1 00:00:00,720 --> 00:00:22,599 Speaker 1: Disgraceland is a production of Double Elvis. This is a 2 00:00:22,640 --> 00:00:25,680 Speaker 1: story about a rock star. It's got sex or a 3 00:00:25,720 --> 00:00:30,040 Speaker 1: sex symbol anyways, and Kate Moss and drugs, lots of drugs, 4 00:00:30,080 --> 00:00:34,559 Speaker 1: heroin and crack cocaine and glorious rock and roll. But 5 00:00:34,640 --> 00:00:38,080 Speaker 1: it's also a story about brotherhood and a suspicious death. 6 00:00:39,120 --> 00:00:43,519 Speaker 1: It's a story about Pete Daugherty from the Libertines, a 7 00:00:43,640 --> 00:00:46,760 Speaker 1: rock star and a rock and roll band that made 8 00:00:47,159 --> 00:00:50,960 Speaker 1: great music. Unlike that music, I played a few at 9 00:00:50,960 --> 00:00:54,520 Speaker 1: the top of the show that wasn't great music. That 10 00:00:54,600 --> 00:00:59,240 Speaker 1: was a preset loop from my melotron called Shambalic Shasha MK. 11 00:01:01,080 --> 00:01:03,560 Speaker 1: I played you that loop because I can't afford the 12 00:01:03,600 --> 00:01:07,240 Speaker 1: rights to I Want to Love You by Akon And 13 00:01:07,360 --> 00:01:10,480 Speaker 1: why would I play you that specific slice of winding 14 00:01:10,600 --> 00:01:16,120 Speaker 1: and grinding cheese? Could I afford it? Because that was 15 00:01:16,160 --> 00:01:19,399 Speaker 1: the number one song in America on December two, two 16 00:01:19,400 --> 00:01:22,080 Speaker 1: thousand and six, And that was the day that an 17 00:01:22,160 --> 00:01:26,200 Speaker 1: unknown London actor named Mark Blanco fell to his death 18 00:01:26,400 --> 00:01:30,840 Speaker 1: under mysterious circumstances after an altercation with Pete Doherty in 19 00:01:30,880 --> 00:01:36,440 Speaker 1: his entourage. On this episode, sex, drugs, rock and roll, 20 00:01:36,680 --> 00:01:41,720 Speaker 1: a suspicious death and Pete Doherty of the Libertines. I'm 21 00:01:41,840 --> 00:02:13,079 Speaker 1: Jake Brennan and this is Disgraceland. December two, two thousand 22 00:02:13,120 --> 00:02:16,200 Speaker 1: and six. It was a late Saturday night in London's 23 00:02:16,240 --> 00:02:19,480 Speaker 1: East End. In fact, it was just minutes away from 24 00:02:19,560 --> 00:02:24,880 Speaker 1: Sunday morning. Outside on the sidewalk, everything was dead, silent. 25 00:02:25,800 --> 00:02:29,040 Speaker 1: Fourteen feet up an apartment on the second floor was 26 00:02:29,080 --> 00:02:33,839 Speaker 1: a different story all together. Screams cried out from inside, 27 00:02:34,480 --> 00:02:37,920 Speaker 1: so loud that they echoed throughout the building. And they 28 00:02:37,919 --> 00:02:41,919 Speaker 1: weren't the joyful, boisterous sounds of a Saturday night rave up. 29 00:02:44,080 --> 00:02:50,840 Speaker 1: These screams were tense. They were menacing. They had the 30 00:02:50,919 --> 00:02:54,160 Speaker 1: ring of a school yard fight when the kids starts 31 00:02:54,160 --> 00:02:57,520 Speaker 1: circling up and the insults start cutting a little bit deeper, 32 00:02:58,120 --> 00:03:00,799 Speaker 1: when the pushing and shoving gets a little bit more intense, 33 00:03:01,560 --> 00:03:05,280 Speaker 1: when it feels like violence could break out at any moment. 