Go Back  DVD Talk Forum > Entertainment Discussions > Music Talk
Reload this Page >

The Libertines/Pete Doherty a hoax!!

Community
Search
Music Talk Discuss music in all its forms: CD, MP3, DVD-A, SACD and of course live

The Libertines/Pete Doherty a hoax!!

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Old 02-13-06, 07:26 PM
  #1  
BDB
DVD Talk Legend
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Palm Springs and Los Angeles
Posts: 23,235
Received 110 Likes on 99 Posts
The Libertines/Pete Doherty a hoax!!

clearly a pisstake, but pretty funny


The Samaritans have today recruited 600 extra staff to deal with an expected surge in calls as troubled fans come to terms with today's revelations about rocker and teen icon Pete Doherty. In a surprise press conference today, the men behind Doherty's career reveled themselves - and admitted that the Libertines, Babyshambles, the tales of drug use, the armed robberies and the affair with supermodel Kate Moss have all been part of one of the largest hoaxes in British history.

The men behind the scandal - Bill Drummond and Jimmy Cauty, who were themselves infamous popstars under the name The KLF - admitted how they plucked a young Buddy Holly impersonator Doherty from obscurity and made him a media darling. "It was a meant to be a quick stunt to show the frailties of our celbrity-obsessed culture," said Cauty, adding, "there are too many people who are famous despite their lack of talent, usefulness and basic intelligence. We wanted to do something that held a mirror up to that." Mr Drummond called Britain's pop-culture "sick" and said that although he regretted the hurt caused to Doherty's many fans, he hoped "this incident taught us all some important things".

In a prepared statement, the two men - famous for many other pop pranks, including the famous burning of GBP1million on a remote Scottish island - detailed how they manipulated the British Press into making Doherty an icon. Doherty - whose real name has now been revealed to be Trevor McDermott - was making a living as a part-time Buddy Holly impersonator in the Cornwall holiday circuit. He began a short-lived affair with the singer of a well known 80's rock band, and was introduced to Drummond and Cauty at a backstage party in London's West End. The men described how a drunken McDermott amused them with his slurred singing and frenetic dance movements, and how they then realised that this would be the perfect "dupe" for a plan they had been hatching for some time.

"The plan involved proving three theories we have about current British society," reads the statement. "The first is that in the so-called "alternative" scene, everybody is too scared of missing The Next Big Thing to worry about anything else." To prove this, some session musicians were provided to compose the rest of the "band", The Libertines, and rumours of exposive gigs were leaked to the media. "The gigs in question never actually took place, but we didn't have to worry about that. Soon the buzz around The Libertines was so frenetic, journalists were falling over themselves to claim to have been at the front of every single fictional gig." Within weeks, The Libertines were appearing on magazines and receiving record offers. Gigs sold out in minutes, while their first album "Up The Bracket" flew off shelves.

Feeling that their first point had been proved, Drummond and Cauty moved to their second theory: "We feel that our culture has become an enormous soap opera. We don't care what a person thinks, or creates, or contributes. We just care about what they do in their normal lives. Especially when it's something they shouldn't be doing."

To demonstrate this, the men co-ordinated a number of scandals. First was a robbery staged in the house of one of the band members. When this took place, McDermott (aka Doherty) was unknown outside of the alternative music scene. An incident of this calibre was sufficient, however, to catapult McDermott onto the front page of every major national tabloid. "One day we has just another singer, the next day he was 'Disgraced Celebrity Rocker', and he hasn't been out of the papers since". Further revelations about drug abuse and violence kept McDermott and The Libertines on the front pages for months.

One thing that took even Drummond and Cauty by surprise was the affair with model Kate Moss. "That was not something that we planned or had any involvement. Whether she knew about the hoax is something we are not party to. We have never had any contact with Miss Moss." However, this was the boost their project needed - where the drugs and crime had made McDermott a media sensation, the relationship with one of fashion's most famous women catapulted him into the world of true celebrity. "While we had not planned this, it certainly proved our point. There are many superior artists in the country today, but they never appear in Heat or The S*n, because they don't have the words 'boyfriend of Kate Moss' after their name."

