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  • Rock and roll's not for the faint-hearted is it, you know what I mean?

  • It's a serious business.

  • So we sat down to talk abusive parents, Manchester, and music.

  • Liam, I'm Marc.

  • - Lovely to meet you. - Nice to meet you.

  • Thanks so much for your time.

  • So what's the dumbest question you've ever been asked?

  • The dumbest question?

  • Yeah.

  • I guess, the Oasis thing - when's Oasis getting back together?

  • It's nothing to do with me, it's not in my hands.

  • It's all in Noel's hands, I mean he's the one not playing ball.

  • People sort of think that I'm the one who's stopping it, you know what I mean?

  • It's totally not that.

  • So if it's all in his court -

  • It's all in his court.

  • Why is he a no -

  • Because for one, I don't think he's got it in him anymore to play the songs

  • I don't think he's as rock and roll as he likes to make out.

  • I think he wants to be a different artist, do you know what I mean?

  • Which is fine, he doesn't owe me anything.

  • I don't owe him anything, he don't owe the fans anything

  • If you're not feeling it, you're not feeling it, you know what I mean?

  • Does sound like you actually really understand his reasons for why.

  • I get it, I get it man. But the reasons that he says to the press

  • is because he can't work with me, because I'm a bit of a dickhead, well I'm not.

  • He's more of dickhead, you know what I mean?

  • Liam can't do it anymore, I've just fucking proved it. I could do it standing on me head mate.

  • He likes all the attention, and he knows when he comes and stands next to me he's like a wallflower.

  • It's a complicated dynamic, isn't it?

  • Very complicated.

  • I wouldn't wish it on anyone. But it's fun as well.

  • Do you have to be a little bit angry to be a good rockstar?

  • Is there some element to that?

  • Completely man, don't know where it comes from.

  • Listen, me dad was a bit of a dickhead and that.

  • He was pretty abusive though, wasn't he?

  • Yeah, yeah. It was pretty hard, but you get over it.

  • I mean, that was when I was about eight or nine, so I've been here 45 years so.

  • You learn to get over it.

  • Your brothers are a fair bit older than you though. They copped the brunt of it, didn't they?

  • Oh yeah, they're a lot older than me.

  • So what do you reckon the difference in impact for you and for them was?

  • Because if they copped the brunt of it, and you were kinda at the tail end of it...

  • I didn't cop anything.

  • But see even if like...

  • People go, listen it's terrible what happened with abusive families, and all that stuff but

  • watching it can just be as bad as copping it, you know what I mean?

  • How do you mean?

  • Well, if you're seeing something abusive, you know what I mean.

  • Alright, the abuse is getting done to someone else, and obviously it's terrible for that person

  • but watching it is equally as mad, it's mental.

  • It can be just as bad.

  • Even though you're not physically getting a dig, you're seeing it.

  • So yeah, it was shit times growing up.

  • But, truth hurts don't it sometimes.

  • You're a parent now.

  • They don't listen to a word I say. I haven't got a leg to stand on, have I?

  • Well actually I was going to ask -

  • Don't be doing that, treat that girl like that.

  • I'm like, don't be treating her like a dickhead.

  • "Well you can't talk."

  • Don't be doing them drugs.

  • "You can't talk!"

  • Don't be fighting that geezer.

  • "You can't -" I'm just like, right get on with it.

  • So how do you find your way through it, though

  • because you've got a few of them.

  • I go on tour and leave them to it.

  • That's the solution?

  • Nah, nah. I just, I don't know man. Listen, 'cause I have done pretty much a lot of things

  • I've had a colourful life, I think that's a good thing

  • so you can turn around and say listen, if you do get into any of that kind of shit

  • come and have a word and that.

  • And what would say?

  • I don't know man, I'd just say look.

  • Common sense, innit?

  • What do you reckon you've taken from it?

  • I mean there has been a lot of, you know there was assaults

  • and I think you were banned from an airline or two

  • like, what do you take away?

  • The assault was like, I think it was justice. I know the law doesn't say that.

  • The geezer put a camera in my face and I told him not to.

  • You know what I mean, it's personal fucking space.

  • And I asked him, I said "look, don't put the camera" and he kept doing it.

  • He'd been drinking, I'd been drinking, so we copped for it.

  • So you know I know it's not allowed in law and that in England and in Australia

  • but I was in my rights, mate so I'd do it all over again.

  • You performed at that incredible concert in Manchester, the One Love concert

  • why was it important for you to do that?

  • 'Cause it's my hometown and I think obviously you want to show people that you cared.

  • You're not in it for the money, and it's not all about hits and big houses and flash cars and drugs.

  • You know you gotta put it back.

  • On stage is where I'm completely 100% in control of me.

  • You only get one chance to do the song justice and everyone's just in the moment.

  • What's for you the song that you have sung that you reckon the audience misunderstand?

  • I mean I don't even know what they're about, to be fair.

  • And I don't.

  • That's the beauty of music, I think everything a lot of people, I hate it when people turn around and go

  • "Oh, it's about this, and it's about that."

  • Not everything has to have a meaning.

  • Yeah.

  • I think that as soon as you tell someone it's about that, they stop exploring.

  • That's interesting.

  • And I think that's a bit of a shame so.

  • I don't know what they're about, I don't know what Wonderwall is about

  • I don't know what any of it is about. I don't wanna know what they're about.

  • This new album has been, it's funny when you call it your first solo album

  • because it seems weird to say it's your first solo album

  • because you've been performing for a quarter of a century.

  • The day it came out, were you nervous?

  • Because it's all on you at that moment.

  • I'm nervous in the fact that maybe this was kinda the last roll of the dice kinda thing

  • 'cause I don't know whether people are tuning in or not.

  • So, it depends on whether the people are there at the right time, and they're listening.

  • There's been a lot of good albums that come out, by great people and it just doesn't happen.

  • Were you prepared for that to happen, if it had?

  • Was I prepared? I would've knocked it on the head man, I wouldn't have gone -

  • You can't flog a dead horse, I'm certainly not going to put myself through it again and go do another one

  • I'll just quietly, or maybe not quietly but sorta just trickle off in the corner

  • and go and do something else maybe.

  • You know what, I feel like I've got another crack at the whip, another chance

  • So you just want to, you don't want to abuse it, you know what I mean?

  • Whereas with Oasis when we first started, we weren't really, we sort of just, we didn't really...

  • We just wanted to have a good time and before you know it we'd gotten really big quick

  • you know, and I guess we did a lot of stupid things and that.

  • But once that's gone, you kinda go "Fucking hell, I wish I'd enjoyed it a bit more."

  • So the main thing is to just live in the moment and be here now

  • you know what I mean, just living in it.

  • Don't be thinking about the second album or the third, enjoy what you're doing now

  • and live it and feel it, and cross that bridge when you come to it.

  • - Liam, what a legend. - Thank you.

  • Thanks so much for talking to us.

  • You're welcome.

Rock and roll's not for the faint-hearted is it, you know what I mean?

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