Peter Doherty. “It’s not that hard to quit drugs, the hardest thing is to make life interesting without being drunk”

One evening in August 2015, at the end of the Rock en Seine festival, Peter Doherty wobbled onto the stage, his face pale, his eyes wide. Behind him, a large flag with the image of libertines. The legendary British band, founded in 1997 by the singer and guitarist with his sideman Carl Barratt, has just reformed. The fans are cheering, but his voice is weak, more childish than usual. The figure is heavy, the hat is tilted, and while he tries to grab the bottle of red wine on the ground, the singer’s gaze wanders into space. The room passes anxiety. like the strange feeling of being face-to-face with Amy Winehouse a few years ago, shortly before her heartbreaking end in 2011. Heroin, crack, cocaine, and alcohol took over dandy rock with a Rimbaldian feel.

The singer today remembers these moments as his season of hell. “In the past, if I remember correctly, my life was a feast where all hearts opened, where all wines flowed,” he whispers, reciting Rimbaud lines. Despite the many times he came close to death, Peter Doherty survived his excesses. He released a number of CDs with the Libertines as well as in new bands including Babyshambles. His autobiography, titled A charming boy (1), has just been released, and on March 8th he’ll be releasing a stunning new album with the Libertines (2). And he will be on tour with them, passing through Paris on February 29, at 104, as part of the Inrocks Festival.

Peter Doherty is much more than the “black prince of the highs”, a sacrificed victim who could disappear at the age of 27 under the eager eyes of the tabloids, then be buried under hundreds of photographs showing his run-ins with or with the law. love story with Kate Moss, 2005 and 2007, broken with glory. A virtuoso guitarist, intense voice performer, poet and artist, 44-year-old Peter Doherty is above all an artist. In no phase of his hellish descent into drugs, which lasted almost 20 years, did his artistic pursuits fail him. Hundreds of songs and notebooks filled with words and drawings testify to his journey. Directed by his wife, Katya de Vida, who shot it over the course of ten years, the documentary is titled: Peter Doherty, A Stranger in My Own Skin(3) represents the journey of a musician now free from drug addiction. This touching testimony shows the extent to which the artist is condemned to deep solitude while creating. Now living in Etretat, Normandy, with his wife and their granddaughter, Billie May, born in May 2023, Peter Doherty is starting a new life. Passing through Paris, the musician tells his story at a table in a small cafe in Saint-Germain, next to Katia and Gladys, their dog, a Saint Bernard-Bullmastiff mix.

Madame Figaro: Your songs, as well as your comments, are shot with skin-deep sensitivity. It can’t be easy to deal with such an outpouring of emotions…

Pete Doherty: It’s a constant stream. I have always been an extremely sensitive person, empathizing with everything around me. I constantly feel in a rush, demanding and often give in to temptation. This is probably my weakness. But seduction is also a facet of curiosity. And I’m very interested.

Your wife Katja de Vidas shot 200 hours of footage for Peter Doherty’s documentary, A stranger in my own skin . How did this adventure begin?

Katya came to film my band Babyshambles. I invited him on other tours and he came into my life. At first it was strange to be filmed in very intimate moments, but I trusted him. I’ve been asked several times to make a documentary about my life, but it’s often about big producers and complicated productions: lights, frames, make-up sessions… I liked Katia’s more underground idea of ​​shooting me on a camera on her shoulders. immediately. I surrendered myself and during this journey we fell in love. Amy Winehouse predicted it. One day, when we went together to see him, he told me. “You’re in love, you’re going to get married.” However, we hadn’t kissed yet.

This film is both poetic and unrelenting in its vivid portrayal of difficult moments. How did you feel watching it?

It was hard to see myself losing touch with reality. Some images are very rough. Maybe I would use more filters, tell the same story through visual metaphors, more mystery. But I am convinced that the director should be given complete freedom. My view on this movie doesn’t matter, I don’t have much to hide anymore. it’s too late for that. The thing I struggle with the most is doing interviews talking about my personal life. But I tell myself that my journey can help those who suffer from addiction.

What does it mean to be a rock star?

When I was young, the writers, poets, artists, and musicians I loved were deities in my eyes. People like Jean Genet, George Orwell, Jarvis Cocker… Society needs a pantheon of founding heroes. That said, I hate the term “rockstar”. I prefer the term “rock and roll star” because the voice is more syncopated, the language loosens. “Rockstar” makes me think of energy drink commercials, Michael Bolton or Elton John, even if I have nothing against them.

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In the documentary, as well as in your book, A charming boy , you are awakening your demons. Can you name them?

Yes, but I won’t. If I give them names, they appear, and that’s what I want to avoid. They are the same that reside in each of us. One thing I’ve learned in addiction treatment is that the brain records everything we communicate to it. Therefore, we should say goodbye to these terrible thoughts, rather than calculating them. We cannot control them, but we can take away the control they have over us. then they disappear.

You have lost control several times in your life, but never control your work as an artist. What role does discipline play in your creative process?

I come from a very strict upbringing. My mother was an army nurse, my father an officer. He always explained to me that he started his military career because, contrary to what they say about the 60s in England, those were dark times. That said, my parents instilled in me a strong sense of discipline, work ethic, and religious values ​​that have served me well. I’ve never been completely lost. I have always moved forward, even in the most chaotic moments.

You also managed to maintain a strong friendship with Carl Barratt (co-leader of the Libertines, Editor’s note )…

Yes, because our relationship was based on instability from the beginning. When we met in London at university, Karl and I didn’t immediately take to music. Our conversations revolved around reading, word meaning. The songs arrived two years later through a series of random pressings. Every Libertines song was a triumph. We have made many sacrifices to keep our friendship alive. All our controversies and arguments have been made public, even those that never happened. But music has always been a place to find us. Everything I write is really for Carl.

What does the title of the new Libertines album refer to? Relaxing on the East Esplanade?

Easter Esplanade is a waterfront promenade in the heart of Margate, a town in Kent, southeast England. Together with the Libertines, we decided to open a hotel there in an old Victorian house (The Albion Rooms Editor’s note) We also built a music studio and a bar. This is where the songs of the album were recorded. All are new, but some are the culmination of sketches that began twenty years ago. The writing for Libertines has always been me and Carl, but for the first time the four of us wrote together (with John Hassall and Gary Powell, the other band members) and the result is amazing. We are very proud of it.

You were very close to Amy Winehouse. What memory do you have of him?

I always find it hard to express myself when I have to talk about Amy. When I think of him, I imagine an abstract painting. His comments resembled an action painting. Amy was an extraordinary singer, but also a great guitar player, which is rarely talked about. She was also the cheerful young lady who loved to play pool at the bar. We often tried to make music together, but he was always very critical. I played him the beginning of the song and he said, “No, that’s bullshit.” (I’ts wrong! Editor’s note) He was too demanding. Amy is a goddess to me. He joined the pantheon as Billie Holiday.

Are you proud of your extraordinary journey?

You know, giving up drugs and any addiction in general is not that difficult. The hardest part is finding life interesting without being drunk. I’m working on it.

(1) A charming boyLe Cherche Midi, 480 pages, €22.50.

(2) The Libertines. Quiet on East Esplanade (Universal).

(3) Doherty, a stranger in my own skin, available on Canal +.