Taylor Swift’s parents are the only ones who think she’s a good songwriter, according to Noel Gallagher.
The former Oasis star is one of the most outspoken people in the music industry and has taken potshots at some of the biggest pop stars around in a new interview.
He slams the genre for being “f**king awful” and “bland nonsense”, claiming if it was a colour it would be beige. And he’s also not a fan of Taylor.
“Who says that? Her parents?” he told Rolling Stone magazine, after the interviewer commented that people believe the 25-year-old singer is a talented songwriter. “Name those people. That’s bulls**t. You’re f**king lying. She seems like a nice girl, but no one has ever said those words, and you know it.”
Next in the firing line were British boyband One Direction. They are one of the biggest groups in the world at the moment, but Noel just finds that depressing.
“I know Harry Styles. We’ve hung out a couple of times. They’re lovely lads. But I’ve got to say, I have difficulties with people who don’t write their own songs, who’ve got a team of songwriters who work for your record label,” he said, after which he was reminded that many Motown stars operated in this way too.
“If you’re trying to insinuate that what’s going on now is akin to what was going on at Motown – what, were you out late eating magic mushrooms? Not equivalent. Not in the slightest.”
It wasn’t all doom and gloom though, with the star also discussing some people he admires. Top of the list is Irish rocker Bono, who often gets a hard time as he’s seen as a bit worthy. This isn’t Noel’s experience though, and he even has a nickname for the U2 musician.
“Of all the people I know, he’s the most fun to hang out with, for sure. He’s a funny f**ker, and he can drink. And he’s got big ideas – for his band and for my music as well, which is astonishing. He’s always giving me titles for songs and albums. I call him Father Bono,” he said.
Everyone has an opinion on Kanye West at the moment, and unsurprisingly Noel was happy to air his. Kanye has just apologised for claiming Beck didn’t deserve his best album Grammy this year, and Noel appears to back that.
“He’s a character, I’ll give him that. And I love his track Black Skinhead. But somebody needs to buy that dumbass a dictionary so he can look up the word ‘artistry’. Beck can play the banjo, for f**k’s sake. Nobody plays the banjo!” he laughed.
