The interview, after which Liam apparently "raged and ranted and then cancelled all subsequent Australian media" 👀
On Oasis split
I’ve listened to your record, and have been watching the associated documentary, and I wondered: when Oasis split, how much – and not publicly, but in your heart – how much of your identity was married to Oasis?
Without a doubt, man. All I ever wanted was to be in that band and do my bit for that band. So, when it split up – I actually didn’t see it coming. I thought me and our kid [brother Noel] would just roll on having little arguments like an old married couple. But the way it split up, I thought: “Ah, okay, he’s actually fucking jumped ship”. And for what reason? And the reason being for just fucking selfish reasons. I wasn’t having that, man. I put my fucking heart and soul in that band, and for someone just to fucking toss it away like that without a decent enough fucking reason doesn’t sit right with me. So, there you go.
Were you surprised by how much the split hurt? When I speak with ex-footballers, they’re sometimes shocked and surprised at losing their identity when they retire. Did you have that sense?
I totally, totally, totally agree with them, man. That’s all I’d ever done, d’you know what I mean? I’m not saying I was Michael Jackson, started when I was four and that. But I was pretty much left me Mum’s house 17, 18 and I was in that band. All my later years were just in Oasis, in the band and that. For a couple years I thought: “What’s the point?” do you know what I mean? If I don’t have that band with me and singing them songs, life looks pretty fucking bleak, even though I would never do anything stupid, ‘cause at the end of the day, life is still life. But I was fucking devastated, man. And I only really acknowledged it when Beady Eye split up, because we were still going around touring, doing gigs and stuff and being in studios and making music and it was with the guys that were in the later years of Oasis. So, it didn’t hit me until that kind of folded. And then that happened, and then all me fucking personal stuff going on [a divorce, amongst other things]. All at the same fucking time. But never mind, you gotta take the rough with the smooth, man.
On their father beating Noel
There’s a quote from Noel that I think about from time to time. He was asked about fear, I think the context was performing to massive crowds. I’m paraphrasing, but he said: “Once you’ve been beaten by your father to the ground, and you know you’re not going to die, you’ll never be afraid of anything.”
Yeah, I get that. I’m with that. I hear him, man. Totally correct. For me, concerts, gigs, all this stuff. I love it. I fucking love it. Going in the studio, I don’t find it hard. I’m not a tortured artist, there’s enough of them cunts in the world. I thoroughly enjoy being in the studio and watching the songs grow, and putting my bit in. My ego isn’t that big that if I throw an idea around and it doesn’t stick, I can take it, you know what I mean? I enjoy the hustle and bustle of a studio, and I enjoy going on stage before loads of people. I enjoy going on stage when there’s not so many people. Being in a band is fucking glorious.
Your experience of your father was different to Noel’s, wasn’t it?
I seen him beat my Mum, I seen him beat Noel, I seen him beat [his other brother] Paul, he never put his hands on me. I mean he might’ve given me a little clip ‘round the ear, but he never went proper full-on on me. But watching it is just equally as bad.
That quote seems so central to who Noel is, or that’s what he’s said. That the experience could have either broken him or strengthened him. Do you accept that the violence shaped your brother?
I don’t know, you’d have to speak with him, man. But I agree with what he’s saying. When the person that made you is fucking volleying you up and down the fucking living room, and you come out of it alive, then why should you fucking fear going on stage and being adored? I get what he’s saying, totally. But these are questions for him.
On relationship with Noel
Would you expect Noel to listen to your new album – and would you like him to listen to it?
Listen, if this album had “Oasis” written all over it, the world would be going fucking bonkers for it. But it’s got my name on it. Some of the songs on this record are better than anything he could ever imagine to write. And that’s not just me bigging up the record. It’s a fact. If he wrote “Once”, he’d be on Sky fucking News now telling everyone about it. The geezer wouldn’t be able to sleep. So, if he listens to it, he listens to it. I’m sure he will, because he’s a music lover and deep down he’ll take himself off and have a little listen. And then he’ll slag it off, of course. But there you go. But there’ll be no getting away from it, because it’s a fucking classic.
It seems from a distance – and this is so weird that a stranger on the other side of the world might ask these personal questions – but I grew up with your music, was a big fan, and it seemed as if there was something theatrically exaggerated about the tension between you and Noel. But unfortunately, it seems that it’s not theatrical, is it? It’s quite serious and sad and profound. Do you mourn that relationship? Do you miss Noel?
I miss the Noel I know, the geezer from the band. I don’t mourn anything, he’s not dead, you know what I mean? He’s just going through a funny phase, and he’s surrounded by a lot of fucking idiots, and they need to shake their heads as well. Shame on them. They should be more trying to get Noel and me back together a lot more. Not to get back together as a band, they should just be more encouraging. The people on his side of it, they like Noel where he is right now. They don’t want him to get back with me or have a relationship with me because they know stuff will go down.
What do you mean by “stuff going down”?
Me and him together are a force, separated we’re a lesser force. So, it’s good for some people, whoever they are, that we’re separated and at loggerheads. But it’s a shame that me Mum has to witness it, but there you go.
2019 (x)
It's quite an interesting interview, worth the read. They also discussed Liam’s relationships with his children, his views on the past and the future etc. You can tell the interviewer really tried to dig deep (maybe too deep), which is why Liam was so furious after.
