Getting High: The Adventures of Oasis

by Paolo Hewitt

A popular band in both the United States and United Kingdom allows a respected music writer unprecedented access to the tour bus, backstage dressing rooms, and the five members' lives, resulting in an intimate portrait of the controversial group.

Genres: Music, Nonfiction, Biography, Audiobook, Biography Memoir

416 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1997

About the author

Paolo Hewitt was born on July 11, 1958 in Redhill, Surrey, England.

Paolo Hewitt is a former NME journalist and author of over 20 books, including, with Mark Baxter, The Fashion of Football (Mainstream), Oasis... There and Then (1996), Outside Bet (2012) and Casuals: The Story of the Legendary Terrace Fashion (2011)

Reviews

[Tom Boniface-Webb · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent. Really in depth study of the early days of Oasis. Hewitt’s access to the band and those immediately around them has given him the kind of insight to the direct story of how they came to be, that most writers could only dream of.

[Ryan · Rating 1 out of 5]

There is an epic waiting to be written about the troublesome twosome’s rise and fall and return, a prose equivalent of the ‘Supersonic’ documentary.

This is not it.

[KM · Rating 2 out of 5]

A book about Oasis' early years, where it all began etc. Being a huge Oasis fan, of course I enjoyed finding out more about "how they got there", but to be honest the book just isn't that well written. It's kinda just like a long recital about people, places and events without much life or colour in it, which is kind of a shame, because I'd have thought you'd get a bit more substance out of the Gallagher brothers!

[Mac · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absolute bastard to review, this one. A fly-on-the wall look at the formative and explosive years of my favorite band, bar none. The monkey's paw catch is it's written by a guy who, in my mind, has written a few stinkers of the try-hard British Music Guy style. It's extremely good, but somehow seemed to have missed a copy editor? Misspellings. Song titles and lyrics go wrong. Utrecht is placed in Germany, multiple times. Normally, that's enough to bump down to a four. Furthermore, the weirdly maudlin stupid final paragraph would do the same. But I just can't do it. Too much detail, too many stories, too good. Five stars. Paolo, if you haven't already in the intervening decades, get a new editor. Live forever.

[Andy Tabeling]

Yeah of course I read this. It’s a fun Oasis read. Absolutely nothing essential about it and by now much of the best stuff has been put into other books, videos etc.

The kindle version of this book is atrocious. Easily the worst ebook I’ve ever encountered. Don’t buy it.

[Taylor Shiroff · Rating 3 out of 5]

More of like 3.5 stars I guess. It’s unsurprising that everyone’s favorite Oasis conspiracy theorist James Hargreaves regularly pulls quotes from it. It was a good read, at many points a page turner, full of very interesting little tidbits and anecdotes I hadn’t heard before. But also full of a lot of stuff that had no reason to be in there, and could’ve really used a better editor!

Unsurprisingly, the best and most rewarding parts of the book were focused on Liam and Noel’s relationship. The author tries to dig into each of their psyches as best they can—which is hard, as not only are they classically tough and stoic northern Englishmen (Mancunians, I should say), but at the time the author was around them, they were so full of (and perhaps overflowing with) drugs of every variety that it’s hard to know how much was the drugs versus anything else. But I do think you get a better understanding of why the two of them were the way they were (at least at the time) and why their relationship was the way it was. You also see how much more alike the two of them were than one might think.

You can tell the author’s truly done their homework on them—they haven’t just read tabloids and watched TV interviews, they also spent clearly substantial amounts of time talking with them, the band, their friends, relatives (Peggy’s intel is particularly fun), and all kinds of random people. The author could’ve been quite lazy in writing this book, especially as there’s no shortage of media involving the two of them from the time, but it’s very evident the author went the opposite route, which is commendable—especially in this genre.

The author could’ve stopped there and made the book primarily about Liam and Noel and what was unequivocally *their* band. In fact, that’s what I expected, more or less, especially after the first few chapters. But over the course of the book, the author dives into so many of the personalities within and around the band, often too extensively and too generously. Okay, a page or two on Alan White’s background might’ve been called for, but the whole family story’s a bit much. As is the lengthy bit on Guigsy’s infamous “nervous exhaustion”. I love Alan, I love Guigsy, but really—who cares? Folks like Alan McGee and Mark Coyle also get more than their fair share of pages dedicated to their biographies; on a few occasions, the author just couldn’t help but dive into a random roadie’s life story. Nobody’s reading this book for that.

