You May Wake Up One Day In The Last Chance Saloon

New York Times Article on Pete (registration required):

But in addition to his musical talent, Mr. Doherty demonstrated an effortless knack for getting himself in trouble. In June 2003 he entered the first of many stints in rehab, only to walk away days later. In September 2003 he spent more than a month in Wandsworth Prison for burglarizing Mr. Barat's apartment. Last year he received a four-month suspended sentence for carrying an illegal knife. The Libertine's self-titled second album - recorded with security guards in the studio to keep Mr. Doherty and Mr. Barat from coming to blows - went straight to No. 1 in Britain and won critical acclaim in the United States in September. But by then Mr. Doherty had been kicked out of the band.

Babyshambles, the band he started next, looked ready to repeat his former success. But it didn't quite work out that way. During Babyshambles's British tour late last year, Mr. Doherty's drug use led to canceled shows, backstage overdoses, fights with hecklers and fan riots.

Can Slash Save Pete Doherty?

To the horror, I'm sure, of the schmindie purists who hang out there, west London's Rough Trade record shop has just been discovered by packs of teenyboppers in search of Pete Doherty CDs and T-shirts. Therein, an urgent question: now that NME's Coolest Man of 2004's influence extends to schoolgirls, how long before his original fans abandon him? After all, what self-respecting indie type wants to share their hero - even if he is a certifiably bohemian junkie - with little kids? But if he does manage to survive this loss of cred, and stops his life unravelling further, he has a future ahead of him. Just ask Slash.

Carl On Pete And The Future


BBC Gossip From The NME Awards


Pete's current band, Babyshambles, lost out in the Best Live Act category to The Libertines but when Carl went to pick up the award he made an impassioned speech. Backstage he told us that despite the media circus he was really looking forward to seeing Pete again:

"I was hoping to see him tonight - I've spent three days in a sort of cold turkey state myself, expecting to have this reunion. It would have meant so much to me, it would have meant more than the world. Of course, this would have been the wrong time and the wrong place, but it just seemed inevitable that we would be forced together. I will say that the fact that Pete isn't here, is for such very, very fine reasons, because he's getting better and he's not yet well enough to be here."

"My heart goes out to him, and I defy anyone that thinks or says otherwise."