byte.fm/magazin/blog/2011/09/23/whats-that-face-ein-interview-mit-noel-gallagher/I used Google and corrected the main mistakes (almost everything
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"How would it be? This question was in my head for weeks. Noel Gallagher was coming to Cologne for his first solo album to promote, and to give a few interviews - one to me. The problem: I myself am a huge fan of Oasis and Noel Gallagher is the hero of my youth. The fear of being disappointed by the big shot was huge, so huge.
On 14 September, he was there, the big day. Two and a half hours early, I'm at the Hotel Excelsior Ernst, a classy box across from the cathedral. So here I am to meet Noel. I accept the noble foyer space, try to while away the time with reading a book, but after four words I put the book away. Rather browse again the interview questions. Now, a young woman approaches me, after a brief chat it turns out that she is also a journalist, of a magazine from Munich. Together we find the contact man and British Pat, who seems responsible for Noel. Pat takes us up to the suite 224th.
In the suite, there are a couch area and a table with several chairs around it. The young woman from the magazine takes a seat on the couch, I sit down at the table and upack my stuff. Pat disappears. Less than five minutes later I hear a voice that strikes me as very well known. For example, from "Don't Look Back In Anger '. Oh God.
A man turns the corner. "Hi, what's your name?" He said to the journalist looking critical, but this is what to expect from him and a familiar front. Now it's my turn, I get up and shake Noel Gallagher's hand. Noel is just one half, if not a full head shorter than me, he seems surprisingly old. "Hi, nice to meet you." I stammer a similar phrase, and probably some nonsense. I again take a seat at the table. Noel asks, "What is he doing?," remarking a laptop on the table, which does not belong to me, nods, says "checking emails", he who has just one computer, but only recently. The magazine-women begins, asks her questions, Noel responds to all sorts, often to Oasis-related. He often smiles, drinks his cappuccino, I myself my pot of coffee. The journalist asks whether drugs have helped him with songwriting. "No," he replies. "Still drink, still smoke." He still parties, but has stopped taking drugs with 31. He is now 45, the children and such. His current favourite song by Oasis? "Supersonic." Eventually there will be questions concerning his brother, due to which he sighed for the first time today. "You have just one page, right?"
What he likes about his brother Liam: "I like his sense of selfbelieve". Noel seems in good spirits, jokes about his employees (alleged female to 99%, Pat is the worst), lists the "craziest fans" ("England, Italy, Japan. And of course Germany."). Somehow I am, despite the distance of two meters to the interview, part of the conversation. When the young woman asks him what you should do before 30 Noel answers. "Children" I must probably have cringed, because suddenly Noel raises an eyebrow, points at me: "What's that face?, "he grins, adding:" How old are you?" I have to laugh. The two continue : Afraid of age? "No." For what does he spend most of his money? Vacation, wife, family. Apparently, he has sold the famous Rolls Royce and some of his many other cars because he does not have a driver's license anyway. ". I prefer the chauffeur" Apparently Noel does NOT own PC. "E-mails and fuckin 'shit like that" A good pub? When people are "calm and quite". By the way, he hates the music in pubs . Tip against hangover? "One more drink. A BIG pint of Guinness." Other topics include his hairdresser (he knows the guy and does not have to pay anything), cooking (" I can, but I do not ") and similar stuff. The interview with the lady from the magazine is near the end, I decide to leave the room, smoke a cigarette and quickly breathe again before I can finally run my own interview.
It's done. I go in, Noel is just signing a few autographs for a radio colleague and letting him take a photo with the smartphone. Meanwhile, after I grabbed my three bags and prepared myself. Of course, I forgot to remind the radio colleague to give me back my Edding, whom I had loaned him shortly before. The recorder is running. A little cramped, I'm sitting there, the looseness of just now seems gone, my arm, from which the microphone to Noel moves back and forth to me trembles slightly. What a bummer. But I can not assign, whether this is due to my seating position in the deep sofa or my fandom. No matter. Noel is sitting in a chair to the left of me and grins.
For the interview, I have 20 minutes to spare. 20 minutes can be very short if you have lots of questions - or very long. In fact, I'm through with my questions much more quickly than planned, which is also due to Mr. Gallagher's very experienced or intuitive, and thus relatively short answers. Without asking him about Oasis, he eventually gets to the topic himself. Yes, he regrets the decision to leave, it was not his smartest idea. But now he has something new. I ask, if there still are things he can and will achieve. Nope, he says. He had already achieved everything, except for a number one album in the U.S., but that is probably too late. And the songs on the album? "Fucking incredible." That grin.
The man sitting next to me, is obviously not afraid. It seems as if there would be nothing that might upset him. From his appearance he looks a bit like Mr. Bean, only much better dressed and a billion times cooler. The eyebrows are still impressive, though not "Monobrow" anymore like in old times in Manchester, but still powerful. I read a quote of Noel in the Mojo magazine: "Fuck Blade Runner. Blade Runner is Radiohead. Star Wars is Oasis. "What is his favorite character in the film? "Darth Vader. Really dark. Or the Emperor. "Something like it may seem, even though I'm not really sure whether he was not considered a total clown. The last question. "Oh, I skip that. It's a bad question", I say, but he apparently wants confrontation. "Ask the fucking question. . Ask me the bad ones", Well - his favorite song by Beady Eye? A reflection, then "The Roller". I knew it all. I continue with my station ID.
"Champagne Supernova, is that the Song?" No, no, his own show. "Ouh. Wow. "We come to the photos and signing. Now I miss the Edding, run like a weasel through Suite 224, looking for something for Noel to sign my vinyl "Definitely Maybe". Pat has, thank God, at least one pin. I pull out the first album by Oasis, also a bootleg record. "What's that?" He knows the logo, he designed the lettering over the faded Union Jack. Only the vinyl is unknown to him, he examines it in great detail. "Pat," he asks, she comes. While he continues to examine, looks an dissassembles the whole vinyl, there are probably already lawyers baited in his mind. A problem? Nope, the two say. Pat is taking the vinyls and photographs them in detail. Noel dedicates himself to my "Definitely Maybe", I take photographs without hesitation. We take a look at the cover, a brief conversation about the guitar, which he has held then, in 1994. Pat is back, so that we can now take a picture together. Noel leans against me, I look (as always in the important moments) a proper Charlie.
I'm about ready in time, might still have several questions. But Noel is apparently hungry anyway, at the menu, he looks after the club sandwich. He runs through the suite, his hands in his pockets, his answers are getting shorter. When his phone rings, he skillfully ignored it until he starts to press it madly. I still wonder. No iPhone? "I hate iPhones." I tell him about his official iPhone app, he asks Pat and is pleased. His empire works.
I grab my three bags, thank him again for the interview. One last time, shake hands, bye, and get out. The contact man came towards me beaming, surprised that I'm ready so promptly, we adopt fast and friendly, because he already has a camera crew in the back. I leave the hotel, the sun is shining. I put on my sunglasses and light me a cigarette on the same train. Great."