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Midway through �Imagine: John Lennon,� the 1988 documentary, Lennon and his new bride, Yoko Ono, are seen prancing through a London airport clad in matching white pantsuits. As �The Ballad of John and Yoko� plays in the background � the tune in which Lennon bemoans that he and Ono are criticized for looking like �two gurus in drag� � viewers get a glimpse of a media-savvy peacock. The world�s constant gaze was clearly wearying for Lennon, but that was O.K. because he didn�t always take himself seriously. He knew how to have a good time and how to work a look.
�He embodied the idea that the personal is political and demonstrated a fearless commitment to his ever-changing vision,� says the music journalist Alan Light. �He was willing to look silly, to reveal himself, to be guided by passion. He wore glasses.�
Nearly 30 years after his death, �the ultimate, uncompromising pop artist� as Light describes him, is still everywhere. In Sam Taylor-Wood�s hotly anticipated new biopic, �Nowhere Boy,� a very young Lennon is seen trying out Buddy Holly glasses and defining the style that would inspire a million mod mop-tops, not to mention pointy black boots. Thom Browne used the title song from 1968�s �Yellow Submarine� (which will soon get a Robert Zemeckis big-screen remake) in the soundtrack of his spring show. Dries Van Noten had vibrant, Eastern-inspired prints that brought to mind Lennon�s global nomad period. And his boho �70s shag haircut and vintage army jackets continue to resonate with aspiring rock stars � cue Liam Gallagher, the Oasis singer whose line of parkas and urban gear made its debut last year.
It would be nice to think that the current fascination with Lennon is something more than a fleeting infatuation with his aesthetic. In a culture obsessed with irony and hollow celebrity, Lennon�s talent and earnestness � not to mention his strident political views and penchant for grand gestures, like taking out ads for peace � make him a figure worthy of being celebrated, even copied. Still, one can picture Lennon amused by a discussion of his fashion legacy. Not only was he at one time the most famous person in the world (sorry, Jesus), but he was also the weirdest. �I�m not going to change the way I look or the way I feel to conform to anything,� Lennon once announced. �I�ve always been a freak.�
We�ve all got an Oasis memory in there somewhere. Mine was standing outside Noel Gallagher�s house, Supernova Heights, in the rain at 10am on 31st July 1997, wondering if he was in and whether I would meet him. It was the day after he�d been to Downing Street with Alan McGee.
I was 14 years old, and I had never met anyone famous before. The papers were dominated with the Tony Blair story, but there was a remarkably small amount of paparazzi around his house. �Be Here Now� was three weeks off being released, and there were flyers and posters plastered everywhere in London - on every lamppost, bin, and spare wall - instructing the public to �Be There Then� when it happened. �D�You Know What I Mean� had been and gone from number One, Noel�s cat had reportedly gone missing and tickets to Oasis� shows at Earls� Court with The Verve as support had sold out in minutes; I was one of those fans who had spent hours pressing �redial� on the home telephone (I still didn�t own a mobile) upset that I couldn�t get through. I was amazed at the level of humility present in Noel�s lifestyle considering the hype around Oasis at this time.
His house was separated from the main street only by a tiny little waist-height gate that even my 5ft 0 height could have easily climbed over had I felt inclined to. And it wasn�t exactly a difficult place for a fan like me to find. When you came out of Belsize Park or Chalk Farm station, you�d spot graffiti, directing you straight there: �This way to Noel�s house� an arrow pointed at the foot of Steele�s Road, like it was a national tourist landmark. At the time it practically was! I just wondered if he didn�t feel vulnerable in this situation. If you looked to the left, you could see straight into his front room. Judging by the graffiti on his front wall, just like on Abbey Road, it was clear that people were coming here every day, doing exactly what I was, as if on a pilgrimage. �It�s rude to write on God�s property, so this is the best I can do� I saw written on the pavement by the little gate. Everyone who wrote on that wall must have had a story about what circumstances brought them there that day; imagine what kinds of magical stories they would be if we all knew what those were.
Liam Gallagher thinks he has changed ''for the better'' after relaxing his partying ways and taking up running.
The former Oasis singer has toned down his partying ways and has started looking after his body so he can be a good father to his three kids.
Liam, 37, said: "Everyday I'm up at 6am for a run and do a few miles across Hampstead Heath. I love it. I've definitely changed, I think for the better. You must remember I've caned it for 20 years with all sorts and I've got the kids now. I just took my foot off the gas a little with all the bits and bobs because you can't be doing all that with the kids, it's not fair on them. And I love being a dad. It's the best thing in the world."