Despite this boost, the project began running into a major setback for Drummond and Cauty. Just as they were preparing to enter the final phase of their scheme, Doherty decided that he wanted to part company with them, the fake band, and begin seriously recording music. He stopped all contact with the men, and threatened legal actions if any details were leaked to the press. "We were upset at the apparent failure of our grand project, and also at the monster we had created in Pete Doherty. Our third theorem - that 'If enough people say that a piece of ******* is a bar of gold, we'll believe it's a bar of gold' - seemed to have been beyond salvation. Fortunately, at that point Pete released the first Babyshambles album."

In the time since then, Drummond and Cauty have been locked in a vicious legal battle, which was eventually settled out of court by the discovery of a videotape showing McDermott singing "Peggy Sue" at a Butlin's in Devon. Publicly, McDermott still strongly denies all charges. How this affects the future career of Pete Doherty remains to be seen.
Old 02-13-06, 08:07 PM
  #2  
DVD Talk Hall of Fame
 
Join Date: Nov 1999
Location: Vermont
Posts: 9,774
Likes: 0
Received 1 Like on 1 Post
I'm mildly interested in learning the following:

* Where that article came from
* Whether you are saying it's not serious/true or it is

I have such a vague understanding of the whole Doherty thing that I'd really just prefer to have someone spell out exactly what's going on without any double meanings, knowing winks, etc. Can somebody hook me up?
Old 02-13-06, 08:13 PM
  #3  
Moderator
 
Giles's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 1999
Location: Washington DC
Posts: 33,630
Received 17 Likes on 13 Posts
I just find it rather sad all the British tabloids idolize this crack head - I'll be glad when Doherty gets shoved in the slammer - he needs to serve his time, away from the limelight and attention that he seems to thrive on. Go away... Pete... far away.
Old 02-13-06, 08:17 PM
  #4  
DVD Talk Legend
 
Join Date: Jan 2000
Location: Work. Or commuting. Certainly not at home.
Posts: 17,816
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
It's of... dubious origin. It's been making the rounds of bulletin boards everywhere and nobody has a link. It ain't true.
Old 02-13-06, 10:11 PM
  #5  
BDB
DVD Talk Legend
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Palm Springs and Los Angeles
Posts: 23,235
Received 110 Likes on 99 Posts
Originally Posted by stevevt
I'm mildly interested in learning the following:

* Where that article came from
* Whether you are saying it's not serious/true or it is

I have such a vague understanding of the whole Doherty thing that I'd really just prefer to have someone spell out exactly what's going on without any double meanings, knowing winks, etc. Can somebody hook me up?

Untrue..

Pisstake means taking the piss. yanking of the chain etc.
and as wildcat said, he saw it the same place I did, source unknown.
Old 02-14-06, 05:35 PM
  #6  
DVD Talk Hall of Fame
 
Join Date: Nov 1999
Location: Vermont
Posts: 9,774
Likes: 0
Received 1 Like on 1 Post
Originally Posted by BadlyDrawnBoy
Untrue..

Pisstake means taking the piss. yanking of the chain etc.
Thanks.

I actually know what pisstake means, I just didn't know enough about the whole situation to know if you were referring to the article being fake or Doherty being fake.
Old 02-14-06, 05:39 PM
  #7  
DVD Talk Legend
 
Join Date: Aug 1999
Location: behind the eight ball
Posts: 19,970
Received 241 Likes on 152 Posts
Is it fake, or is it the next stage in the whole sordid affair?
Old 02-16-06, 01:46 PM
  #8  
DVD Talk Legend
 
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Marina Del Rey, California
Posts: 10,044
Received 14 Likes on 10 Posts
Article is a fake. NME would've been all over this if it were true.
Old 02-16-06, 01:59 PM
  #9  
Moderator
 
Giles's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 1999
Location: Washington DC
Posts: 33,630
Received 17 Likes on 13 Posts
and yet he never learns - he needs help - not shallow promises that he thinks or states he can overcome himself.

http://www.nme.com/news/babyshambles/22198
Old 02-17-06, 07:39 AM
  #10  
DVD Talk Hero
 
Numanoid's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2000
Location: Down in 'The Park'
Posts: 27,881
Likes: 0
Received 2 Likes on 2 Posts
The satire being, of course, that this is believable enough for readers to wonder about its veracity.

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is On
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off



Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.