, will also appear on the album, which is released on June 16.

The Beatles' tracks featured are 'Something', 'While My Guitar Gently Weeps' and 'Here Comes The Sun'. The album's complete tracklisting is yet to be announced in full.

Harrison was yesterday (April 14) posthumously inducted into the Hollywood Walk Of Fame. His widow Olivia and son Dhani, along with friends including Paul McCartney, Tom Hanks, Eric Idle and Tom Petty, unveiled Harrison's star outside the Capital Records building in Los Angeles, watched by hundreds of fans.

Olivia Harrison praised her husband at the event.

"We all have deep feelings for George because he was such a deep-feeling person," she told the crowd. "Once you'd met him you couldn’t help but be drawn into his world. And he wanted to be in your world too."

Harrison's Beatles bandmate McCartney called the ceremony "wonderful", while Hanks also paid tribute to Harrison, reports BBC.

"Every record was an event, every cut was an opera, the entire story told ours," he said. "All things must pass, sure, but George is going to live forever."

New Ask Liam Video - Nico

2009-04-16T18:38:00.002-05:00

Some of Liam's favorite bands: Twisted Wheel, Free Peace, the Jam...

Oasis Covers: The Good, The Bad, and The Strange

2009-04-14T21:11:00.002-05:00

In an interview this week, Liam Gallagher gave his opinion of other bands covering Oasis. Here's an excerpt from the article:

Many artists and bands have expressed their admiration for the band by covering their songs, including popular alternative-country act Ryan Adams, who did “Wonderwall.” But apparently, this doesn’t sit well with Gallagher. “I don’t like that. That version was too f****n’ pansy. Chris Martin did ‘Songbird’ once and I told him, don’t ever f***n’ sing that song.”

Has he ever liked anybody else’s version of any of their songs?

“Hmm . . . No. I heard the Foo Fighters do ‘Lyla’ once. It sounded like the song was being f***ing murdered.”

So I made a youtube playlist of all the Oasis covers I could think of by various artists. Here's a list of all the songs included:

Good Charlotte- Acquiesce
Maroon 5 - Champagne Supernova
Maroon 5 - Hello
Maroon 5 - Don't Look Back in Anger
Foo Fighters - Lyla
Foo Fighters - Wonderwall
Sum 41 - Morning Glory
Ben Folds Five - Champagne Supernova
Elliot Smith - Supersonic
Pete Doherty - Hello
Pete Doherty - Don't Look Back in Anger
Pete Doherty - Whatever (starts about 4:00 minutes in)
Cat Power - Wonderwall
Robbie Williams - Wonderwall
Robbie Williams - Stand By Me
Matchbox Twenty - Live Forever
Counting Crows - Live Forever
Tori Amos - Don't Look Back in Anger
Jay-Z - Wonderwall
Ryan Adams - Wonderwall
Coldplay - Songbird

Watch the playlist:

If there are any I should add, let me know!

Video of the Day - Champagne Supernova Live in South Africa

2009-04-14T20:13:00.002-05:00

Beautiful version of the amazing Oasis song, Liam sounds rockin. From the Coke Fest:

Video of the Day - Oasis Live Forever Live (Liam Intoxicated)

2009-04-13T21:45:00.002-05:00

From the Be Here Now tour, Liam Gallagher drunk, coked up, whatever, makes a great performance of the classic Live Forever:

Russell Brand's favorite quotes from his Radio 2 show

2009-04-10T00:06:00.002-05:00

From The Sun:

BRAND Russell Brand, if you know what I mean, is a big deal.

Like Coca Cola, iPod and your very own copy of today’s Sun, he sells. He is a brand with a small “b”.

A bit like Jade, he divides opinion in a love ’em/hate ’em Marmite kind of way.

So the people at Universal through their Vertigo label have had the foresight (or maybe they just saw Pound signs in Russell’s piercing dark eyes) to release a lavish four-disc box-set of highlights/lowlights from his notorious BBC Radio 2 show.

You know, the one that got taken off air because of a grubby little (or hilariously funny depending on which way you look at it) episode with Jonathan Ross in which they embarrassed a national institution, Manuel from Fawlty Towers (aka Andrew Sachs).

Today, the whole affair is like water off a duck’s back to our Russ as he gleefully announces his introduction to “The Best Of What’s Legal”.

“You’re listening to Russell Brand live on BBC Radio 2.

“No, you’re not listening to Russell Brand on BBC Radio 2 and you know perfectly well why you’re not... (dramatic pause) . . . because there was an awful lot of trouble.”

Praising his listeners for buying the box, he continues: “Over the next few hours, we’re going to take you on a journey, a very painful, very sentimental, very childish and, let’s face it, doomed journey that ends in one of the greatest media scandals ever to befall this dirty little circle we call world.”

Divided into The Beginning, The Middle, The End and a DVD of “viddycasts”, it’s a rollercoaster ride, just the right side of anarchic, with Russell joined by radio cohort Matt Morgan and guests including his mate Noel Gallagher, Alan Carr, Noel Fielding and Simon Amstell.

And OK, I’ll come out of the closet. The whole thing is great, smutty and funny.

Russell spins his yarns in that quasi-Dickensian way and you realise what a national, original treasure he’s becoming — and what a shame the show is off air.

That’s my bit of a***-licking out of the way so it’s over to Russell to return the favour.

Specially for SFTW, here are the ten best bits from the Russell Brand Radio Show — as voted for by Russell Brand.

On MTV America’s view of Oasis

I bumped into a music executive and he said: “Oh man, those guys are great. When Liam and Noel came in Liam refused to sing and spat at us – one of them punched my wife in the booby.”

On threesomes

When me and Matt had a threesome it was like two men trying to ignore each other in a tiny park.

“Hello there sir. Good work there, I admire your stroke. It’s half time, shall we swap ends?”

On co-host Matt claiming to have a girlfriend

He ain’t got a girlfriend. He got confused in a strip club, paid too much and is now trying to get his money’s worth. It’s the longest lap dance in history.

Requesting of Noel Gallagher that he be allowed to use Oasis song Rock ’n’ Roll Star to enter as host of the MTV VMA Awards

Russell: Can I walk on to Rock ’n’ Roll Star by your band Oasis?

