Brother Grim

They've sold millions of records, won masses of awards and gathered devoted fans all over the world, but the warring Gallagher brothers still can't stand the sight of each other.

Noel has revealed that he and Liam never swap Christmas or birthday presents and have only seen each other "two or three times" since the Oasis tour ended in March.

"I just don't need to be in the gang all the time," Noel, 39, snarls. "The reason he doesn't like me is that I'm indifferent to him... Plus he insults me and I don't like being around people who insult me."

Asked if he may get his younger brother a present this Christmas, Noel growled: "Yeah, maybe I will. I'll get him a f***king straitjacket."

Noel's outburst was sparked by a massive bust-up over a photograph. Noel chose a picture of a red brick wall to go next to Songbird - Liam's love song written for girlfriend Nicole Appleton - in a booklet released later this month with the band's best-of collection Stop The Clocks.

The result was a foul-mouthed phone message from 34-year-old Liam. "I got a message on my answer machine," said the older Gallagher.

"He was like, 'The colour red? Beside the song I wrote about my missus? Who I've got a child with? How f***ing dare you!'"

"He only had to say he'd like to change it. No problem. But instead it descended into personal abuse.

"I listened to it with my missus (Sara McDonald). She was going, 'You and your kid are actually insane. It's amazing you've managed to get this far.'"

In the interview with The Guardian, he also hits out at pop stars such as Robbie Williams for "shutting" themselves away from real life.

"I stand in the queue at Waitrose," said Noel. "More rock stars should do that. The staff are really blase about me now. They'll be like, 'Him? Oh, he's in here all the f***ing time. And between me and you, he doesn't eat very well."

The Manc musician also took a swipe at the Arctic Monkeys for refusing to appear on chart TV shows such as Top of the Pops and CD:UK.

"I've never understood that kind of thing," he said.

"Like the Clash going, 'we're not playing on telly.' Well f*** off then."

The Stop The Clocks double album, which will be released on November 20, features what Noel thinks is the band's best material from their 15-year history.

Fans feared it could mark the end for Oasis but the band said they were on "a well-earned sabbatical". It'll be Wonderwall when they're back, though...

Source: www.mirror.co.uk