Ryan Adams On Touring With Oasis

OASIS are the nicest people...plus amazing.i have to say that i just have never been treated with such respect by any band before including their crew. and this is OASIS folks. they don’t have to be this way. they wrote the rock’n’roll year-book of my youth and my middle years. wow. they are so nice about letting you watch from the control booth, or side stage, or even how the super friendly way cool two guys, like the wizard in the wizard of oz, behind the stage controlling those massive badass lazer screens (“Champagne SuperNova”- my god those effects- and the BLADE RUNNER LIGHT SHOW LIGHT RIG SPIDER ARMS- wow….fuck…)…..or how sometimes i am playing and i look over and OASIS are watching us. man, that is fucking something. they watch neal though- marsha marsha marsha…just jkng (but not cmon i play guitar too- i just dont know what im doing- so what…..)

I was looking for a seat at lunch the other day and there was a space open next to Gem and Andy and Noel. It was crowded at catering and I saw a space open at their table. sounds like high school cafeteria right? So I sat and had the most pleasant lunch with them.

Noel and I talked about gear, but he asks me stuff, so do the other guys like “how did you guys do that thing that sounded like a robot dying- or whats the song with that three part just singing bit”….CAN U IMAGINE???? how cool…..

Noel had an interview and excused himself from the table after a bit, total gentleman, and Ian came round. He had been out for a walk and had a fascinating story about all the weddings he had seen. He’s very personalable and engaging to everyone. and very funny. they both are, that suttle english humor, which i love so much, about english culture- that sluggish grey tough - tomorrow-will-be-better- type shrug off one liners. they’re the stuff of dylan thomas and a thousand great poets before them. total culture imbedding. love it.

The funny thing is- they are OASIS and they “ASK” people questions….me, others, how they are- what is new, and aren’t kind of pretending to be interested- i see them interact with their crew, with local crew and others- and they are so generous.

It means the world to me to be on this tour and I am learning so much.

I really like to watch from front of house so I try and change clothes and fit in and just hang back, some people get weird with me, usually if they have been drinking alcohol or something maybe they can get weird.

And I see all those beautiful girls out there too. Wow. I wish I were a scumbag then maybe it would be cool to go out hunting for some suck-face. But I am not like that. I live my dreams through the girls I love, and you just don’t meet them often.

besides- I am dating jam’s. (btw- Jambase/Relix- “Jams” means “songs” i learned that from thurston interviews- i liked how he called them jams. I love that band so much. Sonic Youth. my god. its why i am out here right now- because of how much i liked all that good music.

so I am dating my bunk and my comics. which is cool.

ill get some suck-face for i turn into bones.

anyway- i was depressed before tour- and this tour- and OASIS and my friends, and all this- i just feel better.

I play guitar- you know- and just write stuff and read and make art and STAY BUSY- like my grabndmothers rosebushes ( my Lord- she loves them- they’re seeded wild so they grow all year- “i like to keep busy- keeps me young” she say’s-

my rosebushes are typewriters- tours- drawing- making hotel rock/ vids- gettin mad crushes ( i had the feist crust i admit it- who didn’t right…)

I like to keep it simple and really I know no matter how amazing someone is, you can’y get to know them in a night, esp in a few words over the blasting of that amazing band on stage- so it sucks some when i am just finished my set and want to be in the audience. i am no celebrity. just ryan.

OASIS bring the tone man. TONE not volume. TONE. and that is what matters really….because all the new songs, to me, are pointing in this GOLDEN ERA man, this beautiful zone….and when the hits roll….my fucking arms are in the air with everybody else- and u know em- riff comes- crowd explodes- my eyes water…..

AND YOU CANT HELP BUT SING ALONG- THESE ARE OUR GENERATIONS ANTHEMS- they are OUR Beatles.

I never cared much for the Beatles really( i know- i know- it just was already out there so hard when i got into recods i wanted Husker Du singles and shit)- which is odd, because Oasis were MY Beatles- and I guess my Rolling Stones were The Smiths, with Morrissey as Oscar Wilde but wounded and Johnny Marr making girl group chords sound like they were from some war torn era in an english novel or other dimension….(AND OF COURSE- I see the Rolling Stones when I can….) so they’re themselves too.

but OASIS kind of write songs for HERE. for, you know, the moment. very zen.

I always thought the stones would mellow into creepiness-blues-country-rock-hybrids- the same flow that gimme-shelter came from …….i wish the Stones could go see OASIS- like as a whole band- like pal’s and stand side stage- and look at all that- all that new and old- all working forward……wise men tell new tales because they keep looking…..

still,

OASIS have taught me this since I have been out here with my friends and our lovely crew.

1. Play the HITS. not ALL of them, but give those people their ticket promise…even if you have a lot of records- hit at least three bases ( like in american baseball) and make the last song a slide into Home-Base (even if it is a live favorite)

Encores should be footnotes. the SET should be mind-blowing.

2. Don’t get scared- get connected. (LIAM stares into the masses- he embraces it like a yogi- like a wrestler- like a mythological hero. I love watching him sing so hard- give so much- he makes his own self mad and comments, in a quip to himself in the parts where he doesn’t sing- and he SONGS SO HARD HE FALLS AWAY from the MIC.

3. trust your band- even if your voice is failing or the concert is going crap- just trust always that someone to sing for is right there. My REAL brother does not mind if i say this, but Noel and Liam are REAL brothers, and mine are the CARDINALS.

4. Brad is funny as fuck and needs some upgrades on his computer-

so we are going for a walk.

like liam. liam telling me about taking a walk- then seeing him and his brother and two TWO hero’s of mine, gem and andy and their AMAZING new drummer chris- tear it down as that sweet laid back guy i had some lunch with- stood there as “What’s the Story Morning Glory” ripped into my chest on EVERY night-

it’s nice to just get out.

it’s nice to finally be mellowing-

i guess i just needed a reminder of what i do and who i am- and how all of that comes with learning and listening-

what an honor. CARDINALS will take so much from learning how to fuse an hour set. It can only open door to more tunes when it’s back to our TWO SET rule.

see you soon cave-dwellers. peace and love to you. R

Source: foggy.ryan-adams.com/

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