Noel: Yes, of course. Which means there’ll be a bloke on stage they don’t recognise coming out to a tune they’ve never heard.

Jonathan Ross and Russell discussing his relationship with Bedtime Stories co-star Teresa Palmer

Russell: Do not belittle my romance.

Jonathan: I’m not belittling your romance. And it’s so nice to hear you referring to something as a romance. And that there’s still some level of poetry inside you – and also self-deception.

On The Daily Mail’s scare tactics

The Daily Mail want us to be scared of everything – even the weather. Remember when it snowed? SNOW, there is SNOW! Immigrant snow! Immigrant, gypsy snow! Immigrant, gypsy, paedophile snow! Don’t make a snowman, it will come into your house and f**k you.

On discussing the gay “cruising” practice of wearing coloured bandanas to indicate different sexual preferences to potential partners in Los Angeles, with Guns and Roses guitarist Slash

Slash: Yeah man, if you wear red it means you give, if you wear blue it means you take.

Russell: Bloody hell, in Los Angeles? Home of the Crips and Bloods? That could lead to confusion. “Sir! I happen to be a member of the Crips, so you can take your thumb out of my bottom.”

Discussing Lorraine Kelly's 25-year marriage and how she keeps it fresh.

Lorraine: He puts up with a lot, my poor husband. We’ve been together since 1985

Russell: Bloody hell, how do you keep it going?

Lorraine: With romance. We act like we’re still courting. We go on dates

Russell: Wow. Do you want to go on one with me?

On Sweep from The Sooty Show

I remember his head, he looked like he smelt nice. Why did he not just speak up and have courage of his convictions? I think he could speak normally but 50 per cent of what he said was dreadfully racist so it had to go through the filter of an adult.

On relationship protocols

I will only fart in front of a woman once I’ve made her orgasm. Not immediately after, that would be disgusting. But I think if you take the good you should be prepared for the bad.

Stop the Clocks live at Oasis Soundcheck

2009-04-10T00:02:00.002-05:00

Awesome! Noel Gallagher playing unreleased Oasis tune "Stop the Clocks" at a Hong Kong soundcheck on April 7, 2009:

Oasis have two albums in MTV's top 10 "Greatest Album Ever" poll

2009-04-08T21:43:00.003-05:00

From MSN:

The list was compiled by music industry experts, artists, and bosses from the network's three UK channels - MTV2, VH1 and MTV Base.

More than 40,000 votes were cast by fans asked to choose their favourite album since 1981 from a shortlist of 26 LPs.

In a shock result, British R'n'B artist Craig David's debut effort 'Born To Do It' finished second with 12 per cent of the vote, beating Guns N' Roses' 1987 album 'Appetite For Destruction' into third place.

Craig, who received more votes than some of the world's biggest rap and R'n'B stars including Jay-Z and Kanye West, was overwhelmed by the result.

The '7 Days' singer said: 'I am very grateful to the viewers of MTV who have voted 'Born To Do It' as the second best album of all time - not only am I incredibly proud, it is an amazing achievement especially when I look at all the other albums in the top 100!'

British alternative rock band Radiohead secured fourth place with 'OK Computer', while the late Kurt Cobain's band Nirvana rounded off the top five with 'Nevermind'.

Oasis had two albums in the top ten - '(What's The Story) Morning Glory?' came sixth, while their 1994 debut 'Definitely Maybe' was seventh.

Following Noel and Liam Gallagher's records are U2's 'The Joshua Tree', the Arctic Monkeys' debut 'Whatever People say I Am, That's What I'm Not' and Amy Winehouse's 'Back to Black'.

MTV's 'Greatest Album Ever: The Results' will be broadcast on MTV1, MTV2, MTV Base and VH1 on April 11 at 9pm.

MTV's Greatest Album Ever Top 20:

1. Michael Jackson - 'Thriller'

2. Craig David - 'Born To Do It'

3. Guns N' Roses - 'Appetite For Destruction'

4. Radiohead - 'OK Computer'

5. Nirvana - 'Nevermind'

6. Oasis - '(What's The Story) Morning Glory?'

7. Oasis - 'Definitely Maybe'

8. U2 - 'The Joshua Tree'

9. Arctic Monkeys - 'Whatever People say I Am, That's What I'm Not'

10. Amy Winehouse - 'Back to Black'

11. The Strokes - 'Is This It?'

12. Kanye West - 'The College Drop Out'

13. The Stone Roses - 'The Stone Roses'

14. Eminem - 'The Marshall Mathers LP'

15. The Smiths - 'The Queen Is Dead'

16. Rage Against The Machine - 'Rage Against The Machine'

17. Prince and The Revolution - 'Purple Rain'

18. REM - 'Automatic For The People'

19. Usher - '8701'

20. Pixies - 'Doolittle'

Liam Mad Fer It!

2009-04-08T21:32:00.001-05:00

Classic Liam was back in full form in Hong Kong the other night. Check out the video below!

New Noel Gallagher song

2009-04-08T07:58:00.002-05:00

A song by Noel Gallagher that he sang at a soundcheck in Taiwan. It's so beautiful.

Hopefully this song will be released some day, whether it be on an Oasis album or a Noel solo album.

Gnarls Barkley hopes for a duet with Oasis

2009-04-08T07:49:00.003-05:00

GNARLS BARKLEY star CEE-LO is hoping the duo will be able to inject more rock into their music - by teaming up with British band OASIS.
The Crazy hitmakers are more famous for their funk/dance sound, but the vocalist is convinced a collaboration with the Wonderwall group would be major hit.
He says, "I've been checking out the new Oasis album and it's hot. When I was in London I got to hang out with Noel (Gallagher) and we had a big laugh. I'd like to do something iconic with them."

From: Contact Music

Gnarls Barkley, "Crazy":

Oasis, The Shock of the Lightning:

Video of Liam Gallagher talking about George Harrison's style

2009-03-19T17:10:00.002-05:00

Liam Gallagher has always had style...

2009-03-19T16:58:00.006-05:00

A nice article from The Times UK about the history of Liam's style, and a video about his new clothing line, Pretty Green:

Pretty Green, taken from the title of a Jam song, is to be the name of Liam Gallagher’s new clothing range: classic styles as befitting a true star and reflecting the tastes of his audience. Liam says he is sick of the studenty skinny-jean look and wants to bring lads’ fashions back, and what true lad wouldn’t want to look like a rock star?

