Noel Gallagher recalls “most stressful fucking day” before first Oasis gig
Noel Gallagher has recalled the stress he experienced in the lead-up to his first show with Oasis because he’d “never played guitar standing up”.
During an interview for Gibson TV‘s ‘Icons’ series, the singer-songwriter remembered how he’d only “done a few rehearsals” with the Manchester band after joining their line-up in the early ’90s.
- READ MORE: Oasis – every album ranked and rated
“We were doing one song of mine, which was ‘Columbia’, but it was instrumental,” Gallagher explained (via Rolling Stone).
“We’ve got a gig on Tuesday, and it suddenly dawns on me that I’ve never played guitar standing up. Not only that, I don’t own a fucking strap. This is Sunday night. And I’m skint. Never played guitar standing up.”
He continued: “That seems [like a] preposterous fucking notion now. But I can only tell you that the Monday was probably the most stressful fucking day of my entire life.”
Gallagher went on to recall how he had to “borrow a strap” before “going home and putting a guitar on for the first time”. He added: “I’d say [I spent] a good hour looking in the mirror […] And I think where you hold your guitar for the first time is crucial.
“It kind of signifies how much of a cunt you’re going to be, because if it’s too high, you don’t get no fit birds, mate. If it’s too low, she gettin’ a goth, alright? But if you get it right, you know, the ‘Gunslinger’… And I remember looking in the mirror thinking, ‘Doesn’t look right’.”
The musician said he “nailed it” in the end, however. “I was stressing about it for 24 hours,” he explained. “Thank fucking God it was before phones and cameras, because there would be some pretty fucking awkward footage of it now. But you know, an exhilarating experience all the same.”
Gallagher’s full interview with Gibson TV is due to arrive on YouTube at 8pm BST tonight (August 24) – watch here.
In other news, Gallagher has revealed that he now struggles to remember the lyrics to his songs while performing onstage. He explained that would consider using a teleprompter in the future, saying: “I’m sure, eventually, I’ll need one.”
Gallagher, meanwhile, is set to embark on a UK arena tour this year in support of his latest High Flying Birds album ‘Council Skies’. You can find any remaining tickets here.
The post Noel Gallagher recalls “most stressful fucking day” before first Oasis gig appeared first on NME.
Tom Skinner
NME
