The Beach Boys are “overrated” and 2001: A Space Odyssey might be “the s*****st film of all time”, according to rock star Noel Gallagher.
The Oasis star and High Flying Birds frontman is known for his forthright views on pop culture, having previously described pop stars Taylor Swift and Ed Sheeran as “s***” and bemoaned the lack of “proper” rock stars.
In a new interview with The Times, the 56-year-old spoke about some of his favourite books, music and TV shows, and also listed the guests for his dream dinner party.
Recalling a recent flight from Los Angeles to Seoul, he revealed that he’d regretted watching director Stanley Kubrick’s 1986 film, 2001: A Space Odyssey.
The movie, which divided critics when it was first released, is known for its pioneering special effects and accurate depiction of space exploration. The Independent’s film critic Geoffrey Macnab once described it as “the sci-fi movie against which all others must be measured”.
While the film is today widely regarded as one of the most influential films of all time, Gallagher was unimpressed.
“I think it might be the s*****st film of all time,” he said. “The best thing about it is that Leonard Rossiter is in it. It has no plot, no story and when it finished I was, like, ‘Well that’s f***ing two and a half hours I’m never going to get back.’”
A still from Stanley Kubrick’s ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’
Asked about who or what he believed was “overrated”, Gallagher answered The Beach Boys: “I have this theory that they’re only revered because when people used to go to record shops, they were in the ‘B’ section pretty close to The Beatles,” he said. “And Paul McCartney liked them. That was it.”
McCartney was on the invite list for Gallagher’s fantasy dinner party, along with Bob Dylan (“I’ve never met him and I’d love to because he is one of the greatest songwriters of all time”), Bono (“he would be the glue that held it all together”), author Ben Macintyre, Hollywood star Robert DeNiro (“because he’s Robert DeNiro”), and Mr Blobby… “to see how Robert DeNiro would react.”
Noel Gallagher performing with his band the High Flying Birds— (AP)
Gallagher often complains about the state of the modern music industry. As well as Swift and Sheeran, he went after pop group Little Mix in 2021, calling them a “symptom of the music business chasing the numbers”.
Gallagher is known for taking swipes at other musicians, and went after pop group Little Mix in 2021— (Dave Benett/Getty Images)
“Record company guys constantly say, ‘Oh these guys are the real deal.’ And I think, ‘You wouldn’t know the real deal if it bit you on the f***ing arse, mate,” he added.
Little Mix member Jade Thirwall responded to his remarks during an appearance on Never Mind the Buzzcocks, where she also corrected his claim that the group didn’t write any of their own songs.
“[Noel said] something about that we were undeserving of the Brit Award because we’re women and don’t... well, we do write music, but he thinks we don’t write music,” she said.
“Yeah, shame really. Because you know, we are definitely the most successful girl group in the country, but he’s not even the most successful performer in his family.”
Gallagher recently announced that his band the High Flying Birds will play a string of summer shows next year, including London’s Alexandra Palace and The Piece Hall in Halifax. Tickets go on sale on Friday 8 December.
