Posted on 09 February 2010
It seems Noel Gallagher, tempestuous former guitarist for English rockers Oasis, is the type to hold a grudge. You don’t wanna get on Noel’s wrong side, because he doesn’t forget about it in a hurry. Enthusiasts will recall that in 2008 the guitarist was assaulted by a fan as he performed onstage at the V festival in Toronto, Canada. The fan at the festival, Danny Sullivan, pleaded guilty to the attack, and Gallagher has now requested to the relevant authorities that he can appear in the courtroom and read his assailant’s judgment to him in person.
The attack took place in September 2008, yet Gallagher has evidently not been able to forgive and forget in the past year and a half, and still harbours some resentment to Sullivan for the assault, which left the guitarist with three broken ribs.
Last Friday, attorney Ruth Kleinhenz told the Ontario Court Justice that Noel would like to be allowed to read his witness impact statement in person, according to thestar.com. Lawyer John Collins, defending, implored that the request be denied to prevent the celebrity from “controlling the proceedings”.
The incident was evidently a serious issue for Gallagher, who made the band postpone the next five gigs after the attack took place. Noel left Oasis in August in a fiery feud with brother Liam, and will play his first post-Oasis gig in the UK in March, for the Teenage Cancer Trust.
As large a superstar as Gallagher undoubtedly is, surely the Canadian legal system cannot allow British rockstars to come in and read defendants their fates. Imagine how scary the words “We find the defendant guilty” would sound coming out of Billy Idol’s mouth? Or Mike Skinner? Or even Sting? At least with Sting there would be a good chance the judge would mishear the verdict and you’d get off free. In any event, surely it’s not kosher for rockstars, no matter how many broken ribs they’ve suffered, to use their celebrity status to muscle in on legal proceedings, just for the personal satisfaction of completing a vendetta. It seems today there’s no stopping the power of the musician – even more so when the musician has a broken rib and a Manchester accent.
Tom Hoare