Gallagher was always going to be a star, from the first time I saw him, singing shyly at the Boardwalk club on a bill with Molly Halfhead and a band called the Cherries, to larging it up to full houses at Earls Court and Maine Road. If you were a 15-year-old kid sitting in your council house watching the telly, you’d want to be Liam Gallagher and to look like him; you wouldn’t necessarily want to look like Brandon Flowers or Russell Brand. The older I get and the more I hear the middlebrow brigade in their Hush Puppies sneering at Gallagher, the more I embrace the lad. To be annoying people still after all these years, he’s got to be doing something right.

Gallagher was always a bit of a style icon in his native Burnage. According to his old mate from school, Mark Bierne: “He was always smart, with good taste, a sort of Sixties-influenced mod look with a bit of Stone Roses thrown in. He used to love those Belstaff leather jackets, Converse boots — a classic, young-lads-around-Manchester look, really — but he carried it off well. It was the sort of look most of us were trying to perfect. He always looked good, even when he was broke.”

In the book Brothers from Childhood to Oasis, Gallagher’s older brother Paul told of how the 14-year-old Liam would help himself to his stuff while he was out at work. “Things would always go missing from my bedroom: adidas bags, T-shirts, the lot. It was my shirts that bugged me, especially my Ben Shermans. I’d complain and our Mam would just say: ‘Leave him alone, Paul. You’ve plenty of money for shirts.’ He always wanted to look perfect; he used to smother his hair in my gel, nicking my deodorant and aftershave too. He wouldn’t go out unless he looked perfect.”

Back then Gallagher was very much a young lad on the dole in a new band (Noel hadn’t joined Oasis yet and Liam, Bonehead, Guigsy and Tony McCarroll were still called Rain). He’s remembered for occasionally descending on offices in New Mount Street in Manchester, where small record labels, independent music pluggers and the Inspiral Carpets were all based. He would flog jeans and T-shirts out of a huge holdall: mainly Calvin Klein, Stone Island and that type of gear. There was a lot of it about at the time, allegedly thanks to a Burnage contact at Manchester Airport.

In many ways, you could say that selling clothes was Gallagher’s first real earner from the music business, but then that was what scallies did.

No doubt the glossies will sneer at a working-class kid who dares to call young student types sartorially challenged. Personally, I look forward to rummaging through his new collection, perhaps out of a holdall sported by some young scally in a bar in town.

Chinese government bans Oasis from performing in China

2009-03-02T19:28:00.002-06:00

Wow, you gotta love the Chinese government and their censorship...not! And why can't the boys play? Their use of offensive language? Their songs' numerous drug references? Their sex, drugs, and rock n roll life style? Nope. It's cause Noel performed a few songs as part of a Free Tibet concert over a decade ago. Does China really pay someone to just browse youtube for old Oasis videos?

Here's Noel performing Wonderwall at the Free Tibet concert in 1997:

And the BBC article about the cancellation:

Oasis China concerts are shelved

Oasis' debut concerts in China have been cancelled after the authorities revoked the band's licences to play, deeming them "unsuitable".

Shows in Beijing and Shanghai due to take place next month have been pulled, and fans are to be reimbursed.

Concert promoters said the Chinese culture ministry recently found out that Noel Gallagher played at a Free Tibet benefit in the US in 1997.

The rest of the band's South-East Asian tour will go ahead as planned.

Profane language

In a statement issued through their publicists, Oasis said they were "extremely disappointed" about the news, and hoped the Chinese authorities would "reconsider their decision".

Organisers said that the immigration and licensing processes for the concerts had been completed before tickets went on sale.

The band are currently touring the world to promote their current release Dig Out Your Soul.

Other acts have encountered difficulties in playing China, which is celebrating the 60th anniversary since the foundation of the People's Republic this year.

Rapper Jay-Z was denied permission to perform in 2006 due to his use of profane language.

And Britney Spears was permitted to play the country in 2004 on the understanding that her costumes were not too revealing.

Last year, Icelandic star Bjork shouted "Free Tibet!" after a song about independence performed during a Shanghai concert, which went unreported in the state-controlled Chinese media.

Wonder Brawl

2009-03-01T12:28:00.000-06:00

From The People.co.uk:

WONDER BRAWL
Ricky stands by his rock pals Hatton salutes Oasis belter Liam
Tom Hopkinson Reports

Ricky Hatton has told Oasis superstars the Gallagher brothers they can live for ever as his belt-carriers - despite Liam spoiling for a fight last time out.

The rock 'n' rollers trailed Hitman Hatton into the MGM Grand Garden Arena ahead of his win over Paulie Malignaggi in November and caused quite a stir.

Frontman Liam, above, upset New Yorker Malignaggi by thrusting one of Hatton's belts into his face and taunting him.

Advertisement

Hatton said: "Liam got into the ring and I told him to stand right behind me with the belt.

"But he went up to Malignaggi and said, 'What do you think about that?' I was trying to focus on the fight but I could see him out of the corner of my eye.

"Noel Gallagher was telling his brother, 'Come here you, d***head'! But provided they can be there they will always carry my belt.

"Oasis are a real passion of mine and I love their music. I loved them before I even knew them."

Hatton likes to train to the sound of hits like Wonderwall, Live Forever and Don't Look Back In Anger, which boom out from the mega sound system in his gym.

And while Liam has a reputation as one of music's bad boys, Hatton reckons there is a soft side to him that few get to see.

He added: "Liam had never been to a fight before and he said, 'It scared me, that. How many more fights are you having, Ricky?' "I said, 'I don't know', and he said, 'Don't have any more. I'm as hard as **** but that scared the life out of me'.

"He pulled me to one side and said it. I thought how nice it was because he sometimes comes across as being a tough nut."

Despite Gallagher's concerns, though, Hatton will fight on.

And as he and Manny Pacquiao met in Manchester yesterday to promote their lightwelterweight fight on May 2 in Las Vegas, the Hitman declared: "I am unbeatable at 10stone and I can't wait to challenge for the pound-for-pound title again.