Liam has three children - daughter Molly, 12, with Lisa Moorish, and sons Lennon, 10, with his ex-wife Patsy Kensit, and eight-year-old Gene with his current spouse Nicole Appleton.
The 'Songbird' singer quit drugs in 2008 to focus on his family life after apparently taking illegal substances for two decades.
He recently said: "I've had a great time and now I'm having a break. It doesn't work with kids. You wake up the next day after a session and you're looking for bits of your kids' homework and football boots. You're all over the place - it's rubbish."
As many of you may already know, the Modfather Paul Weller picked up the Godlike Genius Award at last week's NME Awards. No argument from us; the guy is a legend. No one would agree with us more than Noel and Gem.
Noel recorded a special message for the awards and Gem was asked by Paul to join him on stage to perform as part of his band playing guitar and providing backing vocals.
If you're not in the UK or didn't catch the TV broadcast you may have missed the guys so we decided we'd go trawling the interwebs to find you the footage:
HERE'sNoel talking about Paul (approximately 3'20" in).
And a little later on in the same video Gem performs 'Start' and 'Eton Rifles' with Weller.
Gem also performed with Paul at his performance at the Haiti Benefit at The Roundhouse on the 25th February. To donate to the charity or find out more about their work, click HERE!
And while we're on the subject, Gem is not only a killer guitar player he also enjoys dabbling in graphic design and made up an exclusive art print for us. You can check that out HERE!
Kiss' Gene Simmons: Gallaghers Most Interesting Stars of British Music
Simmons Urges Gallagher Brothers To Continue Fighting
KISS star GENE SIMMONS hopes former OASIS bandmates NOEL and LIAM GALLAGHER continue their ongoing feud - because their constant fighting makes them the most "interesting" stars of British music.
The band was thrown into turmoil last year (09) after guitarist Noel walked out following a massive argument with his brother backstage at a music festival in France. The news came after years of infighting and public spats between the brothers.
Noel is now planning a solo career, while singer Liam will continue to make music with the rest of his Oasis bandmates.
But Simmons hopes the split won't put an end to the siblings' feuding - because he loves hearing about their arguments.
He tells British radio station XFM, "God bless the U.K. for giving the world the music that makes all our lives better. I like Keane, I like Arctic Monkeys, Franz Ferdinand write great songs. What's missing is stars. I don't care what they do, who they're sh**ging, where they live... they're not interesting people.
"The most interesting people to me are the Gallagher brothers. The interesting thing about them is they're drug addicts and alcoholics and they fight with each other. That's really it."
Former Oasis frontman Liam Gallagher has described current indie music as a �fucking disease�.
The singer singled out Bloc Party in his attack, which came in the new edition of Esquire magazine.
"I really despise this new fucking disease of indie fucking shit, fucking student music, the likes of Bloc Party and all that fucking nonsense,� he said.
�They don't keep me awake at night, but it's just shite, and they can fucking have it mate."
Gallagher, who recently launched the fashion label Pretty Green, also criticised current indie band's dress sense.
"The thing is, man, you can make your clothes look like they've been worn in and look as if they've had a bit of character, but underneath you've got to have a fucking wash, he said.
�Those fuckers wear the clothes all the fucking time and they don't wash, so it's like, 'Where's the fucking bench?'�
The singer added that the best band's were able to combine good music with good looks.
Gallagher is currently working on his debut album with his as-yet-unnamed new band, which is expected this summer.
LIam Gallagher : Pretty Green Won't Take Any Notice of Trends...
Liam Gallagher says his fashion label Pretty Green is full of ''timeless, classic clobber'' and only contains stuff he would wear.
The rocker - who launched his own fashion line last year - deliberately kept his designs and ideas simple but opted for luxurious fabrics to make sure the range wasn't too "wild".
He said: "Pretty Green is timeless, classic clobber. Nothing too wild - parkas, nice macs, boating blazers, quality button-down shirts, polo shirts, desert boots - all made really well in really nice materials. It's quality."
The 37-year-old singer runs his label on a collection of simple rules and if an item doesn't look good on him, it won't make it into his clothing range.
He explained to Esquire magazine: "We discuss ideas, then they make them up, and if it doesn't look good on me, then I'm not f***ing having it. I'm not a fashion man but I know what looks good and what I like and that is as far as it goes. It's more about style really than fashion, and Pretty Green won't take any notice of trends. Fashion comes and goes. Style remains. I hate it when people say, 'That goes with that, and that with that.' I say, 'Well f**k of! I'll do what I like.' "
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