Carl Barat on becoming a dad for first time and reuniting with Pete Doherty

Oct 3 2010 Sunday Mail


ROCKER Carl Barat yesterday opened his heart on his new love, impending fatherhood and Libertine mucker Pete Doherty.

Carl and girlfriend Edie Langley are gearing up for the birth of their son at the end of the year and he is looking forward to the future again after his life hit rock bottom.

Carl told Email: "We're having a baby, which is such a huge thing - I am lying in bed watching him kicking right now.
"It has been a very dramatic turnaround.

"This time last year, I was sitting in this room with the curtains closed and loads of people I didn't know, in a cloud of smoke, still on a bender. And that was a very regular thing.

"I am very glad all that is out of the way. I love how things have turned out. It has really changed everything for me already.

"It has put me on the straight and narrow and given me a purpose.

"Before this all happened, it seemed my life had reached a strange sort of conclusion, it didn't seem like there was going to be a next chapter.

"Then suddenly out of the blue this woman came along who has sorted me out and the baby is on the way so I have a purpose again.

"I am definitely very happy, when I get a chance to reflect on it all. Which won't be very often with a baby on the way."
Carl releases his thrilling solo album tomorrow, showing a new, more heartfelt edge to his songwriting, which is set to cement his position as one of Britain's most exciting talents.

And he puts the shift down to penning the record at the same time he was writing the story of his turbulent life, Threepenny Memoir.

The experience, he says, also finally let him accept that the collapse of The Libertines was not his fault.
Carl said: "It was a fantastic thing for me to do, this huge catharsis. It was quite hard but it also calcified events for me which was good.

"It was all a huge confusing blur really so it was good to get it all laid out in front of me, especially my whole experience with the Libertines.

"It was good to finally remind myself that I am not entirely to blame for it all falling apart. I carried a lot of guilt about it. I did the album and the book at the same time so it probably had quite a lot of impact on the songs.
"That, I think, is why it all flowed so quickly.

"This album is the first thing I have done that is so introspective, everything else has always been more of an escape but this came straight from the heart."

Since Carl and Pete reunited for festival shows this summer, speculation has been rife that they plan to record a new album together.

But Carl reveals it's not happening... yet. He said: "Obviously I could not physically do it until this time next year and we will see where we are then. The Libertines are of course famous for never having concrete plans so we'll see.

"Of course I would love to work with the boys. The shows went well, everything was tip-top and in perfect working order so we'd love to do it. It's just a physical impossibility right now.

"We will see where the boys are at next year. I would love to do it.

"Pete and I are the same as ever really. I don't think it will ever change now.

"I don't think we'll ever be knocking each other out or locking each other up - it won't be like that again.

"We are both seeing the bigger picture, we're moving on and overcoming our differences.

"My life is sorted and I think Pete is already taking the right steps to sort himself out. Hopefully."