"There won't be any coming second this time. Manny is going to fight someone who is fast and will pressure him.

"When I went on my cruise, there were a load of Filipino waiters who looked at me and laughed, and said, 'Hatton - Pacquiao?', because they thought I had no chance.

"They won't be laughing at me on next year's cruise."

Video - Noel accepting award for Oasis as NME Awards' Best British Band

2009-02-27T18:29:00.002-06:00

With Russell Brand. And the people who booed? Are they old Blur fans who just can't get over the old feud?? Or weird Cure fans?

Falling Down video

2009-02-17T19:13:00.004-06:00

Check out the newest Oasis video: "Falling Down". Hey, Kanye West likes it, so it must be great, right?? Also, the single comes out March 8 (digital) and March 9 (physical) AND - here's the best part - there will actually be a new, non-remix B-side! It's called "Those Swollen Hand Blues" (Pink Floyd!). Falling Down is an AMAZING song and I'm actually curious to hear the 22 minute "A Monstrous Psychedelic Bubble Mix" mix by Amorphous Androgynous.

So, here are some videos to hold you over until March 8/9!

Falling Down:

Nobody Home by Pink Floyd (just for fun!):

Oasis Soundcheck Videos!

2009-02-17T19:06:00.004-06:00

Since you can't actually hear songs like The Turning or My Big Mouth on the current Oasis tour, these videos are the next best thing. They are from an Oasis soundcheck and sound pretty awesome. One also let's you experience Noel and the guys jamming and/or possibly trying out new songs.

The Turning (instrumental):

Unknown (new??) songs, My Big Mouth (instrumental), and To Be Where There's Life (Noel on vocals):

Wonderwall video

2009-02-16T00:21:00.004-06:00

With Warner Music Group making the bright decision to have all of Oasis' most popular videos taken down from Youtube, it's now nearly impossible to find the actual Oasis version of the beautiful song Wonderwall. Farewell, 23 million + views version of Wonderwall video, not the video only has about 100,000 views and some weird computer version of the song has nearly 3/4 million views. So for anyone who is looking for the original version of Oasis' Wonderwall, here it is:

More about Live Forever: Elizabeth Peyton exhibition

2009-02-15T20:45:00.005-06:00

Flower Liam (Gallagher)
1996, Oil on board
17 x 14 in; 43.2 x 35.6 cm
Private collection
Courtesy Zwirner & Wirth, New York

Courtesy of the New Museum

Jarvis and Liam Smoking
1997
12 x 9 in; 30.5 x 22.9 cm
Collection Tiqui Atencio

Courtesy of the New Museum

Art Review from the New York Times from when the exhibition orginally opened at the New Museum. It can now be viewed at the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis.

October 10, 2008
Art Review | Elizabeth Peyton
The Personal and the Painterly
By ROBERTA SMITH

Elizabeth Peyton and her bohemian flock of friends, artists, rock stars and other renowned personages living and dead have alighted at the New Museum.

More than 100 strong, they populate the midcareer survey, “Live Forever: Elizabeth Peyton,” with small or tiny images that sit almost skittishly on the walls. Most are portraits and occasionally self-portraits painted from photographs or from life; a few are interiors or still lifes; one is a stunning Greenwich Village street scene.

Few are much larger than your face. The best collapse the distances between realist painting, modernist abstraction, personal snapshot and magazine, and are accessible, devotional and visually alive. Their gem-rich colors are applied with brazen abandon, like miniature action paintings.

This elegantly micromanaged presentation doesn’t have the best timing. It comes after the first peak of Ms. Peyton’s career, in the late 1990s, when her influence was at its height, but before a second phase has completely gelled. The show is uneven in some places and overlong in others. At its conclusion Ms. Peyton is shown heading in several promising new directions, although unsteadily. This will help perpetuate the underestimation that has often surrounded her work.

Ms. Petyon emerged in the early 1990s; with painters like John Currin and Lisa Yuskavage, she helped open the floodgates to the painterly, outsiderish, illustrational, art-smart figurative styles that by now has become a crowded genre. Her portraits have been correctly seen as indebted to David Hockney, Alex Katz and Andy Warhol. Lovingly rendered and relatively unprotected by irony or size, they have also frequently been dismissed with the put-down du jour. They’re pretty. They’re slight. They’re celebrity besotted. They’re paintings. They sell. All this is true to some degree, but hardly the whole or most interesting part of the story, which “Live Forever: Elizabeth Peyton” is at pains to tell as completely as possible.

Born in Connecticut in 1965, Ms. Peyton began making portraits as a child, and graduated from the School of Visual Arts in New York in 1987. Six years later she and Gavin Brown, a young dealer on the verge of opening a gallery, staged a two-week display of weirdly illustrational, seemingly slapdash charcoal-and-ink drawings based on photographs or prints of scenes from the lives of Ludwig II of Bavaria, Napoleon, Queen Elizabeth II and Marie Antoinette. Mounted in a small room in the Chelsea Hotel, the works could be seen by anyone who requested the room key at the front desk.

I remember the show. It felt stilted and old-fashioned and got on my nerves. But within a year Ms. Peyton had taken up more contemporary, if equally romantic, subjects and her preoccupations began to come into focus.

Her wan, incandescent paintings of youth-culture royalty — starting with Kurt Cobain — gave the magazine images on which they were based a second, handmade, more substantial life. You’ll find six paintings of Cobain near the show’s entrance, most impressively “Zoe’s Kurt,” which portrays that grunge legend as little more than a succession of alabaster whites, a pair of piercing eyes and a jacket implied with a thin, runny layer of deep red. He seems to be disappearing before our eyes.

Other paintings portray Liam Gallagher of the band Oasis and Jarvis Cocker of Pulp looking suitably thin, androgynous and wasted around the eyes (especially in “Blue Liam,” with its raccoonlike mask of lavender). Opposite the Cobain tributes hang six drawings from the Chelsea Hotel show that don’t look so slapdash anymore. The 1992 “Princess Elizabeth Walking to Westminster With Queen Mary” may simultaneously call forth childhood infatuations with Elizabeth (you know who you are), evoke suave cartoons from The New Yorker and convey the essential isolation of a life engulfed by fame.

