How Michael Caine inadvertently influenced Britpop: “What the hell have I got to do with Liam Gallagher?”

Michael Caine’s 1960s screen persona helped shape the look and idea of British cool, and that influence carried into the Britpop era decades later. Oasis singer Liam Gallagher named Caine as an icon, showing how the actor’s style reached beyond film and into 1990s music culture.

Caine told GQ in 1997 that he was surprised to see himself pictured beside Gallagher, whose family regarded Caine as a hero. Gallagher had adopted elements of the look of Harry Palmer, Caine’s character in The Ipcress File, including wearing macintoshes. Boo Radleys frontman Simon Rowbottom also cited Caine’s film Get Carter as a touchstone, though the article notes that Caine himself was puzzled by the connection.