Noel Gallagher: "Chris Martin is an idiot for not taking drugs"

Oasis star Noel Gallagher has spent an amazing £1m on drugs and enjoyed every minute of it, he told an Italian newspaper and the 42-year-old also labelled Chris Martin from Coldplay an 'idiot' after he claimed not to have taken drugs and slammed the rival band and U2 for using concerts as stages for 'rock politics'. [discussion]

At the peak of the Britpop era, Noel and brother Liam's hedonistic excesses were well known and their partying was legendary. Gallagher once revealed he had taken cocaine at a Downing Street reception in a toilet reserved for the Queen.

In his interview with Corriere Della Sera, he said: "I look at Chris Martin who says he has never taken drugs in his life and I think he is an idiot. "Doing drugs is the most beautiful thing about being in a rock band. "Up until 1998 I must have spent £1m on drugs then I stopped because it is bad for your health, brain, life and for people around you. But while you use them - except for heroin which kills people and which I have never tried - as you lot (Italians) would say 'Mamma Mia'."

Turning to bands who used concerts to get across a political message, Gallagher stormed: "We get on the stage and play. I have been to loads of concerts where bands don't play they just talk about politics. At a U2 or Coldplay concert there is always a message about poor people or people dying from hunger. OK, but can't we just have a nice evening? Do we always have to feel guilty?"

Gallagher - who with the rest of Oasis met Tony Blair several times at the height of their fame - also spoke of his own political views and said: "I grew up with Labour in opposition. "I heard their policies on education and minimum wages and I thought they were right. Then they got into government and wow, I got to know them. Then as time passed they became like all the others - it was like when you find out Father Christmas doesn't exist. I don't vote any more - anyway it doesn't matter as nothing will change."

Oasis are due to play three concerts at Wembley Stadium this week and will end their current tour in Milan on August 30.

Coldplay at Rock Werchter Festival, Belgium (3rd July 2009):