By fits and starts, this exhibition reveals the complicated fusion of the personal, the painterly and the Conceptual that informs Ms. Peyton’s work. Each image is a point on entwined strands of artistic or emotional growth, memorializing a relationship, acknowledging an inspiration or exposing an aspect of ambition. This implies an overriding narrative, which is unusual for an exhibition nearly devoid of text labels and unaccompanied by a meet-the-artist introductory video.

At the same time, Ms. Peyton is enthralled by the abstract power of paint as paint. Her broad brushstrokes and their sudden shifts function independently of her subjects. “Dallas, TX (January 1978)” shows a blond young man, John Lydon of the Sex Pistols, against a pale-orange background made luminous by the white gesso behind it and measured off by the repeating lines of the palette knife with which it was applied. His red-orange shirt is a lively tussle of brushstrokes. “Tokyo (Craig),” a nearly all-purple image that shows a figure in a darkened room, is but one example of Ms. Peyton’s extension of the modernist monochrome into everyday life.

You could say that Ms. Peyton paints two tribes: the one formed by the people she cares about and lives among, and the one that fills her imagination. Both tribes are present here, and not necessarily just in the art. Laura Hoptman, the New Museum curator, is a longtime friend of Ms. Peyton’s and is married to the painter Verne Dawson, who is represented by Mr. Brown. (Ms. Hoptman diagrams these connections in her readable, if effusive, catalog essay.) The show’s excellent design is by Jonathan Caplan, an architect and friend of Ms. Peyton who is depicted with his partner, the artist and writer Angus Cook, in a painting completed last year. Though this may appear incestuous, it is also evidence that Ms. Peyton’s particular tribe remains tight. Were she more opportunistic and had joined the galleries of Larry Gagosian or David Zwirner, as some of Mr. Brown’s artists have, the point would be moot.

In Mr. Caplan’s design, two-tone gray walls create the illusion of soft light and intimate scale while funneling visitors along a single, fairly chronological route through the two floors of the exhibition without seeming to do so. Several works are placed so that they are first seen from a distance, as if to challenge the idea that smallness means an image can’t carry. Drawings, paintings and a few prints are carefully grouped by subject, size and, it would appear, frame style (which reveals quite a bit about the different tastes and pretensions of collectors).

Since the late 1990s Ms. Peyton has increasingly portrayed friends and lovers, most of them artists, starting with the British provocateur Jake Chapman; and including the post-Conceptualist Rirkrit Tiravanija (Ms. Peyton’s former husband); the painter Tony Just, with whom she lived for several years; and the Polish artist Piotr Uklanski, all of whom are, or once were, also represented by Mr. Brown. A 1996 portrait of Mr. Uklanski, wearing a chartreuse shirt and lying on a red couch, is one of the show’s best paintings. Ms. Peyton’s work is fueled by dueling saturated colors, as evidenced by the bright primaries in a rare outdoor scene, “Ben Drawing,” and in the dominant reds keyed by browns and purples in “Jarvis and Liam Smoking.”

As Ms. Peyton moves into more personal territory, painting more from life than from photographs, her work deepens. Faces that once tended toward an elfin, Kabuki sameness become individualized. More is at stake. Among the famous and admired, the rock stars are replaced by Delacroix, Susan Sontag and Georgia O’Keeffe.

Ms. Peyton’s prominence is either a fluke or a further sign of the ascendancy of the feminine. Her art seems to belong to a strand of painting that has historically been dismissed or marginalized, and for which respect tends to come late, if at all. You could call it girly art. It includes the small still lifes of late Manet and the long careers of Giorgio Morandi and William Nicholson; the work of Marie Laurencin and Florine Stettheimer, who, like Ms. Peyton, chronicled their artistic circles; and the suggestive abstractions of O’Keeffe. The painting of O’Keeffe that concludes the show, based on a famous photograph by Alfred Stieglitz, is one of the weaker and larger works here. But that doesn’t stop this exhibition, which wears it heart on its sleeve and sheaths its ambition in a velvet glove, from striking a blow for the girl in all of us.

“Live Forever: Elizabeth Peyton” runs through Jan. 11 at the New Museum, 235 Bowery, at Prince Street, Lower East Side, (212) 219-1222, newmuseum.org.

This article has been revised to reflect the following correction:

Correction: October 14, 2008
An art review on Friday about “Live Forever: Elizabeth Peyton,” at the New Museum, referred incorrectly to her solo show at the Chelsea Hotel in 1993. Her first solo show was at the Althea Viafora Gallery in SoHo in 1987; it was not the show at the Chelsea Hotel.

Pete Doherty dad to Liam's daughter

2009-02-15T20:33:00.003-06:00

Pete Doherty is a better father than Liam Gallagher, Lisa Moorish has claimed.

The former Kill City singer has a 10-year-old daughter called Molly by Oasis frontman Liam and a five-year-old son Astile, by troubled rocker Pete.

Lisa told Hello! magazine: "Pete's a very good father. He wasn't very hands-on when Astile was younger but now he's very involved. We do a lot of things together: long walks, trips to football, to the pub to play pool with the children.

"He is very much his father and Molly has a great relationship with him too. He told her, 'I'm your stepdad and there for you.' I love him for that. She feels security from him, which is nice as, emotionally, she doesn't get that from her own dad.

"Liam is there for Molly in so far as he helps support her and would be there for us if we needed him. But is he involved with her on a daily basis? Then the answer to that is no. I hope in time they'll form a relationship. She is such an amazing little girl: bright, funny - quite a brainbox. He'd be really proud of her, so hopefully, as I said, one day they will get to know one another."

But Lisa admitted there had been times when she had banned Pete from seeing his son.

She said: "Peter has on-and-off problems with his recovery so it was a really difficult decision to make. But when he came out of rehab last year, and started to get his life in order I thought the time was right. I want Astile to have a dad."

Live Forever: Elizabeth Peyton

2009-02-15T20:28:00.002-06:00

Cool exhibit opening - here's an article from Decide Twin Cities:

Carl Atiya Swanson February 13, 2009

“But you and I / Will never die” Liam Gallagher of Oasis crowed in “Champagne Supernova." It’s bullshit, naturally, but critical to that essential myth of rock ’n’ roll: the promise of immortality. Rock music is filled with the furious blasts of light and flickering shadows, the desire to be captured in a moment and make it eternal—the four minutes and five seconds of Nirvana’s "Smells Like Teen Spirit" perfectly encapsulate a life and an age, as does the raging punk of the Sex Pistols. Gallagher, Kurt Cobain, and Sid Vicious all get a quieter taste of immortality in the Elizabeth Peyton retrospective Live Forever, opening Friday, Feb. 13 at the Walker Art Center.

