“I don’t want interesting! Rock ‘n’ roll’s not about that. To me, it’s about f**king utter gobsh*tes just being f**king headcases.”
So says Noel Gallagher in an interview for Esquire, in what is a rant about the middle-0f-the-roadness of modern rock. The indie legend wants music to be exciting, dangerous and provocative – not media-friendly or ‘nice’.
The comments have gone public on the same day that John Lewis premiered their annual Christmas advert – a surgical prang at the heartstrings that expertly manipulates the public into feeling ‘totes emosh’ and dashing out to buy a telescope for granddad.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wuz2ILq4UeA
The ad features a plinky-plonk cover of Oasis’ Half the World Away, by a breathy Norwegian singer called Aurora. You know the drill: an old classic performed in a saccharine sweet child-like voice at half the normal speed.
It seems a fair few observers feel there’s something of a contradiction in Gallagher bemoaning the tedium of commercial pop pap one minute, and then lending one of his songs to be sanitised into a very easy listen the next…
Noel Gallagher complains about the lack of wild rockstars, the same day Oasis allowed one of their songs to be used in a John Lewis ad
— Ollie (@zeldasbxtch) November 6, 2015
Noel Gallagher: Modern music is a sell-out
John Lewis: Can we butcher 1 of your songs for a xmas ad?
Gallagher: Be my guest. #ManOnTheMoon— John Hyde (@JohnHyde1982) November 6, 2015
https://twitter.com/lightspeed_/status/662600252348854272
On that, for all Noel Gallagher's 'outsider' posturing, he soundtracks John Lewis ad and duets on new Coldplay LP. Hardly Che Guevara is he?
— James Hall (@JamesFHall) November 6, 2015
So far this week I've seen Noel Gallagher get over-enthused by U2 & now Half the World Away is on the John Lewis ad. You're letting me down
— Chris Holt (@HoltChris) November 6, 2015
Noel Gallagher can never lecture anybody on what "Rock n' Roll" is when he's just sold one of his songs to be used in a John Lewis advert…
— Jack Carter (@jackcarter22) November 6, 2015
Sad that Noel Gallagher's annual rant published before acoustic-lady version of Oasis track used in John Lewis ad. Missed opportunity.
— Vicky Walker (@vicky_walker) November 6, 2015
