Hello, My Name Is Noel
Hello, My Name Is Noel
Q&A With Noel Gallagher of Oasis
IE: On the Dig Out Your Soul bonus-disc track “Lord Don’t Slow Me Down,” you sing “I’ve got a habit that the cat won’t lick.”
Noel Gallagher: Heh-heh. Yeah, yeah. If you’ve got a habit and you can’t lick it, it’s pretty bad if the cat won’t lick it either.
IE: But what bad habits do you still have?
NG: Smoking and drinking. I still do that. But apart from that, I don’t really have any bad habits.
IE: You’re 41 now. And you look remarkably slim and healthy.
NG: About three years ago, I suffered real bad back problems. I went to see a guy in London, and he sent me to a sports therapist, who said “If you don’t start doing some exercise, in about five years you’re gonna be fucked.” I’ve always shied away from exercise, pretty much because of the clothes — the gear you have to wear when you do it. But I got so addicted to [exercising], I kinda kept it going. I went and actually did boxing — I put the gloves on. The sports therapist said “What would you be up for doing?” And I thought “Well, I’ve always fancied boxing.” So we did a bit of that.
IE: Are you still on pain meds from that crazy guy in Toronto who tackled you onstage?
NG: Oh, no, no, no. I’m done now with it. It’s all fixed; it’s all gone now. He broke three ribs and bruised another five. Why? I dunno yet. He’s been up in front of a judge in Canada and the case was adjourned. So nobody’s heard his explanation for anything yet. But he hasn’t got an explanation — he’s just a fucking idiot.
IE: You seem to be mulling over some much bigger issues these days. Dig Out Your Soul touches on death, religion, and the question of the hereafter.
NG: A lot of people have said that. And I’m not sure. But for my own part, I find writing about God and religion interesting — I find the imagery of all that just fascinating. And I’m fascinated by people who are so into it, into religion in a big way. You know the religion I’m talking about.
IE: Well, it’s only the crazy religious fundamentalists who demand that you believe just as they do.
NG: That’s it — you can worship whatever you fucking want, but you can’t then say that I’m not allowed to to worship nothing. Me personally? I don’t need to believe that I will find redemption or that there will be a God who will judge me at the end of all of that. I believe that you get one shot at this, and it’s on Earth. So I’m not waiting for a second chance when I walk into the light. When they finally put me in the ground, that’s it — it’s over for me, done. I will rest in peace.
Oasis play December 12th at Allstate Arena. Q&A by Tom Lanham.
