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Friday, April 28, 2006

Pete Doherty: Please Kill Him

Posted by on April 28 at 9:25 AM

Watching the slow, staggering demise of Pete Doherty has been infuriating and heartbreaking.

I saw the Libertines at the Croc in 2003, and it was one of the most transcendent shows I’ve ever seen. (I wrote about it for The Stranger here.)

Even back then, Doherty was living on the edge of the edge, but who would’ve guessed how bad it would get? Or that he would survive long enough to make sure things got worse and worse?

Stunning new low: The photos of Doherty apparently injecting drugs into an unconscious female lying on the floor of his flat, printed in today’s The Sun.

This new twist won’t kill him, but it could get him sent to prison, which could kill him, or could save his life, for another few minutes.

Full story here.


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i can't seem to appreciate the scandal in pete doherty's life. his addictions and his actions are sad and it somewhat heartbreaking that the media, and the world in general, has made a spectacle of his slow downward spiral. he is somebodys son, somebodys brother, somebodys friend, and the man seemingly has no control of his life. how sad.

I saw that show at the Croc too and was similarly transfixed. Maybe the best show I've seen in my life.

Pete was in a band called The Libertines because he was/is a Libertine. He is "one free from restraint, particularly from social and religious norms and morals."

And it's just this that made the first Libertines album so so so great. It was free from any restraint. It didn't care about trends or a scene or even a fan base. It was born out of anger, frustration, boredom, self-destruction and the will to somehow just have some fun.

But it's also this excess and lack of focus that made the second Libertines album only "ok" and the Babyshambles a walking abortion of a band.

Pete is out of control. When I read about this new incident this morning I found myself not caring at all and just wishing that he'd die. And that is a fucked up way to feel about another person.

Sigh...

But, on the upside, Carl's new band the Dirty Pretty Things has an album coming out in the UK this month and it's a cracker!

Eli, I totally agree about the Croc show and Up the Bracket and how the spirit of libertinism lit up both. What the Libertines offered to set themselves apart from all the other essentially derivative guitar bands of the time (Strokes, Hives, both of whom I like just fine) was a compression of experience--every song seemed to be three or four songs fighting it out for prominence. This demand for intense experience, during every second of a song, or every minute of a day, is probably the core of Doherty's various addictions and impending demise. He was just such a good artist that I hoped he could figure out some way to keep that intensity and stay alive. Good to hear about Carl's band, though--I'll check 'em out.

"What the Libertines offered to set themselves apart from all the other essentially derivative guitar bands of the time (Strokes, Hives, both of whom I like just fine) was a compression of experience--every song seemed to be three or four songs fighting it out for prominence."

I could not agree more. At first glance the Libertines definitely fell in with the whole "new 'garage' rock" crowd that you mention. But the Libertines were just crawling with this strange life. But I supposed that no band/artist/candle can burn so bright for too long.

If you don't have the "Up the Bracket" EP, I suggest that you pick it up post-haste if only for the track "Mayday". At just over one-minute it pretty much defines everything that I love about the Libertines...this obnoxiously fast, chaotic, melodic punk song that breaks into a HUGE 20's vaudeville-style melody for the chorus. Pretty much perfect.

The most interesting thing about the Dirty Pretty Things and Babyshambles' records is that you can see just how Carl and Pete's personalities tempered each other perfectly. The Babyshambles record is just this sprawling mess of...God knows what. There are some songs in there...but there's also a lot of pointless clatter. And the only fault that I can find with Dirty Pretty Things record is that it's maybe a little bit too clean...any outbursts are very controlled. But the two personalities together created quiet the treacherous balance.

Funny how the biggest libertines always end up the biggest slaves. This Doherty fellow is the least free person imaginable. Though I'm wondering if the photos are staged, for laughs, or "laughs".

I totally agree with everything you guys said. I also saw that show at The Croc and it definitely changed me. It reminded me of how incredible a live show can actually be. I hung out with Pete that night at a party into the wee hours of the morning. He was one of the most articulate, sensitive, and creative people I've ever come across. And he was smoking crack the whole time and talking about his obsession with The Strokes. I've followed his demise through the media, and can't be more sad about it. The worst part is there are probably kids in England who worship him as a drug addict first, and a brillant songwriter second. It's so sad to see what he's become.

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