Noel Gallagher is banned from China and branded ‘an enemy of the people’ for bizarre reason
Noel Gallagher has revealed that he is banned from China with the country deeming him ‘an enemy of the people.’
The Oasis megastar explained that over 20 years ago, he received a letter from the Chinese government informing him that he was no longer allowed to enter the country because of a concert he had played in 1997.
The concert in question was in New York, and supported freedom for Tibet, in the middle of their Be Here Now tour.
Gallagher said he was sent the letter because officials were worried by the prospect of him saying ‘some pro-Tibetan s***.’
‘I’ve got a letter somewhere from the Minister of The Interior saying, “You are an enemy of the people,” or something like that. The rest [of the band] were invited with open arms,’ Gallagher told the Daily Star.
Barred: Noel Gallagher has revealed that China see him as an ‘enemy of the people’ after he performed at a concert in support of Tibetan independence
Solo act: The High Flying Birds singer said he was only at the concert because nobody else from Oasis could be bothered to go
However, he insisted this was unnecessary as he is ‘not even interested’ in the area.
The 56-year-old also revealed that the only reason he took part in the Freedom Concert was because no one else from Oasis did.
‘It was a day off and Oasis got asked to do it and no one else would do it so it was like I’ll do it,’ he explained.
‘I walked out on stage in front of 50,000 people and as I walked out I thought, “Why have I agreed to do this? I’m not even the f***ing singer.”‘
His brother Liam was the lead singer of the 90s Britpop phenomenon, although Noel does feature on the vocals of hits such as Don’t Look Back In Anger, The Masterplan, and Little By Little.
The High Flying Birds vocalist added that he only found out about the ban when the band had been invited to China years later.
They had agreed a set of appropriate songs to perform, before he was denied just months before the agreed visit.
Tibet is located on the northern side of the Himalayas and has been governed as an autonomous region of China since the now-superpower invaded in 1959.
Don’t Look Back In Anger: Noel said he thought at the time: ‘Why have I agreed to do this? I’m not even the f***ing singer.’ His brother Liam (pictured) was the band’s absent lead vocalist
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