34 00:03:06,840 --> 00:03:13,400 Speaker 1: The sounds kept building louder and louder, darker and more phrenetic, agitated, angry, 35 00:03:14,320 --> 00:03:18,399 Speaker 1: until it felt like something was going to explode. Suddenly, 36 00:03:18,760 --> 00:03:21,640 Speaker 1: the front door of the apartment building swung open. A 37 00:03:21,720 --> 00:03:25,040 Speaker 1: tall man was pushed out onto the sidewalk. He was 38 00:03:25,080 --> 00:03:27,320 Speaker 1: so tall that his head nearly hit the doorway as 39 00:03:27,360 --> 00:03:31,079 Speaker 1: he was forcibly shoved backwards. He staggered back a few 40 00:03:31,120 --> 00:03:33,760 Speaker 1: steps from the force of the blow, and then the 41 00:03:33,800 --> 00:03:37,760 Speaker 1: door slam shut in his face. Down the street, a 42 00:03:37,800 --> 00:03:40,600 Speaker 1: security camera caught the tall man as he started walking 43 00:03:40,600 --> 00:03:44,119 Speaker 1: a few steps away from the building. Suddenly he paused, 44 00:03:44,520 --> 00:03:48,160 Speaker 1: frozen in place for a few seconds. His mind made up, 45 00:03:48,560 --> 00:03:51,480 Speaker 1: he wheeled around and started walking back towards the building. 46 00:03:52,120 --> 00:03:55,480 Speaker 1: It was an impulse, a split second decision. Less than 47 00:03:55,480 --> 00:03:58,280 Speaker 1: a minute later, it was a decision that would cost 48 00:03:58,440 --> 00:04:06,480 Speaker 1: Mark Blanco his life. Back inside the apartment on the 49 00:04:06,480 --> 00:04:10,360 Speaker 1: second floor, Pete Doherty, the pop star of Libertine's fame, 50 00:04:10,840 --> 00:04:13,720 Speaker 1: was waiting for the ketamine to take hold that held 51 00:04:13,760 --> 00:04:17,800 Speaker 1: the promise of total annihilation, annihilation of all of his 52 00:04:17,880 --> 00:04:21,640 Speaker 1: thoughts and worries. Soon it would leave a warm, black 53 00:04:21,720 --> 00:04:24,760 Speaker 1: void that he could float in for a few hours. 54 00:04:25,760 --> 00:04:29,320 Speaker 1: Because despite his current status as an A list rock star, 55 00:04:29,880 --> 00:04:32,680 Speaker 1: Pete Dhugherty had a lot of worries on his mind, 56 00:04:33,000 --> 00:04:36,719 Speaker 1: and despite the scuffle he just witnessed Mark Blanco was 57 00:04:36,800 --> 00:04:40,120 Speaker 1: far from the top of the list. Pete had court 58 00:04:40,160 --> 00:04:44,920 Speaker 1: in the morning, which meant inevitably another drug test, Hence 59 00:04:44,960 --> 00:04:48,320 Speaker 1: the ketamine in place of his preferred fix, a mixture 60 00:04:48,360 --> 00:04:52,640 Speaker 1: of heroin and crack cocaine. Over the past three years, 61 00:04:52,680 --> 00:04:55,960 Speaker 1: he had racked up dozens of arrests for possession. He'd 62 00:04:55,960 --> 00:04:58,800 Speaker 1: been in and out of rehab and probation, and he 63 00:04:58,880 --> 00:05:02,719 Speaker 1: quickly learned that, unl like heroin and cocaine, ketamine didn't 64 00:05:02,720 --> 00:05:07,440 Speaker 1: show up on the drug tests. There was his girlfriend. No, 65 00:05:07,560 --> 00:05:09,920 Speaker 1: not the nineteen year old girl sitting next to him. 66 00:05:10,360 --> 00:05:12,560 Speaker 1: Pete wasn't sure if he could even remember her name. 67 00:05:13,320 --> 00:05:15,159 Speaker 1: He'd only met her a few hours ago at a 68 00:05:15,160 --> 00:05:18,480 Speaker 1: party at the hotel where he was staying. Instead, Pete 69 00:05:18,560 --> 00:05:23,400 Speaker 1: was thinking about his fiance, the supermodel Kate Moss. The 70 00:05:23,440 --> 00:05:26,880 Speaker 1: pair had just gotten engaged two months ago, but their 71 00:05:26,920 --> 00:05:30,560 Speaker 1: on again, off again relationship was already hanging by a thread. 