ON August 18 1991, Oasis, comprising Liam Gallagher, Paul ‘‘Guigsy’’ McGuigan, Paul ‘‘Bonehead’’ Arthurs and Tony McCarroll, took the stage at the Manchester Boardwalk, supporting a band called Sweet Jesus (remember them? Thought not!).

Watching from the audience was Liam’s big brother, Noel. After the show, Noel announced he would join the band on the proviso that he wrote all the songs. They agreed and the rest is pop music history, or as the band themselves put it ‘‘10 years of noise and confusion.”

Rock n'roll

In between, of course, there’s been history-making live gigs, the fights, the walkouts, the fights, the celebrity wives, the fights, the million-selling albums, the fights, the ridiculously arrogant interviews.

Has any band ever had to grow up quite as publicly as Oasis? Assuming you think that rock’n’rollers are allowed to grow up at all.

Although the picture Noel has painted of himself is of growing up, settling down and getting comfortable with his undeniable songwriting gifts.

‘‘I’m still learning as a songwriter,’’ he admits. ‘‘The six songs I’ve done for the new record I’ll stand up and fight anyone for. I’m never happy anyway. I think I’m equal parts genius, equal parts buffoon in the same day. I’ve definitely put stuff out in the past that I don’t like anymore.’’

He freely admits that in the early days he used to just simply lift stuff from his own favourite songs. Cigarettes And Alcohol, for instance, came from Get It On by T. Rex.

‘‘I wouldn’t attempt to do that now,’’ he avows. ‘‘That was written before I had a record deal! For years, all I’d listen to was a compilation tape of strictly Slade, Bowie and T. Rex. I’d copy the songs like Cum On Feel The Noize, change the chords around a bit. I make no bones about it. I wasn’t taught music by anybody. I didn’t learn music at school. I can’t play the piano.’’

Cigarettes and Alcohol

Something else he makes no bones about are the years when Oasis were the biggest band around, years when he made more money than ‘‘I could believe’’ then ‘‘took more drugs than I should’ve.’’ A large part of the reason why Be Here Now, the third Oasis album, wasn’t that good, or at least was never going to live up to expectations, was because when he was writing those songs, he ‘‘was just a big, fat, charlied-up rock star sitting in limos and going to parties.’’
But that was then and this is now, with his life back on something like an even keel, his muse back on line and a healthy attitude to what his songs mean to people.
‘‘When people tell you things like ‘‘I met my wife listening to your music’’ or whatever, you think sound! You’ve touched people’s lives. That’ll do for me.’’