Jonnysmirth, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
> Original article on Mirror online read
SPIEGEL ONLINE: On "As You Were" you show a surprisingly vulnerable side. In one song you even apologize for the mistakes of the past. Is the first solo album of your career also a gentle work of old age?
Gallagher: I've always had this soft side in me. That's how it should be: a handful of rock'n'roll songs and a few emotional moments on top! And I have those too. I don't run out into the street every day and threaten to beat people up: "Hey, do you want a punch in the face!?" I'm a good person, you understand?
SPIEGEL ONLINE: The album was actually supposed to be called “Bold.” Was that too daring? Have you followed the current Rock music not so much new to add?
Gallagher: I don't want to add anything, I want to show that I'm back. I want to shed some light on all the shit out there that I think gets way too much attention.
SPIEGEL ONLINE: Who or what are you thinking of?
Gallagher: I'm not naming names. There are just a lot of bands that don't do their job properly. That are a rock band one minute and want to be a dance project the next. And I think: Make up your mind, damn it! These guys wear their guitars around their necks like they're fucking jewelry. And then you can't even hear them in their songs! Now that I'm back, people will remember the real shit, the real deal, if you know what I mean.
SPIEGEL ONLINE: Is it true that you want to stop making music if “As You Were” is not a success?
Gallagher: If the album doesn't do well, I don't see any reason to do another one. I'll probably keep writing songs, but I won't be standing in front of people and exposing myself. I hope the album means something to some people, of course. But I don't know, man, the world is changing. And I'm getting older. If people don't want my stuff anymore, there's no reason to keep shoving more of it down their throats.
SPIEGEL ONLINE: You could also perform in front of smaller audiences in the future.
Gallagher: I love performing. But I don't want to be a mediocre guy in a small band. I want it to be big, fucking big. Otherwise it doesn't make sense to me.
SPIEGEL ONLINE: So you still see yourself as a rock star?
Gallagher: Yes, of course! Always. I'm a rock'n'roll star. Around the clock, 24 hours a day. But there's one thing I'm definitely not: a celebrity.
SPIEGEL ONLINE: For many people, it’s one and the same thing…
Gallagher: Not for me. I don't go to awards shows. I don't hang out with celebrities. I don't talk to celebrity magazines. I don't go to trendy bars. I have my missus who manages me and we do our thing. We don't have to hang out with Bono, Springsteen or any fucking actors...
SPIEGEL ONLINE: Are you also thinking of your brother Christmas? On Twitter they accused him of being a "traitor to the working class."
Gallagher: Noel lives in a completely different world to me now. He likes to surround himself with the chic crowd, whereas I'm still a kid on the streets. He's only surrounded by yes-men. Those people have smoothed out his edges. He's become snooty. When your ego is constantly being stroked by ass-kissers, you eventually forget yourself. Noel is turning into a kind of Bono. I'd like to get him out of there. I miss the old Noel.
SPIEGEL ONLINE: When was the last time you spoke to each other?
Gallagher: Let's see... We broke up in 2009. In 2011, I met him at a football game and I pinched his nipples. He was wearing this eggplant-colored sweater that didn't match his faded jeans at all, and I said, "What's wrong with you, man?"
SPIEGEL ONLINE: On the one hand, you are constantly making fun of her brother, on the other hand, it sounds like the past is with him and Oasis still sacred to you.
Gallagher: I'm still angry that he broke up Oasis and blamed me for it. But I'm not going to sit at home with an Oasis record in my hand and cry: Please come back, Noel! But he should know that I'm there for him. I don't want anything to happen to him.
SPIEGEL ONLINE: You would be willing to revive Oasis with him at any time?
Gallagher: Sure. I'd rather be sitting here talking about a new Oasis album. Making a solo album was never a dream of mine, fuck no! Band albums are much better. There are far too many solo records already, and some of them have been responsible for fantastic bands breaking up. Because some guys thought they had to make their own careers.
SPIEGEL ONLINE: When you think of an Oasis reunion, are you thinking primarily of concerts or also of a new album?
Gallagher: Both. I'd love to be back on stage with Oasis. And I'd love to record new music again. I think we've got some great albums left in us. And we'd do great interviews. The interviews were almost as important to Oasis as the music. Noel was never so keen on that. But I miss our interviews. That was comedy. We were funny wankers, man!
SPIEGEL ONLINE: Do you think the world is waiting for a return of Oasis?
Gallagher: Apparently rock'n'roll is not very popular right now. I understand why people keep asking me about Oasis. After all, there's been nothing but crap out there since we broke up. Well, there was good music now and then, but there were no rock stars, no personalities. The bands play their shows, collect their checks. Imagine if Keith Moon had just gone on stage to drum and then gone home! Then The Who not The Who. Rock music needs real characters. And today's bands don't have any. In interviews they say exactly what is expected of them because they are afraid of jeopardizing their careers.
SPIEGEL ONLINE: It is said that you now go jogging every morning and are in bed by ten o'clock at the latest...
Gallagher: When you're 20, you take on anything and everything. But as you get older, it just wears you out. I'm 45 now. I can still party, but I also know when to go to bed. Unlike before, when I would sometimes be awake for three days straight. I did what I had to do, but I'm too old for that shit now. I know when the party's over.
> The original article on Spiegel.de read