Ringo Starr sollte ursprünglich bei den Brits die Laudatio für Oasis halten. Ob’s Terminschwierigkeiten gab, oder ob es als posthume Solidarität mit George Harrison (s.u.) zu werten ist, jedenfalls gab es schon am 05. Februar folgendes offizielles Pressestatement:
Ringo congratulates Oasis on receiving the Outstanding Contribution Award and though he appreciates their music he will not be at the Brit Awards to present the band with the award.
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GEORGE HARRISON:
„They (Oasis) don’t actually need him (Liam Gallagher). Noel is really good. He writes the tunes and he sings better as far as I’m concerned. They are a tidy band, they’ve written some good songs which I’ve enjoyed I liked their ‚Unplugged‘ show on MTV, but that was mainly because the silly one wasn’t there! I think that it is proven when you see the band without him singing – they are much more in tune. He’s just excess baggage I think, all he does is make people think what a bunch of prannies they are.“
Und zu Liams Sauferei etc.:
„He’s a bit out of date. What’s the point? It’s silly and I feel sorry for him really, because he’s missed the bus.“
(November 1996)
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Ein gutes halbes Jahr später wird George erneut nach seiner Meinung zu Oasis gefragt:
„They aren’t very interesting. They’re fine if you’re 14 years old. I prefer to listen to Dylan. The Beatles still appeal to audiences aged from 7 to 77. Adolescents and and children still adore ‚Yellow Submarine‘. That gives me comfort and proves that we will last forever. Will U2 be remembered in 30 years? I doubt it.“
Und was würde er als 20-jähriger machen?
„I would certainly produce the Spice Girls. The best thing about them is that you can watch them with the sound down!“
(Juli 1997)
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