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ganzfeldstate's review
3.0
Got a bit cringe worthy in places, but my nostalgic obsession with The Libs and my overwhelming lust for Carl saw me enjoying it anyway. Also, Istrongly identified with his feelings on Paris. There's also the occasional laugh out loud moment and really, it's not all that bad.
joestephenson96's review
4.0
A lovely read about Carl's career both in and out of the libertines and his relationship with Peter. Another book would be welcome!
zetafiction's review
informative
3.25
Barat is much more measured and empathetic here than in the interviews he'd done for the prior two books. He shows an endearing degree of humility and ownership-- though he's still only ever the victim when it comes to Peter. It's much more palatable here since he doesn't seem to be working so hard to get you to feel bad for him, which, of course, means you really really do.
ljbentley27's review
3.0
None who know The Libertines can ever accuse Carl Barat of living a boring life. In Threepenny Memoir we see the inception, the excitement and indeed the demise of the the most important bands of the noughties.
What is wonderful about Threepenny Memoir is seeing the love affair (because although it was a platonic thing it has to be called a love affair) between Carl Barat and Pete Doherty from the perspective of an actual Libertine and not from someone at the sidelines of musical history.
What this memoir has managed to do is to remind me just how much I love the music of this era and how much I miss the person I was back then.
Threepenny Memoir by Carl Barat is available now.
What is wonderful about Threepenny Memoir is seeing the love affair (because although it was a platonic thing it has to be called a love affair) between Carl Barat and Pete Doherty from the perspective of an actual Libertine and not from someone at the sidelines of musical history.
What this memoir has managed to do is to remind me just how much I love the music of this era and how much I miss the person I was back then.
Threepenny Memoir by Carl Barat is available now.
pivic's review
3.0
I did an NME cover with Morrissey once, and Morrissey said, 'To some people I'll always be Morrissey from The Smiths, no matter what else I do. And you'll always be Carl from The Libertines.'
Yes, but these are not the words from a panicked man, even though Carl Barât seems to be frazzled and afraid at times. In a good way, because he lets his emotions go and reveals himself as another person than the confident man onstage, as he says he often comes across as, according to other people.
He writes about his special relationship with Peter Doherty, about the greatness, of the "brown" and other drugs that helped to spoil it all (even though all of the responsibility of that use is of course due to Peter himself), and at the very end, on how they reformed. That actually makes this book seem rushed, as though a deadline was set. I'd love to have read more about the Libertines' reformation after the fact, but then we have Roger Sargent's visual documentary, "There Are No Innocent Bystanders", for that.
Barât delves into what made him and Doherty gel, love and live. The former's heroes - notably Oliver Reed and David Niven - are referred to but mainly, this tome is a book on his own life.
Even though he'd ultimately kick my door in and try to steal my stuff, Peter gave me security and confidence to go out and do that, to believe that I could go out on a limb, even in prosaic, financial matters. When we were really firing on all cylinders and were together then it really felt like no one could touch us, and that nothing else mattered. As much as I try to deflect it, play it down and be English about it, there was a very powerful romance and beauty to our friendship.
Yes, and it spawned The Libertines' brilliant first album with a very good second one.
All in all: reflecting on some Days of Yore while his girlfriend expects their first child, having disbanded Dirty Pretty Things and en route to releasing his debut album, Barât has written a scattered yet very honest book about his life, mostly his musical life, that is.
modernjaneeyre's review
4.0
No creo yo que sean muy fiables mis estrellitas teniendo en cuenta que es peor que yo híperadjetivando cuando habla de todos los sitios insalubres que pueden existir en Londres (no he visto a nadie más enamorado de una ciudad) y que menciona a David Niven en A Matter of Life and Death.
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