Sunday, August 30, 2009

Resolving Interpersonal Conflict - Oasis Style

28th August 2009 - Noel Gallagher has left Oasis!

"The details are not important and of too great a number to list. But I feel you have the right to know that the level of verbal and violent intimidation towards me, my family, friends and comrades has become intolerable."

And the lack of support and understanding from my management and band mates has left me with no other option than to get me cape and seek pastures new."

Talk about resolving interpersonal conflicts!

For the uninitiated, Oasis is an english rock band and one of the best selling UK bands of all times. The band was fronted by the Gallagher brothers, Noel and Liam. Their music include Number 1 hit singles like Wonderwall and Stand By Me. Success however, has come at a cost. The Gallagher brothers have always had a fractious relationship even though they've been together in the band for 18 years. Liam admitted in an interview that he rarely spoke with his brother and seldom travelled with him even when they were on tour together, only seeing each other on stage because they had to.

"He doesn't like me and I don't like him, that's it," Liam said.

The two have had bad fall-outs, but the last straw came on friday night while on tour in Paris. A backstage fight between the brothers culminated in Liam smashing Noel's guitar. The night's performance was cancelled minutes before it was to begin. Two hours later Noel put up this statement on the band's website.

"It's with some sadness and great relief to tell you that I quit Oasis tonight. People will write and say what they like, but I simply could not go on working with Liam a day longer."

I'm pretty sure both were clearly unhappy with the other party, yet through all these years both hung on together in order that the band could go on. People knew the brothers were different, yet they managed to set aside their differences for the good of the band, until now.

If you were Noel, and you know you have issues with your brother, what would you do after all the fracas on friday? Lose your pride, make up with Liam and salvage the band? Or walk away with good memories but leave the conflict unresolved?


4 comments:

Michelle said...

Hello Joel,

interesting you brought up this conflict. The Gallagher Brothers conflict has been around 2 decades, yet they managed to set their differences aside and produced great music. But I guess everyone has their limits. Personally, as a fan, I feel they're losing their magic. Probably because Noel, being the chief songwriter, had enough? So if I were in Noel's position, I shall walk away with good memories, but I probably will not leave this conflict unresolved. They could maybe resolve this with the help of their family members, band members, or friends who care about them.

But then again, if they are both happier without each other, maybe it is really better for them and others.

Don't look back in anger, aye?

Pei En said...

Hi Joel,

I was devastated when I heard the news too!! Anyway, I remember that Noel said once in an interview that Oasis would never break up because if they did, both him and Liam would receive a scolding from their mum. Well, I guess that wasn't really at the back of his mind this time round.

I think that both Noel and Liam have very deep-rooted problems that cannot be solved overnight. They need to find a neutral mediator (preferably one who hasn't heard of Oasis. Hmm..that'll be hard to find) and talk things through in a neutral setting.

If I were Noel, I would make up with Liam. It's not so much about salvaging the band coz Noel being Noel, I think he'd agree that he's the more talented of the two. It's more about salvaging the kinship. They are more than just bandmates, they are brothers!

Brad Blackstone said...

It's interesting that you would bring up this "world famous" family conflict as an example. I like the way you start it by introducing the message from Noel to his fans and the way you give some context to the conflict. Unfortunately, for those of us who haven't followed the band, it's hard to see the motivation behind either one of the brother's actions. So for me, I can't imagine how anyone could give fruitful advice one way or another to either brother. In short, more details would be needed for this to be a viable scenario.

Thanks for trying!

Jake Nguyen Thanh Long said...

Hi Joel,

It would have been better if they had not had that conflict. Yep. The problem was They had not talked to each other to understand the party although they are brothers.

I would agree that in this case the middle man shoud appear to help resolving this conflict. The responsibility was actually also from the band as well.

I don't know the band, then I don't really know whether their conflict has been solved or not. Personally, creating a relationship is hard, yet keeping maintaing that relationship must be harder. In this case, Noel/Liam might even lose a brother.

P/S: Hey Joel, can you visit my blog for while, especially the first post. I got some errors, and would like to discuss with you. Thanks, Joel.