Pete Doherty

[Mel Donte]

I know that people have been expecting Pete to die for years but from that documentary I got the sense that he's on the ninth of his nine lives. Most of the people I know who have died as a result of addiction have done so when in periods of precarious semi sobriety. In fact, most of them have died after kicking everything apart from booze.

I'd forgotten that his username on the Libertines forum was heavyhorse. It's hard to deny that there was a degree of glamourisation there. I guess that for some of us the facade of if all doesn't drop until it's too late.

Sorry, slightly hypocritically jumbled thoughts there as I am pissed.

 

[PeteM]

I would say Amy was quite successful before back to black, when frank came out and she was nominated for Brit awards.

She really wasn't. She didn't have any hit singles in that period and Frank didn't sell well.

 

[Cloak]

I'd forgotten that his username on the Libertines forum was heavyhorse. It's hard to deny that there was a degree of glamourisation there.

what does heavy horse mean?

 

[Venuslurker]

I think Back to Black was more successful than Frank because it was a better, more poppier album.
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I think calling Pete "talentless" is a complete stretch.

 

[PeteM]

I think Back to Black was more successful than Frank because it was a better, more poppier album.
---
I think calling Pete "talentless" is a complete stretch.

See, isn't that better than just referring to someone's else post as balls? I disagree with you but I'm not going to be childish and say you're talking balls.

I said he has minimal talent, not talentless.

 

[Venuslurker]

It was balls though

 

[PeteM]

Oh dear.

 

[Dizzy]

Watched the Mark Blanco documentary and my take aways are: Johnny Headlock is responsible for his death. Roundhill is a really scummy person. Pete Doherty panicked and ran when he realised what had happened but wasn't involved in Mark’s death. All 3 know exactly what happened that night. The Met Police are tit.

 

[Mel Donte]

what does heavy horse mean?

Horse is slang for heroin

 

[Foxvint]

Amy had gigs at Glasto and on Jools Holland off the back of Frank and profiles everywhere. I picked Frank up at tesco with my weekly shop cos I'd read a Cosmo (I think) mini interview with her and she seemed totally original. She had massive success for a 1st album and there was a buzz to see what she'd do next. She wasn't a mess then, she was just a binge drinker, like millions of 20-30s. The mess part came with the massive advance for BTB, all that free time and money and people like Blake.

Altered states of consciousness and music have gone together since Robert Johnson. Some ppl sound like they were in bed with a horkicks at 9.30 every night in their 20s listening to Muzack for accountants dinner parties. Whether or not addicts deserve empathy isn't dependent on whether or not we personally like their music either.

 

[PsychoKitty]

I had an ex who was absolutely obsessed with Pete. He wrote to him in prison and had letters from him which he framed. He would wear the same hat and had the same chest tattoo. He was also a narcissist, which I think Pete definitely is.

He lived in my friends block for a while and the carnage he caused was insane. We're in a few pap pictures too coming back to hers pissed, they obviously thought we were off to score

In the same breath, he's a forces kid the same as me and we can be an odd bunch of folk, so I will always have a little bit of tolerance / solidarity for him.

Don't know enough about the Mark Blanco thing to comment but will definitely watch that documentary.

 

[mousse]

I think Back to Black was more successful than Frank because it was a better, more poppier album.
---
I think calling Pete "talentless" is a complete stretch.

I can remember 16? 17? years later remember where I was the first time I heard Rehab on the radio. It’s that good. There are some incredible songs on that album. Nothing to do with poor Amy’s notoriety

 

[Foxvint]

Without derailing the thread too much cos she's got her own- although there might have been an element of 'to sing the blues you have to live the blues' in Amy's drinking and drugging, her album would've been even bigger without it. Her appearance and size were torn apart as soon as it came out in comparison to her Frank days. There'd have been more touring, more TV, and more interviews if lying round off her head with Blake wasn't the priority.

 

[Venuslurker]

I suppose the addiction and antics that go with it definitely brought extra publicity and noteriety to Amy and Pete and the Libertines, but those albums definitely stand up to the test of time now.

