TORONTO - Oasis braintrust Noel Gallagher says the band was approached to be part of the all-star Live 8 show in London on July 2, but they already had another gig in England the same night.

"If it was possible, it would be nice to take part," Noel told the Toronto Sun yesterday.

"But I don't like the way that somebody suddenly decides that all the bands in England are going to fookin' play and everybody jumps to attention."

Noel specifically said he wasn't talking about Live 8 organizer Bob Geldof, but rather a general feeling in his native country right now.

"No, it's the general thing that rock stars should be doing something to fookin' sort this out. And it's like, 'Well, all right, that's what (U2's) Bono and (Coldplay's Chris) Martin are for.'

"The fate of the African continent does not fookin' depend on a load of fookin' musicians in Hyde Park singing fookin' shit songs to kids. And they're saying they're fookin' raising awareness for it.

"If you're not aware of it by now, you can be aware of it for the half-hour. But I bet you that 99% of that audience will walk out while they're still eating McDonalds on the way home and won't realize that by actually standing in McDonalds you're perpetuating poverty in some way."

Noel says a change in leadership in Africa might actually make a real difference.

"I think, more effective is taking out some of the fookin' government leaders in Africa and starting again, really. A crook is a crook right? Saddam Hussein sat on a load of oil, right? Look at (Zimbabwe president Robert) Mugabe, sat on a load of shit. So he gets to perpetuate evil against his people."

Noel even supports the use of military might in the situation.

"Team America -- the American army -- should be in Africa, shouldn't they? All the little puppets going around taking out African leaders. That would be my solution to it. Well, I mean if they really want to do good for the world. That's what I'd do.

"I don't believe pop music, or Annie Lennox singing Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This) is going to do anybody any favours, apart from Annie Lennox."

Lennox is actually slated to play the Edinburgh Live 8 show on July 6.