Shoot you down

War of the Roses - Ian Brown hits out at John Squire

19 Jan 05 - Ian Brown's responded to John Squire's latest broadside with a few choice words of his own. In a recent interview, Squire described his former friend and lead singer as a 'tuneless knob' and a 'paranoid mess' but Brownie says he's just jealous.

He exclusively told 6 Music: "For me, right, he split up the best band in the country at the time, the Roses, and he went on to do what? Nothing. Nothing to write home about, so he must be a bit bitter because he's got to watch me steaming forward.

"There's no stopping it, I announce shows and they're gone in a day. It must be killing the kid. They say he was the best guitarist of his generation, which I think he is. Was. I hear his music now and what's happened to his guitar playing?

"All I Know is that when he was stood next to me he had pure success. Since he's been apart he's had nothing.

"Someone sent me a CD of a John Squire solo gig and he was playing a few Roses tunes. Man, it was poor." - Ian Brown

Brownie then confirmed that he's preparing for a busy summer of festivals. He's already on the bill for Oxygen in Ireland, and he told 6 Music that he'll definitely be playing T in the Park as well. As for Glastonbury, he wasn't prepared to commit himself on air, but did hint that he'd be there on Saturday night.

He'll release a greatest hits album this summer, to coincide with a hectic season of festival appearances. He's describing 2005 as his 'busiest year since 1989' and the perfect time to round up his career so far.

He said: "It was '98 that I put My Star out, so it's like seven years later. I think it would be a good time to do a Greatest Hits. I've done four albums, I've done a few collaborations with U.N.K.L.E., I could do a great 20-track Greatest Hits album. I think it would be stronger than the Roses' Greatest Hits.

If you do catch him playing live this summer, or on his UK tour which starts on March 24, there's every chance he'll be playing Stone Roses material. He famously played an entire set of the band's most famous tunes at Claremont Landscape Gardens last year, and he told 6 Music the songs are staying in his set.

He said: "Do you know how that came about? Someone sent me a CD of a John Squire solo gig and he was playing a few Roses tunes. Man, it was poor. I didn't think he had the right to do that to the tunes, you know, cos he was singing them as well. I don't think you can step to the mic aged 40 and cut it.

"I didn't think it was right, cos out of respect to the three other lads I'd never played any Roses tunes. I wanted to stand on my own two feet, so I kept away from the Roses and I just did my own thing, but when I heard that CD I thought 'that's out of order'.

"I thought 'if he ain't got the respect then I'm not gonna have none no more so I'm gonna play 'em meself now." 


Andrew Purcell