The editing was also quite poor at times, ranging occasional but bizarre typos to attributing lyrics to the wrong songs—how do you write a book about Oasis and do that? I also find the sequencing of the first many chapters a bit dizzying and unnecessary. I get what the author was trying to do, alternating between the band’s rise to fame and flashbacks to their youth or Peggy’s early life, but it’s a bit much and I can’t help but feel like it would’ve all flowed much better had the story been told linearly.

Overall though, I’d definitely recommend this to any Oasis fan. The band deserves to have their story told a bit better than this, especially the story of the “classic” era this book covers, but until such a book comes, this one will more than suffice.

[Willie Kyne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun read if you’re a fan of the band and already familiar with their personalities. Otherwise, the book reads too often like a textbook rather than an exciting narrative about the unique and unlikely rise to fame of the pugnacious singer + songwriter brothers from Manchester. Still offers cool behind the scenes stories that made it worth reading but its potential to be written better is glaring.

[Danielle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Long live Oasis! Best band in the world! Took me a while to finish this one but glad I came back to it to see it through. Not a new story to me but a comprehensive view of what it was like for the band in 94-96. Liam is such a shit disturber, Noel is a genius, and the story of the brothers turbulent relationship is so good. Their relationship was very complicated and you come away from the book not really knowing which side to take, but I don’t think there is a side. I hope there’s a follow up book about the band breaking up and their reunion 16 years later. Also, why wasn’t I a teenager in the 90s? Liam Gallagher would’ve been postered up all over my walls.

[Maarit · Rating 5 out of 5]

This would be the 1st book I'd recommend if someone was looking for a book about Oasis. There's a huge difference between music books that fill their pages with gathered bits and bobs from magazines, other books, maybe a few interviews with people who were part of that world... and there is nothing wrong with that if it's done well. It can be very interesting and informative read for those who are not very familiar with the subject yet.

This book is written by a person who had a close access to the band. It is not so much a story about their history, but a description of the times and a portrayal of the band members. At times the style gets very fiction like, which seems to be a bit of a opinions divider, but I'm loving it. With Oasis fact and fiction has always been a bit of a blurred line, and the brothers haven't really minded that themselves. Anyhow, it is not like Hewitt is pulling this stuff out of his imagination, he is only dressing up what already existed.

[Sean Branson · Rating 5 out of 5]

An in-depth look into Oasis, from Peggy Gallagher's emigration to Manchester through the successful release of (What's the Story) Morning Glory?, Getting High: The Adventures of Oasis is a must read for any true Oasis fan. From the formation of the band, through the early years, and as they quickly rocketed to international stardom, the book captures many of the band's triumphs and squabbles in great detail. Though primarily focused on Noel and Liam Gallagher and their notorious relationship, Bonehead, Guigsy, and Alan White are covered in detail. I've been a fan of the band since the mid-90's and ultimately found this book to be a nice stroll down memory lane.

[yizrolik · Rating 3 out of 5]

Funny book, full of interesting facts on the band and paints a big, unifying picture of Oasis' success. It has its faults though: bad check on the spelling, it relies too much on Noel's version of the facts and towards the end it focuses too much on selling figures (it felt kind of rushed at some point, just listing so many things at once) and the only personality that is explored is Noel's. BUT I loved the telling of Manchester and Peggy's background. Those chapters are definitely a very interesting read!

[Shaun Owen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Spoiled by getting the names wrong of significant people. Graham Coxon is the Guitarist in Blur, not Graham Cox. Anita Heryet from Creation appears on the sleeve of Wonderwall not Amanda.....
I also can't help wondering jhow long it took the surgeons to extract the author Paul Houghton from the anus of Noel Gallagher, because he was evidently so far up there, he must have only had his boots showing

[Lisa-Jaine · Rating 3 out of 5]

I chose this book as I liked the author's work on Paul Weller. Interesting and a must for die-hard fans although towards the end it just seemed to go on a lot more about studio time, tour dates, album releases without the personable part the first half of the book has. Gives us a insight into both Liam and Noel's taut relationship.