It was Cobain, in fact, who indirectly launched Peyton’s career. In the mid-90s, when conceptual art, intervention, and performance were all the rage on the New York art scene, Peyton instead chose to become a realist painter—a portraitist, even. But in choosing her subject matter, she firmly ensconced herself in the contemporary, conceptual worlds of reproduction, celebrity, and image-making. In 1994, barely a year after Cobain’s suicide, Peyton displayed a collection of paintings of the late alt-rock idol, intimate in scale, brilliant in color, bordering on reverential, but all taken from photographs, very clearly addressing the reduction from person to image. In an apt twist, the show was held in a room at the Chelsea Hotel, that infamous SoHo home to musicians and junkies in the 1960s.

Peyton’s work is extraordinarily intimate, like listening to vinyl with headphones. In her review of “Live Forever,” veteran New York Times art critic Roberta Smith said of the paintings: “Few are much larger than your face. The best collapse the distances between realist painting, modernist abstraction, personal snapshot, and magazine, and are accessible, devotional, and visually alive. Their gem-rich colors are applied with brazen abandon, like miniature action paintings.” Peyton has recently expanded beyond rock stars to paint fellow artists, friends, political portraits, and even old masters such as Leonardo da Vinci. Her long-faced, Byronic heroes pull fandom back to the personal. She deflates the impersonal celebrity of glossy magazines and re-directs her debt to Andy Warhol’s superflat fame, creating an identifiable desire for connection.

Organized by The New Museum in New York, Live Forever is getting a proper kick-off at the Walker with a special preview party on the night before Valentine's Day. With guest DJs and Wolfgang Puck edibles, it promises to be a perfect night for throwing an arm around your lover, smiling wanly at the world, and rocking out.

Rolling Stone readers vote Liam Gallagher as one of the greatest singers

2008-11-24T16:58:00.003-06:00

From Rolling Stone.com:

Last week, inspired by our own 100 Greatest Singers list, we asked our readers to tell us which vocalists the experts and artists should have included. We tallied the votes and Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder was deemed the man with the voice most worth hearing, followed by Vedder’s “Hunger Strike” buddy Chris Cornell. Punk rockers, soul legends and a member of Wham! all fill out your Top 20 of the greatest singers not on our list. So did Rush’s Geddy Lee make the cut? Check out the full roster below:

Eddie Vedder
Chris Cornell
Michael Stipe
Maynard James Keenan
Joe Strummer

Paul Westerberg
Mike Patton
Ian Curtis
Ella Fitzgerald
George Michael
Harry Nilsson
Frank Black
Peter Gabriel
H.R. (Bad Brains)
Mark Lanegan
Billie Holiday
Liam Gallagher
Joey Ramone
Chris Isaak
Richard Manuel

Noel Gallagher discusses bad days, songwriting, and more

2008-11-18T17:29:00.001-06:00

From Relix Magazine:

The rampant ego, unapologetic hedonism and regular punch-ups—these are the reasons everybody loves Oasis. But with the group’s seventh studio album, Dig Out Your Soul, trading the usual assortment of drab pub-rock anthems for lush grooves and far-out melodies, people are once again paying attention to the brothers Gallagher for their music. Even a few days after getting attacked by a crazed stage-invader in Canada, the Britpop group’s guitarist and chief songwriter Noel Gallagher, 41, remains typically defiant: “My glass is half full at all times!”

You called the album Dig Out Your Soul but it’s not this huge confessional epic, is it?

No. That title is there out of necessity because I couldn’t think of a decent one. Ironically enough, as soon as the albums were printed I came up with six in half an hour. I don’t know what it means but the album is not hugely confessional, no. I have no confessions left at my age.

Was there a time when you did?

No, because to confess anything it means you’re ashamed of it. I’m not ashamed of anything I’ve done or said or wore. Confessions would lead one to believe that one believes in some sort of redemption from some sort of god or another and I don’t live in that world. I shouldn’t apologize for anything I’ve done.

Do you see music as an emotional outlet, say, if you have a particularly bad day?

I have to say, and this goes right back to my youth, I don’t have bad days. Never. I mean, I’m going through a pretty shit bit at the moment because I have a few broken ribs. Other than that, I don’t have bad days. I don’t say that to be a smart-ass or trick you in any way. It’s like, what could possibly ruin a day?

You obviously have a different disposition than the general songwriting population.

Well, yeah. Thank god, eh?

Do you think music should be about escapism?

To me, that’s what it’s about. My favorite bands were always at their best when they were singing songs about people that didn’t exist and situations they never got into. As soon as they started singing about how shit it was being a heroin addict I was like, “I’ve had it with this fucking whining bit.” You know what I mean? Let’s move on. I ain’t into all that. So your mother left you when you were a child? Join the fucking club.

What were the bands that made you want to pick up a guitar?

It started with The Beatles and then went into Sex Pistols and then The Smiths and The Jam. I fucking loved The Smiths. But I’m not as literal as Morrissey and didn’t envision ever becoming half the guitarist Johnny Marr was. When I saw The Stone Roses it was like, I could do that. The songs they were writing didn’t seem to come from another planet. They spoke to me. A door opened and that was it.

With the exception of The Stone Roses, all those bands broke up while they were still at the top of the pile. Do you ever think Oasis should have called it quits after the massive Knebworth concerts?

It would have been super fucking cool to announce it onstage and then get in a helicopter and fly off and that would be it. But then it would have spoiled everybody’s day. Looking back on it, we were all addicted to one thing or another. You’re addicted to the attention that fuels the drugs that fuel the ego that kind of thinks you can go on and do it forever. In the cold light of day, I can sit here and say we probably should have just disappeared. Instead, what we did is went in the studio and tried to make another record while [(What’s the Story)] Morning Glory was still on the charts. It was insane. But those were great crazy fucking days.

