The Day I…Met Noel Gallagher (by my Dad)

Actually I didn’t, I’ve never met Noel Gallagher. Not only is Noel one of my heroes, but he also happens to be the funniest man in the world. I got into Oasis, his band big time in 1995. But last year my Dad, Joe Blair actually met Noel Gallagher! Now how jealous was I on hearing this story. My Dad never made himself out to be an Oasis fan, though he did sometimes borrow my Oasis CDs and shared a respect for Noel Gallagher. My Dad also has had many business trips with work over the years, including many to London. So the story of my Dad meeting Noel Gallagher goes like this…

It was April 2007 (as I remember) and unbeknown to me, my Dad was in London on a work trip. At the same time I happenned to be working in London for Bite Communications, and would often meet up with my Dad for a pint when he was over. This time however I didn’t even know he was in the same city as me, until suddenly at my desk in work I got a text message. It read something like “Hi Jonny. I’m in London today. I just met Noel Gallagher. He was great. x Dad” Straight away I thought “what???” and later called him to find if he had got me an autograph or indeed a photo of Noel. He had neither and here’s why…my Dad was casually walking around lunchtime in North London, I believe it was near King’s Cross or Angel and Noel Gallagher just strolled down past him in the street! He was wearing the trademark shades, hush puppies, jeans and dark jacket. This was the rock star, Noel Gallagher. My Dad stopped him and said “Hello Noel.” At this point Noel Gallagher stopped and said “Alright, how you doing”, shook my Dad’s hand and then when asked for an autograph, Noel said “yeah no problem, have you got a pen?” My Dad started laughing and said “No I don’t, have you?” Noel then said “I don’t have one either!” and they had a laugh about it, before my Dad said something like “wait till I tell my son I’ve met you!” The fact that the world’s best songwriter doesn’t carry a pen with him is something quite hard to believe, but then he was, as my Dad said “just popping into a shop to buy milk and cigarettes!”

Obviously my Dad didn’t have a camera on him either and so the meeting happenned, it was over in the blink of an eye and there was no proof it happenned! My Dad also said that a few other people noticed him talking to Noel Gallagher from across the street and recognised him as well. The amount of times I have walked down streets in London and past Oxford Street, Camden etc. and I’ve NEVER EVER met a celebrity, except I guess for former Fulham FC player Steed Malbranque who I stopped at Waterloo Station once. How jealous I was, my Dad has met Noel Gallagher and described him as a “nice bloke.” Of course he is, he’s one of us. He’s a British guy who likes football, music, ladies and beer. Someday maybe I’ll have a pint with Noel Gallagher.

Apparently also my mate Colin Walker met Noel Gallagher outside the Odyssey Centre in Belfast in 2002 and I remember hearing a rumour that 2 ex school colleagues Flick (Ricky Carson) and Jordie McCluskey once met him at Gatwick Airport. We are now about a month away from the next Oasis single, The Shock of the Lightning, which I will buy as ever, as I love Oasis and try to buy everything they release. An album, Dig Out Your Soul will follow before a massive UK Tour, which I will aim to go to and make it my 12th Oasis gig. If Noel’s reading this, meet me for a pint sometime.

And the comedy side to Noel Gallagher, I remember the TFI Friday interview in 1996, where Noel was absolutely hilarious on the Chris Evans show, comments such as “never trust a man with a mirror in the shape of his own head” and “i actually did want to be liam…for one second. i cant remember what or why, but i did.” There was also the “doing drugs is like having a cup of tea” quote in 1997, which made it into all the media and even had the House of Commons discussing him. Then last week Radio One DJ Chris Moyles interviewed a drunk/hungover Noel Gallagher on his breakfast radio show, with Noel coming off with some classic quotes including the fact that “is there anything funnier than a dog in a hat?” and “the best thing a dog will ever do is sit in a car’s passenger seat with the window down, its head out the window and the car going over 30 miles an hour.” This is just the modest Manchester City fan who wrote the words “an extraordinary guy can never have an ordinary day.” Below are a few of his interviews, maybe someday I will actually meet Noel Gallagher…

The Late Late Show, 1996:

TFI Friday, 1996:

Michael Parkinson, 2006:

The Best Noel Gallagher Moments…