Noel Gallagher beat cocaine addition thanks to Billy Connolly
Noel Gallagher beat his cocaine addiction - thanks to comedian Billy Connolly, a new book claims.
Oasis rocker Noel was finally able to give up drugs after a chance meeting with Billy in Harrods, according to author Colin MacFarlane. His book 'Sir Billy Connolly: King of Comedy and His Famous Pals' claims Gallagher had been battling a bad coke addiction.
He had spent his days hanging around his flat watching comedy DVDs of 'The Big Yin' who was his favourite comedian. But Noel then bumped into his comedy hero in London in the 1990s and says it was the fist time he had been star struck, Colin says.
They had such a fun chat it 'cheered Noel up' so much that he decided to kick the cocaine habit for good. Colin spent 18 months researching the book - tracking down celebs and people across the country who had run-ins with the famous comedian.
Colin said: "In the 90s, when Noel Gallagher was at the height of his fame, he went through a really bad cocaine addiction. "He was lying on the couch, drinking soup, and trying to go cold turkey to get over his cocaine problem. It turns out that he ended up watching loads of Billy Connolly DVDs - he thought laughter was the best medicine.
"The one say he goes up one day for a walk to Harrods - and who was standing at the counter but Billy Connolly? It was the first time that Noel Gallagher had been absolutely starstruck by somebody - the only other person he'd been starstruck by was Neil Young.
"He went up to Billy Connolly and he said, "alright, wee brother?" He couldn't believe it - he'd seen his stand-up and said he'd laughed until it hurt.
"Noel says his interaction with Billy had helped him kick his cocaine habit. Meeting Billy cheered him up so much he dropped the addiction."
In his book, Colin describes Noel as stating: "I'd seen him live on lots of DVDs - he makes me laugh until it hurts. When I decided I was going to kick drugs, I spent a lot of time lying on the couch and watching DVDs. They say laughter is the best medicine, and I can assure you it is. I love the guy, he's great."
During his research, Colin spent over a year tracking down celebrities who had a story to tell about the comic legend - and was shocked by how many he found.
"I went through around 10,000 articles over the 18 months," said Colin. I had to go really far back and look at everything that's ever been written about Billy Connolly and then track down all these celebrities.
"I ended up with more than 200 people that he'd met - I was surprised by how well-connected he is across the world. He's met celebrities like Paul McCartney, Bob Dylan, Elvis Costello - even Noel Gallagher.
"It worked out quite well - Billy Connolly has met so many, it's incredible." The book also includes tales of Connolly's interactions with celebrities including Sean Connery, Judi Dench, Andy Murray and Rod Stewart.
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