The Rolling Stones guitarist, Keith Richards, has found infamy as one of rock’s prickliest yet comedic figures. Not afraid to fuse his cutting opinions with a dry sense of humour, Richards has delivered many memorable anecdotes confirming his unpredictable nature. One person lucky enough to catch Richards in a lighter moment was former Oasis guitarist Noel Gallagher.
There are many obvious parallels between Richards and Gallagher. Whether it be their distinctive guitar-playing styles, a penchant for hellraising once upon a time, or the fact that they’re half of an explosive partnership with their band’s singers, common ground is found. Still, to call them kindred spirits might be overstepping the mark.
This familiarity seems to be something that Keith Richards understands, despite him once labelling the Manchester band “crap”. He said: “These guys are just obnoxious. Grow up and then come back and see if you can hang”. It was an interesting point, as The Stones were guilty of being egregiously confident in their time.
Regardless of his opinions on Oasis, when Gallagher and Richards were brought together by chance one New Year’s Eve, the older statesman let his guard down and gave Gallagher a side-splitting anecdote. Here, we see the sardonic side of The Rolling Stones man come to the fore.
Gallagher told Zoe Ball on BBC Radio 2: “I spent New Year’s Eve once with Keith Richards. He said one of the funniest things to me – because I know his kids, right? His kids are all Oasis fans, and we all happened to be staying at the same hotel. And they (Richards’ kids) said: ‘Oh, come and meet Dad!’”
Continuing: “So, Keith’s at the bar dressed like a pirate… He’s got like, three belts on, and like a sword, you know, on his… A big parrot on his shoulder… And his kids went: ‘Dad, it’s Noel!’ And he turned around and went (Grumbles) ‘Ah…. You’re still around are ya?’ And I was like, ‘Yes, I am,’ and he said, ‘One question I’ve always wanted to ask you…’”
“And I was like, ‘Go on…,’ he said, ‘Who’s the biggest c**t? Your singer or mine?’ And I was like, ‘Well… As your singer wrote some of the greatest lyrics of all time, I’m gonna say mine,’ and he went, ‘I thought as much’”, Gallagher concluded to rapturous laughs in the studio.
