Gardiner 'couldn't understand McGee'

Former Ride guitarist and singer Mark Gardiner has admitted that he could not understand Glaswegian Creation Records boss Alan McGee when the pair first met in the 1980s.

The songwriter told Drowned In Sound that he was involved in Upside Down, a film pencilled in for a 2009 release that would tell the story of the label.

Gardiner said: "When I first met Alan I was a little confused as his accent was strong, my ears were ringing from a Ride gig and overall it was quite hard to understand what was going on and what he was talking about.

"At the end of the day I was very impressed by the early Creation bands and the vibe of the label and to me Alan McGee was 'The Man' with 'The Label' so I was made up to be meeting him and then signing to Creation Records."

He added that while he was happy for his contemporaries My Bloody Valentine and Swerverdriver to enjoy their successful comebacks, there was "no plan to reform Ride at present".

Gardiner followed his time in Ride with a stint in The Animalhouse and a solo career, while fellow songwriter Andy Bell founded Hurricane #1 before joining Oasis as their bass player.