"Are you drinking while you're speaking to me?"

The question was abrupt and was delivered in an accusatory tone from the famously candid, infinitely quotable and almost always profane Noel Gallagher, songwriter and leader of Britpop bad boys Oasis. The group plays The Palace of Auburn Hills on Saturday with special guests Ryan Adams and the Cardinals. For the record, I was not drinking, but he insisted I had taken a sip of something.

"You know, my (bleeping) girlfriend does that, and it's really (bleeping) annoying," said Gallagher, half-joking, half-not. I explained I had not taken a drink, and after some back and forth, he acquiesced, but accused me of swallowing "really (bleeping) loudly." For that, I was guilty.

"Right, then, so don't swallow loudly on the phone ... for crying out loud. If I don't swallow loudly, you shouldn't. Carry on."

We carried on, about his daughter's taste in music, his feelings on Detroit and a recent incident where he was attacked onstage by a crazed fan in Toronto.

What happened at the Toronto show?

Well really, I don't know. I was playing away there, and he attacked me from behind. So I have no recollection of it whatsoever. I was playing, and then I was on the floor, and then I was in the hospital, and then I was back in England, and then I was (bleeping) in bed for five weeks.

Have you watched the incident on YouTube?

No. I don't own a computer.

Nobody's played it for you ?

I don't know what the point would be of watching it. I've seen pictures, I've seen stills.

So you're playing, and a guy just comes up and shoves you. Have you made any changes in your security team?

No, not really. We haven't got any more security. We're just making sure their eyes are open. It was at a festival, you know what I mean? And there were a lot of people on the side of the stage watching, and I'm not sure what happened to be honest. It's irrelevant. What's relevant is the physical act, never mind the why and who was responsible and all that. He was responsible for it, whatever his name is.

So what was recovery like? Did you have bruised ribs?

Three broken, and I had five bruised ribs. I was just laid up in the house for five weeks.

Boring.

Well, you should see my house, it's hardly boring. It's (bleeping) awesome.

Did you stay in bed, or tool around the house?

I've got a 1-year-old son who requires a lot of attention, and it was kind of a bit weird not being able to play with him. I kind of sat, laying on the couch, watching TV, eatin' foods that was bad for me and not getting any exercise.

What'd you watch on TV, anything good?

Constant football. Football and, you know, the Discovery Channel...stuff like that.

When "Dig Out Your Soul," was released, it was called -- as a lot of Oasis records tend to be when they are released -- a return to classic Oasis.

Yeah, but who says that? I don't say it.

Why do you think that always gets said?

I don't know. I could (bleeping) give a (bleep) what reviewers say. You know what I mean? "Return to form." I don't really know what... that's like, you know, sportsmen return to form. Race horses. That kinda (bleep). Records are pieces of art, right? It's kind of, somebody's created them. It's not about form. I don't know why that is. It annoys me as much as it obviously annoys you.

It seems like there's this constant thing with you guys where the new work is always compared to the old work, specifically, the first two records.

Yeah, well...I don't live in the past with Oasis, d'ya know what I mean? It's kind of what's gone on before is irrelevant to me. Is it as good as "Definitely Maybe?" Is it as good as "Morning Glory"? I don't care. I don't listen to either of them, d'ya know what I mean? And after I finish this tour, I won't listen to this one either. So, fans can get on all the forums and they can debate it 'til they're (bleeping) blue in the face. I've got better things to do, like the next record.

When will you start focusing on the next record?

It's already done. It's already written. It's already demo'd.

When can we expect it?

Oh, I don't know. I'm gonna take a bit of time off after this. I think I might do something for myself, maybe.

Will the next one be kind of a return...

A return to form? (Laughs) The next one will be our most recent album since this one. I can't promise any more than that. I mean, I don't (bleeping) know. I don't know what it will be like. The songs I've written could go... I really don't know, to be honest. It depends what kind of producer we use, what studio, and blah blah blah, where were at the day when we walk into the studio and all that. I don't know.

"Dig out your Soul," how would you classify it?

Well, I love it. I've gotta say it's up there with my favorites, and my favorites are "Defintely Maybe," "Don't Believe the Truth," this one and various bits and bobs of the others. But that's just my opinion. I'm not about to say it's better than any of the others, because everybody has their own opinion, don't they?

How's it feel to play live?

Well, it was initially very difficult, because this is the one album we've ever made that we never played live in the studio.

How'd you make it? What was the process?

It was all done on drum loops and computers and stuff like that, you know. Because the songs aren't very songy, they're all kind of monotonous, so it's more of a production job. D'ya know what I mean? And my songs, I wrote in the studio, so it's kind of, I was kind of making it up as we were going along, really. So when we came to rehearse these songs live, it was like, what the (bleepin) hell's all this about? You know. It was initially quite difficult. But I think they're going across well.

How much of the new record are you playing live?

Six songs.

Are the set lists pretty regimented?

