Wednesday, October 01, 2014

Live Forever? Oasis changed Lars Ulrich's life.

Chronologically, Felix White makes perfect sense, but Lars Ulrich?

As for me, my favorite rock bands have tended to be from the British Isles. When Oasis came along, the various British cultural markers were only vaguely clear to me. Rather, I loved the swagger and the music. One song, "Live Forever," summarizes an entire mid-1990s period for me.

I'm looking forward to the reunion tour, because at some point, the cash will outweigh the rancor. Just look at how much the Libertines were paid to do a couple of one-offs.
Oasis: the band that changed our lives – by Lars Ulrich and Felix White

The Metallica drummer and Maccabees guitarist remember coming across Oasis 20 years ago – and how it altered their perceptions of music

Lars Ulrich of Metallica

In 1994 I was browsing through an issue of a magazine called Select, and there was a story about a band from England, with some unusual looking fellows, that I’d never heard of. I skimmed across the article, and was quite amused by the fact that every other word was either “fuck” or “cunt”. There was a pretty detailed description of a conversation between one of the guys in the band, Noel Gallagher, and Paul Weller, that was particularly off-colour and very, very funny. It reeked of attitude and not giving a fuck, which at the time – at the height of the shoegazing-I-can’t-handle-being-a-rockstar attitudes that were becoming mainstream – was very refreshing ...

Felix White of the Maccabees

The conviction of delivery in everything Oasis did was very convincing for a 10-year-old. They had such an effect on me that before I’d even heard one, I could tell anybody for 100% fact, with my hand on my heart, that synthesisers were rubbish. Synthesisers were rubbish and guitars were the best. And Oasis were the best at playing them.

It provoked me to religiously watch Top of the Pops, clapping guitar bands and booing anyone that wasn’t. I asked my parents if we could get chairs like the ones in the Wonderwall video. I put my hand up in class, with over exaggerated sense of urgency, to ask Ms Morris what a Champagne Supernova was. I don’t think she really knew.

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