 

[PeteM]

Amy had gigs at Glasto and on Jools Holland off the back of Frank and profiles everywhere. I picked Frank up at tesco with my weekly shop cos I'd read a Cosmo (I think) mini interview with her and she seemed totally original. She had massive success for a 1st album and there was a buzz to see what she'd do next. She wasn't a mess then, she was just a binge drinker, like millions of 20-30s. The mess part came with the massive advance for BTB, all that free time and money and people like Blake.

Altered states of consciousness and music have gone together since Robert Johnson. Some ppl sound like they were in bed with a horkicks at 9.30 every night in their 20s listening to Muzack for accountants dinner parties. Whether or not addicts deserve empathy isn't dependent on whether or not we personally like their music either.

She was a critical success with Frank, not a commercial one. The highest any of her Frank singles got to was No.57 - this is how the album chart placings went pre Back To Black. Even Stevie Wonder can see that it wasn't "a massive success for a 1st album".

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When you're missing a lot of your European tour dates owing to still being out of your head or massively hungover and your support slot has to cover for you and do a longer set, then you have issues, which is what went on regularly in the Frank era.

Your "altered states of consciousness and music" point is odd - nobody's being sanctimonious here having a go at any act for being off their heads, I'd much rather see an act that's unpredictable on stage owing to this than some dull sanitised performer.

Even Venuslurker concedes that Amy and Pete got extra publicity from how they were. I remember seeing Amy in Camden about 6 months before "Rehab" came out - I was shocked at how skeletal she was, in comparison to how she'd normally look when I'd see her out and about. Later that week, a photo of her was in the papers. I'm sure 19 Management would have done a deal for the photo to not be run.

 

[GeminiMoon]

Am I the only who has never been able to understand why so many people think that Pete was attractive and charming? Same for Carl.

I always preferred boys in bands/alternative scenes but Pete has always looked like a pallid, dirty, sweaty baby to me. Carl has always been Mr Average to me too. I genuinely don’t get it

This isn’t a criticism of anyone’s taste - it’s ok to like different things - but I find it completely mystifying when people comment here about them being heartthrobs.

 

[markcorriganscrisps]

I think a wee bit of it is the 'tortured poetic genius' thing for some folk for Pete although tbf, in the early days, although he wasn't my cup of tea, he did have a kind of almost boyish charm. Hard to articulate. Carl was attractive though (although because I'm contrary, John was my favourite ).

I suppose similar could apply to Brett Anderson, who always looked like he ponged, but was a hit with female fans.

 

[Foxvint]

She was a critical success with Frank, not a commercial one. The highest any of her Frank singles got to was No.57 - this is how the album chart placings went pre Back To Black. Even Stevie Wonder can see that it wasn't "a massive success for a 1st album".

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When you're missing a lot of your European tour dates owing to still being out of your head or massively hungover and your support slot has to cover for you and do a longer set, then you have issues, which is what went on regularly in the Frank era.

Your "altered states of consciousness and music" point is odd - nobody's being sanctimonious here having a go at any act for being off their heads, I'd much rather see an act that's unpredictable on stage owing to this than some dull sanitised performer.

Even Venuslurker concedes that Amy and Pete got extra publicity from how they were. I remember seeing Amy in Camden about 6 months before "Rehab" came out - I was shocked at how skeletal she was, in comparison to how she'd normally look when I'd see her out and about. Later that week, a photo of her was in the papers. I'm sure 19 Management would have done a deal for the photo to not be run.

Agreed. Depends whether you think all publicity is good publicity though. Amy & The Libertines would've been bigger without the substance induced duck ups still stands as my point. An I think there's been plenty of sanctimonious comments on here that read as disgust towards the addict rather than the addiction. Someone's right to express that and my right to respond to it is the same right. I accept i might be misreading it or being oversensitive because of my own personal experiences.

 

[Winepig]

There’s an Amy Winehouse thread ?

I can’t find it 🫤

 

[Foxvint]

Amy Winehouse

I thought I'd start a thread for Amy Winehouse after she was brought up a few times in the Peaches Geldof thread. She was such a talent. I love her and her music. Her story was tragic, I followed it all at the time for years, but was still so shocked when the news broke of her passing. I...

tattle.life

Dunno if that'll work