Rockin' rebel defanged in Munich
In the golden, olden days of rock and roll, a band's tour would be considered incomplete without a certain amount of laying waste to bars and hotels rooms. Such exuberance was regarded as part of a group's authenticity. But as rock and roll moved from the margins to the middle of the road and as pop music morphed into commerce, that kind of conduct came to be seen as bad for business. Stars became less incandescent and more establishment; rock's rebels were defanged.
In the early hours of Sunday morning in Munich, however, the British group Oasis helped generate the kind of news stories not seen since the wildest days of the Stones and the Who: mad drinking, huge battle with the police, frontman losing two front teeth, injuries, arrests, concerts cancelled? And what made the episode all the more delicious was that the battle took place in the ridiculously pompous and horrendously expensive Bayerischer Hof hotel.
"Oasis in nightclub attack", is how the band portrays the incident:
"Several members of Oasis and their entourage were the victims of an unprovoked attack by a group of youths in a Munich club last night, where they were during their European tour. Liam Gallagher sustained facial injuries, including several broken teeth, while two of the group's security guards were forced to seek hospital treatment, one after being knocked unconscious. The attackers left the scene before police arrived."
The BBC is more direct with its "Oasis singer 'kicked policeman'" headline:
"German police have said Oasis singer Liam Gallagher kicked an officer in the chest 'with full force' during a fight in a Munich hotel. But the star will probably not face further charges after paying 100,000 euros (?64,000) and being released, police have said.
Can't see this harming ticket sales when the lads get back on tour. Can you?
