Oasis singer Liam Gallagher tonight branded Beatles hero George Harrison "a nipple" for calling him "silly" in an escalating exchange of insults. It follows reports that another former Beatle Sir Paul McCartney thought Oasis "derivative" and "full of themselves."   Harrison reportedly said last year as Oasis were on the verge of splitting that they would be better off without "the silly one" -Liam.

In typically invective strewn style, Gallagher told MTV News tonight: "I still love George Harrison as a songwriter, but as a person he's a nipple, and if I ever meet him I'll tell him. If you're watching - Nipple!"

Clearly hurt, Liam said: "He doesn't know me so what's he on about?  It goes to show that all that time in the Beatles and he's still stupid. He's the silly one because he reads the press. How does he know I'm silly? I've got four GCSEs, I'm not silly."

Gallagher dedicated Thursday night's Earls Court performance of Stay Young "to all the old farts".
Harrison, 54, was also reported recently in French paper Figaro as saying Oasis would not be remembered in 30 years like the Beatles were.

But afterwards he issued a statement saying he had never spoken about Oasis in the interview and didn't care about them oneway or another. Harrison did attack other modern acts in the Figaro article, saying the Spice Girls were better with the sound turned down, and
that U2 were egoists out to make money.

U2's Bono advised: "He should get back to the Sunshine Home for the Bewildered."

Sir Paul also claimed his comments had been taken out of context in last week's interview with The New Statesman, and that in fact he liked Oasis both personally and as musicians 1