Why We Must Part - Oasis DVD: Familiar To Millions (2000)
Thousands of people crept slowly and calmly into wembley stadium’s 50k+ capacity’ gate. Pressing themselves together, they let their individuality walls go down for this day to celebrate a coming of a king-band to town – Oasis.
Liam showed up belatedly as usual after the whole band came out on stage. It is presumably a deliberate act to show to the audiences who the real star of the show was. As he enters, his fingers kept forming a familiar shape: the peace sign. He walks in his proprietary style also familiar in the way of walking of certain primal mamalia, i.e. monkey. His mouth was blabbing lividly, as if inciting someone to fight him. This is the act people waited for - the return of the rampant rock king who knows no respect to nobody.
I was his big fan: the rampant fan of the rampant king. “fuck off you arseh***s” he said to the audience, as I mimic him too, at least quietly. His attitute was just right for me. Those cheeky elders with those cheeky manners was just too much hipocricy to take, and Liam set the right behavior for us, the rebels, to face these sickening, profoundly political-in-every-way individuals which we called “orang-orang tua”. To the rebels, they are the menace to our existence, the pain in the neck.
But time has passed. I am no longer the rebel who fight against the “orang-orang tua”. I am transforming, little by little, into “orang-orang tua” themselves. I am now, almost formally, a part of the whole hipocritic culture itself, where, sadly, idealism crumbles and business rules as usual. I am moving away from the Liam and his way of life.
It’s natural. That’s the least I can think of about our difference. We are increasingly becoming very different people. Liam wasn’t always living near the center of this hipocritic world. He was a bricklayer once for god sake. He was the lowermost layer of the industrial society in terms of income-achievement. He is happily secured in his bar along with his bricklayer friends, drinking carelessly most of the time, singing his Manchester City football team anthem, without ever having to think, let alone do, diplomacy or business or all those activities where hipocricy is firmly understood to be a part of. He was, some might say, a common people, with little education, living simply, just to survive every single day. Even though now he’s rich, he still never had those experiences of living in the business world, in which people often times have to kiss assess or being smart, without they liking it even a bit. He just never got the chance to do something he doesn’t like. And that’s why his tolerance is few. That’s why brute is what comes out of him to the surface. As far as his job concerns fortunately, this bruteness is what is most needed to become a real rock star, whose essential job is not just to entertain, but to inspire and remind people to “break the rule”. Life for Liam is never complicated. His life doesn’t keen on difficult thinking, manouvered diplomacy, let alone political venture. His was just cut out from that sort of tricky activities. And this, exactly this, is what serves as the intersection where he and I must part.
In less than 2 weeks, I have to plunge myself straight into the business world. Where being assy-kissy is essential, where the tolerance of considering some bullshit things essential is essential, where bullshit things have to be lived in, discussed excitedly about, and, even more sadly, put a lot of effort into a lot. I am increasingly forced to neglect my own passion, to take responsibility of bigger roles, as a man of family, as a good citizen, etc. I am adapting myself to the pressures of life, which, whether one like it or not, often pay no respect to one’s identity nor passion, but solely to his ability to be a labor of economy – the true hipocritical act of the human life.
Liam is going toward the mike. As usual, he stationed himself firmly under the tall microphone. He started to cross his arms at the back. With a swift movement, his mouth closes to reach the mike, body a bit bent and legs forming an O. With his head tilted upward below the mike, he looked like he is in a hanging-crackers eating contest where he’s not supposed to touch the crackers. Noel said that that gesture was a mechanism to help him face his guts when facing those thousands of fans. I looked at this always with a smile. The days of imitating Liam had passed. But I still remember it and cherish it quite religiously. It’s just a phase of my life I had to go through. The feeling is the same like when you see your old house where you used to live in before you. You know you love the house, but you also know you can’t ever live in it again.
Farewell my Gallagher buddies. Keep on being an icon for the rebellers and the rebellers to come. This rebel still respect you so much. And when the time come, when the burden of capitalism has pressed so deep above me, I know I’m gonna need you and this I am very sure of it.
There is nothing conceptually better than Rock N Roll - Lennon
