Oasis: Where Professionalism Goes to Die

By Naheil Qudah
Staff Writer

Dear Liam and Noel Gallagher: I know that you both have egos the size of the sun, but your God complex hasn't rendered you completely insusceptible to criticism. So, listen here: man up, quit your whining and stop polluting the music industry with your trivial arguments. What, you can't appreciate the obscene level of fame that your Brit-rock band Oasis has reached without giving in to the need to publicly cry about each other? Fine, but give me your tears so I can sell them on eBay for a hefty sum, you whiny, world-famous girls.

Have you seen these two at it? Liam and Noel (the band's lead singer and guitarist, respectively) are like the poster children for sibling rivalry, save Cain and Abel. I wouldn't be surprised if more ink has been spilled over their constant personal issues and power struggle for leadership of the band than has been over their music. The two had their final family feud last week when Noel quit the band (AGAIN) in the middle of a tour (AGAIN). The public statement that he released on the band's website read that he "simply could not go on working with Liam a day longer".

It's completely understandable for a band's offstage tension to manifest itself in the public scene, and I'm definitely not saying that they should have stuck together forever. Did they make great music? Absolutely, which makes their decision to let talent take backseat to an intense public display of unresolved childhood competition just that much more obnoxious. But once the magic in a band is gone, it's gone. And if the two leaders were really at the end of their ropes, it's likely that whatever music they produced in the future would lack the comfortable passion that everyone bought and loved.

But REALLY, Noel? You simply could not go on for a few more days and avoid disappointing thousands of international fans by holding it together for three more sold-out shows?

A Rolling Stone article stated that they actually broke the news at a concert, where the audience had already gathered. It blows my mind that the musicians would disappoint so many people over a problem within the band, deep-rooted as it may be. Maybe they've forgotten what it feels like to be a fan who has shelled out several paychecks and waited with breath abated for months to hear one of the biggest names in the industry, but it's hard to respect anybody who would make a move like that.