FLAGS OF THE OLD REGIME… AND OF A NEW ERA

As you well know, this is not a technical blog: my posts, reviews and comments are always driven by personal feelings and thoughts. You won’t find any particular opinion about an arrangement or a chord, instead you’ll read a lot of personal emotions born while listening to a band or being at a gig. So you’re used to it.                                                         But this post is gonna be way more emotional than others, and the reason is simple: he’s about Peter.

I always find extremely hard to write about Peter, ’cause it’s quite impossible to me trying to explain what he and his music mean to me. I tried, writing about the Libertines reunion gigs at Hyde Park and in London and Berlin, but writing about Peter himself is harder, indeed. An incredibile flow of emotions, feelings and memories pops up into my mind as I think about him: I bumped into Peter and his music in a totally random way, during a very difficult moment of my life. I was not that warm-hearted towards him, but that song was enough to open a whole world to me. As I already said in my Libertines post, Peter has always helped me in facing difficult times, friendships splits, sadness, frustrations: his music, his words, his magically unique way of being have always been an infinite inspiration to me. Last year he filled my heart with his coming back, his beautifully reborn friendship with Carl, his strong will to fight his demons and start a brand new life, a new chapter, a new era… and I really couldn’t wait to hear about him and his new works, both with The Libs and on his own.

But, honestly, I couldn’t have a clue of what I was about to feel while listening to “Flags of the Old Regime“, his beautiful tribute to dear friend Amy Winehouse. Last Thursday was a really shitty day for me: problems all day long, annoyances, missed trains, and whatever. I definitely wasn’t in the perfect mood to hear a new song, even if by one of the artists I love the most. But I could not help it, I can’t even imagine not listening to a new Peter’s song when it’s there, ready, for me. So I did it.

Oh my God, if only I could precisely define my emotions in that moment: I immediately felt my heart melting into Peter’s voice. Soft guitar chords, melodic strings, bass notes played by longtime bandmate Drew McConnell: all together to give further elegance and sweetness to this moving tribute. Useless to say how deep and fine lyrics are: simple and clear, they go straight to heart, leaving a bittersweet wake of emotions. One of the things that made me fall in love with Peter’s music is just his songs’ ability to strike me: I’ve always said to myself that some of the notes and verses in his tunes “go straight to my stomach”, referring to that weird, strong, impromptu stab in the stomach that you can feel anytime something really touches you. And it happened, again, at my very first listening to “Flags of the Old Regime“: in that “I don’t wanna die anymore“, besides the references to Amy’s troubled life, I’ve felt Peter. An increbible mix of sensations, going from sadness and pain to hope and will, sung in a tone of voice that completely takes over me. Only Peter can give me all this range of feelings, together, in six words. Despite my personal emotions, these heartbreaking words are for his beloved friend Amy: a young girl facing a worldwide success while broken inside… the portrait of a huge, amazing yet delicate talent, devastated by the weight of fame and all its ghosts. Beside Amy, it’s impossible not to think about Peter, as well.

Peter is an incredibly talented artist with a fragile and gentle personality that has always made him suffering, when facing music industry and fame. His drug addiction made him weak and brought him to nearly ruin his life: his friendship with Carl as well as relationship with his son, his band, his creativity, his whole carrier, as per told by Peter himself in a beautiful article on The Independent, two months ago.
Nearly.
Because Peter is gentle, but strong. Peter is troubled, but terribly intelligent. Peter is particular, but amazing.
That’s why he has had the guts to decide what do with his life, to fight in order to change it and make it better. And he’s doing great. With patience, honesty and peace. Yes, I finally see him in a deserved peace of mind. Seeing his serene smile, his bright eyes and his will of doing, creating, writing is such a joy to me.
And, again, he’s an inspiration: his strenght throughout this last months and the beautiful song he gifted us with make me believe that things can change. This is what I’ve felt listening to this new song: everything is possible.
You can go through horrible times and proofs, you can suffer, struggle and be drenched in pain, but you can fight. You can fight for yourself and try to go beyond your fears, your sorrows, your problems. And you can win.
Just two days ago I read a lovely review of the song by the NME that really speaks the truth: Peter Doherty has the power to “Create a world where anything is possible”: even the darkest places of a human soul can see light, can find peace, can turn into something beautiful, just like this song.
In those loving words for Amy, I see everything, I see Peter. And I feel his enchanting soul.
I’m so grateful for that strange fortuity that made me bump into him.
I’m so grateful for being able to understand and feel his talent.
I’m so grateful for all the incredibile things and people I’ve lived and met so far (indirectly) because of him. And for all the things that will come.
I’m so grateful for this new song.
I’m so grateful for Peter to speak to my soul in such an astonishing way.
I’m so grateful for this new era, this new beginning: that is Peter’s one, but mine as well.