Speaking of Morrissey, Noel Gallagher has leapt to the defence of Arctic Monkeys, following the singer's comments about the band earlier in the week. The former Smiths frontman said: "It's happening all too quickly for them. They haven't proved a thing and they haven't had to work very hard - that must make them insecure. It's all a bit unnatural. OK they've sold about 700,000 albums, but it can't be gratifying. They haven't been driving up and down the M1 for fifteen years."
Responding to that, Gallagher told The Toronto Sun: "It happens when it happens, man, and I would say thank God that it does happen. You'd be a bit of an idiot if you said, 'No, I'm too young for a record deal.'"
Harking back to the early days of his own career, he added: "We used to sit and read things about us and think, 'Are they talking about the same band?' Cause we've sold a few records but we've not sold that many records, and we're not that popular. But I would embrace success when it happens. Any level of it. Just fucking get on with it. If the music didn't stand up... but you've only got to listen to the tunes. They're unique to themselves. And they've got their own thing and I think it's great. It doesn't sound like anybody else and I like the way that they don't wear shirts and ties and blazers... These kids seem to be pretty much like us. They kind of look like we do."
And continued: "I think with the Arctic Monkeys, a lot of it is about the word play. Cause they are quite stunning lyrics, to be honest. The thing about the words, it's alright if you understand them. But I'm sure that the Arctic Monkeys couldn't really give a monkey's - whether it translates to people in China or not. They're just doing their thing. And when this kind of thing happens in the first two years, people will dislike the Arctic Monkeys purely for all the hype that surrounds them but that's got nothing' to do with them. They're probably as embarrassed by it as people who don't like them, 'They don't fucking deserve it.' They're probably as upset about it as Morrissey is, but there's nothing they can do about it. You've just got to fucking get out there man and ride it out."
Actually, as we wrote this story Morrissey himself has issued a statement clarifying his Arctic Monkey related views. It reads thus: "I'm sorry that the comments I made at SouthBySouthWest about the Arctic Monkeys were printed so harshly in The Times and the NME. I actually quite like the Arctic Monkeys and whatever I said was said with tender, avuncular concern. I hope to God I didn't upset their grannies. In any case, I was wrong about their success being too sudden and without any dues paid, because that's exactly how it happened for The Smiths. So, I really should shut it."