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Scotsman
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Scotsman
Oasis short story inspired by the band ahead of Murrayfield gig
Author Paul Cuddihy As Oasis come to Edinburgh as part of their reunion tour, Paul Cuddihy's short story Married With Children charts a life in parallel with the band and a friendship that can't live forever. Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... My daughter was born on August 29th, 1994, the same day that Definitely Maybe was released. It was Martin who informed me when I phoned to tell him my news. 'Have you listened to it yet?' 'I've been a bit tied up here, Martin.' Oasis on tour in Cardiff 'It's incredible. You'll love it.' I stared at the stack of coins on top of the phone. I still had plenty of people to call after Martin, who was now giving me a track by track review of the album. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'They're both doing well,' I said, cutting across his description of Cigarettes and Alcohol. 'Who is?' 'Lauren and the baby.' 'Oh right. Great. That's great.' 'She's called Erin.' 'Who is?' 'The baby. My daughter. Erin.' 'Cool name.' 'Thanks.' There was a pause, a moment of silence where it felt our paths were about to diverge. I didn't think that at the time, though. Only much later. 'We'll have to wet the baby's head,' Martin said. 'I'll need to see how long they're keeping Lauren in for. It was a C-section she had.' 'I've no idea what that means, mate.' I started to explain but realised it would just be a jumble of words he'd instantly forget. 'I'll call you later,' I said. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'No problem… and if you get a chance, have a listen to that album.' 'Definitely.' 'Maybe!' he said, gleefully accepting the punchline set-up. I fed more coins into the phone and dialled the number. I'd already called Lauren's parents and they were coming up to visit in the afternoon. My mum answered. 'Hi granny,' I said. 'Oh, Kevin,' she said and started crying. My dad's voice took over, wavering but still able to form words as I told him the news and he fumbled about in search of the right questions to ask, the ones my mum would have instinctively known. 'They're still just babies themselves,' she said through her sobs. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad We were both just nineteen, Lauren and I, so maybe she was right, but it didn't matter anyway. My mum had said she thought students were supposed to be smart when I told her Lauren was pregnant. Lauren was too scared to come with me, which I understood as I had been terrified when we'd told her parents. Her dad glared at me but didn't say anything before walking outside to pace up and down the garden in the rain. Her mum went into the kitchen to put the kettle on, leaving us with an embarrassed silence we didn't know how to fill. Two years later, Oasis were playing at Loch Lomond. Martin was getting tickets for both gigs. I couldn't go. 'Surely you can make one of the nights?' he said. 'Money's a bit tight just now with Lauren off work after having Roisin.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'Don't worry about that. I'll get the tickets. Whatever night suits.' 'And it's not really fair on Lauren, leaving her on her own with the kids.' 'It's only one night.' 'I know, but…' 'I'll speak to her if you want. I'm sure she won't mind.' 'No.' It wasn't just about the money, although there was the ticket and the travel and the booze, and I'd feel guilty about spending it. I wasn't a charity case either. I knew Lauren wouldn't mind. If I mentioned it to her, she'd tell me to go. The truth was, I didn't want to. I wanted to come home from work and hold my baby daughter, still almost fresh out of the wrapper, as Erin clambered up on to the couch, kissing and cuddling her sister while I cautioned her to be gentle. I didn't know how to explain that to Martin. 'Sorry, mate,' I said. 'You don't know what you're missing.' I finished the song and propped my guitar against the side of the chair. 'Does that sound okay?' 'What's a wonderwall anyway?' asked Lauren. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad I started laughing, and Roisin did, too, just as she copied everything we said or did. I'd already been warned on countless occasions about swearing in front of her. Erin didn't glance up from the book she was reading. 'What's so funny?' said Lauren. 'It's a line from a song. The one that Travis sing.' 'I thought that was about the rain.' 'No, that's a different song. This one's called Writing To Reach You and it's got that line in it about a wonderwall.' 'So what is it then?' 'It's just a word.' 'Is it a real word?' 'I don't know.' 'It doesn't sound real to me.' 'Well, neither does supercalifragilisticexpialidocious but you sing that all the time to the girls.' Lauren shrugged, her hands caressing the large bump that would soon become another daughter. