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Pete Doherty






Peter Doherty (Pronounced by the man himself as "DOCK-erty") (born 12 March , 1979 ) is the singer for the band Babyshambles , and formerly co-frontman and songwriter (along with Carl Barât ) of The Libertines , with whom he first shot to fame. Since 2005 , he has become well known to the public at large as a result of his relationship with Supermodel Kate Moss and his struggles with his addiction to Crack Cocaine after having a Naltrexone implant to attempt to beat his Heroin addiction. His drug problems and his frequent arrests and court appearances provide a constant source of headline material for the Tabloid press. festival in Trafalgar Square in 2005.]]


BIOGRAPHY


Early life

Peter Doherty was born in Hexham , Northumberland , England . He grew up at a number of army garrisons as a result of his father Peter's work as an officer in the British Army , living at various times at garrisons in Catterick , Belfast , Germany , Bedworth , Dorset and Larnaca .

After leaving university, he moved into a flat in North London with Carl Barat , with whom he had established a close friendship.

Pete Doherty is a fan of the London-based football club, Queens Park Rangers . He created his own fanzine as a teenager called 'All Quiet on the Western Avenue' which as indicated by its title, mixed football with literary references.


Life as a musician


The Libertines


See Also: The Libertines




However, while post production work was taking place on the second Libertines album (entitled simply "The Libertines") in June 2004, he was again asked to leave the band. The band cited Pete's continuing drug addiction as the reason for his dismissal, but emphasised their willingness to take him back once he had addressed his addiction. The group disbanded at the end of 2004, although Barat has since stated that the Libertines were just placed on hiatus and that he would work with his estranged partner again.


Collaboration with Wolfman




Babyshambles

See Also: Babyshambles


Doherty founded Babyshambles towards the end of his time with the Libertines. The group has released one album, Down In Albion , in November 2005, and their third single, Fuck Forever , reached #4 on the UK singles chart. The band's touring schedule and releases have occasionally been disrupted by Doherty's ongoing legal problems. During this time period, tabloid interest in his relationship with Kate Moss began to overshadow his music career.

The band is rumoured to be preparing to record a new album, and have premiered new songs at recent shows.


Guerrilla gigs and acoustic work



INFLUENCES

In interviews (see links below), Doherty has listed his favourite books as George Orwell 's 1984 , Brighton Rock by Graham Greene , Our Lady Of The Flowers by Jean Genet , Flowers Of Evil by Charles Baudelaire and the works of Oscar Wilde . He has also mentioned Emily Dickinson as an influence, as well as Tony Hancock . However numerous literary and musical allusions occur throughout Doherty's ongoing Books of Albion. He places particular importance on the existential philosophers such as Camus and Unamuno and the Romantics. Doherty has used the words of his heroes to shape his actions and 'libertine' lifestyle- such as the work of Marquis de Sade and Thomas De Quincy.

His favourite films include British films of the 1960s such as Billy Liar , Poor Cow , O Lucky Man! and the film versions of Steptoe And Son . He also cites Lee Mavers of The La's as a musical influence, having covered "There She Goes," as well as The Only Ones . He is particularly fond of The Smiths and The Clash .

Doherty and Carl Barat had a fondness for Cockney musicians Chas And Dave . Doherty also champions up-and-coming British bands, such as indie band The Paddingtons .

On March 27, 2006, the magazine ''Entertainment Wise'' reported Pete Doherty as adopting Buddhism to get through his drug problems. After attending classes on the religion, he admitted to feeling more calm. Along with his companion Kate Moss , he aims to deepen his Buddhist practice and try more Meditation .


Albion and Arcadia

A frequent lyrical theme for Doherty is Albion , the ancient name for Great Britain. Doherty also uses 'Albion' as the name of a ship sailing to a utopia called Arcadia , a place without rules or authority. Doherty and Barât's shared flat in London, on Teesdale Street, Bethnal Green , was affectionately known as 'The Albion Rooms'. Pete named his scrapbook, in which he writes poems and other thoughts, the 'Books of Albion'


CONTROVERSY



2005




  • 13 August - Doherty was stopped in the airport customs at , but he remained in custody for three hours. He was released when the organisers of the festival paid the fine of 8000 NOK (693.118 GBP ). When the band appeared onstage later than scheduled, Doherty was sick, and vomited after 20 minutes. He threw out a bottle of Vodka to the audience, and showed them his empty cigarette package, followed by the crowd throwing cigarettes to him. Because of the electricity being shut down at 11 pm, they couldn't play for more than 30 minutes.



  • 18 December - Doherty was again arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence in East London . Doherty and three passengers fled, and a search of Doherty's car rendered substances believed to be Heroin and Crack Cocaine .



2006



  • 11 January - Doherty pled guilty to the possession of heroin and cocaine at Ealing Magistrates' Court after being arrested in west London on 30 November , 2005 . He was released on unconditional bail to reappear for sentencing on 8 February. Doherty's barrister was forced to apologise to the court after the singer arrived at the hearing more than an hour late, blaming traffic and press obstruction.


  • 14 January - Doherty was arrested again and charged with driving under the influence and possession of Class A narcotics, Heroin and Cocaine . On 20 January , Doherty pled guilty to possession of heroin, crack cocaine, morphine and cannabis.


  • 25 January - Doherty was arrested twice. First at 5:40am for suspicion of possession of class A drugs after driving erratically in London. Following his release from custody he was searched and re-arrested in London at 3:00pm for being under the influence of class A drugs. These arrests forced the postponement of several gigs, leading to a riot among some of the fans present at the Newcastle show scheduled for that evening, when two people were arrested. The judge refused bail and Doherty was remanded in custody until 8 February , for sentencing. The press speculated that he gave the judge The Finger after being refused bail.


  • 8 February - Doherty escaped a jail term over the drugs offenses. Having plead guilty to possessing heroin and cocaine, Doherty was given a 12-month community order, requiring him to attend a drug rehabilitation center and undergo monthly check-ups. Magistrate Ann McLaughlin told a disheveled and pale Doherty, "You must submit to treatment with a view to ending your dependency on drugs." Asked if he agreed with the sentence Pete Doherty replied: "I do." A week later, Doherty told , 2006 , where he faced a review of the 12-month community order imposed on him in February. The judge said that Doherty had been making "positive progress" in his battle with drug addiction.


  • 27 February - Doherty was arrested during the evening and bailed in Birmingham , along with two men from the Dundee area, on suspicion of stealing a car and possessing Class A Drug s.


  • 7 March - , two of possessing Heroin and a further three charges relating to the possession of Cannabis . These charges relate to incidents in east London in December and January. He appeared in court on 9 March , 2006 to face these charges, but his case was adjourned for a further two weeks because the prosecution said they were not ready to begin the hearing.




PERSONAL LIFE



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