Open letter?

[WeepingWall]

Did patrick write an open letter in NME in January? if so, does anyone have a copy?
Thanks

[une femme est]

I don't have a scanner, but I'm always ready to procrastinate:

"Cry Freedom: The true libertines are the artists who fearlessly express themselves in a totally original way, argues Patrick Wolf

I had a beautiful dream last night that Oasis had been a brass band backed by two oscillators and fronted by a Belgian throat singer. The young bands of today were practising tuba solos in front of the mirror and pounding branches on cattle bones. But then I was woken by my radio, regurgitating boys with guitars copying boys with guitars copying men who have nothing to communicate but what they thought would get them laid.

Then a phone call comes that I have been asked by NME to write about what I think it is to be a libertine. Please let me sidestep around the particular issue that this particular word has been adopted by a certain pop band because I can't say I know or have heard enough about them to comment. The one thing I do know is that one tired-looking boy calling himself a libertine recently found himself behind the bars of prison and addiction. Now, really, is there any greater contradiction than that?

Nevertheless, I have nothing but love to give to those other misfits in life who find themselves fighting shadowy corners on their own. These are the things so far that I have learnt about being free. To be free is to be totally honest with yourself and those you love. To be free does not mean to be self-serving, but it is important to be self-centered enough to give of yourself to others. To be free is to know the meaning og grace, compassion and mercy but to know that these are the holy grails, perhaps impossible to acheive but worth all the effort of aiming for. To be free is to always do as you want but not at the expense of others: when someone deals you a minus combat with a plus. It's to possess the arrogance to break all the rules, not to worship idols, to question your heroes and to know that suicide is for cowards.

A selection of people who I think show 11 out of 10 in the liberty stakes are Hector Berlioz, Meredith Monk, Joseph Campbell, Leon Theremin, Lucia Pamela, Kate Bush, Burt Bacharach, Karlheinz Stockhausen, WB Yeats, Vashti Bunyan, Virginia Woolf, Bjork Gudminsdottir, Olivier Messiaen, Klaus Nomi, Tracey Emin, Joni Mitchell, Michael Jackson (open for discussion), and Britney Spears (depending on future life and creation). I have a single out at the end of January called "The Libertine" and that is truly where my answer to NME's question can be found. But until the next time we meet, I wish you all great power in running that fantastic risk of being free.

Techno torch singer Patrick changed his second name to 'Wolf' on the advice of a clairvoyant in Paris. His second album is released next month. "

[WeepingWall]

thank you so much for taking the time to type that. it is very kind of you. did it come with a picture? what was the cover of that issue?

[une femme est]

It's from the January 15th issue with The Bloc Party on the cover. The picture was-- oh the inhumanity- the Patrick picture was a small pic of the Ukelele in the Hay shot, while the larger picture was of two addled Libertines.

Essay Procrastination+Previous Job in Data Entry= no problem & my pleasure

[Super]

Thanks very much, I was sad to know that issue had been scooped off the shelves before I could get it! So in short, yay!

[admin]

On the subject of Patrick's letters in the NME, there was a series of entries to the letters page not long ago, in which Patrick replied to an angry rant over someone not having enjoyed one of his shows.

I believe they described it as 'a little boy banging a ruler on a xylophone', and mentioned a cover of Sabbath's 'Changes' (Kelly and Ozzy Osbourne's version of which was number one at the time).

Patrick's little digs in the following issues were very funny - I wish I'd kept them.

Cheerio, Michael. xxx