This interview is taken from Ventura County Star News on the 11th of May during Oasis' and The Black Crowes' Tour Of Brotherly Love.
ALL IN THE FAMILY!
Rock 'n' roll brother acts Oasis and Black Crowes keep it all in the family Saturday in Santa Barbara.
While not weird as a Surf Punks and Journey doublebill, Saturday's Oasis and Black Crowes pairing at the tree-lined Santa Barbara Bowl does seem a bit odd -- swaggering Southern bluesy rock from the bird band playing with the self-proclaimed "greatest band in the world," those chatty Brits in Oasis.
All together, this event has been packaged as "The Tour of Brotherly Love," as the obvious sibling connection has not been overlooked. The Crowes are led by Chris and Rich Robinson and Liam and Noel Gallagher make Oasis tick.
Marcus Russell, Oasis' manager, seemed all atwitter over the possibilities of this pairing. "The idea of these two great bands touring together has excited everyone we speak to. It's the ideal combination of those who take their rock charged with passion, soul and energy."
Much of the press dealing with Oasis has to do with not brotherly love but more of a civil war consisting of public arguments and an ongoing feud with the band Blur, not to mention numerous reports of too many drugs and too much booze, which perhaps led to their hotel-trashing reputation and all those rash proclamations about being the best band on the planet.
So what's up with this tour?
Well, I dunno till we get there. On paper I think it's going to be... well, I don't know what to expect, really. The first couple of shows will be a bit strange because there'll be our band and our crew and there's gonna be the Black Crowes and all their crew but after like a week getting to know each other, I think it'll be like one big family on the road. We don't envision any problems.
Santa Barbara is the second stop on your tour, after Las Vegas. Have you played in SB before?
You tell me -- I'm not sure where I've played. I probably have, but I wouldn't be surprised if I hadn't.
What's the secret to surviving these tours?
Laugh at everybody's jokes and agree with everybody's opinions.
What's the most misunderstood thing about Oasis?
That me and Liam don't get on. We get along most of the time. There's a lot of stuff written, and most of that stuff about relationships in the band are 50 percent true and 50 percent made up. So the biggest misconception is that we don't get on when we do.
What was the strangest gig you've ever played?
Well, there's been a few of those, but playing at Knebworth in 1996 before a quarter of a million people was pretty strange. The Japanese gigs are pretty strange because they're full of Japanese people.
Do they know the songs?
Absolutely. They know them better than we do. There's been a few strange ones in South America because the South Americans are very laid-back, shall we say? They don't take anything seriously in that part of the world.
When did you know you wanted to be a musician?
As soon as I learned how to play "House of the Rising Sun" on my guitar, and I thought if I can play one song .... By the time I got to six it was nearly a set, so there you go.
What advice would you give to musicians just starting out?
Get a good manager. And aspiring musicians should practice, practice, practice, practice ....
So it is kind of like a job?
In the sense that you earn money to make a living, yes, but it's not like a regular job where you have a boss or anything. So in that respect, it's not really like a job per se, but there are similarities between regular jobs and there's stuff that's completely different.
What's the difference between American and British audiences?
The American audiences seem to be more interested in the music and the British audiences seem to be more interested in what shoes you're wearing.
Why is the British press so mean?
Because they're not very intelligent.
What was it like going from being a starving musician to a rich rock star?
Well you know, we started the band in '91, which was 10 years ago, and we didn't get a record deal until 1993, so it wasn't really an overnight success, you know what I mean? It took awhile to get to 1995 when we blew up. It's nice knowing that your house isn't going to get repossessed or there's always going to be food in the fridge and it's nice to know if you want to go on a holiday somewhere, you can just go. I like it, you know?
Sex and drugs and rock 'n' roll -- is that the myth or the reality of the situation?
For awhile for me personally, it was sex and drugs and rock 'n' roll, and then it was just drugs and rock 'n' roll. Now, it's just rock 'n' roll.
So you've cut back to a single vice?
Well, yeah , I found out that once you hit 30, you can't keep that stuff up for the rest of your life.
All this stuff about the greatest band in the world -- did that help you, hurt you or does it even matter?
We believe we're the greatest band in the world. I wouldn't expect anyone else to believe us. But if we believe it, then that's all that matters, really.
What's a little-known fact about Oasis?
A little-known fact about Oasis is that Liam writes all the songs.
One more easy one: So what's next for you guys?
Well, we're halfway through with recording a new record and hopefully we'll have some form of music in the shops by October or definitely by early, early new year.
How come rock 'n' roll never starts on time?
Well, you're always waiting for the roadie to tune up that bastard guitar. Absolutely.
edited by Lars Kristensen
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