Noel Gallagher was recently asked by Matt Wilkinson about Oasis’ 2009 breakup statement. Noel Gallagher Explains ‘Violent’ Oasis Breakup.
Because that’s where it started, that’s where you as a solo artist started. There’s no going back after that. And the interesting thing with you is you then take what seemed at the time like ages off, but actually in hindsight, it was only about a year, that you seemed a little bit unsure of yourself. And for me, as a longtime fan, seeing the person who was probably the most confident and brash person in UK music for the previous 18 years, saying, ‘You know what? I don’t know if I can pull this off solo.’
“Well, yeah, I was being honest with myself, I think. I knew the record was in the canon of what I do, I knew that record was good, but I didn’t know how it would get accepted, not by the music industry or whatever, but by Oasis fans.
“I’d entered into the whole thing quite naively, and when it really struck me was when I sold out the O2, and I just didn’t enjoy that gig at all, I hated it.
“I hated the soundcheck and everything because I thought, ‘This is just too big, I don’t want to be here, I haven’t got the salesman skills to pull this show off. All I’ve got is the songs.’ I just felt I hadn’t earned it yet, I was eight months into it and selling out the O2.
“And I was kind of looking around thinking, ‘OK, this is massive.’ And people like Liam can pull off that kind of thing because of the charisma, whatever that thing is that they have.
“They can do it. And I didn’t enjoy the gig, and I hated the aftershow. Just everything about it was like a rotten night. Funnily enough, the gig was filmed for a DVD as well.”
But when did that change? Because sure you don’t feel like that now?
“No, I’m still not comfortable in arenas because I don’t have the chat. I’m comfortable in theaters, that’s where my level is. Multiple nights in nice theaters, that’ll do me.
“I don’t really make arena kind of music. I don’t ever want it to become that thing where you turn up and go – he’ll get his new album out of the way and then we’ll get into the classes. That would be just too easy to do that.
“I feel like the people expect more. And I’ve only got the songs. and my songs have to be twice as good as everybody else’s because I’m not a great salesman.
“So I often feel that people are wanting a bit more than they’re getting, and I can’t give it to them. So it was a struggle initially but I guess there comes a point where you’re just like, ‘You know what? This is what it is.'” Ultimate-Guitar transcribed his comments.