72 00:05:31,560 --> 00:05:34,560 Speaker 1: The last thing Pete needed was Kate finding out about 73 00:05:34,560 --> 00:05:38,360 Speaker 1: another dalliance with another young girl. Then there was his friend. 74 00:05:38,960 --> 00:05:41,760 Speaker 1: It wasn't the stout and muscular man standing across the 75 00:05:41,880 --> 00:05:45,680 Speaker 1: room from him. Johnny Headlock was a live wire, especially 76 00:05:45,680 --> 00:05:49,760 Speaker 1: when he'd been using cocaine earlier. At dinner, Johnny stabbed 77 00:05:49,760 --> 00:05:51,840 Speaker 1: Pete's guitarist in the hand with a fork when the 78 00:05:51,920 --> 00:05:55,200 Speaker 1: musician made a comment that he didn't like. It's true 79 00:05:55,560 --> 00:05:59,560 Speaker 1: Johnny Headlock was completely unhinged, but with the number of 80 00:05:59,560 --> 00:06:01,599 Speaker 1: scrapes Pete got into, it was good to have a 81 00:06:01,640 --> 00:06:06,560 Speaker 1: man around with Johnny's particular talent for violence. However, as 82 00:06:06,600 --> 00:06:11,520 Speaker 1: the ketamine began to overtake him, Pete's thoughts weren't on Johnny. Tonight, 83 00:06:11,839 --> 00:06:15,000 Speaker 1: like almost every night, Pete's thoughts were I'm the only 84 00:06:15,040 --> 00:06:19,120 Speaker 1: man he'd ever loved his former best friend, roommate and 85 00:06:19,240 --> 00:06:26,120 Speaker 1: co founder of the Libertines, Carl Barrett. Only a few 86 00:06:26,200 --> 00:06:29,360 Speaker 1: years ago they'd been inseparable. They dropped out of school 87 00:06:29,360 --> 00:06:32,240 Speaker 1: together to form the band. They moved into a dingy 88 00:06:32,279 --> 00:06:35,479 Speaker 1: squat they called the Albion Rooms and started writing songs, 89 00:06:35,520 --> 00:06:39,480 Speaker 1: spinning out a detailed mythology for themselves as marauding pirates 90 00:06:39,520 --> 00:06:42,840 Speaker 1: sailing on the good ship Albion heading for an imaginary 91 00:06:42,920 --> 00:06:46,880 Speaker 1: rock and roll utopia they called Arcadia. It was a 92 00:06:46,920 --> 00:06:49,680 Speaker 1: mythology the British music press was only too happy to 93 00:06:49,760 --> 00:06:52,520 Speaker 1: run with. They saw Pete and Carl as the next 94 00:06:52,560 --> 00:06:55,040 Speaker 1: and a long line of competitive co leads of British 95 00:06:55,120 --> 00:06:58,040 Speaker 1: bands such as The Beatles and the Rolling Stones, the Kinks, 96 00:06:58,040 --> 00:07:02,520 Speaker 1: and Oasis. When The Strokes and other American bands kicked 97 00:07:02,520 --> 00:07:06,120 Speaker 1: off the early two thousands garage rock revival, British critics 98 00:07:06,200 --> 00:07:09,960 Speaker 1: quickly found their answer in the Libertines. The band appeared 99 00:07:10,000 --> 00:07:12,200 Speaker 1: on the cover of British Music magazine and Amy the 100 00:07:12,200 --> 00:07:15,360 Speaker 1: week they dropped their very first single. It didn't matter 101 00:07:15,400 --> 00:07:17,800 Speaker 1: that the song what a Waste was laced with so 102 00:07:17,840 --> 00:07:20,600 Speaker 1: many profanities that it could never make it onto the radio. 