Superlatives
A Vulture series in which artists judge the best and worst of their own careers.
Save this article to read it later.
Find this story in your accountsSaved for Latersection.
Ive never felt grateful for Zoom until this very moment.
It has kicked my ass a bit.
Im still feeling a bit like an endless hangover, he tells me.
Youre probably reading this, though,because of the Libertines.
From my view, he said between puffs, I thought everyone would be dead.
I think thats brought that back to the forefront of my mind.
And the other connotations for usage of drugs and alcohol.
It was just a maelstrom of that time finding out who you are and entering out into the world.
In that sense, its anthemic.
But that song hasnt really got a chorus, which is quite unusual.
Id say thats certainly the rabble-rouser of our songs.
I think it was quite evocative to write Did you see the stylish kids in the riot?
I think everybody feels at times that they are the stylish kids in the riot.
I played it the night before last, and the crowd went wild abandon ensues.
Song that will always remind you of Pete
The obvious answer is Cant Stand Me Now.
Because if I played that on my own and sang both parts, it would be a bit strange.
Like Im saying I cant stand myself.
Which, on occasion, could be true.
Every Libertines song is so entrenched in our relationship.
Cant Stand Me Now is the obvious one.
So we were never far from each others minds, even then.
There are things like that.
There are a few out there.
I dont want to break up the romance.
I got to keep them as ciphers.
Most landfill indie career misstep
Did I ever make anyindie landfill?
I dont think I did.
Im just singing fucking nonsense.
Thats as close as Id say to indie landfill.
But, I mean, thats assuming indie landfill is about not caring what youre putting out.
I think its more about putting out the same chords or not putting any originality or effort into something.
In my personality, Im guilty of many things, but thats for the therapist.
Libertines song you wish you sung
Time for Heroes.
I always find that my mouth starts moving along when Im playing guitar.
Get off, this is my bit.
But then Pete was very kind in letting me have What Katie Did.
So, you know, fairs fair.
Thats the thing about being in a band with two singers.
You cant sing them all, can you?
Theres no democracy involved with who sings what song.
Its usually just whoever wins the argument, really.
People just hate that song.
But for me, I really put blood into that song.
I really gave it everything, and I loved it.
Maybe it sounded derivative.
It was a bit like that for me.
Most autobiographical song
Its a tough one.
So Ill say Hippys Son from the second Dirty Pretty Things record.
At the time, I was very conflicted and pushing back against my …
I was sort of rebelling against the idea of being brought up as a hippie.
That was a sort of primal scream of rebellion of the self.
Thats one of Petes favorite songs, bizarrely.
Most agonizing album to record
It wasThe Libertines.
We were thrown together hating each other.
It was a pretty, pretty hairy time.
It was no joke.
It was a very hard record to make.
There was genuine danger there.
But then love and hope and a lot of hurt.
It came out of a very toxic time in our lives.
But as was the nature of … as was our wont, we had to show.
We had to record an album.
We had to make the music.
Whatever was happening, that was so important to us.
But it was a toxic time.
I guess a lot of that came out on the record.
Who knows what record that wouldve been.
It was a struggle.
And hopefully other people too.
To see that it still has some of that impact suggests that the record has done well.
We used to let everyone take a book home with them.
The internet had just become a thing.
It was a pretty groundbreaking time, really.
One day we were just like, Well, why cant we invite everyone around here for a gig?
Save us going out and doing all that, the usual shit.
So we did that.
Then we started doing it quite regularly, and it became a thing.
One of the last ones, the police came in to bust the place.
Were playing in our kitchen and they go, Whose house is this?
Me and Pete both pointed at each other exactly the same time.
That was the halcyon age of the so-called guerilla gig.
Thats the one that sits in my mind the most.
But back then we played anywhere.
Wed play in peoples bathroom cabinets if they let us.
The idea was something that wasnt very common at the time.
The Clash sort of had that ethos.
But everyones equal, everyones the Libertines, everyones in the band.
That was very much the feeling.
Everyones welcome on the stage and everyone who wants to express themselves could get up and do it.
That was perfectly plausible then.
Thats what we did.
The fact that half of our gear got nicked every time we played wasnt really an issue.
I mean, right now, Id get some real shit if I brought everyone around to my house.
Everyones going to know where you live.
You cant really invite all the fans around to your house with your kids, can you?
The fact we clearly loved each other very deeply.
The fact that we shared everything.
I mean, you could say we aired our dirty laundry in public.
People really bought into that, and we did it on record as well.
We really opened ourselves up.
There was no privacy; we had gigs in our flats.
Our breakup was very public, and we sang about it together.
It was just so inclusive for everybody.
I think thats what people hold on to.
I think theres quite a lot to buy into with that.
I still feel like that now.
There wasnt a hope for us getting this far, and were about to celebrate our 20th anniversary.
Weve built this amazing place.
We built the brick-and-mortar embodiment of our dream.
So its now about a little bit more than just being on a boat.
Maybe its about docking and establishing this so-called land, be it or not in Arcadia.
Its funny how it always goes back to maritime imagery.
Its human nature to be drawn to the sea chantey.
Theres a metaphor for everything you’re able to encounter.
And nice things, too.
I think touring is very much like being at sea.
With the bus, its more like a submarine.
Youre just there with your crewmates, popping up at random locations or ports.
Sorry, I heard myself now.
Im sounding like a bit of a knob.
Anyway, theres hopelessness and hopefulness.
When youre at sea, it can all end.
Theres yearning and longing.
Ill be overthinking that for the next few days.
you oughta be a lot ruder.
you oughta really fucking tell them off.
Which is a strange piece of advice.
Maybe it was some kind of sabotage he was planning there.
Maybe he felt threatened by our rise.
Thats the most bizarre thing that springs to mind when it comes to bad advice.
I didnt follow it, of course.
It might have skewed our manifesto a little bit.
But as the opposite,Mick Joness advicewas always fucking good.
I dont know if Ive actually managed to heed it properly yet.
He told me, When youre in an era of success, just enjoy it.
Live in the present and enjoy it.Mick was saying that 20 years ago.
Long before all the wellness memes were coming out.
He was so right.
Occasionally, Ill stop and go,Fuck.
Lets look at the good parts of it.
Its a whole yin-yang thing.
Whatever bad part youre living in, theres always a mirror good part.
You just got to tap into it, whatever is happening.
FavoriteNMEcover
They were like agent provocateurs, knowing all of the fractiousness of our relationship.
In the height of our turmoil,NMEdid a special edition.
They did two covers.
One of me and one of Pete.
They told me mine sold more, but they probably told Pete the same.
Its me looking all broken and alone in a Breton stripe jumper.
I think thats my favorite one.
One day, Ill compile them all and make a wallpaper out of them for the toilet or something.
I think its a reminder, for me, about freedom and liberty.
Its not about being dissolute.
Freedom always exists within me, and I can connect with other people it exists with.
There were queues all day.
I mean, some of them are really badly done.
Like, theyre barely legible splodges.
I feel somehow guilty when I see those ones.
I see them in some interesting places as well.
Bizarre places people get them.
But its still a lovely thing.
