We Interviewed Liam Gallagher And He Said “Fuck” At Least Twice A Minute
It was incredible.
The plan was simple: Junkee would go to a Sydney hotel and interview Liam Gallagher for a short video. We’d ask some blunt questions, hopefully get some no-bullshit responses and edit it all down to a quick, two minute reel of the best bits.
The problem? There’s no such thing as “best bits” with Liam Gallagher. Every one of our 15 minutes with music’s most loveable arsehole was priceless — from threats to stab Sacha Baron Cohen, to his memories of headbutting a fan while on tour in Australia in 1998 and the reason why he wore a parka on stage all through the sweltering Falls Festival tour.
One topic we didn’t raise, however, was that of Liam’s brother and frequent sparring partner Noel Gallagher, who awkwardly also happened to release an album at the tail end of last year. We were instructed by the record label to keep Noel off the agenda — a rule that didn’t stop Liam volunteering his assessment of his sibling as a “wanker” by the ten minute mark. Liam Gallagher does not strike us as an artist receptive to media training.
So we made the video, but we couldn’t stop there. It was clear that we had an imperative to post the full transcript online.
Read on for Junkee’s Liam Gallagher interview, conducted by our video team and an English Oasis superfan from our sales department who insisted on coming along to help out.
Interview by: James Branson
Intro by: Katie Cunningham
Did you hang out with any other bands backstage at Falls?
No, I attempt to swerve everyone, ‘cause I’ve either slagged them off or I just hide behind my door and say “oh fuck there he is”. But I met The Kooks and hung out with them for a little bit and had a drink with them. Slagged off the weather and that, going “these fucking Australians man and what’s up with this weather or what”. But that was it.
I don’t really hang out with people. I hang out with Richard Ashcroft every now and then, me and him go for a cup of tea and that when we’re back in England and that, have a sandwich and that. I don’t really hang out with famous people, I find most of them very boring.
And you’ve made a lot of enemies.
I’ve made a lot of enemies, but I’m not bothered about that. I’ll deal with that when I deal with it. Cross the road. But I don’t really hang out with bands.
What about Carl Cox?
Never heard of ‘em. Who is he?
A famous DJ.
Nah, I don’t hang out with DJs. Fuck that, man.
You don’t think they’re real musicians?
They play other people’s music, which is fine, ‘cause so do I, before you fuckin’ start. But I’m not into fucking dance music. Doesn’t do it for me.
How many times do you say “fuck” in a day?
Loads, man. We’ll have loads before we’ll have got through this, man.
We can do a fuck count for this interview.
You know what I say a lot? “Fuck” and “d’you know what I mean”.
You tweeted about Nick Kyrgios the other day. What about him appeals to you?
I like fact that he’s got a temper. I like the fact that he’s good at his job. I like the fact that he gets up all the beige noses and they want him to be like, Pete Sampras. I like the fact that he’s got something about him.
Nick kyrgios don’t listen to the beige boys do your thang do your thang well done as you were LG x
— Liam Gallagher (@liamgallagher) January 7, 2018
You a sports man?
I like tennis, yeah. Football.
Have you had to make your own tea this tour?
Yeah. You gotta do it yourself ain’t ya, these days. If you want it done proper, do it yourself.
When you came to Australia on tour in 1998, you were arrested for headbutting someone.
Yeah, and I’d do it all a-fucking-gain. Because he put a camera in my face and he was pissed, I was pissed — and I told him, don’t be taking pictures. He carried on and that was the end of it. They fined me and I got done, but I’d fucking do it again.
Is that the only time you’ve been arrested on tour?
Few times. Germany, I always get in trouble out there.
What for?
Just fucking don’t get on, do we.
You don’t really care what people think of you though, do you?
I care what the real people think, yeah. I’m not gonna sit at home crying ‘cause someone’s given me a bad review or something. I don’t care what you think of me, you don’t know me. I care what my close circle think of me then yeah, I need to sort it out.
Have you stayed loyal to your working class roots?
It depends what you mean by that. I’ve had a lot of money in my life and I live in a nice house in London which is not on a council estate, so a lot of people would say I’ve not stayed to it. And me kids go to a private school and that, but that’s fuckin’ life innit? I think when you’ve had nothing and you get something you wanna the best for your kids, don’t ya? But I don’t vote conservative. I still vote Labor and that, for what it’s worth.
How many kids you have?
Shitloads. You want one or summat?
I’ve got one now.
If you need any more I can lend you some.
Got any parenting advice?
