Pete Doherty

Pete Doherty, frontman of Babyshambles and ex-frontman of The Libertines is easily the most critically acclaimed, tabloid hounded, and controversial artist that no one I know has ever listened to. He's known for being dubbed the greatest British lyricist in his generation, dating Kate Moss, extremely excessive and public hardcore drug use, and a myriad of legal issues. The number of magazine covers and feature pieces on Doherty that I've read in Spin, Rolling Stone, NME,etc.. are astounding for how little I recall actually hearing the music in the last 8 years. Maybe I just haven't been listening. After digging into The Libertines and Babyshambles anthologies I've come to the conclusion that it's all good music. It's deeper, darker, and clearly on a higher level than anything you'll ever hear from The Kooks or The Artic Monkeys. It's also sloppier and not as poppy and mainstream as the aforementioned bands' music.
Babyshambles, after breaking up a few years ago, are back together and are set to release an album sometime in 2010. With Doherty clean and sober, the limits of this infamous yet celebrated icon are boundless.

Here are the key Youtube videos to watch on Doherty. My favorites are of a young Doherty in a pre-fame 1997 MTV interview standing in line to get Oasis's Be Here Now, as well as Babyshambles Killamangiro





This post was inspired by a hat.