“It’s maybe the fame, it’s forgotten your name” – Noel Gallagher.
The amount of fake news in the media the last few months or so about Oasis and their ticket sales has been laughable for most of us hardcore, real, genuine fans! Oasis ran undoubtedly one of the fairest systems imaginable for such a reunion! Loyal fans were given priority! I got my tickets of course and so did my mates that were there in the 1990s and the reason is simple – Oasis, the band, their media team are aware who their loyal hardcore fans are!
They know who we are as they have an extensive database, a database that I joined in 1994!
Yes, loyal fans joined the Oasis database in 1994. I bet these bandwagon jumpers and media gimps didn’t know that! Here are the six obvious reasons why all real Oasis fans were given priority…
“We know just what we are” – Noel Gallagher.
1.I Joined The Oasis Fanclub in 1994
I first joined the Oasis fanclub in 1994 by posting the white postcard inside the sleeve of the Cigarettes And Alcohol single. Millions of us joined that – millions! Oasis debut album Definitely Maybe was the fastest selling debut album in the UK.
For many like me, we posted the above postcard in the 1990s and joined the mailing list and fanclub, I was even sent the copy of the first ever official Oasis fanclub magazine in 1996, a second issue was never even produced! Here was the postal address –
Official Oasis Information Network 3 Alveston Place Leamington Spa Warwickshire England CV32 4SN United Kingdom
By the end of the 1990s, Oasis had posted me about 15 postcards or envelopes advertising new singles, CDs, DVDs, gigs and merchandise.
2.I bought every official Oasis album on single, and the mailing list will know it for the limited edition releases.
As well as being on the Oasis mailing list, Oasis will know I bought loads of their singles in the 1990s, some had to be ordered by posting a postcard back (Be Here Now, for example). I was there then.
3.I have been to 14 Oasis gigs and Oasis Mailing List know that!
As well as being on the Oasis mailing list, Oasis will know I went to a load of Oasis concerts – I used my real name to order all those tickets, some of them through the mailing list clicks once it became an emailing list (around SOTSOG time in 2000).
4.I have ordered over 10 different Oasis Mailing List CD/DVD/Vinyls
I have many of the limited edition box sets, DVDs, CDs and vinyls, all ordered through the fanc club and mailing list. There will be a record of that on their system. I don’t imagine many people have the fan club only magazine, DVD boxes of Don’t Believe The Truth or Heathen Chemistry.
5.I have ordered official merchandise from Oasis since the 1990s
I’ve also ordered fleeces, t-shirts and other Oasis items from the mailing list in the last 30 years.
6.Even after Oasis split, I still bought re-issues such as Knebworth and Definitely Maybe
Again these orders were done through the exact same username and mailinglist from 1994. I ordered Knebworth in 2021 when it was released.
So this year, having been on their email mailing list for 24 years, I was one of many to receive the LOYAL FANS email.
That email gave me exclusive priority access to buy Oasis tickets a night before the newer, less hardcore fans. Stop gurnin yer bake out.
“You’ll never change what’s been and gone” – Noel Gallagher.
Now that the euphoria of the imminent 2025 Oasis return has dwindled slightly, I will reflect on a few more of my glory days watching Oasis. In total I was at 14 Oasis concerts from 1996 to 2008. I have already written about the Cork Oasis gig in 1996, how I got tickets for the Dublin Oasis gig in 1997 , a review of that actual Dublin gig in 1997 and my Finsbury Park brace of Oasis gigs in 2002 in London, England. I also covered my 2016 return to Cork which was sentimentallic. Now it’s time to write a bit about one of the three Oasis concerts in Northern Ireland that I attended. Two of them were at The Odyssey Arena in June 2002, the third one was also in 2002 and was at Prehen Playing Fields in Derry/Doire/Londonderry. Tickets for this one were £29 plus I think a £1.50 booking fee, a decent price back then to watch Oasis.
“I can’t sleep cos the world won’t wait” – Noel Gallagher.
“Born on a different cloud from the ones that have passed round town” – Liam Gallagher.
It was just my workmate Darren Latimer and I at the Prehen concert in Derry/Londonderry. It was an odd choice of venue for Oasis but Derry was loving it that weekend. I drove us up early Saturday morning and we stayed in the Waterfoot Hotel. The Waterfoot was a class hotel, a location on the river, with a great bar and restaurant and even a swimming pool. We only stayed one night here but we arrived early, drank in our hotel room and certainly had a wild 24 hours in Derry/Londonderry that time.
