Dear Noel:

I love you so very much.

You have been very important to me for the past twenty years.  Only a few contemporary artists hold that distinction.  The people I have loved since I was a child—Chuck Berry, Elvis, The Beatles, et al—are the foundation of my love of music, and though their influence on me has lasted a lifetime the inspiration you have provided for half that time is equally significant. 

When I first saw Oasis in 1995 I was completely shocked.  It had been years since anyone in the Top 40 impressed me like that.  The “Wonderwall” video was not only visually stunning, but the song itself a masterpiece, unlike anything I had heard before and certainly distinguishable from what was popular at the time.  I was instantly in love with your band.  From then on, everything in my life revolved aroundlistening to and…