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The biggest and most memorable quotes of 2023
27 December 2023, 18:00
2023, it's been quite a year. Radio X looks back at the bold statements, the outrageous claims and the words of wisdom from Noel Gallagher to Damon Albarn, Paul McCartney to Elton John and everyone in between.
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"I think if you’re knowingly just giving your kids something to do and they aren’t really good at it, I don’t think that’s very health. But the whole nepotism thing, it’s human nature to help your children out, innit?"
Noel Gallagher on Nepo Babies, 17th January 2003.
Noel and Anais Gallagher in 2022. Picture: Dave J. Hogan/Getty Images -
“It’s absolutely awful, the songs. The whole thing of it is disgusting to me. I’m a songwriter, I perform live, and these shows just come across as so dreadfully phoney to me.”
John Lydon on the Eurovision Song Contest, where Public Image Ltd were bidding to represent Ireland. They failed. 3rd February 2023.
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"I truly think the line in the sand has been drawn with the loss of Chris. It’s sort of unthinkable right now.”
Mick Fleetwood on whether Fleetwood Mac would ever reunite after the death of Christine McVie. 7th February 2023.
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"I wrote The Dark Side Of The Moon. Let’s get rid of all this ‘we’ cr*p!"
Roger Waters on re-recording Pink Floyd's classic album Dark Side Of The Moon - as a solo project. 9th February 2023.
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“I love that song so much. They’ve got a new album coming out in, er, March, Foo Fighters... which I’m very much looking forward to.”
Chris Moyles accidentally announces that Foo Fighters are set to return with new material, 10th February 2023.
Chris Moyles reacts to those "Foo Fighters album" stories...
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"We’re trying our best so the pipeline needs to be developed. This starts way back with the record companies, radio. I can shout as loud as I like but we need to get everyone on board.”
Emily Eavis on the all-male headliners at Glastonbury 2023. 3rd March 2012.
Emily Eavis opens the gates on the first day of Glastonbury Festival. Picture: Alamy -
"It's so tempting to do the sequel - it would be worth it just to work with those boys again."
Brian May on the follow-up to the Bohemian Rhapsody biopic. 5th March 2023.
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"It started out in the 90s. The first thing I was responsible for was a key. Keys and a credit card and I was hopeless at that and then the phones came. I made a nightmare of that to the point where they would buy boxes of burner phones for me. I'm a useless human being, but I'm OK at making music."
Damon Albarn on why modern life is rubbish. 2nd March 2023.
Damon Albarn in November 2023. Picture: Essene Hernandez/eyepix via ZUMA Press Wire/Alamy -
"I am as sickened as you all are by today's Ticketmaster 'fees' debacle. If I get anything coherent by way of an answer I will let you all know."
Robert Smith takes on Ticketmaster's "unduly high" fees on tickets for The Cure's North American tour - and wins. 17th March 2023.
- Read more: The Cure's Robert Smith secures partial refund for fans after Ticketmaster "fees debacle"
Robert Smith of The Cure performs at Riot Fest, Chicago, September 2023. Picture: Rob Grabowski/Invision/AP/Alamy -
"The tragedy of The White Stripes is how great they would have been with a half decent drummer."
Journalist Lachlan Markay puts his foot in it on Twitter, 14th March 2023.
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"Not only is Meg White a fantastic drummer, Jack also said the White Stripes would be nothing without her. To the journalist who dissed her, keep my ex husband’s ex wife name out of your f*cking mouth. (Please and Thank You)"
Karen Elson defends Meg White, 14th March 2023.
Not only is Meg White a fantastic drummer, Jack also said the White Stripes would be nothing without her. To the journalist who dissed her, keep my ex husband’s ex wife name out of your f*cking mouth.
— Karen Elson (@KarenElson_) March 14, 2023
(Please and Thank You) https://t.co/qnnxgT3Rxh -
"Is that a lot? An American billion is different to a British billion – and I don’t know what either of them is. But it’s a f**k of a lot of listens.”
John Cooper Clarke on being told by The Guardian that Arctic Monkeys' version of his song I Wanna Be Yours has achieved 1 billion listens on Spotify. 20th March 2023.
John Cooper Clarke in 2022. Picture: Kieran Frost/Redferns/Getty -
"Stop talking on the f***ing internet and let's see what you've got to say."
Noel Gallagher on the continuing "Oasis to reform" rumour (now in its 14th great year!). 22nd March 2023.
