Keith Richards, the guitarist of The Rolling Stones is one of those musicians who will never keep his feelings with himself and is not afraid to express his opinions on other musicians. Whether they are friends, big bands, or the band itself, Richard isn’t afraid to drop the hammer.
The Rolling Stones was formed way back in 1962 and throughout the musical career of Richards, he has seen the evolution of Rock music from the very beginning. He has experienced true music and isn’t afraid to point out bands who don’t have a better quality in music.
Over the years Richards has given his opinion on multiple bands and their music, and one of them was the Brit-Pop band Oasis.
Keith Richards told the Oasis “They’re Crap”
Oasis is truly one of the biggest bands in the world. They were formed in the early 90s and debuted their ‘Definitely Maybe’, their first album in 1994. If you’re guessing what was the age of the Rolling Stones at that time then they were celebrating their 32nd anniversary.
Nevertheless, the first album by the Oasis was a hit. Noel and Liam Gallagher sold more than 8.5 albums worldwide and their album was another hit, selling over 22 million worldwide.
They were an outstanding artist to the 90s generation and one of the prominent British rock bands. They became a sensational band and every artist started to give their opinion on them and that’s when Richards stepped up and gave his opinion.
Richards is very honest with his opinion. “I don’t really like to hear people yelling at me and telling me it’s music, I can get enough of that without leaving my house,” he said about Rap.
“The guy’s voice started to get on my nerves. I don’t know why. Maybe he’s a little too acrobatic,” he told Rolling Stone in 1969 about Led Zeppelin’s frontman Robert Plant. In 2015 he was asked about the group again and his opinion was the same “I always felt there was something a little hollow about it, you know?”
Richards wasn’t afraid to pull the trigger and he certainly wasn’t afraid to tell Oasis “crap”. In 1997 Keith gave his opinion on the Oasis. It was published in “Rolling Stones Off The Record” book in 2003. “These guys are just obnoxious. Grow up and then come back and see if you can hang. I don’t hear anything there, it’s all just retro to me. But there is an element of pity”.
During the same year, Richards told the Irish Times that Oasis was “crap”. Over the years the group evolved and the more albums they released, the more Richards hated. In 2008, he again gave his opinion on Oasis during an interview with Uncut Magazine.
“I dont listen to whats going on. I dont like CDs, quite honestly. They sound tinny to me. Ive not even heard the Arctic Monkeys. I know of them but I dont know anything theyve done. I didnt like Oasis, I didnt like the Sex Pistols. (So) I dont like any of those English rock and roll bands. They’re all crap,” Keith Richards said.
Keith Richards and Noel Gallagher have spent time together
Richards has a clear opinion on Oasis. Although Richards doesn’t like the group, he has spent some time with Noel Gallagher.
During a New Year’s Eve party, the musicians met each other in a hotel. Noel Gallagher recalled the moment during an interview with Absolute Radio, “I go up to the bar and there’s Keith Richards, looking exactly as you would imagine, scarf and a hat,” he said.
“He suddenly turns around and says, ‘Ah, you’re still around, are you?’ His second line was, ‘One thing I’ve always wanted to ask you: Who is the bigger cunt, your singer or mine?’ And I said, ‘Well, as your singer wrote some of the greatest lyrics of all time. I’m going to say mine.’”
“[Richards] was like, ‘Your band, you were quite interesting there for a while,’ and I was like, ‘I could actually say the same to you’. But he was great and such a dude. It kinda reaffirms your faith in all your heroes when you meet Keith. Because he is the man,” Noel added.
One thing common about these artists is they’re always honest with their opinions. Interestingly, Richards wasn’t the only one who criticized Oasis’ music. The Beatles members, Paul McCartney also said they were “unhip”, and George Harrison said, “The music lacks depth and the singer Liam is a pain, the rest of the band don’t need him.”