Pete Doherty's Drug Dealer

Pete Doherty, for those who don't know, was the lead singer and songwriter for the English Indie-rock band, The Libertines. He had a tumultuous and impassioned relationship with Britain's glamour girl, Kate Moss. He also had/has one hell of a drug habit.

British tabloids couldn't get enough of this precocious, baby-faced waster, who wrote bitter sweet lyrics lamenting over the loss of his dearest Katie. By now he's surely earned himself a place among the likes of Hendrix, Jagger: rockers who died or were on the verge of it by their mid-twenties because of their reckless using and abusing. The public were mesmerized by how resistant Pete was to any sort of intervention. "You'd think," they would say, "he might have cleaned up a bit after being ousted from his own band after he ransacked the apartment of fellow bandmate and long time best friend Carl Barat for valuables to support his addiction.” On the contrary; rather it simply fueled his binge and soon every trash newspaper in London featured photos of Pete with white rings under his nostrils and dark ghoulish bags under his glassy eyes. The more emaciated and gaunt he got, the more iconic he became.
He also wrote some of his most profound and poignant lyrics in this heroinized state with his new band Babyshambles, the album cover for which he self-illustrated; disturbing and fantastic images made from his own blood.

We have all heard the saying about how inebriation can spur creativity and Pete Doherty (like Hendrix, Jagger, and the Beatles) uphold this assumption. I dare anybody to write a song like Purple Haze sans the 'haze', or perform "Gimme Shelter" live with the same vigorous apathy that the Stones did without a brief jab or snort or both prior to getting on stage.
No, let's get things straight, heavily cut drugs and the 'I'll be dead by 27' attitude tends to bring out the best in certain musicians. Doherty is living (who knows for how much longer) proof.

The artists I've mentioned have been idolized and worshiped for their talent and rightfully so. Doherty wrote some astounding poetry at the age of 12 and obtained top marks at university in his literature degree. No one doubts his inherent skill and he's deserving of all the credit he gets... (well most of it, I'd argue.)
He is a complex character and has the innate ability to put feelings into verses, necessary ingredients for any great songwriter, but let's not forget the final pinch (actually much more than just a pinch) of spice which sets Doherty and the others on the path to greatness. The drugs!

Who would Pete Doherty have been without the powder and the needles? Probably a nobody living in Clapham. And just how great would his songs have turned out? Mediocre

Therefore doesn’t his drug dealer deserve some of the credit? The poor guy living in East London who was woken up at 5am by Pete pounding on his front door, itching and scratching for a hit of something because Kate was ignoring his phone calls. Yes I think he deserves a bit more than just a shout out. After all, following the transaction Pete would shoot up go on to write some of his best material yet.

The Libertines are one of my favorite bands and Pete Doherty is in a league of his own when it comes to truly great songwriters and singers of this decade. None of this was to take credit away from him; rather more to extend some credit to the bloke selling him the junk which will inevitably lead to his demise. The same junk that led him to such accomplishments.