Nah, I ain’t got a leg to stand on. I do drugs. So when they come and do drugs I can’t say, “don’t do drugs”. With girls and kids and women and fucking divorces and all that shit, and getting into scraps and not speaking to your brother, when I turn around to my two boys I go “youse two, stop arguing and get on with each other” they turn around and go “oh fuck off, look how you speak to your brother”. So I haven’t got a leg to stand on. But later on in life, they can come to me because I’ve done pretty much… I’ve done quite a few a things.
It’s all on record as well.
Exactly.
What’s the difference between being a rockstar when you’re young and being a rockstar in your 40s?
You’re a lot slimmer aren’t ya, when you’re in your 20s. In your 40s you put on a bit of weight. Soulfully, it’s still the same. Your look changes a little bit. But I’m the exact same — you crack me open, I’m the exact same as what I was when I was 20. Without a doubt. Might be a little bit more grey and have a bit more of a derby and I might have a different size waist in me jeans and that, but split me open I’m the fuckin’ exact same. Wear the same clothes, wear the same shades, support the same football team.
Do you ever walk past buskers playing ‘Wonderwall’?
Yeah. I don’t stop to listen though.
What do you think of all the covers on YouTube?
There’s some good ones. ‘Wonderwall’ is a good tune. They really like it out here a lot. Some people go “oh he’s not playing fucking that one again” and you play it and they start losing their shit. It gets a bad wrap, that song. I think it’s a good tune.
What’s worse, rap music or dance music?
Dance music. At least with rap music there’s summat going on about it. At least there’s lyrics, there’s a bit of anger and that.
Who’s your favourite band?
Haven’t got one.
If you could have a pint with anyone, who would it be?
Steve Jones out of the Pistols, he doesn’t drink anymore but I bet he’d be a right fucking tiger.
What about pint with anyone dead?
Obviously John Lennon.
Is that true, that story about you standing up and screaming, “I am John Lennon!”?
That fucking geezer Sacha Baron Cohen. He’s full of shit, mate. Was that after I fuckin’ threatened to stab him? Was that that one? He’s a good comedian but he’s a bit fucking jackin’ on, innit. I remember that night as well because I think he was trying to tell some fucking story.
Did you really threaten to stab Sacha Baron Cohen?
Mmhmm. Because he was getting lippy. He said I was gonna stab him in one eye, but I said two.
He told that story on a talk show.
I think he doing the rounds, he was selling some fuckin’ shit film that he’d done. He was trying to bring me into the fray and that. I think he’s more one of Noel’s mates, he’s over on Bono’s side. I think he’s over on that fuckin’ [makes illuminati sign]. Scientology fucking, that side [makes illuminati sign again]. He’s one of them isn’t he, thinks he’s all illuminati and that. Fucking knobheads, all of them.
Bono too?
He’s the biggest wanker.
Why?
Just is.
Who are the top five wankers in music?
Noel Gallagher, Bono. It’s just them two at the moment who’ve got under me skin. They can just fucking table tennis it back and forth.
Do you still do drugs?
Not as much as I’d like to, no. Because I’ve gotta do this singing now so it takes its toll on the voice and that. But when I get a bit of downtime, I’m gonna go in hard.
You’ve been wearing your parka on stage all tour. How’s that been treating you?
Well good. People are getting on my case going [affects Australian accent] “oh mate you gonna come down here in ya fuckin’ parka mate? Ya gonna fuckin’ roast to death mate!” Oh really? You don’t see me roasting mate, it’s been fucking pissing down every day since I got here.
This is who I am, man. You get the rockers who wear them fucking leather jackets and that, you get the skateboarders who wear the shorts, this is who I am. I wear it.
Don’t you get hot?
If I went on in a fucking thong I’d still be hot. So I commit and I just get on with it. It’s thin though, it’s not thick.
How’ve you been finding the Aussies?
Good man, well good. The crowd have been really good. Like I said, I’ve not been going out to the bars or partying. There’s some geezer doing the rounds in some Sydney bar who wants to fight me. He come up to my mate the other day in a bar and goes “you know Liam Gallagher? You tell him I wanna fuckin’ fight him”. You need to chill out mate, whoever you are.
I feel like you’d take care of yourself in a bar fight.
If there’s [pool] cues about then totally. But I don’t like to fight, I’m not here to fight y’know I’m here to do music.
How many bar fights have you been in?
Not many.
What about arm wrestles?
I’ll arm wrestle any cunt any day.
I’ll give you an arm wrestle.
Yeah, let’s do it.
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Liam Gallagher lost the arm wrestle.
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Liam Gallagher’s solo album As You Were is out now via Warner Music.