“Talking to the songbird yesterday” – Liam Gallagher.
“You fall in, you fall down; there’s no love in your shotgun town” – Noel Gallagher.
The day was decent banter as we met a load of lads in the bars, drank the carryout in our hotel room, watched football and then the girls at Cafe Rock after the concert. Darren Latimer and I had some mental days but I am sure some more photos from the actual concert exist, I just can’t find them now. I actually thought Ocean Colour Scene were decent too and this was well organised. Daz and I were on the rip quite a bit back then. We had Nokia phones by 2002 but not camera phones, smart phones, WiFi, social media or the like. The 2 photos here were on an old 24+3 disposable camera. The ticket photos I took today when I found the tickets.
I found this photo on Facebook from Ally Simpson, and there are also a few links below but not much proof remains of those wacaday times.
As for the setlist, I was also able to find that online…
Some online links I found about Oasis in Derry that day:
“Nobody knows the way it’s gonna be” – Noel Gallagher.
Getting Oasis ticketsin 1997 for the Be Here Now tour was nuts and the proper way to see your favourite rock’n’roll band.
Nothing was done online, nobody had the internet, nobody had any type of mobile phone at all, never mind a “smartphone”. Oasis massive “Be Here Now” tour ticket sales were done face to face in record stores all over the UK and Ireland. All over the UK, people would stay all night on the street in an orderly queue outside the record shops, waiting for it to open the next morning. Some kids these days don’t know they’re born…
Officially, there was a phone number for tickets over the phone, but there was less trust with that, plus nobody had a phone. I was 17 back then so I didn’t have a phone or a mobile phone, or a credit card or even a bank card! We all paid cash in hand back then. It was pay in cash only in the record shops, or by cheque.
The night before the Be Here Now tour tickets went on sale, we stayed up all night and queued outside the shop. We headed with food and drink to a shopping centre/mall called The Flagship Centre in Bangor before midnight. As an exception, they kept it open for us that night to queue all night for Oasis tickets.
A few lads brought guitars and footballs and we monitored the queue ourselves. We sang, played guitar, chatted, kicked football, drank beer through the night. There was a fairness about it – first come first served. It was maximum 2 tickets per person. We waited there all night for a shop called MTM (More Than Music) to open at 8 a.m. They had 100 tickets for each of the two gigs. That was it.
As soon as the record shop opened at 8 a.m. it was first come first served up to the counter. I was about 50th in the queue. A load of my mates got the Friday night, it went first, by the time it got to me, I got the Thursday night. By 8.20 a.m. all the tickets were gone and those who were still arriving – tough luck, we had stayed up all night and deserved that. The euphoria was massive!
No internet, no Wi-Fi, no smartphones, no videos. Then the concert day came and it was mental – my mate Begzi and I had a disposable camera of 24 photos and we took 12 each with it – we headed on a bus from Bangor in Northern Ireland to Dublin in Republic of Ireland. There was a stop in Belfast to fill the bus, then a stop in Dundalk for lunch and beers. Glory days loyal.
“We the people fight for our existence” – Noel Gallagher.
This was a nuts weekend watching Oasis on the Heathen Chemistry tour back in July 2002. My mate from Bangor Gavin Moore and I flew into Luton from Belfast and did the first two nights. I found my ticket for the Saturday night one, it’s a green ticket. I think the Thursday night was a red colour ticket and the Sunday night was yellow and was announced late as the first two nights sold out fast.
“Talking to the Songbird yesterday” – Liam Gallagher.
“I’ll put on my shoes while they’re walking slowly down the hall of fame” – Noel Gallagher.
We stayed in Finsbury Park itself, in a guest house within walking distance of the gig. I have no idea of the name of that guest house, I even Googled for it and still couldn’t remember. We booked it over the phone using landlines in 2002. After we checked in, it was straight out to the bars pre-gig – the bars around there were all nuts.
“I can’t sleep cos the world won’t wait” – Noel Gallagher.
We partied with a load of Mancunians and a cute fun Spanish girl (I can’t remember her name but she is pictured below). I remember some bars being £2 a pint all afternoon before the gigs. There were the Shankill guys from Northern Ireland over too – they were wild.
