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Ride, Primal Scream, My Bloody
Valentine, Oasis – even Swervedriver
– that’s some stable of bands you had
at Creation. How do you look back on
those days now?
I don’t remember a great deal to be
honest with you, but it was a cracking
record company. It was a great time for
music.
The Oasis story is a rock and roll
story that most people tend to
know. Why do you think they made a
documentary?
I think maybe to remind people that
they were fucking great band.
I watched the film last night. I
remember reading an interview with
Noel a few years ago and he said
that he knew that you’d be at King
Tut’s (the venue where McGee first
saw Oasis play) that night when you
signed them. However, in the film he
said he wasn’t aware that you were
going to be there. Did he know you
were going to be there?
No. He never knew, he never knew. It
was the opposite. I’d be the set up, you
know? What did he say before? That he
knew that I was going to be there?
Yeah. He said that he knew you were
going to be there and that he had
to bribe the bouncers to get on the
stage and play.
No. He’s fucking bullshitting. I mean,
I didn’t even know I was going to be
there.
[Laughs]What was it that you saw
that night that convinced you to sign
them?
Just a great fuckin’ band.
Were they good players?
Noel’s a great guitar player.
What about the rest of them? What
about Bonehead and Guigsy?
They could hold their instruments
quite well.
As we’ve already mentioned, you had
some quality talent at Creation. How
do Oasis compare to some of the
bands you had on the label?
They were brilliant live. That’s how I
found them. They were brilliant live.
Madchester had faded and grunge
was steadily killing itself. Do you
think the timing was critical for the
success of Oasis?
Do you know what, the more I
think about it, I think they were just an
extension of Madchester rather than
a Britpop band. That’s really what they
were. You’re right though - it was just
timing. I think it was just the right place
at the right time.
Would you say that Owen Morris
(Morris produced the first three Oasis
albums) is the unsung hero in the
Oasis story?
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