[Michael Greig · Rating 3 out of 5]

This does emphasise that we lived through something special in the rise and fall of Oasis. There is a bit of me that never wants them to reform and leave well enough alone. It is great to see guys come off the estate and make it happen.

[Ben · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book on the early years of the Gallagher brothers.

[Dixie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Indispensable material for an Oasis fanatic. Fascinating stuff.

[Brianna Westervelt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Essential reading for any Oasis fan--casual or massive.

Mad for it.

[Dominic Montoia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Feels more like a list of performances than a story

[reggiwck · Rating 5 out of 5]

fave quotes here goes

"Liam’s, who one minute can look like a football hooligan, and the next boyishly desirable."

"Once again the music has healed the Gallagher brothers."

"Of Blur, Liam said, ‘I won’t play the game with students. They’ re not worthy of being mentioned in the same breath as us."

"Listen mate,’ Bonehead said, adopting the tone of a sergeant major advising a private, ‘in this band you’re either shagging or having a wank. Got to be done, innit?"

"Paul and the bouncer looked at Liam. Particles of cocaine were falling out of his nostril. Paul knew then that it was use less to argue.
‘I don’t believe you,’ the bouncer said.
‘Okay, then mate, here’s the crack,’ Liam said. ‘Me and him are gay and we were in there doing it."

"Noel also had a leaning towards books that featured colourful, funny characters such as Tin Tin, Asterix and Doctor Seuss."

"Liam would come down the road to meet me, crying and looking to see where I was because there was nobody in the house."

"As Liam’s nature dictates that he never backs away from anything, even in the face of huge odds, this was his way of psyching out the opponent and killing his own nerves."

"Tommy acted like a dad to Noel. He would often take Noel aside and say in all seriousness, ‘Now listen, son, take my advice. Don’t marry a woman, marry a man."

"Then Liam appeared and the band went into ‘Round Are Way’. But the pacing of the song was too hectic. A minute into it and Liam was shouting, ‘Slow down, slow down, it sounds like fucking Blur."

"I was a cunt,’ he says of his primary school days. ‘I was a cunt,’ he says of his secondary school."  

"It was well known that Blur often frequented these premises so Liam had insisted on visiting the pub. Much to his delight, he spotted Graham straightaway and the brothers Gallagher went straight over to him. After roughly introducing themselves, they then started insulting his clothes and then his band. Then they started singing, to the tune of ‘Lazy Sunday’ by The Small Faces, ‘Blu-uur are cocknee, cocknee cunts.’ At which point the fuming guitarist complained to the landlord. The brothers were swiftly ejected and informed they were banned for life from the pub."

"On 9 August, more chaos, more headlines. Would it ever be possible for them to play a show smoothly? It didn’t look likely."

"Guigsy couldn’t help it. If only McCarroll would keep his gob shut. But he didn’t and when he didn’t he came out with lines like, how he loved that Beatles song ‘Ringo In The Sky With Diamonds’, or, check this one, Europe was an island. That killed Liam, that one. ‘I’m fucking thick,’ he shouted at the drummer, ‘I ain’t been educated but even I know that Europe isn’t a fucking island, you great big fucking dickhead."

"Then there were the others, like the record company people, who would come up and say, ‘Hi there, Loam, where’s your brother, Nile?’

"Blur walked in, Damon said, ‘Hello,’ and Liam called him a wanker."

"Liam came on wired-up to the eyes and spoiling for a fight. Behind the amps he had racked out lines of crystal meth and every now and then he would disappear for a hit."

"Noel thought about this for a few seconds. Then he said, ‘Liam, I have no idea how your brain comes up with this complete and utter shit, and nor do I want to know, but I tell ya, I have to hand it to you."

"He threw insults at Blur by telling Damon his band were full of shit, and was then kissed on the cheek by Graham, Blur’s guitarist."

"(A salient point in Liam’s case is that when he was smoking spliff he was far less inclined to furious outbursts than when he was ingesting large doses of cocaine.)"

"And who were all the boys modelling themselves on? And who were all the girls rolling over for in early-morning hotel rooms? Me, Liam. Li-Am the walrus, koo koo ka choo. That’s who."

"Noel, who promptly picked up the small cricket bat that Guigsy had bought and started viciously smashing his brother with it."

"The band plus followers returned to the hotel and partied all night in the swimming-pool, managing by five o’ dock in the morning to have an irate manager informing them that they were banned forever from his hotel. Liam had removed every emergency exit sign he came across; sixteen of them were discovered in his room."

