Radio DJ Steve Lamacq has opened up about one of the most chaotic interviews in rock history — the 1997 Oasis brothers' expletive-laden rant on BBC Radio 1. The front page of The Mirror at the time screamed, ‘Rage at Liam’s 4-letter rant on Radio 1,’ reflecting the nation’s shock. Noel Gallagher had agreed to join Lamacq on the evening of 23 October 1997 to answer fan questions live. But after an afternoon drinking session together, Liam gatecrashed the interview.
The 90-Minute Rock 'n' Roll Meltdown
What followed was 90 minutes of expletive-laden banter. Liam described the Rolling Stones and George Harrison as ‘senile’ and threatened: “If they want to scrap, I will beat them up.” Noel famously declared, “Drugs do work,” after The Verve’s song The Drugs Won’t Work was played. Liam eventually stormed out, leaving Noel apologising to listeners and a flummoxed Lamacq. Steve, now 61, recalls: “This was probably one of the most rock ‘n’ roll interviews since the Sex Pistols were on the Today programme! It put to bed the idea of Radio 1 being staid.”
Describing the experience as “slightly terrifying” but “compelling,” Lamacq says of the Gallagher dynamic: “Noel was poking fun at his younger brother but underneath there was a lot of love. It was the first time I realised that brotherly dynamic. You had to always look at Liam, even if you were talking to Noel. By the end, Noel was quite reflective, as if he was having some post night out comedown. I remember going to the pub afterwards and the barman pouring me a pint. He gave it to me and said ‘oh mate’. He’d had it on in the pub. He’d had to turn it off after nine minutes.”
Lamacq's Surreal Nirvana Encounter
During his distinguished career, Lamacq has interviewed countless legendary musicians. One of his most surreal encounters was with Nirvana in a West London B&B in Shepherd’s Bush. Then working for music magazine NME, it was just after drummer Dave Grohl joined in 1990 and before Kurt Cobain’s tragic suicide in 1994. Lamacq had just heard the track “Silver” and says: “The track was really good. I had to go to a B&B where they were staying. Kurt Cobain answered the door. There were three beds and they were all sleeping in the same room. There was Kurt, Krist the bassist and the new drummer, who wasn’t allowed to speak, as he’d only just joined.”
Lamacq continues: “I sat next to Kurt on the bed. All the time, the drummer was busying himself around the room. I couldn’t quite see what he was doing until, at one point, he dragged this bin liner past us to the bathroom, leaving the door ajar. I risked taking my eye off Kurt for a second, just to have a glance at what was going on in the bathroom. I saw the drummer tip the contents of the bin bag into the bath, which turned out to be just underwear. Then the drummer started washing the socks and the pants in the bath. And that ladies and gentlemen was Dave Grohl!”
Championing Bands from Blur to Coldplay
Lamacq has championed everyone from Blur, Pulp and Coldplay to Oasis and Suede. Joining Radio 1 in August 1993 to co-host the Evening Session with Jo Whiley, he moved to BBC Radio 6 Music in 2009, where he has remained. The new Indie Forever 24-hour BBC Sounds stream will include The Morning Session with Steve and Felix White from the Maccabees. Together, they will pay homage to some of these groups. Lamacq is also presenting The Rise and Fall of The Smiths on Saturday 25 July on Radio 6.
Full of stories about musicians he’s met, he recalls a 1998 Coldplay gig at Camden’s Falcon pub in north London, with just 32 other people in the audience. Of frontman Chris Martin, he says: “He had that amazing mix of being really driven and confident, while at the same time being ever so humble. He still pulls that off now. I’d dragged a friend of mine along [to The Falcon]. I remember his words, ‘it’s not just me - that was really special.’” Afterwards, he invited Coldplay on to his Evening Session show, but they turned him down. Lamacq recalls: “The manager phoned and said, ‘no, we can’t do it.’ I was like ‘what? You can’t do a session on Radio 1?!’ He said ‘no’ because Will, the drummer, had his finals that day. We had to reorganise it for another day.”
Colourful Characters and a Happy Family Life
Colourful characters tend to make a band, says Lamacq, who gives Pulp’s Jarvis Cocker as a prime example. He explains: “The first time I saw Jarvis on stage in West London, he was like a cross between Ian Curtis of Joy Division and Alvin Stardust. I’d never seen a frontman like him. In between the songs, his patter was dry and I thought ‘this guy sounds fascinating.’” Similarly, he knew Blur were exciting the second he saw them perform at the now demolished Cricketer’s pub in London’s Kennington in 1990. Then called Seymour, Lamacq says: “A guy in a band had tipped me off about them. His immortal words were, ‘I didn’t like them but I think you will.’ They were slightly ‘art school punk’ the first time I saw them. There are those moments where you see the band and visualise what they will turn into.”
While groups like Blur and Coldplay have continued to commend Lamacq for giving them a break, none of them have become drinking buddies. He swerves that kind of relationship, saying: “I’ve got this deep-set fear that however amazing they are, they might make an awful record. I don’t want to be the person to have to tell them.” While he’s had enviable professional success, it’s his happy family life that Lamacq sees as his biggest achievement. He married psychologist Dr Jen Wills in 2019 and lives with her and their nine-year-old daughter — whose name he doesn’t disclose — in London. He says: “Becoming a dad has been fantastic. I got to the stage in life where you begin to think maybe you are getting too old to be a dad but, actually, you don’t ever get really too old to be a dad. The arrival of my daughter just changed my perspective on so many things. I appreciate the time outside of music with the family. It’s really special.”
A New Generation of Music Discovery
Smiling, he proudly reveals his daughter is already showing a passion for spotting good bands. He says: “I am learning a lot about pop music through her. She’s actually turning out a little bit like me. She’s supporting the comparative underdog. Rather than Harry Styles and Taylor Swift, she is a fan of a guy called Conan Gray. He supported Lewis Capaldi recently.” While he relishes his new Indie venture, Lamacq says he would love to bring back the Evening Session. He says of the show: “I am sure at some point there will be an Oasis style reunion. When the clamour is there from the public, then maybe we should!”
*6 Music Indie Forever launches on Wednesday 22 July on BBC Sounds. Steve’s The Rise and Fall of The Smiths launches on Saturday 25 July, also on the stream.
