Part One: Notes from a while back concerning the Cult Of Pete
Okay so maybe I got it wrong. Hard for me to admit and given that I once described The Libs as a dyspraxic Clash tribute band (or at least something along those lines) I never thought I'd take the alternate position. But tracks like "Can't Stand Me Now" and "What Became Of The Likely Lads" have turned me mainly due to their honesty and likeable, but not cocky, swagger.
That doesn't mean though that I subscribe wholeheartedly to the Cult of Pete, unlike the legion of teenage scenesters intent on turning him into some bizarre fractured messiah figure. At best he's a talented guy ruined by a bad smack addiction. At worst? A pathetic junkie clinging to fame much like George Best at his lowest, while, despite the continued excuses made on his behalf, Doherty's poor behaviour and childish antics ruined The Libertines. And, were that not enough, it's all exaggerated to John and Yoko ridiculousness thanks to the train-wreck fascination sections of the press have with Pete (ignoring, of course, the hypocrisy involved), thanks in no small part to the much publicised tryst with Kate Moss.
The Kids were so keen to believe he represented some fantastic New Thing. When I was a teenager, in thrall to the twin gods of NME and The Evening Session, they gave us things to believe in - proper bands. And while they swept us up in praise for tiny indie bands that had no hope in lasting past the inevitable wane of youth and second album demise, we never claimed they were anything more than pop fluff. No one, for example, cried when Northern Uproar disappeared, did they? And while The Libs are infinitely better than anything Northern Uproar ever released they're not in Beatlemania league. Is it just that teens want to be hip and feel like their culture is uber-important? I don't know - all I do know is that we never reacted like that. Or at least never seemed to.
Article comments
1 - Aaron, Duke De Mondo
Greg, fantastic job here, as i had expected. My own adoration of Pete gets dangerously close to that sorta tomfoolery you address in Part One, and this line in particular was stunningly sharp;
"Is it just that teens want to be hip and feel like their culture is uber-important?"
hmmmmm. a lotta truth in that, i'd wager.
"Down In Albion" is a precious, beautiful thing, but it's highly likely i've romanticised it outta all proportion in my head.
an, of course, if'n somethin happened that meant it was the only album we got from Babyshambles, i WOULD shed one a those tears mentioned up yonder, much as i did when The Libertines rattled to a premature end.
2 - Eric Berlin
Great job Greg, I think this is the best piece of yours I've written yet! "Down In Albion is perhaps the first truly post-modern celebrity pop album..." Bold, I dig it !
3 - Greg Smyth
Big thanks Sirs Duke and Berlin for the nice comments and yes, I'd agree that this is one of the better things I've written recently. Been too lazy for too long!
4 - Eric Berlin
Damn, just notice that I said "this is the best piece of yours I've written yet," which is pretty damned hilarious because of course it's not true. I don't know jack about Babyshambles, and I'm more than willing to admit I rely on the likes of BC UK folk such as yourself and Duke to stay peripherally hip to what's going on in music these days.