“I was gonna have a year off after Knebworth, but when John rang up saying, ‘Look, I’ve got these tunes,’ I thought, ‘I’m in, mate’”: Liam Gallagher on why John Squire is like Hendrix and the best guitarist of his generation

You can read all about the Squire/Gallagher indie-rock supergroup collab from the guitarist’s POV in our in-depth exclusive with John Squire himself, in which he takes us through the electric guitars behind the tracks, talks Stone Roses, and explains why, no, we’ve got it wrong – he is no guitar hero.

But let’s take a moment to hear from the singer, as Liam Gallagher joins us to set the record straight: Squire is a guitar hero – and he’s his generation’s Jimi Hendrix.

What does it mean to you to make an album with John Squire?

“I mean, obviously, without the Roses, I wouldn’t be here. They got me on my musical path and that, so I thank them 24/7, you know what I mean? I was gonna have a year off after Knebworth, but when John rang up saying, ‘Look, I’ve got these tunes,’ I thought, ‘I’m fucking in, mate.’ 

“There’s only so much sitting about on the fucking sofa you can do. I love Mother Nature’s Song, that slide bit towards the end. But listen, I love Squire, man. He’s a shit-hot guitarist, probably the best of his generation. So I’m into it all.”

Do you remember the first time you heard John Squire play guitar?

“I remember our kid [Noel Gallagher] bringing home Sally Cinnamon. That first Roses album blew my mind. The end of I Am The Resurrection – that’s not been beat. Standing Here. Where Angels Play. Fucking Waterfall. I love all of it. 

“Even Second Coming with Begging You. I wasn’t a big fan of that song when it come out. I thought, ‘What the fucking hell is this?’ But as time has gone on, it’s a tune, mate. Fools Gold, Something’s Burning – I don’t think he’s played a shit riff, ever.”

What makes John so good? His melodic instincts, his technical skill?

“Obviously all that – but he just dares to go places where most people would fucking shit their pants, you know what I mean? He’s obviously got a big pair of bollocks, and that’s how you get results, innit? It’s like Hendrix – he was playing with his fucking teeth and that, while everyone else was still fucking strumming.”

You and John seem like quite different people – why do you click?

“John’s sharp, man. He’s chilled, but he’s got a little glint in his eye. Obviously, I’m a loudmouth fucking lunatic, but I’m pretty zen as well. I don’t know why we click, man. But it’s all about the music. It’s not about going to the fucking pictures together and holding hands. I’m sure John’s got enough friends. And I’m trying to fucking get rid of a few of mine.”

How’s your own guitar playing going?

“I keep it to myself. [Deadpan] I don’t want to be showing him up and that, so I kept it low on this album. I don’t play guitar, mate, I just do it to warm up my voice before a gig and every now and again a tune will pop up. But I don’t sit about the house strumming. I’m a singer, man.”

Was this an easy album to make?

“It was easy for me because all I had to do is sing. And I don’t think making music should be that fucking hard. When people go on, like [tortured artist voice], ‘I went to the depths of the universe to bring you this music.’ Fuck off, man. We’re not curing fucking cancer. We’re making music. It’s either good or it’s bad.”

Squire/Gallagher is out now via Warner Records.
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