NME Christmas interview with The Libertines, 2003
GOD ARREST YER MERRY GENTLEMEN, NME, 2003
(or the famous “I used to take him to Arcadia and back” interview)
The Libertines’ year has been scarred by crack, prison and burglary, so can they put their differences aside and enjoy an Albion Xmas together? Perhaps-if Carl’s dad doesn’t kill Pete first.
Christmas. A time of love, forgiveness and goodwill to all men. This year, nowhere in rock n roll have these principles been stretched further than in The Libertines. First there was the matter of Carl Barat throwing Pete Doherty out of the band. Then Pete burgled the flat Carl shared with his sister, thanks to a rampaging crack and heroin habit, and got six months in prison (reduced to two on appeal). All looked black until Pete was released. There to meet him at the prison gates was Carl, who welcomed him back into the band after a hugely touching reconciliation.
Since then, apart from a somewhat mysterious incident in which Carl got his face bashed in, the good ship Albion has sailed through calmer waters. The Libertines are currently recording their second album, including forthcoming single The Likely Lads, with ex-Suede guitarist Bernard Butler. And here they all are together in an east London photo studio, singing along to Blondie and Billie Holiday, dressed as Dickensian gentlemen (apart from Pete, an urchin) and caning the brandy and beers.
There are still problems-Pete’s been disowned by his father and “issues” around the burglary haven’t entirely gone away-but there’s something heartwarming about the way The Libertines have stuck together, keeping the romance alive in the bleakest of circumstances. It’s a story Dickens himself would have tipped his hat to, a story of adventure and friendship, London and crime. A story of Christmas past, Christmas present and Christmas future.
Keep reading