[--- · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm about 100 pages into this book and I'm STRUGGLING, already losing the will to carry on.

The first chapter is about their parents - completely skipped it, not interested - while the latest chapter is a song by song recollection of one of their gigs - if this were a review in a tabloid paper, I would say it was worth the read, but certainly not entertaining when you're dedicating a whole ENTIRE chapter to EVERY SINGLE SONG (bar Shakermaker 🤔) from a gig - it felt very out of place.

Then there's the misquotation of BASIC Oasis lyrics and interviews. I'm sure he is doing his utmost to misquote them. With the benefit of internet access, we are now able to go back and watch/listen to those interviews as we please, so I'll give him some slack about that, but to misquote (almost entire) lines from well-known Oasis songs is quite literally sacrilege when you are writing a whole book about that very band. If the author can't seem to get something simple like the lyrics correct, how can I trust his account on everything else??? (The lyrics were and are published in the CD pamphlet, there's no excuse for it)
Examples of misquotations include:
"Where angels fly / You can't tread / That's what you get for sleeping with the enemy" page 88
"I don't know what it is that makes me feel this way" page 91
"Hey you up in the sky / Flying so high" page 94
"All you dreams are made / When they're chained to the mirror and the razor blade" page 97

Next there's the generally VERY poor excuse for writing. Imagine (no, not the song), that you are a white man in the 1990s, you have a moderately successful career as a music journalist which goes straight to your massively inflated head that you believe writing a book is the same as writing a 200-word concert review in a magazine and that's how you land on writing as laid out in this book. Examples include "...a... sexy face" (page 4). If anyone is able to conjure an image of a person from such a description, please enlighten me - it does not even make sense.

Talking of not making sense, can someone also please explain how Noel playing a handful of Gaelic Football games when he was about 3 weeks old gave him "a strong constitution that would be constantly tested by drink and drugs in the coming years" (page 84)?????

Then there is the content itself. So far, half of it consists of pointless band interactions that lead nowhere within the narrative of the book, including accounts like when "[o]ne of the roadies kicks a ball to [Liam]...[who] starts playing football with the roadie until he miskicks it and the ball rolls under the stage" (page 88) - riveting stuff! You realise a page or two later that you could have just saved time and skipped the two previous pages. Meanwhile, the other half of the content is the stuff we all came for - the interactions between Liam and Noel. While entertaining, and seemingly the book's only saving grace, not only are these interactions written like a child storyteller (i.e. he said, she said, he said... etc.), Hewitt can neither take credit for these interactions, given that they are the words of Liam and Noel and Hewitt is just relaying them to us, nor can he be believed. How can I trust he has accurately quoted the interactions? It makes you wonder if these interactions happened in the way Hewitt says, let alone happen at all, given the glaringly massive inaccuracies in the book so far, within just the first 100 pages.

I've started, so I'll finish, but pray for me - thank goodness the font is big!

[Danica · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book came out almost 30 years ago so nothing really new or revolutionary is in it. I’ve had nothing but Gallagher on the brain since seeing Oasis a month and a half ago, so if you’re like me, it scratched that itch but don’t go in expecting very much. There are a lot of typos and just total wrong info. For example, it says that WTSMG was released October 1985 instead of October 1995. Or weird stuff like saying that their mom bought the guitar that was in the house but they’ve always said that the guitar in the house belonged to their dad. Or even weirder stuff like saying that Liam was the only one of the brothers that was born in a hospital. Now why do I know that Noel, who at present time is a 58 year old man, was born in a hospital? Well the 1st sentence of the Supersonic book companion to the documentary says so. Now idk. Maybe he was or maybe he wasn’t but what a weird thing to include something that is pretty easily fact checkable. This book is just filled with little nuggets like that. The story is told mostly linearly but then at one point we are in 1994 and the next chapter the author says the crowd is singing Wonderwall. Which isn’t possible. Or one chapter again in 1994 but then the next it mentions Alan White but at this point he wouldn’t have been in the band yet. And on and on. If you’re like me and just desperate to relive it and already know everything it’s fine. If you actually want to learn about Oasis, I don’t think this is for you. Or maybe it is idk. I think I only spent $5.99 on it so worth the money spent, I guess.

