Kent describes an appearance at a film festival they were both judging. "He looked absolutely terrible - his face and body utterly polluted from alcohol abuse, his eyes ugly unfocussed slits, his voice a sneerful rasping whisper." He contrasts the devotion Gainsbourg inspired from his compatriates with his own (Kent's) clearsighted objectivity: "a beloved icon who'd lost all self-control and who was making an ignominious public spectacle of himself over and over again." When a French actress, the target of one of his misogynistic rants, calls him "a disgusting old parasite", Kent applauds her temerity.
But hang on... is this the Nick Kent, famous for stumbling through the 70s in a substance-induced haze, hanging out with such likeminded souls as Keith Richards, Brian Wilson, Syd Barrett and Shane McGowan, wafting into the NME office 20 minutes before deadline and knocking off 3,000-word reviews in longhand and, most notoriously, getting chain-whipped by Sid Vicious? From what elevated position (other than his own survival) is he qualified to put the boot in? And, while we're at it, who's 'turtle-eyed' now?
3 comments:
Oh, and he used to beat up Chrissie Hynde when hew was in a relationship with her (allegedly) ...
He's also slagged off Kurt Cobain's heroin use and his mythic status in the past. Still, I suppose as an ex-junkie he feels compelled to get up on the moral highground now.
I read that article too, but my concern was, what was the bloody point of it? Did I miss some sort of Serge anniversary?
I think it's the 15th anniversary of him going to the big ashtray in the sky. And there's a tribute album out at the end of the month. Franz Ferdinand are on it.
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