pp. 36 - 40
My translation again, but as it's rather long I'll stick to the interesting parts and just Liam's words.
Football
About Beady Eye:
As a band we did not get the credits we would have deserved. Maybe it was too soon. Oasis had just split and technically Beady Eye was just Oasis without Noel, many did not like that. But what choice did we have? You dust yourself off and keep going. ... We were lucky that we could go on. When I look back, I think that we had a couple of good songs.
About co-writing:
If I did it all on my own, I would not dare to leave the house, but I work together with Andrew and Simon, so the pressure is shared. I don't see it as a burden. When you're 20 that's maybe different, especially when you want to make a first stand. But from my POV: Hey, if people don't like it, I'll do the next album and maybe they will like that more. Just try again, easy. D'ya know what I mean? ... No [nervousness], really. I mean, hey, it's just music. People should listen to it and then decide if they are on board, but it certainly does not make me nervous. If they like it, fine. If it's not their coup of tea, then that's perfectly fine, too, dykwim? It's not live and death, we just do what we do - we make a new record, that's it. Nobody got killed. We tried a few things and those worked. If they had not, then we would have gone back to what we always did. But it worked, so: Fockin' great, man.
Is Liam getting softer while getting older?
Could be, but people always have a certain image of me. Of course I did some things that were not nice in the past, quarreling and fighting, but that's just a small part of me. If someone annoys me I get angry. But in the main I'm a laidback guy. Might sound funny coming from me, but it's the truth. One part is I'm not going out that often. Once I was constantly in bars and pubs full of dickheads. One word leads to the next. Today I think, f... me, I'm stayinig home. I'm much more aware of my surroundings now. We develop and change constantly, that's a long process.
When I look back on me as a 20 year old, my first thought is how much I have changed. One moment later I tell myself: I still listen to the same music, smoke the same cigarettes and drink the same beer, so I can't be that different. But there are many small things that are different today.
Covid & Lockdown:
In the morning I sat down in my rocking chair or my beanbag and enjoying listening to the birds chirping. That was twice as loud as before because no planes flew. A f...ing symphony, great. Of course, the pandemic was a major tragedy, unbelievable how many people died from Corona. At the same time such a phanomenon has such a power. If you think about it, the whole planet was just abouth this one thing. Maybe Earth needed a breathing break. That whole thing about test laboratory, I don't believe that. Just look what we are doing to nature, climate change and all that tackle. Maybe that was Earth' way to react? I'm OK with that. Just like Glastonbury festival. Every few years the fields have to recover from being abused by the hoards.
But hey, that's just how I see it, especially sitting in the dark at night, being stoned.
Did he now finally watch Get Back?
Everybody says, man, you gotta see it. I say, f... off, I'll watch when I want, in my way. You do what you want. I'm scared. Why? Because I know it's f...in' amazing, from what I've heard about it. As if you were in the room with them, crazy. That's why I'm scared. It's just like when you were a kid. If you eat that, it's all over. That's how it is with Get Back. When I start, I won't stop and then it's done. ...
When I'll do it, I'll have to be focussed absolutely. At the moment there is too much going on with the new album and the interviews and all that tackle. As soon as I have more time for myself, maybe when the tour is done, I'll sit down and watch it leisurely. I have to be fully concentrated.
Did his attitude towards the Beatles ever change?
Absolutley not. Never. I've always loved them, that never changed. Maybe I don't listen to them as much as I did when I got into them. It was like entering a new world, a new dimension. Everything else could f... off, dykwim? That whole armada of legends, Beatles, Hendrix, Stones, The Who, Small Faces, Pink Floyd, it's insane. The Beatles are part of my DNA. Not to forget the Sex Pistols, I love them. No one get's close. Steve Jones is a legend, an animal. The Beatles and the Sex Pistols, it does not get better, that power. Without them everything would have been different.
Summary of an interesting part about the recording process, not told by Liam but the interviewer:
Sweet Children was the first song Wyatt sent to Liam who returned it after having added his vocals in his home studio. They did that for a while until they had 6 songs. Then Wyatt came to London and they work together on the new material. Liam: Very easy.
About the Foo Fighters:
I love the Foo Fighters, they have fantastic songs. What I have always respected about them was their whole attitude to touring. When bands get huge, they sometimes only tour every few years. The Foo Fighters are on tour constantly, there is no slackening. I have huge respect. Movies, series, producing albums, it's not so easy doing all that and then such great things. Huge respect.
Everything Electric
Taylor Hawkins:
A great tragedy. We were not best friends, but we regularly spoke on the phone. A week before his death we were together on facetime, speaking about shared gigs and a few ideas. His family and friends, his close circle, they must be devastated. God bless his soul.
C'mon you know being experimental
It's not super-experimental, but there are few unusual details that I normally would not have done. ... I'm really not the type to go into details, discussing every possible detail about producing. That was the beauty about being in a band. Noel used to deal with all that.
Looking forward to Knebworth
I will be better prepared this time. We were on tour, there was much drinking going on. I drank the day before, I drank on stage. When I look at it now, I think we did not play our totally optimum, something was a bit offside. Today I'm more mature, it's gonna be mega. ...
Honestly I'm still in a bit of a shock. I had not expected that people would be so up for it. Then presale started and I thought: Boah, what's going on here? For the moment I packed that away. When we start rehearsing it will all be different again, I can tell you. Can't wait. Done it before, do it again. People ask for it, it's gonna be fantastic, dyknwim?
Noel?
I think he's annoyed that I'm doing it, but he would never admit it. He says today he does not want to play big gigs, just like his pal Paul Weller. They play Guildhall and celebrate. Hey we are hard working musicians. F... off, mate, my a.. Have fun with your show in front of 300 people. I prefer playing Knebworth.
Germany
I know there have been some incidents. Munich certainly was not pretty, but when you are drunk, you can get off the rails. It's in the past, let's leave it at that. I enjoy being there, everything always is so relaxed.
"Peace and love and all that shit. I'll see you down the road."
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I have to say, Liam really sounds much more laidback and - dare I say it? - almost mature.
This must be his most relaxed campaign so far. The interviewer, as well as the one the other day, also remark how he was much different than what they expected. I love crazy and juvenile Liam, but a the same time, it is great to see him apparently in a good place and just being happy. No cringing reading his interviews! Well, maybe apart from the Noel parts.