JUST SAY NOEL

Oasis’ Noel Gallagher found himself the center of a storm (again) in Britain after declaring that taking drugs is “like getting up and having a cup of tea in the morning” during a live national radio interview.

Predictably, the musician was roundly condemned by politicians and commentators--including Labour Party Member of Parliament Gerry Bermingham, who proposed a new law to make promoting drug-taking a criminal offense.

But within days, and following an elaborating statement from Gallagher, much of the criticism actually turned to support--similar to a situation that followed his comments last year about having participated in various criminal activities as a youth.

Gallagher’s initial comments came in response to a question about a recent furor over U.K. pop star Brian Harvey, who had been fired from the band East 17 after telling an interviewer that he had once taken 12 Ecstasy tablets in one night.

“If he’s being honest, then fair enough,” Gallagher said of Harvey. “As soon as people realize that the majority of people in this country take drugs, the better off we’ll be.”

Following an outcry, though, Gallagher two days later issued a statement explaining, “I’ve never condoned the use of drugs. I just slam as hypocrites those politicians who simply condemn drug abuse as a criminal activity and think they’re doing something positive! . . . I urge all youngsters to educate themselves about the harmful effects of drug taking. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, the best policy is don’t start in the first place.”

The statement spurred a remarkable turnaround in press and public opinion. Highly respected newspapers the London Times and the Guardian both voiced support for Gallagher’s remarks, and the left-leaning tabloid the Daily Mirror--which had followed the Brian Harvey affair with a seven-page special feature on the evils of Ecstasy--carried a front-page story headlined “Why Noel’s Right on Drugs.”