Noel Gallagher was a big fan of Johnny Marr and The Smiths. I think he said that Johnny Marr was his favourite Smith. Noel Gallagher even tried to look at bit like Johnny Marr at one point and they are fellow "Manchester City" football fans and guitar fanatics. I think it is only recently Noel Gallagher has become a Morrissey fan. Noel Gallagher probably isn't taking into account that Prince Harry is married with children his wife Meghan also has problems with the Royal family so he is probably supporting his wife.
It is definitely not only recently that Noel has become a Morrissey fan, although, understandably from his perspective, he identified more with Johnny.
This is from 2000, but he's pretty much said the same thing on many other occasions.
"You were talking about The Smiths before. I understand the attraction for you of Johnny Marr, but I was surprised you were a Morrissey fan, because he was sexually, er, ambivalent. In what way did you identify with Morrissey?
The first thing 1 ever heard by The Smiths was [1983 debut single] 'Hand In Glove' on seven-inch - not the version on the album, the original version. And that blew me away because it reminded me of Joy Division. I just liked the sound of it. They weren't on Top Of The Pops, and I don't think The Chart Show was going or anything like that, and there was no picture of the band on the sleeve, so for all I knew Morrissey could have looked like me. So I was all for that. And then the lyrics - 'the sun shines out of our behinds'- when you listen to that it's obvious the geezer is mega, mega, intelligent, but he's also very funny. And then I would read reviews with pictures of the band in Sounds and stuff, and I came from an Irish background and so did this geezer Johnny Marr and it would be like, 'There's another thing I can relate to.
Then, when I read his [Morrissey's] first interview, I just fell about the f***ing place laughing; it was just the funniest thing I'd ever read in my life. Him, Mark E Smith and Shaun Ryder should go on the road, man. Like Hinge, Bracket and the other one: f***ing hilarious.
So anyway you'd have Johnny this figure with the sunglasses and big bold haircut and big red semi-acoustic guitar and white polo neck. 'Well, I'll be you, I definitely want to be you. But I'd love to be a little bit of you [Morrissey] as well. 'He's just funny isn't he? He cracks me up."
2002:
"You're playing on the same bill as Morrissey at Livid. Have you met him?
I can't wait to meet him. He's an absolute idol of mine. I may be starstruck. Don't laugh, I'm being serious. I wouldn't be doing what I'm doing if it wasn't for the Smiths."
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