Cigarettes and Alcohol aka Liam’s way through lockdown
The current coronavirus outbreak has musicians and artists plunged into a chronic lack of activity which closely resembles a state of hibernation. Amidst this boredom the Q magazine turned to one of the most entertaining interviewees Britain has ever produced, Liam Gallagher. In the exclusive new interview the former Oasis frontman answered some hilarious questions about life in a lockdown and touched upon the sore topic of an Oasis reunion.
In a number of previous interviews Liam admitted he can’t stand having nothing to do. Instead, he prefers always keeping himself busy, be it touring, recording new music or hanging out with his bandmates. These days all the three pastimes are not an option though. The coronavirus epidemic struck the UK worse than any other European country, and it seems like the restrictions will remain in place for the foreseeable future. It’s easy to guess Liam’s usual way of life has suffered significant changes. How does his lockdown routine look like then? How does he occupy his time? The answer is a simple formula invented by Oasis back in 1994: Cigarettes and Alcohol.
“My lockdown routine has been drinking. Then a little more drinking. Then bed, talking gibberish. I’ve done a bit of running, but not much. Mostly I’m just eating and drinking though. Once we finally get a date to come out, I’ll fix up and look sharp. There’s no rush, is there? We’re going to be here until June at least. aren’t we?”, ponders the rock icon.
It would be hard to disagree. While the situation gradually starts to improve, there is still a long way to go before anyone would even mention gigs or any other mass gatherings. Meanwhile, Liam’s brother Noel has recently made a sarcastic mention of his younger sibling in one of the new interviews. According to Noel, Liam has lately let himself go by putting quite a bit of weight on. Frankly speaking, we can hardly blame Liam for that: in current circumstances it’s not that easy to stay active. But maybe Liam can offer any tips on how to get through the lockdown with minimal losses?
“Alcohol. You need lots of alcohol. Look, I know this is very booze-heavy, but I don’t know what I’d do without it in this situation. I’d probably have to get into DIY and all that tackle. Cobbling shoes. I’d have a shed in the end of the garden, and I’d be there fixing everyone’s shoes, and that would be shit.”
Fair enough, yet chances are the fans wouldn’t mind getting their shoes fixed by Liam one fine day. Luckily, despite the ongoing anxiety and lack of certainty, Liam finds the strength to remain optimistic. He firmly believes we shouldn’t lose hope and opts for a good joke to ease the tension. For instance, lately the fans were overjoyed to see Liam upload hilarious handwashing videos on his Instagram account. The short clips featured the iconic frontman washing his hands while singing the coronavirus versions of classic Oasis hits. The puns included Wonderwash, Champagne Soapernova, Soapersonic and many others. The interviewer asks Liam about the inspiration behind the funny videos.
“Alcohol. Pure booze. I’ve seen all these people doing their little videos, writing songs about coronavirus, and I just thought, “Fuck that”. Keep your head down and have a bit of a laugh. If you take that seriously, you’re just gonna end up like Bono – and I refuse. Me and Debbie were very pissed when we did those videos.”
The lockdown is also preventing Liam from seeing his close family, including his beloved mum Peggy. The rock icon complains they now have to rely on facetiming to keep in touch with each other.
“I’m bored shitless. I’m just the same as everyone else, bored out of my fucking mind, but at least I’m not dead, so all is good in the world. Recently I’ve done a bit of video chat with my mam, but she hasn’t got a clue. All I end up seeing is her ceiling. I end up shouting at her to hold it to her face. But she replies, “I don’t know abbout these things!” So we end up just calling her.”
Liam admits he like to keep himself up to date with current news. Despite the gruesome forecasts, he keeps the faith and tries to encourage his fans to hold on.
“I have the news on 24/7. I like to be informed, whether it’s the American news, the English news, wherever. In fact, I do have my moments when I think we’re fucked. And then there’s times when I think, “I know there are people dying, but if we can just keep it locked down, we’ll eventually come out and it’ll be fine. Some good will come out of it”.
In times like these, we’d all love to believe in a better tomorrow. Liam makes it clear that as soon as the lockdown is lifted, he’ll go back to making music and playing gigs. Meanwhile, there is another thing all Oasis fans hope for: the long-awaited Oasis reunion. I don’t think there was a single Liam’s interview where he wouldn’t be asked this uneasy question. Today is no exception. Yet, this time Liam’s answer is different – and defintely more pessimistic.
“If Oasis ever reform, it would probably have to be Whitey playing the drums. I know Tony McCarroll is a nice guy, but people probably want Whitey more, certainly more than Chris Sharrock and Zak Starkey. Actually, why don’t we get them all back? Because, let’s face it, it’s not going to happen.”
If an Oasis reunion is not on the cards, then what are Liam’s plans for the nearest future? The answer is surprising.
“Me and Bonehead spoke years ago about recording an album of traditional Irish songs. I’d love to do that shit. I’m very open-minded, I’ll do anything. Maybe I’d be good at it, but I can tell you who would definitely be great at that: Mani. He’s a bit of a Paddy as well, he’d love it!”
Apparently, Liam seems eager to pay tribute to his Irish roots. Can we expect a collaboration between Liam and the legendary member of the Stone Roses? Only time will tell. Earlier this year we have already witnessed Liam team up with the Man United legend Eric Cantona for the epic Once music video.
“I tell you what, that guy is top. Mani summed him up best. He said he’s a cross between Jesus Christ and Elvis. And he actually is! He’s a beautiful human being. He texted me a couple of times while this has been going on and asked, “How are you, Mr Gallagher?” He’s a real gent. I fucking love him!”
It’s pretty unusual hearing that from a hardcore Man City fan, but Liam loves pushing the limits. While Liam’s fans view him as no less than a god himself, he admits he actually has a favourite superhero. And, surprisingly enough, it’s not himself.
“Not a big fan of Superman. Not sure why, maybe it was the geezer with the bins on. I reckon Spiderman is my favourite. He could fly about and he looked cool in his mask. Superman can just fuck off with his bins on and his posh slicked-back hair. He never resonated for me. Spiderman any day!”
Hopefully, today we’ve all learnt something new about the last true Rock’n’Roll Star. And who knows, maybe we can expect to see people show up at Liam’s future gigs wearing Spiderman costumes. After the lockdown that would be a refreshing scene we all need.
Source: Q magazine