Paul Weller: "I would never give Noel Gallagher advice"
24 June 2020, 10:00 | Updated: 24 June 2020, 13:18
The Modfather denies ever giving the former Oasis man any tips on being a solo star.
Paul Weller has revealed that he's never given any advice to Noel Gallagher about leaving Oasis and going solo.
Weller, whose new album, On Sunset, is released on 3 July, famously quit The Jam when the much-loved trio were at the height of their powers in 1982.
Asked by the NME if he knew that Liam Gallagher was apparently put out that Weller had suggested to brother Noel that going solo was the right thing to do, The Modfather laughed: “Listen – to put the record straight, I would never, ever give Noel Gallagher advice!"
He went on: “What do you say to somebody who’s just sold 50 million fucking records? ‘Oh, I know what you should do…’ So that’s not true.”
Noel told Q magazine back in 2015 that the veteran songwriter kept him in the loop when it came to new music: "I'm really reliant on Paul Weller. I don't know what he does, he must listen to f***ing independent radio all the time because he's forever on the phone to me all the time saying, 'Have you got this? Check this out, check this out.' "
However, Noel did admit to the NME the same year: “He threatens me that if I ever go back in Oasis that’ll be it between us. If Oasis ever did get back together, which is highly unlikely, I’d have to leave London and move back to Manchester… because he’d put my f**king windows in.”
Asked about the ongoing feud between Liam and Noel Gallagher, Weller repiled: “I’ve got better things to think about. I love both of them, anyway… I think they’re both brilliant characters.”
The follow-up to 2018's True Meanings, On Sunset is Weller's fifteenth solo album. He says of his career today: "I don’t beat myself up about the past – I should’ve done this or I should never have done that. I try to learn from any mistakes and better myself, but try to live as much as I can in the moment because that’s all there is.”
Paul Weller | On Sunset (Official Trailer)
“These days I really try and live in the present and as much as possible take each day as it is and be thankful for it. That’s a sign of getting older I guess but I don’t mind it; I like it.
“Now’s a good time. I’m not getting any younger and I want to try lots of different things, as much as I can possibly incorporate into what I naturally do. I’m trying different things as much as I can – time is of the essence, man.”
