Why you gotta be so mean? Taylor Swift has millions of admirers, but Noel Gallagher is not one of them — and he refuses to believe that anyone besides her parents actually thinks she’s talented. (Guess he hasn’t seen the numbers for her latest album, 1989, which sold 1.287 million copies in its first week in the U.S.)
Speaking with Rolling Stone‘s Simon Vozick-Levinson in an interview for the magazine’s March 12 issue, the Oasis co-leader made it very clear that he’s not a fan of Swift, or of pop music in general.
“It’s f–king awful,” the notoriously prickly Brit said. “Modern pop music is bland nonsense. There isn’t even a word yet that’s capable of describing it. If it was a color, it would be beige, like a milky brown. Not for me.”
Vozick-Levinson then asked about the “Style” hitmaker, 25, saying, “What about Taylor Swift? She’s a pop star, but many people praise her talent as a songwriter.”
“Who says that? Her parents?” Gallagher scoffed, laughing.
Told that “lots of people” have commended the star’s knack for infectious tunes, the “In the Heat of the Moment” rocker replied, “Name these people. That’s bulls–t. You’re f–king lying. She seems like a nice girl, but no one has ever said those words, and you know it.”
(In fact, none other than Madonna recently complimented Swift’s talent, telling Australia’s Today, “I think she writes some really catchy pop songs. I can’t get them out of my head.”)
Gallagher was slightly nicer about fellow Brits One Direction, but still took issue with their music.
“I know Harry Styles,” he told Rolling Stone. “We’ve hung out a couple of times. They’re lovely lads. But I’ve got to say, I have difficulties with people who don’t write their own songs, who’ve got a team of songwriters who work for your record label.”
Vozick-Levinson then noted that the members of One Direction actually co-write a lot of their songs. He also pointed out that many acclaimed artists in the past, including some “great Motown artists,” also worked with teams of songwriters.
“If you’re trying to insinuate that what’s going on now is akin to what was going on at Motown — what, were you out late eating magic mushrooms?” Gallagher replied. “Not equivalent. Not in the slightest.”