London’s Columbia Hotel is preceded by its reputation, and its reputation is preceded by a TV being thrown out of a window. Due to its reasonable room rates and (more due) to a bar that never seemed to shut, the West London guest house was a regular pitstop for up and coming bands from the 70s all the way into the 00s. In the period before they were granted fast-track access to five-star penthouses, Oasis were regular visitors in the early 90s and their wild nights there quickly found their way into the tabloid press.
Liam and Noel were interviewed by MTV’s 120 Minutes in 1994 and the interviewer brought up stories that they’d been smashing up rooms there, a move they put down to getting fed up with all the other bands staying there and deserving a better hotel. “We were in there and it was alright at first, meeting all these bands and that but after a bit...” explains Liam. “They should be putting us up in a better hotel,” adds Noel, “so we got barred and now they don’t put us in there anymore. More power to the artist!’
When the interviewer suggests that some would-be Oasis fans might be turned off the band because of this sort of behaviour, a comment that suggests Oasis were really gunning for that Middle England market and not, you know, young kids who wanted some excitement in their lives, Liam concurs. “That’s what I don’t like. But [guitarist] Bonehead started it first! It’s not about that, that’s for retro people.”
Realising the error of their ways and wanting to put an end to this debauched rock’n’roll lifestyle and live out their days in a more peaceful and mild manner, Oasis split up straight after the interview. Liam became a pastor in the city of Henderson, Nevada whilst Noel went on to become a presenter on CBeebies. Bonehead, of course, became a huge pop star in his own right and holds the record for consecutive nights at Knebworth (26) [/sarcasm].
Watch the full interview below.
