Definitely Maybe track mocked Britpop rivals
Gaby Whitehill

09:05 20th May 2014

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Creation Records founder Alan McGee has revealed Oasis' 1994 track 'Digsy's Dinner' was a "piss-take" of then-rivals Blur.

McGee, who managed Oasis at the height of their fame in the 90s, told XFM the Definitely Maybe track was a dig at Damon Albarn and co. "I think it was a piss-take of Blur," he said. "I don't think Noel's ever admitted to that. It's a piss-take of that Britpop thing. It was Noel proving that he could do that in his sleep."

Listen to 'Digsy's Dinner' below:

McGee was speaking to XFM about Definitely Maybe to mark the release of its 20th anniversary reissue yesterday (May 19). He also revealed how Liam developed his famous "sneer" after he performed a live session of 'Cigarettes and Alcohol' in the style of Sex Pistols frontman John Lydon. 

"As a joke, he was sneering like Lydon," McGee reminisced. "Noel played me that and I said, 'That stays!' And Noel went back and said to Liam: 'That stays!' Liam kind of brought in that sneer. He was always Lennon-y, but he brought in the Lydon thing to the vocal. Noel told me: 'Alan, he's only taking the piss'."

The 20th anniversary reissue of Definitely Maybe is out now.

Below: what if Oasis had never been signed 20 years ago?

 

  • We wouldn't have this haircut: Dating back to the Mod era and sported by the likes of Paul Weller in the past, it was Liam Gallagher that brought it back into fashion. It can now be seen 'pon the heads of Jake Bugg and the population of Leicester.

  • Well, Blur would be MASSIVE: Yes, they are pretty big as it stands, but one can't but wonder what would have happened if Oasis weren't around as Blur's sparring partners in the Battle of Britpop. Would it instead have been Damon Albarn and co than would headline Knebworth and conquer the world?

  • No one would walk like that: That Manc swagger is still commonplace on the streets of Manchester. Guy Garvey referred to it as 'the simian stroll' in the beautiful Elbow track 'Lippy Kids'. Thanks to Noel G, the walk spread out of the city and can now be seen being performed by Britpop obsessed indie kids the world over.

  • We might not have stadium indie: Yeah, once they broke through the Knebworth barrier and into the stratosphere, Oasis paved the way for another generation of anthemic plod-along stadium indie - giving us the likes of Coldplay and that. Thanks.

  • We wouldn't have the Ryan Adams version of 'Wonderwall': Come on, admit it's much, much better than the original. We know it, you know, even Noel kinda knows it. In 2008, Noel told Spin: "I think Ryan Adams is the only person who ever got that song right. I'd love to do the Ryan Adams version. but in front of 60,000 Oasis fans that wouldn't be possible"

  • We would have fewer tabloid headlines: Yup, Liam and his massive mouth are responsible for selling plenty of headlines and magazine over the years - largely for his slagging off of just about every other musician on the planet. Of La Roux (pictured), he simply said: "No way, mate. She's got man hands."

  • We wouldn't have Beady Eye: Love them, hate them, whatever, it's nearly impossible to imagine our Liam finally realising his rock n' roll dream and forming Beady Eye in his mid-life if weren't for the glory years of Oasis. They're gone now, but they were certainly a spectacle while they lasted.

  • We wouldn't have Noel Gallagher as a solo artist: Oasis was all about the rock and roll abandon of youth, but after they parted ways Noel shone as a fine elder statesman of rock songwriting - proving he can cut it alone with a brilliant craft.

  • We wouldn't have The Killers: Yes, even out in the dessert, blinded by the bright neon lights of Las Vegas, Brandon Flowers was caught by the Oasis spell. In 2001, Flowers was abandoned by his first band, Blush Response. He then attended an Oasis concert at the Hard Rock Hotel and realised that his calling was to be in a rock band and began searching for like-minded musicians. The Killers were born.

  • We wouldn't have this picture of Pete Doherty: Long before he was troubling tabloids and injecting himself with all kinds of junk, the former Libertine was just a bright-eyed, wee Oasis fan. Here he is being interviewed by MTV while in the queue for Be Here Now. When asked his opinion on the band, he replied: "I subscribe to the Umberto Eco view that Noel is a Poet and Liam is a town crier."

  • We wouldn't have Arctic Monkeys: Alex Turner revealed that the band's first 'gig' at a school assembly when they played tribute to Oasis. Speaking to Pitchfork last year he said: "Me and Matt and some of our friends put on 'Morning Glory' - we 'played' some tennis racquets and pretended to be Oasis. Matt was Liam Gallagher, he had the bucket hat on. I was the bass player."

Issue Two of the Gigwise Print magazine is on sale now! Buy it here.

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