Noel Gallagher is a funny man, whether he means it or not. He certainly has a dry sense of humour (who else would have married Meg Matthews at the height of their fame?) as befits a man with a Lego haircut and the face of a fairground goldfish.The trouble is, it's hard to tell when Noel has his tongue in his cheek (well, they're baggy enough to store rolled-up sleeping bags), and when he is being serious.

So when he spoke to Rolling Stone and declared that there were similarities between Oasis and the Rolling Stones a few eyebrows were raised. Not Noel's obviously. His brow is so massive that it can only be raised on special occasions and requires written permission from the council.

 

"We're not going to turn any new people on to Oasis. Oasis is a band that you either get it or you don't. Everybody knows who we are. You have to see us in league with the Rolling Stones now. Everybody's heard of the Stones, everybody knows what they sound like, everybody knows what they do. You either go because you like it or you don't. It's easy."

 

Mmmm. One slight difference. The Stones have one of the greatest back catalogues in history and they have the advantage that not all of their songs sound the same. Or maybe Noel was referring to the fact that the Rolling Stones are a spent force creatively and only tour the world to line their pockets? No, surely not. How were those last few Oasis albums, by the way?

 

by Ian McShane