"He's got my number, he's got my manager number. Call us"
— Liam Gallagher Fans Club (@liamgfansclub) March 21, 2023
Noel Gallagher about Liam Gallagher and an Oasis reunion pic.twitter.com/rCRBvizkpg -
"We were always on the side of humanity and not on the side of technology… As much as I love this character, the last thing I would want to be, in the world we live in, in 2023, is a robot."
Thomas Bangalter ruins the Daft Punk mystique by being against AI. 5th April 2023.
Daft Punk in 2006. Picture: Nicolas Landemard / Le Pictorium/MAXPPP/Alamy -
"I was shocked when I heard their new record. It's tough, only because I honestly think we were doing cooler music."
Josh Klinghoffer talks about being dropped from Red Hot Chili Peppers in favour of John Frusciante for their latest pair of albums. 6th April 2023.
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"Some days you wake up and think Nah, there's no need for it. It's been done. But when I come out and we play Rock 'N' Roll Star and people are bouncing higher and harder than they did at some of the gigs back in the day... Wouldn't it be worth it for them?"
Bonehead chips in on the Oasis reunion debate. 8th May 2023.
Bonehead on whether he'd take part in an Oasis reunion
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"Watching him play those dazzling basslines was an absolute privilege and genuinely something to behold."
Johnny Marr on Andy Rourke of The Smiths, who died on 19th May 2023, aged 59
The Smiths in 1984. Picture: Alamy -
"He will never die as long as his music is heard. He didn't ever know his own power, and nothing that he played had been played by someone else."
Morrissey pays tribute to his former Smiths bandmate Andy Rourke.
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"It’s back to basics. We sound how we should sound without any sort of confectionery around the sides. It’s honest. I mean, it’s hard. I certainly can’t jump up and down in the way I used to, ‘cause my knees are knackered, but it doesn’t mean I can't move my top half frantically.”
Damon Albarn on the Blur reunion, 24th May 2023.
Blur on what to expect from their reunion gigs
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"I’m so over it. Don’t ever say we don’t play our own f***ing instruments."
Haim hit back at claims Este is pretending to play the bass. 16th June 2023.
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"Nothing has been artificially or synthetically created. It’s all real and we all play on it."
Paul McCartney on the mysterious "AI-generated" Beatles song. 23rd June 2023.
The Beatles - Now And Then (Official Music Video)
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"Do you know who's great? Have you guys been listening to Inhaler? Those guys are epic. So fantastic. They're so great."
Matt Damon on his favourite new band. 14th July 2023.
Matt Damon loves The Rolling Stones, U2 and Inhaler!
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"I can see that someone who loved the first album maybe isn't into the last album and vice-versa, but who gives a shit? They're doing what they feel like they should be doing and that's all there is to it."
Howlin' Pelle Almqvist puts negative Arctic Monkeys fans straight. 9th August 2023.
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"I'm certain in no way have we ever affected their business."
Easy Life on being sued by airline Easy Jet over their band name. 3rd October 2023
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"The next stop is the Etihad Campus - the home of the champions of England and the champions of Europe. Come on City."
Liam Gallagher, voicing the announcements on Manchester's Metrolink trams. 11th October 2023.
Oasis frontman Liam Gallagher has gone from Rock 'N' Roll Star to Metrolink announcer 🚋 pic.twitter.com/9SnvaaaRBb
— Manchester News MEN (@MENnewsdesk) October 10, 2023 -
"My dad's made a chart - it's really precise. He's ticked the strong points of each tune and what would make the album..."
Blossoms' Charlie Salt on their new A&R man - his dad. 14th October 2023.
Charlie's dad has been ranking the new Blossoms tunes
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"I still feel really connected to that fella up there on the screen. I can see it’s me, but I don’t think I’ll be able to watch it again, to be honest.”
Pete Doherty on the documentary about his own life, Stranger In My Skin. 27th October 2023.
Pete Doherty in October 2023. Picture: Kike Rincon. Pool/Europa Press via Getty Images -
"There's plenty more stuff left over from Hackney Diamonds to work on. There'll always be another one until we drop."
Keith Richards looks forward to 2024 with The Rolling Stones. 7th November 2023.
The Rolling Stones - Angry (Official Music Video)
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"A knock on the toilet door is never good, right? So I'm like, 'Just one minute!". And they say 'Please vacate David Bowie's toilet immediately!'"
Richard Osman on accidentally using Bowie's private toilet backstage at a festival. 23rd November 2023.
Richard Osman accidentally used David Bowie's toilet...
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"He gave me a gentle kiss on the cheek and said, ‘Enjoy playing to all three people’. I laughed, but then when we walked out I thought, 'Oh my God'."
Elton John gives Josh Homme the ultimate burn before headlining opposite each other at Glastonbury 2023. 11th December 2023.