Didn’t you think you were going to make 12 classic records?

Oh, absolutely. I still think we’ll make 12 classic records. It might take us 25 albums to get there but we’ll get there in the end.

Gays love Liam Gallagher

2008-11-06T19:12:00.001-06:00

From the Daily Star:

6th November 2008 By Gemma Wheatley

OUR Kid won’t like this! Bad boy rocker Liam Gallagher has been voted a top pin-up by Britain’s gay men.

The Oasis frontman, 36, has been named as one of the most “lovable rogues”.

The results of a survey by dating website Gay-Parship.co.uk will come as a surprise to many, especially after Liam’s well publicised “gay-bashing” of footballers and fellow singers.

In the past the singer has labelled the England football team “gay boys” and told rival music star Robbie Williams, 34, he is a “f***ing drama queen”.

But now it seems his wild ways have struck a chord with gay men in Britain.

Or could it be because the former hellraiser has tamed his wild ways and is said to be opting for a more “metrosexual” lifestyle.

Earlier this year Liam was reported to have enjoyed a day of pampering in LA’s Four Seasons Hotel, including eyebrow and chest waxing.

And last month he admitted people were calling him gay after he calmed his behaviour.

It came after the singer chose to call it a night at 10.30pm and head home to bed with his wife Nicole Appleton, 33, following his gig at London’s Electric Proms.

Meanwhile older brother Noel, 41, boozed until 4.30am on a massive bender in Camden.

Liam said: “People who’ve got any soul will realise there’s a day when you go home, put your feet up and cuddle your kids.

“But when you do show a bit of caring, they call you a poof.”

OASIS GAY TOP 10 Some Might Gay, Be Queer Now, Not Married With Children, Morning Gloria, Frock ’n Roll Star, Pink Champagne Supernova, Fags And Alcohol, Wonderballs, He’s Electric, Don’t Look Back In Angora.

I'm Outta Time - Official Video!

2008-11-05T22:23:00.002-06:00

Watch I'm Outta Time by Oasis (written and sung by Liam Gallagher):

It's black and white, it's psychedelic, it's gorgeous! And the song is still amazing! The single is released December 1!

Funny or Die Oasis video

2008-10-29T21:07:00.001-05:00

See more funny videos at Funny or Die UK

Dig Out Your Soul review from Irish Independent

2008-10-26T01:23:00.000-05:00

Their new album is a very spiritual affair, as befits the band's more mature profile, writes Barry Egan

THE Gallagher brothers are not the cokehead bon vivants that they used to be. (What pop star is, in these recessionary times?) Noel once told me one night in Cork in the mid-Nineties that he spent a small fortune on the Devil's Dandruff each week.

He is now father to a nine-month-old son (with long-time girlfriend Sara MacDonald) and an eight-year-old daughter (with ex-wife Meg Mathews). Liam is a father of two boys -- one with an ex-wife (Patsy Kensit), one with his present wife (Nicole Appleton) -- and a daughter from a brief relationship with Lisa Moorish, Pete Doherty's ex. The various tasks of fatherhood haven't, however, stopped big brother Noel from caning it on occasion.

In August, Noel rolled onto Chris Moyles's BBC breakfast show after staying out until 6am on a bender. Later the monobrowed legend said he had "no recollection of actually being in the studio. All I know is what I said was printed in the paper the next day. I kind of take my own disclaimer on that, that morning. If someone starts firing other people's band names when you've been out all night drinking Jager bombs . . ."

Let me refresh Noel's mind for him then. He said that Block Party are "a bunch of middle class kids trying to rebel about against mum and dad. They sit on top of an apex of shit". Keane "will always be squares. Even if one of them started injecting heroin into his groin people would go 'Yeah but your dad was a vicar, goodnight'.'' How "everyone in Oasis hates Coldplay" and how Amy Winehouse, well . . . the less vicious bits were that she should "learn three chords on the guitar and go write a tune".

Her producer Mark Ronson retaliated on his MySpace blog that "I just wanted him to know that I'm actually taking guitar lessons from Jay-Z right now and he's already taught me both chords to Wonderwall (tune!)".

(Noel famously criticised the organisers of the Glastonbury Festival during the summer for having rapper Jay-Z as a headlining act.)

Ronson went on: "In fact, it's so much fun having Jay teach me all of Noel's songs on the guitar (hooray!) that I'm thinking of doing an Oasis/Jay-Z remix album a la The Grey Album. Potential titles are Champagne Superhova or Definitely Jay-Z. I'll keep you posted."

I might point out, now, that Oasis's new album Dig Out Your Soul will have neither Jay-Z nor Ronson shaking in their Converse runners. It is all very good (Waiting For The Rapture -- echoing The Doors' Five To One; Get Off Your High Horse Lady -- pure Plastic Ono Band weirdo-brilliance; I'm Outta Time -- Liam channelling John Lennon) but nowhere near the masterly genius reached on Definitely Maybe or (What's The Story) Morning Glory?.

In fairness, even the dogs on the street know that Definitely Maybe and (What's The Story) Morning Glory? were two of the greatest albums ever made. Still, the band's seventh studio album, their first in three years, might, as one critic astutely noted, "finally change perceptions of Oasis as being some sort of Beatles rip-off. For the first time, they've put away the guitars -- well, sort of -- and embraced a trippier, Stone Roses-type feel. Lyrically, Noel has also turned inward, with religion and spirituality common themes on the album."

There are, as befits the band's advancing years, quite a few mentions of God and the like; which suggests Noel has possibly traded in cocaine -- whatever about Jager bombs -- for that other, allegedly greater, high of religion.

"The strange thing is, is that the lyrics are all quite similar -- they all mention God, and Jesus, and the f***ing light and the rapture, and angels," Noel said recently. "And that's happened very much by coincidence because none of us write together and none of us discuss what we're writing about. That would make us like Radiohead."

Asked whether this is the first album in a while when Oasis appear to be operating outside their comfort zone, Noel, who plays in Lord Henry Mount Charles's back garden at Slane on June 30 next year, snapped to a journalist from NME: "I can't stand it when bands say, you know, on this album we really stepped out of our comfort zone. What does that mean? This is not a f***ing game. This is soul, man. It's about humanity. It's not a test. People who went to university are always trying to get themselves out of their comfort zone and I always say, 'I'm working class. It's taken me 15 years to build a comfort zone and I'm not getting out of it for no f***er'."

