The defense of Pete Doherty...

Let me start off by saying I am a huge fan of The Libertines, Babyshambles and more importantly Pete Doherty. I not only think he is a talented songwriter and musician but I feel that along with Alex Turner from the Arctic Monkeys, he is one of the most important and influential artists from the last 5 years.

Post Britpop the guitar based indie scene was faltering in the UK. There were still noises coming from some of the bigger Britpop bands such as Blur, Oasis and The Charlatans but the golden years of British indie bands seemed to be over and even those still releasing material seemed to have aged and changed sufficiently that some of there fans were feeling slightly apathetic and alienated towards their latest releases. Overseas, things were not much better in the US which was becoming more and more dominated by R &B and Hip Hop. Sure the big bands of yesteryear such as REM and a handful of others were still releasing superb albums but there was a staleness to the whole scene which seemed to be crying out for a new sound to capture the imagination of the indie crowd. Enter The Strokes. They came from nowhere to capture the hearts and minds of the indie crowd with their low fi, 70's sounding rock tunes and their punk influenced haircuts and dirty leather jackets. It also helped that their debut album was jam packed with a variety of instant classics. A new music scene was starting to take shape.

Enter from stage left Messrs. Doherty and Barat who decided on hearing The Strokes to form their own band. Aptly named The Libertines they mirrored their US influence by crafting a debut album which was strong in depth and breadth and contained some musical pearls both lyrically and musically.

With Pete as the driving force and figurehead of the band they connected with their fan base like no other musicians before or since them (save for Alex Turner who openly admits aping their approach). They had a guerilla attitude to interacting with their fans, turning up at open mic nights, holding secret gigs, organizing free concerts and just busking as and when they felt the urge. Pete would often leave a gig and go back to a fan's flat to give an impromptu rendition of both songs and poetry until the early hours of the morning. Fans were regularly invited backstage to hang out with the band and quite often, after a gig had finished, Pete would appear on stage or at the stage door with his acoustic in hand and start performing a more intimate set list of requested songs. They also had a distinct look with their red Chelsea pensioners jackets, Strokes inspired leathers, and charity shop second hand chic. I remember being at a Libertines gig and losing count of the number of retro military jackets on show - it was almost like a uniform for the hard core followers.

Unfortuately, Pete's continually erratic lifestyle, lack of reliability and ultimately his betrayal of his best friend and band mate led to the dissolution of the band. Carl took the drummer and Pete's temporary replacement to form Dirty Pretty Things, a fantastic band in their own right, and Pete decided to focus on what had been his side project up until this point, Babyshambles.

Since leaving the Libertines and becoming further embroiled in the seedy drug world, Pete's musical output has fluctuated from the highs of pseudo genius through to the lows of disorganized and self indulgent skiffle-esque jams with no real musical theme or structure. This said though, he has approached his music with an open honesty, writing and playing songs from the heart whatever their artistic merits. He continues to openly court his fans and has retained the loyal and forgiving following his musical career has amassed so far. Talk to the average Doherty fan and they will tell you openly he's a genius and that they will quite happily travel to the other end of the country if they hear he might perform a solitary song at an open mic night.

However, talk to the average man on the street and you will probably get a combination or variation on the following repsonses; 'Some of the Libertines' stuff was alright but....', 'I don't see what all the fuss is about', and 'He's a complete disgrace. I have not time for him'.

The problem is that people cannot or are not willing to see the two Pete Dohertys. They see either the talented musician or the helpless drug addict spiraling further and further out of control. It's not hard with the British tabloid press to see which Pete they've come to know and accept. In Pete's defense he does not court the press - he doesn't turn up at gala award ceremonies drunk and disorderly, nor does he appear in London's trendy nightclubs with dolly birds on his arms intent on causing a scene and winning column inches the next day. He is hounded and pursued by the press because they feel he is newsworthy and see the potential to run yet another story about his sorry slide into deeper addiction. There are many addicts all over the country who are in a similar and worse situation to Pete but he is forced through his celebrity to play out his inner struggle with his demons on a public stage. The only person he has really truly hurt is himself yet the cries of public derision and condemnation still ring loudly whenever he is caught in a private moment with drugs paraphernalia.

Is it simply that he was born in the wrong era. A brief stroll through rock and roll history throws up all manner of illegal and immoral acts from some of the musical greats but for some reason they are not repeatedly judged for their behaviour. Is is a combination of the fact that these acts took place in the more liberal 60's and 70's or is simply the passing of time which has dulled their crimes? If we are honest, their social slips and criminal behaviour are akin to and even worse than Pete Doherty's continued dalliance with hard drugs.

Take for example Ozzy Osbourne - he continually and publicly used hard drugs during his heyday, often to the detriment of his live performances and has famously bitten the head off a live bat and dove respectively. The public perception of him now is a lovable rogue based on the fact that his drug addled mind's logic centre is completely shot and he is amusing to watch as he shuffles around his house, screaming and shouting at his family, dogs and a variety of inanimate objects. Worse than Pete?

Or how about Jim Morrison whose behaviour far outweighs anything Pete has managed thus far. Morrison's drug addiction and dependancy make Doherty's look like a minor dalliance. Morrison was arrested repeatedly, was charged with inciting a riot and was wanted by Dade County for lewd and lascivious behaviour and exposing himself. And how do we view this behaviour now in the year 2008? Any trip to a university dorm or common room will undoubtedly throw up the infamous poster of him with the tagline 'Wanted in Dade County for...' Criminality turned into Pop Art for the masses.

Liam Gallagher's errant behaviour more recently has been given a complete pardon, even as it was occuring in the mid 90's, because his music and attitude was one of laddishness and he therefore fit the mould he was promoting perfectly. Immediately forgotten and forgiven are his acts of assault, arrest, vandalism, drug taking and refusal at times to honor live commitments. All because it was Liam Gallagher and what more did we expect from him? Maybe Pete is too artistic, too well read and ultimately too sensitive to be forgiven his crimes.

If at this point, anyone is thinking that I am comparing fools with fools and that rock and roll is indemically
linked with this kind of behaviour then I would suggest people look up the much respected Welsh poet Dylan Thomas. Luckily his comments of "An alcoholic is someone you don't like, who drinks as much as you do" were delivered pre tabloid era and therefore did not cause the moral outrage that celebrities behaviour does nowadays.

Now in order to defend and argue his case I must be objective from my point of view. I have seen him live about 7 or 8 times. He used to be habitually late for his slot on stage, often not turning up at all and I think I have personally been kept waiting for him for a combined time of about 5 hours. His crowning glory on the tardiness front has to be at V Festival 2007 where he eventually turned up about 7 hours late because his helicopter was late! Of course each time he has kept me waiting has been immediately forgiven when he has taken the stage as his music connects with me on a level that most other bands simply cannot achieve and by the time his first chorus comes around, we are back to being at one musically and time becomes irrelevant.

He has also cost me £70 which I may never recoup. I bought tickets on the black market to see him perform in Paris only to hear that he was finally jailed for repeatedly goading the UK criminal justice system and was therefore unable to fulfill his touring commitments. My view is that he owes me big time and being the loyal follower I am, am in no doubt that he will make good on this whether it be a secret gig, some outstanding new material or just staying the course and continuing to do what he does best - be an important musical force in my life.

I am not arguing that I in any way condone Pete Doherty's behaviour and I truly fear the worst for him. He seems hell bent on spirally downwards in an ever addictive cycle which can only end badly for him. I would however like people to judge the man on his music alone and separate the tabloid buffoon from the true artist.