Bust-ups, divorce and family feuds have kept British rock band Oasis and the battling Gallagher brothers in the news as much as their music.
But as Oasis nears its 10th anniversary, guitarist Noel Gallagher told Thursday’s Evening Standard newspaper that despite their well-publicized rows, his relationship with Liam was one of the few constants in his life.
“Slowly but surely, my personal life started falling apart and all I had left was my brother and my band,” Gallagher told the paper.
“And I thought, ‘well I’m not giving that up because that’s Our Kid and that’s my band. Why should I walk away from it.”
Oasis, one of Britain’s biggest musical exports in the 1990s, stormed to fame with their debut album “Definitely Maybe” in 1994.
The Manchester band had a string of international hits including “Wonderwall,” “Live Forever” and “Don’t Look Back in Anger” but its fortunes changed in recent years with poorly reviewed records and line-up changes.
Last year Oasis seemed on the brink of self-destruction. The band’s fourth album “Standing on the Shoulder of Giants” failed to conquer the charts in the way previous Oasis offerings had done and the Gallaghers’ relationship plumbed new depths when Noel walked away from the group’s European tour.
In the midst of professional problems, Noel was divorced from Meg Mathews last year at almost the same time Liam’s marriage to actress Patsy Kensit ended.
Noel told the paper that if he had left the band before his marriage collapsed, he would have ended up an alcoholic. But he says neither he nor Liam would leave the band now.
Noel is now in a relationship with PR executive Sara MacDonald while Liam has just had a baby son with former All Saints singer Nicole Appleton.
Noel said he lives a much quieter existence than he used to with Mathews.
“I find it difficult dealing with famous people, to be honest, because I don’t know what to say to them…I never really wanted to be friends with anyone. And I didn’t really ever want anybody to be friends with me,” he told the paper.
As the band prepares for a mini-tour to mark its 10th anniversary, Gallagher reflected on the ups and downs of his turbulent career.
He lists signing a record deal, topping the single and album charts, and making his first million among the highs.
And the lows?
“Tours falling apart. The arguments with Liam. The physical fights…but all in all I think the pros pretty much win over the cons.”
