THE ROVING PECKER PRESENTS: "Pete 'Dreamboat' Doherty Says He’s Got to Adopt Better Habits" by SaucyKitty!

 

Greetings, Manor Hors! Periodically, "The Roving Pecker" presents urgent missives from filthy esteemed guest writers. Today's is from SaucyKitty!

A few of you old-school D-folks may remember the halcyon days when we paid “tribute” to people like Lindsay Lohan, Britney Spears, Brandon Davis, and Libertines and Babyshambles member Pete “Dreamboat” Doherty. Back then, Pete was living quite the rock-and-roll lifestyle and was up there with Amy Winehouse on the world’s collective deathwatch list. If it could be drunk, snorted, or injected, chances are, Pete was doing it, often all at once. At only 44, he claims 15 criminal convictions and more than a couple of jail sentences due to his drug abuse.

Pete was also a rising star and a darling of critics and fans alike, often lauded for his lyrics and guitar playing. We could delve into the hits he had with each band, but let’s just say that he was booted from each one more than once due to issues with his drug abuse, which overshadowed his creative efforts, at least in the media.

Luckily for him, in 2019, Pete’s wife gave him a “get clean or get out” ultimatum after two arrests in two days, and Pete says he has been clean since December of that year. Currently, he is on blockers to combat the effects of years of heavy heroin abuse. He is not yet comfortable getting off the blockers, saying, “I like to think I could do without it, but that level of trust has to be learnt, doesn’t it? At the moment I think I’m still reeling a bit — it’s almost like I’m still in shock from having got clean. Maybe in 10 years, I’ll be able to talk with pride about being clean.”

Doherty was recently interviewed on "Louis Theroux Interviews" on BBC and has proclaimed that he does not expect to see his child through to adulthood. Specifically, after taking a swig of blackcurrant rum and breaking into a coughing fit, he said, “You are looking at a very sick man. I’ve battered it, haven’t I? I’ve fucking caned it.”

Pete’s doctors have urged him to adopt healthier habits, including his diet. According to Doherty, “They told me a little while ago if you don’t change your diet then you’re gonna have diabetes and cholesterol problems. Death’s lurking, you know what I mean? That’s why I carry that stick.” (Pete likes to walk around with a cane.) He said at another point, “Heroin and the crack, I surrendered to that, and then it was cocaine and the smoking and the alcohol, and now it’s cheese and the saucisson, and the sugar in the tea. It’s all gotta go.” (Suggestion: drop the blackcurrant rum, too.) (But don't do this.)

For now, Pete is living a normal life under the radar in Normandy with his wife and baby daughter. He and The Libertines are coming out with their first album in eight years in late March 2024, entitled "All Quiet on the Eastern Esplanade." Oh, and for those of you who recall his time with supermodel Kate Moss, he still keeps a suitcase of Moss’s stuff in his studio that says, “Kate Moss – Do Not Touch," printed on the inside of the suitcase.

Pete, we wish you luck with sobriety! I hope you’ll be around when your new album debuts. (Sincerely, I know we’re a bunch of cynical snots here, but addiction sucks.)

Photo Credits: Getty Images, Ryan McNamara/BBC/Mindhouse Productions, kk+ via Wikimedia Commons