“You can fill me up with what you’ve got because my heart’s been keeping old. She is love” – Noel Gallagher.
“Born on a different cloud from the ones that have passed round town” – Liam Gallagher.
Gavin and I also did some sightseeing and flew the Northern Ireland flag quite a bit. We toured London and drank REDDY S (Red Stripe) as we knew Liam Gallagher drank it!
“There are many things that I would like to say to you but I don’t know how” – Noel Gallagher.
Life was so different back then. It was nuts. No smart phones, internet or digital cameras back in those wacaday times. The photos on this post, I took them on an old wind-on camera and must have a few more somewhere to dig out.
Twenty two years later, here today in 2024 I just secured tickets for the Oasis reunion tour in 2025. It’s going to be the nuts! I haven’t changed that much! I still take my Northern Ireland flag, because only bigots find this Irish flag sectarian. We were drinking with people from everywhere that weekend and nobody cared about anything. We were all Oasis and we were all mad for it. I dream of one day this peace lives everywhere.
Crazy wild times and good to have Oasis back.
“It’s good to be back, hello. Hello” – Noel Gallagher.
The setlist for those concerts:
1.Fuckin’ in the Bushes
2.Hello
3.The Hindu Times
4.Hung in a Bad Place
5.Go Let It Out
6.Columbia
7.Morning Glory
8.Stop Crying Your Heart Out
9.Little by Little
10.D’You Know What I Mean?
11.Cigarettes & Alcohol
12.Live Forever
13.Better Man
14.She’s Electric
15.Born on a Different Cloud
16.Acquiesce
Encore:
17.Force of Nature
18.Don’t Look Back in Anger
19.Some Might Say
20.My Generation (The Who cover)
21.Wonderwall
I found a few YouTube videos of Finsbury Park, amazing times!:
Be Here Now🎸🏝️: The Time Of My Life At Casa De Snagg, Chester Cottage, Saint Vincent🇻🇨
“You gotta be bad enough to beat the brave”- Noel Gallagher.
A 23 year delay was eventually put right on the 23rd December 2021. I was finally doing that Noel Gallagher pilgrimage that I craved back when “Be Here Now” was the lyrical masterpiece that I feasted my youthful ears upon.
“Ever heard of Mustique?”- Noel Gallagher.
On the 21st August 1997, Noel Gallagher and Oasis released the mammoth Be Here Now album. This was the one. This will always be the one for me. It took the basic pop anthems from Oasis’s first two albums, Definitely Maybe and (What’s the Story) Morning Glory? and spiced them up into quirky wacaday masterpieces.
“I need more time just to make things right” – Noel Gallagher.
As a dreamy eyed Ulsteric teenager, I had read how Noel Gallagher had dreamt up many of these tunes in a little known country called Saint Vincent and the Grenadines ??. Specifically, Noel was based on the tropical island of Mustique. It stuck in my mind forever. And then I did it. I flew into Argyle International Airport from Grenada.
“While we’re living, the dreams we have as children fade away” – Noel Gallagher.
“As the day was dawning my plane flew away with all the things caught in my mind” – Noel Gallagher.
My two previous life jaunts that incorporated The Caribbean had neglected such a country, and most of the Caribbean. In 2011, I backpacked Trinidad and Tobago. In 2014, I backpacked Caye Caulker, San Pedro (Belize) and Utila (Honduras). Aside from a bit of flirting offshore in Brazil, Guyana, USA and Suriname, the Caribbean was basically a blank dot on my globe. Though I did spend a hat-trick of nights in “Madonna’s Town”, well last night “I dreamt of San Pedro…”
“Fly me down to capital city in the sun” – Noel Gallagher.
On that morning, I sank a Guinness and a bag of Tayto at the airport in Grenada, where I had stayed in the super Sea Breeze Hotel. From Grenada, ??, my Intercaribbean Airlines flight would sky over the Grenadines ??, including Mustique and land me into Argyle International Airport near Kingstown, on the island of Saint Vincent. Saint Vincent is the main island of the country known Gallagherically as Saint Vincent and the Grenadines ??.
I needed a hotel to secure my visa and entrance into the country and so I opted for a wild and obscure one, by the sea, on the east coast. I chose Casa De Snagg in the village of Chester Cottage. And I’m very glad I did. This place was absolutely superb. I cannot even recommend it enough.