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'Mummy, sing it. Sing the fragidocious song,' Roisin said, tugging at Lauren's skirt. I loved and hated Wonderwall in equal measure. No, that's not true. It was my favourite Oasis song. When I first heard it on the radio, I couldn't believe how good it sounded and hoped the DJ felt the same, so much so that he might immediately play it again. He didn't. It made me want to pick up a guitar. I knew I was too old and too married with children to become a rock star, but learning a few chords meant I could start a singsong at a party. In this case, it was Martin's engagement party, and he'd asked me to play a few songs with him. I would be Noel to his Liam, with him taking centre-stage, which was fine by me since it was his night – along with Katie, his fiancée, of course – and Oasis were his band much more than they were mine. And even though I loved the song, it also reminded me of the Oasis gig that Martin finally managed to drag me along to in December 1997, with the aid of a free ticket and some coaxing from Lauren. It was an early Christmas present slipped into a card that she got Erin to give me, knowing I was less likely to say anything in front of our daughter. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'I don't want to hear any moaning. You're going with Martin and that's it. Merry Christmas.' It was after they had finished Wonderwall that the band stormed off stage, claiming one of them had been hit with a bottle. 'More like a feather,' I said on the bus home. Martin wasn't so bothered. He had a ticket for their second Glasgow gig the following night, but this was my first experience of seeing the band, and it had lasted all of about fifty minutes. 'See after that farce, I'd close the curtains if Oasis were playing in my back garden,' I said. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The house was filled with the noise of teenage girls, speaking in a language I didn't understand and at a pitch that made me worried my ears might start bleeding. It was Erin's birthday. Fifteen years gone in the blink of an eye. There were six of them heading to the local Italian restaurant. I had booked the table and was the taxi service, but we wouldn't be there. It was a brief taste of independence and impending adulthood for them, although I was picking up the bill as well. Then it was back to our house to disrupt the peace again. Roisin wasn't bothered about not being invited – we'd enjoyed a family celebration the night before – but Anna sulked because she was only nine and idolised her oldest sister. She'd already invited herself into Erin's bedroom when the party girls returned home. 'Did you see they've split up,' Lauren said as I waited at the foot of the stairs for the stampede of teenagers. 'So I heard.' 'It's really sad.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'I know, but I don't think they were getting on for a while, so maybe it's for the best.' 'It's still sad, though.' 'These things happen… and they'll probably get back together again at some point anyway.' 'Do you think so? Katie seems pretty adamant.' 'What about?' 'The split.' 'But they're brothers, so I'm sure they'll kiss and make up.' 'What are you talking about?' 'Oasis splitting up. What are you talking about?' 'Katie and Martin.' 'They're splitting up?' 'Yes!' 'How do you know that?' 'Katie put a post out on Facebook about it.' I sent Martin a text message. It had been a while since we'd spoken or met up, and it was easier just to type 'Hope you're doing okay' than call him. I hoped his reply might be a song lyric and tried to guess what he'd choose. Would he not be looking back in anger, or was it getting better, man! Maybe I could tell him to stop crying his heart out and he'd tell me he was feeling supersonic. 'Fine, thanks', he eventually replied a couple of hours later. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad However, the years which had drifted by were instantly forgotten, the distance between us contracting too, as we slipped back into the easy rhythm of friendship as if it had only been the previous week we'd got together. We sat in my back garden now, jackets on and wearing woolly hats. We were too old for bucket hats, I said. I nursed a half-drunk pint of Guinness while Martin stared at his full glass while taking frequent sips of the water Lauren had brought out for him. She hugged him gently, as if she was worried she might break him. 'I'll leave you two boys alone,' she said. 'No, grab a seat and sit with us,' Martin said. She didn't protest or insist on heading back into the house. The small speaker sat on the table and I linked it to my phone via Bluetooth. 'What do you want to listen to?' I said. 'Let me guess… Oasis!' said Lauren. 