103 00:07:21,240 --> 00:07:23,640 Speaker 1: When their debut album Up the Bracket came out a 104 00:07:23,680 --> 00:07:26,640 Speaker 1: few months later, the magazine gave them its Best New 105 00:07:26,720 --> 00:07:30,800 Speaker 1: Band award for two thousand and three. But success bred 106 00:07:30,880 --> 00:07:34,800 Speaker 1: competition between Pete and Carl. Pete was furious when a 107 00:07:34,840 --> 00:07:38,280 Speaker 1: song featuring Carl on lead vocals was selected for the 108 00:07:38,280 --> 00:07:41,800 Speaker 1: band's performance on The Late Show with David Letterman. Carl 109 00:07:41,920 --> 00:07:44,920 Speaker 1: raged when the Pete written single Time for Heroes went 110 00:07:45,000 --> 00:07:48,440 Speaker 1: higher on the charts than his songs. Add into the 111 00:07:48,440 --> 00:07:51,720 Speaker 1: mix copious amounts of drugs, alcohol, and every other rock 112 00:07:51,760 --> 00:07:55,880 Speaker 1: and roll excess, and soon their brotherhood was curdling into bitterness. 113 00:07:56,480 --> 00:07:59,760 Speaker 1: By two thousand and six, Pete and Carl were mortal 114 00:07:59,800 --> 00:08:04,840 Speaker 1: and Pete's new band, Baby Shambles, was in constant competition 115 00:08:05,000 --> 00:08:08,320 Speaker 1: with the group Carl was leading, Dirty Pretty Things. They 116 00:08:08,360 --> 00:08:11,960 Speaker 1: competed for airplay, for tour dates, for chart position, and 117 00:08:12,040 --> 00:08:14,440 Speaker 1: in two thousand and six it looked like Carl was winning. 118 00:08:15,000 --> 00:08:17,080 Speaker 1: Dirty Pretty Things hit the top three of the UK 119 00:08:17,200 --> 00:08:19,840 Speaker 1: album charts and put three singles into the top forty, 120 00:08:19,920 --> 00:08:22,800 Speaker 1: while Pete's band had only managed a brief stint at 121 00:08:22,840 --> 00:08:28,040 Speaker 1: number ten. So between tour dates, court dates, women troubles, 122 00:08:28,240 --> 00:08:30,760 Speaker 1: and a frantic attempt to outdo Carl with his next 123 00:08:30,800 --> 00:08:34,000 Speaker 1: Baby Shambles album, Pete had a lot on his mind 124 00:08:34,040 --> 00:08:37,640 Speaker 1: that night. After the party at his hotel started getting 125 00:08:37,679 --> 00:08:39,920 Speaker 1: out of hand, Pete went looking for a place to 126 00:08:39,960 --> 00:08:42,400 Speaker 1: get stoned and chill out for a few hours to 127 00:08:42,520 --> 00:08:44,240 Speaker 1: try to get his head on straight before he had 128 00:08:44,240 --> 00:08:47,240 Speaker 1: a head back to Court in the morning. That's what 129 00:08:47,320 --> 00:08:50,280 Speaker 1: he hoped to find at his friend Paul Roundhill's apartment 130 00:08:50,360 --> 00:08:53,480 Speaker 1: that night. Paul was an artist and his apartment was 131 00:08:53,520 --> 00:08:55,880 Speaker 1: a hangout for a certain group of the in the 132 00:08:55,880 --> 00:08:59,360 Speaker 1: No London Bohemians. It was a place where Pete could 133 00:08:59,360 --> 00:09:01,840 Speaker 1: sit for a few hours or for a few days 134 00:09:01,880 --> 00:09:05,280 Speaker 1: and write songs or match wits with the painters, the poets, 135 00:09:05,280 --> 00:09:09,000 Speaker 1: and musicians constantly circling through the apartment that Paul liked 136 00:09:09,000 --> 00:09:12,840 Speaker 1: to refer to as a literary salon. Of course, the 137 00:09:12,840 --> 00:09:15,960 Speaker 1: neighbors referred to it differently. They called it a crack den. 138 00:09:16,920 --> 00:09:20,480 Speaker 1: Copious amounts of drugs were bought, sold, traded, and consumed 139 00:09:20,480 --> 00:09:22,920 Speaker 1: in the flat, and the police were called more than 140 00:09:23,000 --> 00:09:25,640 Speaker 1: once to break up a gathering. In just a few 141 00:09:25,720 --> 00:09:30,040 Speaker 1: years earlier, another British singer songwriter named Paul Cunafy wandered 142 00:09:30,080 --> 00:09:33,960 Speaker 1: out onto Paul's balcony after taking drugs and plummeted to 143 00:09:34,000 --> 00:09:37,560 Speaker 1: his death. The police ruled it was a freak accident 144 00:09:37,920 --> 00:09:41,520 Speaker 1: and no one was charged. Still, the neighbors whispered to 145 00:09:41,600 --> 00:09:45,320 Speaker 1: each other about the drugs and the wild behavior. They 146 00:09:45,360 --> 00:09:47,800 Speaker 1: all knew it was just a matter of time before 147 00:09:47,880 --> 00:10:14,920 Speaker 1: something like that happened again. Pete Daherty heard the sound 148 00:10:14,960 --> 00:10:17,600 Speaker 1: of metal grinding on metal as a prison guard slid 149 00:10:17,600 --> 00:10:20,840 Speaker 1: open the heavy iron door of his cell. He and 150 00:10:20,880 --> 00:10:23,320 Speaker 1: his three cell mates looked up in confusion as the 151 00:10:23,360 --> 00:10:27,600 Speaker 1: guard stepped aside and the prison chaplain walked in. Pete 152 00:10:27,600 --> 00:10:29,520 Speaker 1: had only been in lock up for a few days, 153 00:10:29,880 --> 00:10:32,480 Speaker 1: but He recognized the older man's salt and pepper hair 154 00:10:32,800 --> 00:10:36,400 Speaker 1: and his kind smile, a rarity in the grim atmosphere 155 00:10:36,480 --> 00:10:40,680 Speaker 1: of Sheppy prison. He was surprised as the chaplain stepped 156 00:10:40,679 --> 00:10:43,400 Speaker 1: toward him, but Pete was intrigued by what he carried 157 00:10:43,400 --> 00:10:47,240 Speaker 1: in his hand, not the hand with the Bible. Sure, 158 00:10:47,640 --> 00:10:49,800 Speaker 1: Pete had grown up going to church with his parents 159 00:10:49,800 --> 00:10:52,839 Speaker 1: and sister. His father was a major in the British Army, 160 00:10:52,920 --> 00:10:55,880 Speaker 1: so church was a familiar comfort as the family bounced 161 00:10:55,880 --> 00:10:58,760 Speaker 1: from one base to another, but it had been years 162 00:10:58,760 --> 00:11:01,840 Speaker 1: since he stepped foot inside one. It was what the 163 00:11:01,920 --> 00:11:04,640 Speaker 1: chaplain carried in his other hand that caught Pete's attention, 164 00:11:05,559 --> 00:11:10,000 Speaker 1: a battered acoustic guitar. The instrument was scratched and scuffed, 165 00:11:10,320 --> 00:11:13,160 Speaker 1: and it was missing two strings. But after a month 166 00:11:13,200 --> 00:11:19,000 Speaker 1: without touching a guitar, Pete was jones in when he 167 00:11:19,040 --> 00:11:22,079 Speaker 1: reported for lock up. Pete was terrified about going through 168 00:11:22,120 --> 00:11:25,560 Speaker 1: heroin withdrawal in prison, but he didn't need to worry. 169 00:11:26,040 --> 00:11:28,760 Speaker 1: It turned out scoring drugs in jail was even easier 170 00:11:28,760 --> 00:11:31,520 Speaker 1: than on the street. But what he hadn't counted on 171 00:11:31,920 --> 00:11:35,360 Speaker 1: was how hard it would be to withdraw from music. Now, 172 00:11:35,440 --> 00:11:37,720 Speaker 1: the chaplain was holding the guitar as he bent down 173 00:11:37,760 --> 00:11:40,560 Speaker 1: to look Pete in the eye. Pete's mom had written 174 00:11:40,640 --> 00:11:42,560 Speaker 1: him a letter begging him to check in on her son. 175 00:11:43,720 --> 00:11:46,640 Speaker 1: His explanation had Pete's cell mate snickering with laughter, but 176 00:11:47,120 --> 00:11:50,439 