Not only was it Noel Gallagher esque but this is exactly the sort of place where Jonny Blair stays. I buzz off places like this.
“This is my world and I am world leader pretend” – Michael Stipe.
As soon as I arrived, after an a$$hole thief / robber taxi driver, I loved this place. Looking back the taxi rear end exit was the only negative thing about Saint Vincent. JUst check out some of the cool things about my place at Casa De Snagg!! This is the place for you to stay when you visit Saint Vincent – please stay here and also please ask the owner / manager Noddie to collect you from the seaport / airport rather than risk a dear taxi rip-off driver!
1.Caribbean Sea Views
Let’s just say I feasted my eyes on the view over the Caribbean – over 3 days I had a nice range of weather too from tropical storms to classic sunshine! As you might know, I’m not a weather freak usually but it was nice to get such a mix of weather here – I actually start to believe weather is good for the soul – the thunderstorm especially inspired me…
2.Good food
You can have your breakfast, lunch and dinner here if you want. Noddie can help prepare or even order food for you.
3.Bar
Of course the downstairs bar had to feature and I loved the two local beers here – Hairouan (actually from Sainty V) and Carib (brewed in Grenada). I also included it in my bar tour of Saint Vincent!
4.Cosy Room
Unbeknown to Noddie, I was actually in the green room – which is my favourite colour. My room had a bedroom, a desk, fast Wi-Fi, a settee, a good bathroom, an equipped kitchen (fridge, kettle, tea, coffee etc.) as well as the balcony. Perfect!
5.Warm, Welcoming Host
Noddie was my host as well as my tour guide – I toured Black Point, Byera, Chester Cottage, George Town, Orange Hill and New Sandy Bay. Noddie was my guide and an excellent guide and host – she actually tailored my trip to include two football stadiums and two bars. There was also a chance to do the volcano hike but I was knackered and here to relax so I skipped the hike.
6.Safety!
This was a safe place to stay. There are only a few rooms and all are locked and secure and this was a nice private loaction.
7.Rooftop Pool!
As well as swimming in the Caribbean Sea nearby, you also have a pool here. Sunset loyal for a carryout!
8.Balcony and Decor
The balcony and general decor of Casa De Snagg is magnificent…
9.Noel Gallagher Magic
Noel Gallagher from Oasis wrote some of Be Here Now here in this country, and even recorded the below demos in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, on the island of Mustique. That magic inspired me as a poet, writer and blogger…
However, sadly on this trip – Mustique itself, was a step too far for me – strict regulations at the time (which included booking a minimum 5 night stay at a very expensive resort), PCR test before arrival, on arrival and before depature, no direct ferries (at the time) and only a few flights per week meant I had to cancel my idea of making Mustique my only ever part of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines to visit. That’s why I chose to fly into Argyle Airport instead of Mustique. I more than made up for that here – I had a writer’s room, a poet’s desk, a dreamer’s balcony’s, a beer lover’s fridge and enough inspiration to write a book, poetry or just random words…and that was enough for a non-billionaire backpacker like me…
Here are the details for booking a room at the Casa De Snagg Chester Cottage Saint Vincent and the Grenadines ??:
Noddie, Casa De Snagg, Chester Cottage, Georgetown, East Coast, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, VC0100.
“Some might say, we will find a brighter day” – (Some Might Say)* all quotes on this post are from Oasis and this post is dedicated to Colin Walker and Keith Freel.
August 1996. Rock’n’roll. I was only 16 years old. I was still officially a student at Bangor Grammar School, having just finished “fifth form”, which is your first chance to leave school forever regardless of whether you do well in your O Levels / GCSEs or not. As well as being a huge Northern Ireland football fan at the time, I was also into the craze that was “Britpop”, British Popular music and Oasis were my favourite band. Along with the likes of Pulp, Blur, Ash, The Bluetones and Manic Street Preachers. Fast forward to 2016, and Oasis, by a huge margin are still my favourite band.
“Here am I, going nowhere on a train” – Going Nowhere.
“I know the roads on which your life will drive” – Roll With It.