Very regimented.

Are they the same every night?

Yeah, almost to the point of the fascism.

Same order, everything?

There must be discipline.

What is the set list, what's it like?

It's an 8-by-4 piece of paper, and it has Oasis song titles on it.

Mm-hmm?

Yep. And we start at the top, finish at the bottom.

And the ones in the middle you play in the middle?

The ones on the middle, yep, they get played in the middle. It's got six songs from the new album, eight from the two famous albums, and about another six, odds and bits and bobs and B-sides and album tracks and that kind of thing from all the rest.

Anything from "Be Here Now" in there?

There was, initially.

What?

"My Big Mouth" was there, initially, but we got rid of that because we felt the set was one song too long.

And that's the one that had to go?

It didn't have to go, it was just kind of, well, if we're gonna drop one song, you can't... I'm looking at the list and I'm going, can't drop "Supersonic," d'ya know what I mean? It's obvious. If you take a straw poll of the people in the room and say would you rather hear "My Big Mouth" or XYZ, and I don't mean the (bleeping) Coldplay album, what would you rather hear? So I'm just assuming people would rather hear "Cigarettes and Alcohol." I don't know, I could be wrong.

You guys have been playing here for years. Do you have any good Detroit memories?

We played there a few years ago with Soundtrack to Our Lives at some really famous theater.

The Fox Theatre.

Yeah, that was a really great night. We always have a great night in Detroit -- after the gigs, d'ya know what I mean. There's always weird and wonderful and clever and interesting people in the dressing room. It's a nice place to play, we feel at home there. It's not too dissimilar from Manchester.

You say that to everybody.

(Pause.)

Or don't you?

Well, I don't say that to people in Tokyo, do I? That's not a (bleep) at all like Manchester, is it? (Detroit) is a working-class town, d'ya know what I mean; and it's seen better days, that kind of thing. And all of the music that comes out of Detroit, from the Stooges to MC5, to the electronic stuff in the '80s, the house music, up to Jack White and the White Stripes, it's always cool as (bleep). Always. It's uncanny. Like Manchester.

Was Motown ever an influence on you? Was there ever a penetration there?

Did I have sex to them, is that what you mean?

Yes, absolutely.

I've only recently got into Motown through reading about the Beatles. My parents weren't Motown fans. We might have had "20 Golden Greats" in the record collection. But it's not strictly guitar music, is it, and that's what I was into. But then you kinda start learning about the Beatles, and they were checking for Motown stuff and Stax stuff and you're like, oh, all right! And you go back and listen to it. But I (bleeping) love it now.

Any groups in particular?

From Motown, it's all about the songs, it's not about the acts. There's so many great songs. I couldn't tell you Dionne Warwick from Diana Ross, d'ya know what I mean? It's all just, you listen to the songs, and it's about the tunes I think.

Any tunes stick out to you?

From Motown? (Laughs). Yeah, one or two. I mean, they're either blatantly obvious, like "You Can't Hurry Love," or really obscure. I'm not an expert on it. I know the tunes, I don't know the titles.

Sing some of them.

If you want to hear me sing, do you know how much it's going to cost you?

How much?

How much are tickets for the gig?

I think they're $75.

Right, it will cost you $75. Next time you hear me sing, I'll be looking like Jesus.

"Chinese Democracy" just came out.

Yes.

Any thoughts?

No. I've not heard it. I've read the reviews, and judging from the reviews I know I'm gonna (bleeping) love it.

Are you being serious?

I love preposterous records, and anything that took 17 years is obviously (bleeping) ludicrous. I'm dying to hear it. I already know I'm going to like it.

What would an Oasis record sound like if you spent 17 years making it?

Brilliant.

Have you ever thought about that?

What, spending 17 years on a record? I haven't got that much time left, have I? I'd be what, 57 by the time that came out? Eh.

How old is your daughter, and what music is she into?

My daughter is 8 years of age, and she is into that (bleep) on the Disney Channel, the Jonas Brothers and all of that (bleeping) nonsense. "High School Musical."

Do you find anything to enjoy in the Jonas Brothers?

Not in the slightest. No. Is there anything?

"Lovebug" is the catchy single on the record, and it's not bad...

No, it's not. I'm not going there.

Touring with Ryan Adams, how did that come about? Mutual appreciation?

Mutual agents talking to each other, saying we could make some money on this, let's get the boys together.

How are you guys getting along?

Oh it's great, it's a mutual appreciation society. We're fans of each other's work, man. I've gotta go, I'm afraid. I've got a flight I've gotta catch to Mexico.

Do you have any final thoughts ?

Any final thoughts? (Pauses.) Stop (bleeping) buying Nickelback records. Have you heard that tune "Rock Star?"

Yes.

They can do better than that, surely.

They probably can.

I bet you could. I've gotta go, I've got to go see my drug dealer in Mexico. Bye-bye.

Via L4E Source: detnews.com

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