'As long as it's not Live Forever.' 'Oh, Martin,' Lauren said. She stretched an arm across the table and he held her hand. Her thumb stroked the back of his hand, soothing him, telling him how she felt, how we both felt. It was my favourite touch, if it was possible to have such a thing. Lauren's hand in mine. Ever since I had held it as we walked through the local park in the midst of our first date. It always just felt right. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'You do realise you two have lasted longer than Oasis,' Martin said. There was no jealousy in his voice, though, not even after two failed marriages and a son who was now an adult he never saw. No one thought we would last. Not our parents, or our friends. Maybe not even us, although there was never any time to stop and think about it, submerged as we were in nappies and bottles and sleep deprivation. Our babies were all grown up now and having babies of their own. When Erin told us she was pregnant, I joked that I was too young to be a granddad, but our tears, Lauren's and mine, were joyful ones. 'I've got two tickets for Murrayfield,' he said. 'I want you to have them.' 'Are they spare ones?' 'No.' Lauren started crying. 'It's fine, Lauren. Don't be sad. Honestly, it's kept me going this past year, the thrill of getting them and then thinking about the gig and trying to guess the set list. I'm sure it'll be amazing' 'But you might still make it,' I said. 'I won't.' 'But how do you know?' 'I just do.' 'I don't know what to say.' 'Say you'll take the tickets.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'I told you before, I'd close the curtains if they were playing in my back garden.' 'You can go with Lauren.' She made a face. 'Take Erin then. It's near when her birthday is.' 'You remember her birthday?' 'She's the same age as Definitely Maybe. How could I forget that?' He closed his eyes as Noel's voice filled the evening air, singing Half The World Away. I could have done the same and let my thoughts drift to wherever they chose to go, but instead I watched Martin. It wasn't that I wanted to commit this image to memory – I preferred to remember a younger and happier face – but I knew there wouldn't be many other chances just to look at him, words of love permanently lodged in my throat because that's not how we ever spoke to each other. 'Remember that time I snogged Caroline Aherne in a Manchester nightclub,' he said. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad We both started laughing. I hadn't been there, of course, another trip to an Oasis gig I missed. 'How could I forget? You mention it every time you hear that song.' 'It's a great song.' 'A great TV show.' 'It was a great kiss, too.'
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Christina Applegate hospitalized with kidney infection
Actress Christina Applegate is in the hospital fighting an agonizingly painful, double kidney infection with intravenous antibiotics, she revealed Tuesday. The 'Married… with Children' alum first started feeling unwell while visiting family in Europe, she said on Tuesday's edition of the podcast 'MeSsy,' which she co-hosts with fellow actress and MS sufferer Jamie-Lynn Sigler, broadcasting from the hospital. While on the plane home, she said she decided to go straight to the hospital from the airport. Applegate, who revealed her multiple sclerosis diagnosis in 2021, jokingly calls the hospital her 'pied-à-terre,' given her frequent visits. Normally, she said on MeSsy, doctors give her meds and send her home. This time, Applegate demanded to be admitted. 'I'm staying here because I want answers,' Applegate said she told hospital personnel. 'I want every test that you can possibly think of or ones that you haven't even thought of, and I want them done.' Doctors at first suspected a urinary tract infection, and on a previous hospital visit had even gone so far as to quiz Applegate on her wiping technique, double-checking that she went front to back. 'Like, what am I, back-wiping?' Applegate said on the podcast. 'Like, seriously, I'm 53.' The 'Dead to Me' actress said she was painfully validated when she awoke with excruciating pain radiating from her right side — and thought her appendix was bursting. 'So much pain,' Applegate said. 'I'm screaming, and they ordered me an emergency CT at 2 in the morning.' That revealed an infection in her right kidney that later spread to her left side as well. Now, rather than trying to send her home, the hospital 'won't let me leave yet — because things are messy,' Applegate said. 'Because of this kidney infection, I have to have intravenous antibiotics right now. And that's where we're at.' Sigler noted that if Applegate hadn't advocated for herself, 'this could have been so much worse.' Applegate assured listeners she's going to be ok, even while admitting she was 'holding in a bag o' tears right now.'