My parents bought me a CD player for my 16th birthday and I owned every Oasis single, every Oasis album and a fair amount of books, magazines, posters, tapes and other band merchandise. While they played in Dublin in late 1995 and March 1996, I wasn’t at either concert. In those days the band refused to return to Northern Ireland. Indeed they played in The Limelight in Belfast in 1994 around the time of the Definitely Maybe release, but Northern Irish fans would have to wait until 2002 until the band returned to our wee country. This meant to see Oasis in 1996, I’d have to go down to the Republic of Ireland. I had been to Dublin a fair few times before and we expected a Dublin gig to be announced for Summer 1996. Myself and Colin Walker (classmate and football team mate at 10th Bangor Boys Brigade) were “mad into Oasis” at the time. We talked about going to the next Dublin gig…then Cork was announced as the next gig in Ireland for the band.
“There we were, now here we are” – Columbia.
The naive part of me expected that it would sell out and be hard to get tickets. But there were two dates announced, Wednesday 14th August and Thursday 15th August 1996. It was to be held in a large Gaelic Football or Hurling stadium in Cork, a city that I had never been to before. It all seemed a bit daunting and alien to me as a shy 16 year old from Northern Ireland.
“You need to be yourself, you can’t be no-one else” – Supersonic.
In those days with no internet, no mobile phones, no Facebook, it was quicker to call at Colin’s house or phone his house phone. Then Colin calls one day to tell me that the Flagship Centre in Bangor were selling tickets at MTM (More Than Music) and that him and Keith had found out by chance and got their tickets! They expected big queues and went down there early, but…it didn’t sell out and they got the tickets easily. The same day, my Dad had called my Mum from work to say that a shop (Golden Discs on Donegall Place) were selling them for £22.50. Get me one please Dad! Dad brought me home a ticket for Oasis. It was like Willy Wonka and the chocolate factory! Three of us were going to see Oasis, in their prime, down in Cork!
“Be my magic carpet ride, fly me down till capital city in the sun” – Be Here Now.
The gig was amazing, it blew me away as a 16 year old, it was one of the best nights of my life. We had a crazy journey Colin, Keith and I. It was just unforgettable and I actually wrote about it on this blog before – Oasis live in Cork.
“Until you’ve repaid the dreams you bought with your lies, you’ll be castaway, alone under stormy skies” – Where Did It All Go Wrong?
After that gig, I saw Oasis live a further twelve times (twice in Belfast, once in Prehen, four more times in Dublin, twice in London, once in Bournemouth, once in Southampton and once in Milton Keynes) plus a Noel Gallagher gig in 2012 in Hong Kong (which was fucking rocking!!).
“All of the stars have faded away. Try not to worry, you’ll see them someday” – Stop Crying Your Heart Out.
Life passed us by though. Keith and Colin and I went separate ways. They both got married and had kids. I met Colin again only once after leaving Northern Ireland, that was a school reunion in 2011 (which I organised). I see Keith a bit more often at Northern Ireland football matches, but then…in June 2016 by total chance I ended up back in Cork!!
“It’s good to be back, hello, hello” – Hello.
“My soul slides away but don’t look back in anger I heard you say” – Don’t Look Back In Anger.
“Into my big mouth you could fly a plane. I’ll put on my shoes while they’re walking slowly down the hall of fame” – My Big Mouth.
I was back in Cork for the first time in 20 years, yes the first time since that crazy and inspiring Oasis gig at Pairc Ui Chaoimh! The reason I ended up in Cork was a long one to explain. But a lot of things worked out on the journey I was about to make. Firstly, Northern Ireland qualified for Euro 2016 and after a 5 month stint in Central Asia (mostly Kyrgyzstan) I was back in Northern Ireland for a home match v. Belarus, to print our NI football fanzine (Here We Go…Again) and to see family before heading to the Euros in France. My friends and family had all already booked their flights into France/Italy etc. except for me. When I checked the prices, there was a cosy little Cork – Bergamo option for about £30 on Ryanair. It screamed to be booked as my brother and Dad were arriving in Bergamo from Dublin or Belfast the same day. I booked it, and so I knew I was going back to Cork. Other incredible things would fall into place…
“Slowly walking down the hall, faster than a cannonball. Where were you while we were getting high?” – Champagne Supernova.
I had longed to revisit Cork again as well as kissing the Blarney Stone finally, aged 36. I wanted to kiss the stone before the tournament for good luck on two fronts – I was in love with a girl (the one for me now surely I thought) and felt it good luck to kiss it and for my next kiss to be with her (yes it was), and also to bring luck to Northern Ireland at the Euros (yes it did).
