The Libertines on “Pete Doherty Freedom Gig“ at the Tap’n’Tin, Chatham, Kent, 8th October 2003
“From the outset the pair of them clicked back into what they’d always been, though, swapping vocals, sharing the microphone as Gary and John kept everything grounded and driving. There seemed to be an intensity as they sang and held eye contact. […] The effect was extraordinary. Dozens of people couldn’t hold it any longer and started sobbing with joy. everything had been put behing them. This was the best they’d ever been; there was no going back now.”
People don’t often look back on the early 1900’s for advice, but what if we could actually learn something from the Lost Generation? The New York Public Library has digitized 100 “how to do it” cards found in cigarette boxes over 100 years ago, and the tips they give are so practical that millennials reading this might want to take notes.
Back in the day, cigarette cards were popular collectibles included in every pack, and displayed photos of celebrities, advertisements, and more. Gallaher cigarettes, a UK-founded tobacco company that was once the largest in the world, decided to print a series of helpful how-to’s on their cards, which ranged from mundane tasks (boiling potatoes) to unlikely scenarios (stopping a runaway horse). Most of them are insanely clever, though, like how to make a fire extinguisher at home. Who even knew you could do that?
The entire set of life hacks is now part of the NYPL’s George Arents Collection. Check out some of the cleverest ones we could find below. You never know when you’ll have to clean real lace!
The phrase comes from a (possibly erroneous) Carl quote from that story about the supposedly crazy girl who they used to live with. Off the top of my head, the story that she told was that she gave Peter money to pay the bills or something, he assured her he did (he did not), but Carl warned her that Peter had “veracity problems” – that is to say, he doesn’t always tell the truth, lol. I have no idea if the story is actually true haha but I can hear Carl saying that in my head!
suchasinistergame 