Fox News
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Fox News
Christina Applegate hospitalized after experiencing severe pain
Christina Applegate was admitted to the hospital over the weekend after suffering excruciating pain while on a European vacation. The "Married… With Children" actress insisted that "things are messy, but I'm going to be OK," while chatting on a live episode of her "MeSsy" podcast with co-host Jamie-Lynn Sigler. Applegate, 53, began feeling discomfort while overseas, and initially believed she was experiencing symptoms related to appendicitis. "I went to Europe to see family, and I was not feeling good the whole time I was there," she admitted on the episode. "I did everything I could to not throw up." The "Dead to Me" star hyped herself up to go to the hospital when she returned home, as she had experienced difficulties throughout her multiple sclerosis journey. "I'm going to go, and I'm not leaving there until I have some f------ answers," she recalled. "I want to know why this is happening, and I want it to stop." Applegate added, "The universe works in a really beautiful way. It listens to you — it really does. It also doesn't give a s--- if you say you want something, or you don't want something." After arriving back in Los Angeles, Applegate went to the hospital and demanded "every test" to see what was wrong. By the following day, she started getting a pain that she had never felt before on the right side of her back. "I'm like screaming, and they ordered me an emergency CT at 2 o'clock in the morning… and I had kidney infections," Applegate said. "I've been here for a long time." Sigler noted how "it could have been so much worse," and commended Applegate for instinctively knowing she had to seek medical attention. "It is the worst pain I've ever felt, or so I thought, is my stomach when I'm vomitting. I call it 'Fight Club' because the entire abdomen spasms, and it is excruciating," she said. "I'm just gonna be here," she said of her hospital stay before explaining, "Because of this kidney infection, I have to have intravenous antibiotics right now. And that's where we're at." Despite cracking a few jokes about the situation, Applegate admitted she was holding in tears. "I sometimes fall into the nurse's arms like a freako, just like crying," she admitted. During an episode released earlier this year, Applegate revealed she's been hospitalized upwards of 30 times due to her MS symptoms. "For three years, since I was diagnosed, I've been in the hospital upwards of 30 times from throwing up and diarrhea and pain," she said. "That is unimaginable, OK? They've done every test known to man on me, put so much radiation into my body from CT scans to everything else." "One of the things with MS is that it slows down our organs, you know, not like completely, but there is a slowing of the function of your organs. I have noticed that — and I'm going to be really honest — if I have to poop, I puke." "My neuro doesn't — God bless her — says that's not an MS thing," Applegate added. "So, I'm sorry, there's got to be a correlation here, and I'm not a doctor. I'm not giving medical advice. I'm just saying, just think about that, OK? Because I'm in the middle of the same exact situation, and it f------ sucks, and it's scary." Applegate revealed her diagnosis on X in 2021. "Hi friends. A few months ago I was diagnosed with MS," she wrote. "It's been a strange journey. But I have been so supported by people that I know who also have this condition," Applegate continued. "It's been a tough road. But as we all know, the road keeps going. Unless some a--hole blocks it."
Fox News
28-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Fox News
'Married... With Children' stars expose behind-the-scenes drama of beloved sitcom
"Married… With Children" wasn't all laughs behind the scenes. Stars Christina Applegate and Katey Sagal candidly shared how brutally honest the cast members were on the set of the iconic '90s show. "We were a sarcastic, cynical bunch," Sagal admitted on her "Pie" podcast, with husband Kurt Sutter. "You weren't safe, really. You turned your back, somebody's going to talk s--- on you." Applegate, their guest on the podcast, chimed in and recalled the moment she realized people were trash-talking her while she was steps away in her dressing room. "I could hear being talked s--- about in my dressing room on the monitor," she said. "I'd come up from rehearsal and I can hear everybody on set, literally talking s--- about me." "I was like, 'Wow, I was just there 20 seconds ago,'" she shared of her reaction. Sagal played Applegate's onscreen mother on the show, which ran from 1987 until 1997. Applegate previously revealed that the pressures she faced on "Married … with Children" led to her developing an eating disorder. In March, the "Dead to Me" actress opened up about being a child star and how it deeply impacted her health being in the spotlight. "Playing that character kind of did things to me in my psyche that were no bueno – like anorexia," she