“Sister psychosis don’t got a lot to say” – Go Let It Out.
A travel company, Irish Day Tours sponsored my trip from Dublin to Cork including a tour of Cork City, Cashel and the Blarney Stone and I had three nights in a Cork hostel – Kinlay House to review. This worked out superbly, perfectly in fact. I really enjoyed that and felt a little warmth again in the Republic of Ireland.
“Damn my education, I can’t find the words to say for all the things caught in my mind” – Don’t Go Away.
I had always been a bit harsh on the Republic of Ireland as a tourist and blogger, always siding with Northern Ireland over it (and I always will) but the Republic of Ireland is great too and I am not kidding. Having a Guinness in the bars of Dublin, bussing through remote countryside, the hills of Donegal, the city buzz in Cork. This was a top time to be alive for me. I was really in a good frame of mind. Yes, I had split with long term love Panny Yu in the previous year (2015), but I was starting afresh and looking for the next base in my life. Cork, second time around seemed to breathe life into me. I loved it. I also met up with Pol, my mate who pub crawled with me in New Zealand all those years ago. Pol and I did a brilliant pub crawl in Cork. The morning after, was the time for this sentimental trip…
“Let me be the one that shines with you and we can slide away…” – Slide Away.
“I took a walk with my fame down memory lane. I never did find my way back” – Hey Now!
So I messaged Colin’s wife Donna, and Keith on Facebook and told them I was in Cork about to do our Oasis pilgrimage 20 years on. I felt so much older. But I knew my way here. I started off as we had done in Cork that day. I stood on the corner opposite Jury’s Inn / Hotel where Colin’s parents had dropped us off on the day of the concert.
I made five videos of this sentimental trip. From Jury’s Inn, I used only a printed map to try and walk the same path that we walked to the huge Pairc Ui Chaiomh. Along the way, my memory had so many flashbacks.
“Livin’ on my own was like a flashback to the days when I was lost and lonely” – Flashbax.
From Jury’s Inn, I walked through streets that mostly had no housing, some trees, some industrial zones and finally I ended up a a place with a Marquee – for concerts. But this wasn’t the stadium where Oasis played. Here are some photos from the first part of my sentimental walk…
“Give me just a smile and would you make it snappy” – The Girl In The Dirty Shirt.
Just after that red car, I reached a turning and suddenly I was here, at the entrance to the stadium. Pairc Ui Chaoimh. I felt really old, life had aged me exactly twenty years. There was an odd feeling here. I envisaged my 16 year old self jumping up and down behind the fence in front of me to “Roll With It”…
“Kiss the girl; she’s not behind the door” – Roll With It.
However the GAA had signs up saying that there was No access to Pairc Ui Chaoimh. After the long walk, I couldn’t get in. Nobody was around, and I didn’t want to climb over the fence aged 36, for what reason. This was it. I was content with my journey. I had done it. I had returned 20 years on to where Oasis played. Where Colin, Keith and I went nuts…to the Bootleg Beatles, then to The Prodigy (“I’m a Firestarter”) and finally to the immensity of Oasis.
“All the roads we have to walk are winding” – Wonderwall.
Now that I couldn’t get inside, and it was a drab, grey day with a touch of a hangover, I thought it would be great to rewalk the walk back to Cork City Centre, grab a beer and bite for lunch in a decent local pub (and Cork has many).
“What a life it would be if you’d come to mine for tea” – Digsy’s Dinner.
I had a pint of Beamish and a baked potato in the Larry Tomkins Pub in Cork City, feeling sentimental, somewhat satisfied and just twenty years older.
“I’m not cracking up, I’m just getting older” – Getting Older.
And so that was it. My 20 year journey was over. In the intervening years I had contributed to an Irish newspaper article on Oasis and of course, started this site which is as much a travel blog as it is a travel tips guide as it is a selfish personal account of my journeys. August 1996 was a fantastic time in life and it was emotional reliving it in June 2016. To Oasis, thank you for that. Thank you for that incredible time in Cork in 1996. I am glad I went back 20 years on. It will probably be another 20 years before I am back again. The scary thing is, I will be 56 then.
“Hey stay young and invincible cos we know just what we are” – Stay Young.
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…