Oasis drummer Tony McCarroll calls quitting band 'biggest mistake of my life'
Tony McCarroll co-founded Oasis with Liam Gallagher and drummed on one of the most influential debut albums of all time - Definitely Maybe - but his premature departure remains a huge regret
Original Oasis drummer Tony McCarroll has revealed that leaving the band was the "biggest mistake" of his life.
Following the news that the band would be reforming, and after fans faced a frenzied scramble for tickets, Tony, 53, is on the outside looking in, having not been asked to rejoin the band as part of the original line up. Tony parted ways with the band in 1995, after a string of vicious rows with guitarist and songwriter Noel, and has never performed with Oasis since.
The band will take off on their massive tour of the UK and Ireland next year, having already sold out all their dates - but Tony has not been asked to join them, he has confirmed.
READ MORE: Oasis drummer's reason for quitting revealed as Tony McCarroll goes viral amid reunion
He has now revealed that he "always, always, always" knew they'd get back together, adding that their "old Irish lady" mum Peggy was likely key in getting them talking again. Although so far, he's not asked to join them on tour, Tony admitted the band was a "tough place", with lots of "tension" between all the members.
He recalled: "I remember the Paris gig, drinking was involved, I ended up arguing with someone in the room next door to Noel and the next day Noel said, in front of the sound crew and everyone, 'Don't ever keep me awake at night or I'll sack you'.
"I'd had enough. I'd had enough of the poking each other and this, that and the other, so I swept the kit out the way and went up to Noel — right up to his face — and said: 'Don't you ever talk to me like that.'
"It was probably the biggest mistake of life," he told The Sun.
Tony explained separately to the Mail that he's not bitter about being left out of the reunion, adding: "I'm happy for Noel and Liam. Really happy for them. And I'm dead happy for the fans more than anything and for those generations who haven't seen Oasis."
Tony's recollection of what led to his departure from the band differs from Noel's, who bluntly claimed the decision was made because Tony wouldn't have been 'good enough for the second album'.
After leaving Oasis, Tony was embroiled in a court case to try to sue the band for £18m, which at the time, he said he was owed as part of the band's five-album Creation Records deal. In 1999, it was settled for a six-figure sum.
In a 2019, Tony revealed to the MEN that after getting kicked out of Oasis, he 'spent three years getting drunk'. He said: "With the band I was used to travelling, touring. I just needed to get away. The band were getting bigger, good on them, but I needed to get away from the whole thing. So I began to ignore and neglect a few things and got away."
Sign up to the Irish Mirror's daily newsletter here and get breaking news and top stories direct to your inbox.
Related
Share this page
Guest Posts by Easy Branches
