When Pete Doherty was passed around like a “Primrose Hill dildo”
It’s fair to say that Pete Doherty has had it rough. For someone who has found such success in his band, The Libertines, Doherty’s adult life has revolved around a chaotic combination of severe drug addiction and a constant sense of being harangued by the tabloid press. After all, Doherty’s mishaps make for great headlines.
Take, for instance, the fact that back in 2018, Doherty’s name was plastered over the tabloid front pages when he tucked into an admittedly extravagant full English breakfast, said to contain over 4000 calories. The breakfast cost £17.50, but if you could finish the lot, it was free of charge.
When asked if he did the feat for publicity, Doherty replied, “No, I was starving. I was skint, so I had a go at it. I don’t know what I would have done if I hadn’t finished it. It’s the one thing that’s made me accepted in the [Margate] community”. Sadly, the talented musician couldn’t simply enjoy his breakfast – regardless of its size – without being hassled by opportunity journalists.
Doherty formed The Libertines with his friend Carl Barat in 1997, though the group would not find fame until 2002 with the release of their debut album Up The Bracket. The Libertines’ newfound fame was difficult for Doherty to deal with; he had a significant penchant for illegal drugs and served time in prison for breaking into Carl Barat’s apartment.
In 2004, Doherty left the band due to his ongoing heroin and crack cocaine addiction. During this time, he had begun a relationship with the model Kate Moss and experienced further pressure from the tabloid press, which included many people selling photos of Doherty’s drug use to the newspapers.
This went on for some time, though recently, The Libertines have reformed, and it appears that Doherty is doing well. He is the co-owner of the Albion Rooms, a Libertines-themed hotel in Margate that he also lived in for a short while.
“It’s been the saving of me,” Doherty said of the hotel. “It was a dream having a place where I didn’t have to worry about rent for the first time. Just having a roof over my head, not having a gun to my head with the threat of eviction or: ‘You have to shag me, or you’re out on your ear’”.
He added, “There have been certain individuals whose dark, lustful lifestyles. I don’t want to be shared or passed around like a fucking tin can used as an ashtray at a party. I don’t want to be a Primrose Hill dildo.” It appears that Doherty was referring to Kate Moss and her illustrious friends, with whom Doherty may have had several sexual relationships, when he mentioned his being “passed around”.
When asked what a Primrose Hill dildo is, Doherty replied, “Good-looking lads who make the mistake of falling in love with people who are incapable of falling in love back.” Then he was asked if he considered himself a Primrose Hill dildo. He replied, “I did a fucking good impression of one for a while”.
