Noel Gallagher recently discussed the new generation and technology on Absolute Radio.
“I think my kids’ generation is the first generation that has less than their parents. When we all grew, our parents had more freedom, more opportunity of a lifestyle…
“My children now, two boys of 10 and 14, have less freedom because of this ridiculous culture on the internet, and have less opportunity because of the economic crisis and fewer places to go because of the COVID thing, which I don’t think will really truly go away.
“I feel bad for them.”
He also discussed technology, “I’m dreadful with it all. I was officially the last person in England to get a mobile phone. I didn’t get a laptop until 2012. When I got it, I was like, ‘Woah!’
“I switched it on, I was so frightened. I thought if I pressed the wrong button, there was going to be a guy inside, looking out and thinking, ‘How did that happen?’ I just use my phone and I hate it.
“I was watching the Oasis documentary, the thing that is coming out in October [marking the 25th anniversary of the band’s Knebsworth performance], and I was reminded by somebody that after one gig, the promoter was saying, ‘It is going to be easy to find tickets because they will be selling them on the internet.’
“I was like, ‘The internet? What’s that?’ And they explained it to me and I laughed thinking that was never going to take off! Fast forward 25 years and all these little phones just run your life.”
Are you in WhatsApp chat groups?
“I’m in one with my silly friends from Manchester, and I’m in one that is entirely not for the girls.
“What I’ve found during the first lockdown – the level of filth that is said between men… I’m not into these kinds of things, but the level of filth – it was to be admired.”
There is always that one mate who says all of that.
“We had a couple of them who would cross the line.”
Jerry, our plumber, is the one who sent me such stuff.
“It was staggering for the first three months. And then it was just getting out of hand. But there was nothing else to do!”
You talked about how you missed playing live together with the band. Surely you must also feed so much of those crowds? That amazing feeling!
“When you see this documentary, it’s the band that’s a peak in Liam’s eyes.
“But it’s the real snapshot of a long-gone era of a quarter of a million people, not a single mobile phone, no internet, in the moment, with the band. Everybody’s singing on top of their lungs, very young crowd…” Ultimate-Guitar transcribed his comments.
