Oasis are not the band they use to be, many things have been said, many blows taken and quite a few dealt. However, the thing that catches the eye, are those who are not here now ...
To lose one band member is unfortunate, to lose three... The name remains the same, but the people around Oasis seem to just slide away. John Robinson of The Guardian surveys the casualty list, additional elements put in by Lars Kristensen (thefame.dk).
Two out of five ain't bad: Whitey, Bonehead and Guigsy line up with the Gallaghers in 1996. Photo: David Sillitoe/GuardianTony McCarroll
Who? The band's first drummer, apparently expelled for a combination of the following reasons: his shoddy drumming; his often-referenced "punch-up in Paris" with Liam Gallagher; his arguable resemblance to someone from the Merseyside area.
What's the story? The ousted McCarroll, buried by his bandmates in the Live Forever video, came back to haunt them. In 1999, after the departure of Guigsy and Bonehead, he even offered to rejoin as bass player. More seriously, that same year he was awarded £550,000 in a one-off payment against future royalties, prompting one tabloid to ask, "Is this the most stupid man in showbiz?"
And then? In 2000, he debuted a new band, Raika, formed with his brothers. "I'm not interested in all that being-seen-on-a-yacht-with-Kate-Moss-business," he remarked. Which is probably just as well. Last sighted at the helm of another unsuccessful legal action.
Alan McGee
Who? Creation Records boss, who legendarily signed Oasis after seeing them at a gig in Glasgow.
What's the story? Escort to Noel when Britpop
drinks were held at 10 Downing Street, the public image of McGee and Oasis was as a very tight unit indeed. By 1999, though, he was moving in less grand circles, hearing the playback of the Go Let It Out single in the company of the Belgian licensee. "I thought, 'Fuck this for a game of soldiers'," said McGee. Liam countered by accusing McGee of spending the label's money signing "a load of dickheads".
And then? McGee sets up the Poptones label which, initial losses aside, had the prescience to license the Hives. Now manages the Libertines. Well, someone's got to.
Ian 'Robbo' Robertson
Who? Ex-paratrooper bodyguard to the band. Wrote one of the first biographies of Oasis, called, as it would almost have to be, What's The Story? It is weirdly filled with quotes from Proust and the like.
What's the story? Said eldest Gallagher brother, Paul: "Liam hated him after several incidents including being dragged out of bed one morning when he was entertaining, and being pushed up against the wall with no clothes on."
Who? Excuse me Liam, since you're enjoying your evening out, would you mind if I took a... Ow! Not in the... OW!
What's the story? Liam Gallagher has enjoyed a turbulent relationship with the gang of long-lensed money-printers that comprise the professional photography community. In March 1998, he cut his teeth on an amateur, clouting a backpacker with a camera in Brisbane. By November he was brawling with snapper Mel Bouzad in London. After a quiet couple of years, in 2001 there was a tussle at a Black Crowes aftershow in New York, and an altercation with photographer John Lillington in London.
And then? In the main the scales of justice have weighed Liam's aggro leniently. It's worth mentioning, though, that in 2001 he was voted Madame Tussaud's "Most Hated And Feared Waxwork", romping home ahead of Saddam Hussein.
Scott McLeod
Who? Former member of Oldham band the Ya Ya's, fleetingly fancied in NME in 1993.
What's the story? The Oasis life had taken its toll on Paul McGuigan by 1995, resulting in a bout of nervous exhaustion. Or as the ever-sensitive Bonehead called it, his throwing "a crispy". McLeod was drafted in, found it tough, then one morning, after a gig in Pittsburgh, left without warning on a plane back to England.
And then? A couple of weeks later he phoned Noel to say he thought he'd made the wrong decision. "I think you have too," said Noel. "Good luck signing on."
Alan White
Who? Younger brother of Steve White, the longtime drummer with Paul Weller's band, "Whitey" was Oasis drummer from (What's The Story) Morning Glory? until the beginning of this year.
What's the story? At present, it's hard to tell, with both parties tight-lipped about his departure. Whatever, the official explanation - White's ongoing hand problems, which surfaced as early as 1999 - seems a bit insubstantial. Or as White has deemed it, "bullshit".
And then? One would imagine a lengthy legal wrangle. Always one to enjoy a drink on the town with Liam, White's involvement in last year's "German fiasco" (he was also detained by police) may be at the root of all this.
Paul 'Guigsy' Guigan/ Paul 'Bonehead' Arthurs
Who? In a band led by two fighter aces, Guigsy and Bonehead were, as Peter Stringfellow memorably called them, "the tailgunners". One a deadpan football fan and pothead. One a man who chased two souvenir hunters down the street in his wife's nightie when they stole his doorknocker.
What's the story? The making of Standing On The Shoulder Of Giants seems to have been the final straw for these two. Recorded under a Noel-imposed, Liam-calming prohibition, the strains start to show. One night Bonehead gets extremely drunk, breaks down a door and then leaves. Guigs is not far behind.
And then? Noel is unmoved. "It's hardly Paul McCartney leaving the Beatles," he says. Bonehead (singer/songwriterly stylings) and Guigsy (dub-influenced noodling) have since been looking for deals.
Noel and Liam Gallagher
Who? To the newspaper-reading public, "The Battling Gallagher Brothers". To the rightly-enthused record-buying public, "the heart and soul of Oasis".
What's the story? What began as the tale of a band's breathtaking ascent to greatness quickly became the soap opera of this two. Fights. Some storming off-stage. Some ruined American tours. Two broken marriages. Though the pair have come through the last 10 years reasonably unscathed physically (until Liam's altercation with some German estate agents, during which he lost two front teeth), they have their scars. The sole original members of the group, they are, as Noel has often said, "chained to each other".
And then? The saga continues. Having quickly become the rock'n'roll stars they aspired in their best songs to be, the appetite for greatness quickly evaporated, but Noel and Liam retain a magnetic power for audiences. Sometimes it's like a car crash. Sometimes, though, it can still be magnificent.
A few did get out of the Oasis wars unscathed...
Richard Ashcroft
Verve frontman, band chum, and inspiration for Cast No Shadow. Now writes songs about the missus, and lives happily ever after.
Robbie Williams
Feuds aside, "Robster" remains unharmed, not to mention the bigger draw. Sensibly moved to another country, mind.
Matt Deighton
Stand-in for Noel during brief fit of pique. In quick. Out quick. Sound judgment there from the former Acid Jazzer.
Paul Weller
Spiritual leader, guest artist, man of fine footwear. Still plays grumpily to large devotional assemblies of bellowing dads.
Damon Albarn
Didn't like him much, did they? However, unlike other people we could mention, he still makes good records.
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