[Tyler Gorman · Rating 3 out of 5]

A real fun collection of stories about the band, but at times it is confusingly written, or otherwise obtuse. There are great moments of punchy writing highlighting notable anecdotes in the band’s story, and then there are pages where seemingly nothing happens at all. The chronology of events is also inconsistent, and while telling a story of a party at the height of the band’s success before jumping into Noel and Liam’s childhood and the formation of the band is okay, it gets a little confusing when the author jumps back and forth between days on a single page with little-to-no indication. Some minor spelling/grammar mistakes that the editor must not’ve caught too, but nothing egregious.
Overall, I would recommend to Oasis fans. Definitely gave me a deeper appreciation for the band (Noel in particular).

[Susan · Rating 2 out of 5]

A little out of date now - they were still together at the height of their fame when this was written - but interesting as a sort of 'with the band' travelogue of the time. There is nothing new about the Gallagher brothers famously difficult relationship (and nothing in the slightly tortured telling of their mum's suffering at the hands of their abusive father much explains it, given Noel, generally considered the more stable and talented of the two took the brunt of it as the elder sibling). What is striking is the swiftness of their ascent to huge success and the sheer monotony of endless, far from glamorous touring and pressure to deliver anew after every best selling record. The music industry has changed beyond recognition even since their 90's heyday.

[India Jeffes · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book has many flaws, some small (spelling/grammar errors, incorrect song titles, etc) some huge (hewitt’s blatant bias towards noel as the protagonist to the oasis story) but overall it’s a really amazing read with lots of interesting insights into the intricacies of the music industry - some of the stories made me laugh and others made me want to cry but ultimately I found the book really quite inspiring

as a gen z oasis fan who’s always had the benefit and burden of hindsight, it’s interesting to read a biography written at the height of their fame when it seemed like nothing could ever knock them off that top spot - it finishes just before the band start recording be here now so like. Lol

[Jack M · Rating 5 out of 5]

Paolo Hewitt’s dive into the wild, early days of Oasis is a rollicking, unpolished gem that pulls you straight into the heart of the band’s chaos and genius. With insider access from 1994 to 1996, he paints a vivid picture of Noel and Liam Gallagher’s combustible chemistry, their relentless drive, and the gritty reality behind their ascent. The writing crackles with energy—raw, funny, and full of sharp observations that make you feel like you’re backstage or in the pub with them. It’s not just a recounting; it’s a time capsule of Britpop’s peak, dripping with the swagger and soul that made Oasis legends. A must-read for anyone who wants to taste the madness of those formative years.

[Brenda Castillo · Rating 5 out of 5]

As an Oasis diehard fan, I enjoyed this book so much; I cried, laughed, sang, danced and reaffirmed my love for the greatest band in the world!!

The book is full of stories on how Noel came up with some of the songs that defined a generation and are still scripted in our hearts. We also get stories of the early Oasis days when the Gallagher brothers could barely afford to live, their musical influences and aspirations, their upbringing and their love and praise for Peggy (their mother), and of course, their ever standing fight for control within the band.

I am utterly obsessed.

[rye · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent writing that, even while it contained errors, made this the most enjoyable Oasis book I've read so far. Honestly this book feels more like fiction at times, which is why I can understand how some people might not like it--and Paolo is very favorable to Noel, so there is a slight bias (Noel is my favourite too so I can't be that mad haha). I love referring back to this book and highlighting all the best bits. It's such a fun read when you're getting into Oasis.

[Dominic Muzzin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fucking ace... Hewitt definitely has a bit of a Noel bias but this quote sums up the message of the biography pretty well, "If Oasis was just Liam, they would never have been signed, they would have threatened to self destruct. If Oasis was just Noel, they would have never reached the heights they have."

[Shaun Helsby · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good book about the history of Oasis, principally their early years. It gives a more balanced view than the more one-sided, band member made, equivalents may give but it's not exactly a master piece in prose. Give it a read if you're into Oasis, principally who these lads were rather than for the music they made.

[Niall O'Malley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting insight info Oasis in the early and most successful years of their career, and written just after Morning Glory so nice to see the perspective on the band as of that time, before they began to dilute their seemingly god like status from 1996 onwards.

Some great stories about their rock and roll antics, these boys really went for it. A must read for any Oasis fan.