explained on her "MeSsy" podcast while speaking to guest Sagal at the time. "Yeah, a pretty bad eating disorder started when I was doing that show that lasted for a really long time," she said. Applegate said that she never told anyone about the disorder and was "very, very private about it." "I would hide in bathrooms to eat, because I had so much shame around eating that I would hide on the airplanes, like when we went to London," she said. "I remember hiding in there to eat like one shrimp, 'cause I was so afraid if anyone saw me eat that they'd think I was going to try to get fat or something. I don't know. I was in such a dark space." Sagal agreed that Applegate was "very much scrutinized" on the show because she was the "sex symbol." Being a sex symbol at 17 would "f--- with" anyone's head, Sagal said, adding that "it was a very misogynistic show." "Chrissy was very much scrutinized and tried to keep in a box," Sagal continued. "… So they put her in tighter skirts and shorter skirts, so, there was a lot of that." Applegate admitted that the provocative wardrobe choices were actually her idea. Her character, Kelly Bundy, was originally written as a "tough" "biker girl," but she said she was inspired by a girl interviewed for the 1981 documentary, "The Decline of Western Civilization: Part II: The Metal Years." "And she had this big f---ing hair, and a white Lycra dress, and I went to the wardrobe department and I said, 'We're changing this, We gotta represent the zeitgeist of this rock, slutty video vixen thing that's going on in the world right now where the men and the women all look the same. You know? They have the same hairdos.' So, that's where she came from." Set in Chicago, the series revolved around the Bundy family. Sagal and Applegate starred alongside Ed O'Neill, David Faustino and more.
News.com.au
27-07-2025
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
Married … With Children stars expose dark secrets behind hit 90s sitcom
Married … With Children wasn't all laughs behind the scenes. Stars Christina Applegate and Katey Sagal candidly shared how brutally honest the cast members were on the set of the iconic '90s sitcom. 'We were a sarcastic, cynical bunch,' Sagal admitted on her Pie podcast, with husband Kurt Sutter. 'You weren't safe, really. You turned your back, somebody's going to talk s**t on you.' Applegate, their guest on the podcast, chimed in and recalled the moment she realised people were trash-talking her while she was steps away in her dressing room. 'I could hear being talked s**t about in my dressing room on the monitor,' she said. 'I'd come up from rehearsal and I can hear everybody on set, literally talking s**t about me.' 'I was like, 'Wow, I was just there 20 seconds ago,'' she shared of her reaction. Sagal played Applegate's onscreen mother on the show, which ran from 1987 until 1997. Applegate previously revealed that the pressures she faced on Married … with Children led to her developing an eating disorder. In March, the Dead to Me actress opened up about being a child star and how it deeply impacted her health being in the spotlight. 'Playing that character kind of did things to me in my psyche that were no bueno – like anorexia,' she explained on her MeSsy podcast while speaking to guest Sagal at the time. 'Yeah, a pretty bad eating disorder started when I was doing that show that lasted for a really long time,' she said. Applegate said that she never told anyone about the disorder and was 'very, very private about it.' 'I would hide in bathrooms to eat, because I had so much shame around eating that I would hide on the airplanes, like when we went to London,' she said. 'I remember hiding in there to eat like one shrimp, 'cause I was so afraid if anyone saw me eat that they'd think I was going to try to get fat or something. I don't know. I was in such a dark space.' Sagal agreed that Applegate was 'very much scrutinised' on the show because she was the 'sex symbol.' Being a sex symbol at 17 would 'f**k with' anyone's head, Sagal said, adding that 'it was a very misogynistic show.' 'Chrissy was very much scrutinised and tried to keep in a box,' Sagal continued. ' … So they put her in tighter skirts and shorter skirts, so, there was a lot of that.' Applegate admitted that the provocative wardrobe choices were actually her idea. Her character, Kelly Bundy, was originally written as a 'tough' 'biker girl,' but she said she was inspired by a girl interviewed for the 1981 documentary, The Decline of Western Civilization: Part II: The Metal Years. 'And she had this big f***ing hair, and a white Lycra dress, and I went to the wardrobe department and I said, 'We're changing this, We gotta represent the zeitgeist of this rock, slutty video vixen thing that's going on in the world right now where the men and the women all look the same. You know? They have the same hairdos.' So, that's where she came from.' Set in Chicago, the series revolved around the Bundy family. Sagal and Applegate starred alongside Ed O'Neill, David Faustino and more.
