'Liam was a bit fiery' - Wonderwall clown from Sussex recalls time spent with Oasis on set

  • ITV News Meridian's Derek Johnson has been speaking to a clown who has earned his place in Britpop history.

A clown, has been recalling his part in the Oasis 'Wonderwall' music video, one of the band's biggest hits.

In between filming, Colin Maher from Bognor Regis, Sussex, spent time with Liam and Noel Gallagher.

Colin Maher said: "Liam was a little bit fiery at the best of times. As soon as I met them, I was just being myself, and we got on together like a house on fire."

The single peaked at number 2 in the UK charts after it was released in 1995.

Colin Maher was able to spend time with the band on set while filming the music video for Wonderwall. Credit: ITV News Meridian

Remembering how he was offered the gig, "It was luck more than anything else," said Colin.

“My friend rang me up and said a film production wants a clown for a video, and he said, 'Can you do it?'

"I had visions that it might be a heavy rock band that might want to cut the head off a clown with a chainsaw, so I was a bit panicky, but I said 'Okay I'll do it'.

"The last thing I knew was who the band was. I asked who the band was, they said 'Oasis', and I came away thinking, ‘Not THE Oasis?’"

In the music video, Colin was filmed walking across the stage to operate an old-fashioned record player, juggling, doing some magic, and still shots with the puppet.

  • Colin spoke about how he got on with the brothers, saying "the pressure gave them a bad name."

The band were already famous before the release of Wonderwall, but Colin says he got on well with them and that "they were good lads".

On set, Colin said he absolutely enjoyed the experience, but he was nervous.

Sharing an anecdote from his time with the band, he said: "I got on well with Liam.

"I remember one time [Liam] said, 'We’ve got to go to the wardrobe, come with me Colin'.

"We were looking at boxes of Giorgio Armani sunglasses. He had a pair, which they used in the video, and he said 'Colin, do you want a pair?'

"So I’ve now got a pair of Giorgio Armani sunglasses, so that was quite sweet."

  • Colin says his wish is to make a cameo on the reunion tour.

When asked if his appearance in the iconic music video, helped his career, he said "not really," but Colin did have a successful career performing in shows alongside celebrities and in children’s hospitals.

He is keen to join the band on stage for the reunion, saying it would be a great way to bring his long career to a close.

Colin said: "If I can get on stage with them, during the tour, that would be a good ending to my career.

"Now in the Twilight of my career, what I would like to do is just, walk across the stage, look at the band and the crowd, with no expression, and then walk off stage."

After thousands of fans missed out on tickets to their new tour, Oasis announced they will play two extra dates at Wembley.

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