Liam: TOTP, for a band of our size, means everything because it's TOTP, innit.

Liam: Yeah, I love it.
Noel: I prefer miming, I prefer if we weren't playing live. You can go and get drunk! Well, we've always treated it as a day out you know cos we'd always invariably been doing it...
Liam: Plus doing it live anyway always sounds naff dunnit. I don't think many of the people know what they're doing with the sound. So, that's the reason why people probably end up miming - because it sounds like the record.
Noel: ...So, as I was saying, we'd usually do it on a day off, and days off are days off. So, we'd just treat it as a bit of a jolly up.

The new album is coming out July-ish. Can you tell us anything about it? How is it different from the others? Liam: It don't really differ to tell you the truth cos you know we are who we are. There's no weirdness going on it - it's just another 11 songs by our band. I think they're better than the last bunch. Well that's it, you know what I mean. People might disagree but that's up to them. I like it and that's all that matters. It's not 'Definitely Maybe', it's not 'Morning Glory', it's not 'Be Here Now', it's not 'Standing on the Shoulders of Giants' and it hasn't gone back to our roots you know. Our roots are fine, you know what I mean. It's just another album by Oasis.
Noel: We've gone back to our roots and it's not, it's not just another album.

Noel: Surreal. At the minute anyway. It's alright as it goes. I dunno, we're just rehearsing to go ahead and do various bits and bobs. Doing this and interviews and stuff like that. But it's good, it's good to have a record out that we feel stands up against the ones we're most famous for.

Noel: Gem brings two packets of crisps and Andy brings a lunchbox and some sandwiches.>
Liam: Gem brings a bit of Joy Division to it and Andy brings a bit of Oxford dust to it.

Noel: It's one of them, I can't remember, I can't remember where, hang on a minute, which story have I been using, I've been using...(confers with Liam). I dunno, it's just two words stuck together that could conjure up many, many, many images. It's like the 'Hindu Times', it doesn't mean anything. It's an abstract free-form thought, mate.

Liam: you've written three songs on the album. How do you feel about that? Liam: I just wrote songs for me, for my personal pleasure, and then people heard them, liked them, gave them a chance and then that's where they are. I'm not arsed, you know what I mean. I didn't go and fight them and say I want a song on the album. I was quite happy playing them in my house and I still would be. So, it's just a hobby for me. I do it cos I want to, not because I have to.
Noel: Now, do you want the truth! He said he was going to write one song for 'Standing on the Shoulder of Giants'. He was 'just one that's all I want, just one, just one go on one album that'll do me'. All of a sudden he turns into Orson Welles. But there you go. It's a cross we'll have to bear now for the rest of our career no doubt. I apologise to the people of England.

Liam: He's getting older man, he has to take it easy!
Noel: It's with great relief that everyone else is...well, it's a relief it doesn't all have to be on my shoulders any more. Gem's done one, Andy's done one and I've done six.

Noel: It's great.
Liam: It's great knowing that one's older than you, he hits 40 before you.

Liam: I can't tell you actually. I shall be working with Sophie Ellis Bextor on her new single...(winks)
Noel: I'll tell you. He's doing the Tweenies remix album. It's nice to give these lesser bands a boost. Well you know, we're providing a public service to the charts. It's like community service, take a pair of losers and get them a No.1. I dunno, it depends. We're available for hire anyway.

Liam: It's knowing that everyone's crap really. It does, it changes. There's no plan, you know what I mean, you're just into it. I think we're into it more than other people on and off stage, you know what I mean? There's a lot of these people in bands today that are doing alright but they're just after careers. Having a career is all fine and that but you need a bit of soul. We've got talent and soul and that's where it, that's where it comes from. And I think people recognise that and that's why we're still here.
Noel: Being into Oasis and being in Oasis is like a religion, you either believe it or you don't. We believe in it. So, as long as we keep believing it we'll keep doing it and there's really nothing more to be said about that. We've never really been bothered about our career or about how many records we sell.

Noel: I'm a jobbing musician, he's a rock star (points at Liam).
Liam: I'm not a rock star cos people don't know what rock stars are these days. Apparently Robbie Williams is a rock star, know what I mean?

Liam: I'm straight.
Noel: Um, the biggest myth? I can't confirm or deny anything because it would spoil it really. I think that everything you read is, well make your own minds up. All the funny stories are true and all the unfunny stories are, unfortunately, true as well.

Liam: Well that's the press for you innit. We kept the press at an arm's length and never spoke to them. I mean we don't have friends who are journalists and we don't hang out in bars where they hang out. So, when there was a rumour or a story they would ask. We don't even have a relationship with our press officer, let alone the press themselves. So, the press would generally ask what had gone on. They'd ask themselves the question and then answer it for you. I've never spoken to anyone in the Sun, the Mirror, News of the World or any papers in my entire life but they always seem to have an exclusive by me.
Noel: You can't, control that. Once it gets as big as we got, that's it. I mean everyone's entitled to their own opinions, some student in the NME will think 'oh in 1996 it turned into a soap opera'. Well, that's because people allowed it to, do you know what I mean? For the Sun or the News of the World us going to the shops was front line is front page news for some reason. We can't control that, all we can do is try to stay young and beautiful you know, that's hard enough as it is.

Liam: His voice. I'm not bothered about what he stands for. He's a Scouser for a start, and then he was into peace and love. He's not my cup of tea but it's his voice and his music and his pain in his voice...and that's it.