The second bad Brit pop star, Liam Gallagher, is celebrating his birthday today so we've gathered 20 interesting facts about him:
(Photo: mijasinternational.com)
1. He is the younger brother of Noel Gallagher. He was born on 21 September 1972 in Manchester, as William John Paul Gallagher.
2. When he was 10 his mother divorced his father since he physically abused all of his children.
3. It may sound strange and we do not have conclusive evidence for this, but there is a story that Liam did not relate to music when he was in high school. It was only after a big fight he had with another school where he received a hammer blow to the head, that he began to relate to music.
4. Before he and his brother Noel formed "Oasis" he co-wrote songs with Paul 'Bonehead' Arthurs in a band called "Rain". They met for rehearsals only once a week and Liam was often quoted as saying that the band's material was just "crappy".
(Photo: Steve Double)
5. Since he became famous, Liam has created for himself a reputation of a blunt guy who is not afraid to say what is on his mind, even if it is dirty or offensive to other people, he has not really maintained verbal and physical restraint.
6. In 1998 he was part of a fistfight during a flight to Australia by "Cathay Pacific". He was banned from flying with the company in the future.
7. In 1993, "Oasis" played four songs at a bar called "King Tut's Wah Wah Hut" in Glasgow, Scotland. At the same time, an agent named Alan McGee discovered them and signed them to a six-album contract.
8. The band's first album "Definitely Maybe", released in 1994, became the fastest-selling British debut album of all time.
9. The band's second album "(What's the Story) Morning Glory?" Released in 1995 it was even more successful and became the third best-selling album in British history.
10. About an hour before the band's show on "MTV Unplugged" in 1996, the band announced that Liam would not be able to perform due to a "Sore Throat". Noel performed all the singing roles in his place, with Liam watching the show from a balcony overlooking the stage.
11. Later on, the band went on a tour without Liam. This time too, Noel was performing all the singing roles. This created a rumor about why Liam did not take the stage and did not join the tour.
12. The first song written by Liam for "Oasis" is "Little James" which appears on the band's fourth album "Standing on the Shoulder of Giants", released in 2000. He wrote the song for his son James.
13. On the band's next three albums, Liam wrote 3 songs in each album, which was significant progress.
14. The band was an insane success in the UK and brought Brit-pop to the headlines all over the world. All seven of the band's albums broke records in British charts.
15. In 2010 Liam was named "Greatest Frontman" of all time according to a poll conducted by Q Magazine.
16. The friction between Liam and Noel culminated in August 2009 before the band's performance at the "Rock en Seine Festival". The quarrel between them became physical as Liam smashed Noel's guitar. The show of course did not take place and Noel later announced that he was leaving the band.
17. In 2009 Liam formed a new band called "Beady Eye" and in 2010 they released their debut album "Different Gear, Still Speeding". Three years later they released their second and final album "BE".
18. Liam has released three solo albums, “As You Were” in 2017, “Why Me? Why Not” released in 2019, and "C'mon You Know" released in 2022.
19. Liam has a thick file in police branches around the world, he tends to a fist fight in bars, with fans, or just because someone annoyed him. At one of the events, he and "Oasis" drummer were involved in a brawl at a bar in Munich, Liam ended up with broken teeth and minor physical injuries. In light of the event, the band was forced to cancel further performances in Germany.
20. On the other hand, Liam has participated in several charity events and special performances, some of which he has even initiated himself, in order to donate to victims of terrorism.
In August 2019 Liam performed an MTV Unplugged show at Hull City Hall in England, in April 2020 the show was released as an album. Listen to the album on Spotify