Noel Gallagher announcing 2009 stadium tours - Video

2008-10-18T14:21:00.001-05:00

Funny, 12 minute video of Noel speaking about Oasis gigs, past and present.

Oasis Dig Out Your Soul #1 album in the world

2008-10-16T20:53:00.001-05:00

Dig Out Your Soul is the number one album for global sales in its debut week:

http://www.mediatraffic.de/albums.htm

Why America Needs Oasis

2008-10-10T22:04:00.001-05:00

From Spin Magazine:

Why America Needs Oasis

Coldplay may be bigger, but Chris Martin can't touch the Gallaghers when it comes to being a rock star, says SPIN's David Marchese.
By David Marchese 10.10.08 4:07 PM

Following their mega-successful debut double shot of 1994’s Definitely Maybe and 1995’s (What’s the Story) Morning Glory?, Oasis were poised to rule the rock game. But 1997’s underwhelming Be Here Now put an end to that.

Ever since, the band has been stuck in rock'n'roll Triple-A. Not quite major leaguers on par with Coldplay, the Chili Peppers, or Radiohead, but able to fill arenas nonetheless. And even though the new Dig Out Your Soul is a welcome return to the supersonic guitars and straightforward songwriting of those early albums, Oasis’s cultural moment has passed. The brothers Gallagher won’t be getting called back to the bigs anytime soon.

But for sheer entertainment value, they deserve better. It doesn’t matter that Noel has no longer got a multiplatinum platform, he still talks like everyone’s listening, whether that means beefing with Jay-Z or ragging on Radiohead.

I love it.

And Liam is no quote slouch either. Take, for example, the following Wildean zinger, leveled at the fool who tackled Noel in Toronto: “If it were up to me, I’d have cut his dick off and made him eat it.” Not exactly something Chris Martin would say. Come to think of it, what is something Chris Martin would say? Only Gwyneth knows for sure.

And that’s why we need Oasis. Slagging people in the press, public intra-band squabbling, releasing albums of tunefully kickass guitar rock, speaking in a British accent -- this is what rock stars are supposed to do! Now, it just so happens that rock stars are a little like dinosaurs these days, but guess what? Dinosaurs are awesome.

"There is nothing conceptually better than rock & roll" -Happy Birthday, John Lennon

2008-10-09T19:28:00.003-05:00

John Lennon turns 68 today. Rest in peace. Here are some of my favorite Lennon-related videos.

I'm Outta Time - Oasis (snippet of his last interview at the end)

In My Life - The Beatles

Live Forever - Oasis - amazing tribute video

Liam and Noel Gallagher Celebrity Deathmatch

2008-10-09T18:25:00.003-05:00

The Gallagher brothers take a break from Oasis to duke it out on the late great MTV show Celebrity Deathmatch. From the first season of this hilarious show!

The wit and wisdom of the Gallagher brothers

2008-10-08T23:55:00.003-05:00

NME has a series of pictures, quotes, and stories of Noel and Liam Gallagher of Oasis. Not too much stuff people didn't already know, but some nice older pictures:

http://www.nme.com/photos/583/the-wit-and-wisdom-of-noel-and-liam-gallagher

My favorite little snippet:

Liam Gallagher hates Kaiser Chiefs – because they once ruined his biscuit. The Oasis singer became so enraged while watching them on 'Popworld' he left his biscuit in his tea too long, leading to unacceptable levels of sogginess. He has harboured a grudge against them ever since.

Oasis photo exhibition in London

2008-10-06T23:33:00.006-05:00

New Oasis photo exhibition heading to London

Show will span the band's whole career

A new version of a famous Oasis photo exhibition is heading to London.

Trusted Oasis photographer Jill Furmanovsky first staged the 'Was There Then' exhibition at the Roundhouse in 1997, the result of three years in the band's inner circle.

To celebrate ten years since the launch of Furmanovsky's influential music photography collective Rockarchive.com, a new version of the exhibition is returning to the same venue.

Titled 'Was There Then Again', the new show will update the collection with pictures from the last decade.

The show will open later this autumn.

Furmanovsky describes the band as "a rock photographers dream."

She remembers: "The greatest gift and biggest challenge was shooting Noel and Liam, the singer and the songwriter in a mega band. They were brothers in arms, polar opposites in personality, working through their difficult relationship. I was a Diane Arbus fan, intrigued by family relationships, the Gallaghers were a gift to me."

Furmanovsky is also showcasing Rockarchive.com material featuring the likes of The Clash, Bob Dylan and The Who at an exhibition in London's Carnaby Street this October.

Source: NME

USA Today review of Oasis Dig Out Your Soul

2008-10-06T23:28:00.002-05:00

Really positive review from USA Today. 3 1/2 stars out of 4!

Oasis splits its 'Soul' between writers
By Ken Barnes, USA TODAY
Oasis, Dig Out Your Soul
* * * ½ (out of four) OFF THE BRIT-BEATIN' PATH

Democracy can be dangerous for a rock band. Not every group has a Lennon, McCartney and Harrison — a chilling example being Creedence Clearwater Revival, who dissolved into mediocrity when John Fogerty allowed the other members to write songs.

INTERVIEW: Band members talk piracy, injury, religion

But for Oasis, democracy seems to be working out the kinks (and The Beatles and other '60s U.K. role models) on its seventh album. There are six mostly frontloaded songs by semi-benign dictator Noel Gallagher, powerful, densely produced but pretty, much like the first Noel you heard years ago.

And there are five others — three by singer Liam Gallagher and one each by guitarist Gem Archer and bassist Andy Bell. These tend to be more exotic, more melodic and frequently more interesting.

That's too convenient a generalization: Noel's Falling Down may be his best replication of John Lennon's Tomorrow Never Knows yet, and Liam's Ain't Got Nothin' is on the slighter side.

But the balance of inspiration seems to be shifting, and that can only be a good thing for this still largely unmatchable rock band's future.

>Download: To Be Where There's Life, Falling Down, I'm Outta Time, (Get Off Your) High Horse Lady>Consider: Everything else