The Oasis Man, He Say,"Oosh"

As birthday surprises go, getting Noel Gallagher onstage for two songs at NME.COM'S 10th birthday party (September 12) was pretty special. Speaking to NME after the show, the Oasis leader explained why he dropped in to lend Kasabian a hand.

NME: Did you enjoy being in Kasabian for the night?

Noel Gallagher: "It's the smallest gig I've seen them do, well, ever actually because every time I've seen them they've either been supporting us or it was at Brixton Academy. They asked us to play Ibiza on a proper pissed-up, pharmaceutical night out. They said, 'Are you going to get up with us?', so i said 'Yeah, yeah!" But they're off to New York tomorrow, we're off doing our Best Of press so there was only one night when we were in town together and that was tonight! As luck would have it, it was the NME night, so we thought, 'Brilliant, let's do it!'''

Why did you play on those particular songs?

"Serge picked the two songs. If he'd have asked me I'd have said 'Club Foot', but then he said 'The Doberman' too and I thought 'Fucking brilliant!" 'Club Foot' is my favourite. It was the first bit of music I ever heard by them. When the interviews started two or three years I thought, 'They're gobby little fuckers, I hope they can back it up.' Then I heard 'Club Foot' and it was, 'Fuckin whoa, man! Is someone saying "Oosh!"? I went to see them live before before we went on tour with them and they were the fucking business!"

We enjoyed your "Ooshes".

"I fucking love that! When we first ever got to play with them we were going' Is that an "Oosh"?' and Tom Said, 'Yeah, "Oosh"'. What is that? It's where Serge taps into the dance music thing. They're up there with The Prodigy and the Primals. 'Screamadelica' is the definitive guitar dance record, it's not even indie dance or any of that shit. Kasabian are there now and they're making music which is unique."

Were you worried about the flying glowsticks?

"when they came on and there were glowsticks flying i was thinking, 'That would never happen at an Oasis gig, because someone would have said, "Throw them once more and you're out of here.''' I thought by the time I got on they'd all be on the stage anyway so it would be alright. I might have got hit in the head, but as luck would have it I smashed my own nose up with my guitar instead. I was on the drum-riser and managed to headbutt my own guitar and cut my nose!"

Source: NME Magazine