can't stand me now. oh, those libertines!

i'll admit that the reputation of the libertines preceded them when i first started to listen to their music.  the drug-addled antics and subsequent trips to rehab, the infighting and notorious jealousy, and the fact that they were produced by mick jones (the clash) and had ties to the sex pistols' production team all made them very interesting.  pete doherty's rapid decline into cocaine and heroin use and his rollercoaster relationship with supermodel kate moss ended up ultimately breaking up the band until very briefly in 2010, they reformed to play a successful show opening for canada's fantastic arcade fire.  while barat and doherty have had moderate success with their solo projects, they still don't have the same chemistry as they did with the libertines.

anyhow - trying to listen without prejudice, i've been enjoying their post-punk/post-clash garage band world and envision these guys as fun-loving, painfully romantic, perfect british drinking pals.  kind of like the morrissey/johnny marr of the 00's.  this song, in particular, seems to refer to doherty and co-frontman carl barat's stormy friendship (some people say "romance"... hmmmm) and their struggle with each other's problems.  apparently doherty even broke into barat's apartment at one point - and yet they still were able to write and record this song together.  now THAT's entertainment!