# Pete Doherty: “I was seen a wreck head!” The truth behind the headlines

An episode of [Happy Place](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1353058891), 14 Apr 2025, 55 min.

Audio: https://sphinx.acast.com/p/acast/s/happy-place/e/67e677b3903a636fc11da68d/media.mp3

Does anxiety or darkness drive you to create? Is creativity the ultimate catharsis? For musician Pete Doherty making art has, at times, been a matter of survival. In this chat with Fearne, Pete explains why taking drugs was less about trying to escape, and more about what he was trying to find. Now he’s stopped taking drugs, how does he unlock and express his creativity differently? Pete also confirms that ‘addict’ is the right word to describe his behaviour, but that our attitude towards addiction needs to change. Fearne and Pete catch up about the early days of The Libertines, and what Pete labels as ‘the chaos and risk of youth’. He describes how he was sold on the enticing mythologies of a rock n roll lifestyle, but is now much more comfortable living quietly in rural France with his family and dogs. For contributions to #2 of Pete’s ‘On Strap’ fanzine please post to: 'ON STRAP’ FANZINE c/o The Heavy Horse Hôtel le Rayon Vert Rue Général Leclerc 76790 Etretat Normandie FRANCE Pete’s fifth solo studio album, Felt Better Alive, is out May 16th. If you liked this episode of Happy Place, you might also like: DJ Fat Tony Matt Willis What Really Happens At Therapy Child on the line is a three-part documentary podcast series celebrating the Volunteer Counsellors of Childline, and the brave children & young people who contact the helpline service. Listen here: https://www.childonthelinepodcast.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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