Speaker 1: Pete pretended not to hear it. It was two thousand 177 00:11:50,480 --> 00:11:52,720 Speaker 1: and three and Pete was only a few days into 178 00:11:52,720 --> 00:11:55,560 Speaker 1: his first stint in jail, but he was quickly learning 179 00:11:55,559 --> 00:11:58,280 Speaker 1: to keep his head down. There were some people in 180 00:11:58,320 --> 00:12:00,439 Speaker 1: this prison eager to make a name for themselves by 181 00:12:00,480 --> 00:12:03,760 Speaker 1: thrashing a quasi famous musician, like the guy who came 182 00:12:03,800 --> 00:12:05,760 Speaker 1: after him with a sockfull and nuts and bolts on 183 00:12:05,800 --> 00:12:09,080 Speaker 1: his first night in lock up. Fame put a target 184 00:12:09,080 --> 00:12:13,000 Speaker 1: on his back, so did his well publicized heroin problem. 185 00:12:13,559 --> 00:12:16,360 Speaker 1: On his second day at Shepy, three prisoners burst into 186 00:12:16,360 --> 00:12:18,760 Speaker 1: his cell while he was alone. They backed him into 187 00:12:18,760 --> 00:12:21,679 Speaker 1: a corner and then strongly implied that they could score 188 00:12:21,720 --> 00:12:24,640 Speaker 1: him heroin as long as Pete was willing to. Shall 189 00:12:24,679 --> 00:12:29,640 Speaker 1: we say, return the favor. So Pete ignored the laughter 190 00:12:29,720 --> 00:12:32,520 Speaker 1: from his cellmates and accepted the chaplain's invitation to take 191 00:12:32,520 --> 00:12:35,240 Speaker 1: a walk. He knew a sermon was coming his way, 192 00:12:35,679 --> 00:12:37,080 Speaker 1: but it was worth it if he got a few 193 00:12:37,120 --> 00:12:41,040 Speaker 1: minutes with the guitar. As they walked across the prison grounds, 194 00:12:41,080 --> 00:12:43,840 Speaker 1: the chaplain launched into a speech about Pete's drug use. 195 00:12:44,760 --> 00:12:47,760 Speaker 1: Pete pretended to listen, but his eyes were locked on 196 00:12:47,800 --> 00:12:52,440 Speaker 1: the guitar, until finally the chaplain handed it over. He 197 00:12:52,480 --> 00:12:54,520 Speaker 1: told Pete he could play for twenty minutes before he 198 00:12:54,559 --> 00:12:57,280 Speaker 1: had to go back in his cell. Pete grabbed the 199 00:12:57,320 --> 00:12:59,680 Speaker 1: worn down instrument and sat on a sunny patch of 200 00:12:59,679 --> 00:13:03,720 Speaker 1: grass outside the prison's ugly stone chapel. He tuned up 201 00:13:03,720 --> 00:13:06,319 Speaker 1: the four strings as best he could and started strumming 202 00:13:06,360 --> 00:13:09,160 Speaker 1: through the first song that came into his head. It 203 00:13:09,280 --> 00:13:11,800 Speaker 1: was a song still bouncing around the UK Top one 204 00:13:11,880 --> 00:13:15,560 Speaker 1: hundred singles chart, a velvet underground oasis mashup that he 205 00:13:15,600 --> 00:13:18,840 Speaker 1: wrote with Carl that they called Don't Look Back into 206 00:13:18,840 --> 00:13:21,520 Speaker 1: the Sun. Tears welled up in his eyes as he 207 00:13:21,559 --> 00:13:24,440 Speaker 1: remembered the last time he heard it, a few weeks ago. 208 00:13:24,720 --> 00:13:27,840 Speaker 1: He was crashing at a friend's apartment waiting to be sentenced. 209 00:13:28,480 --> 00:13:31,200 Speaker 1: He flipped on the television one night and saw Carl 210 00:13:31,280 --> 00:13:33,439 Speaker 1: and the rest of the Libertines with another guitarist in 211 00:13:33,480 --> 00:13:36,880 Speaker 1: Pete's place, bashing through the song on BBC's Top of 212 00:13:36,920 --> 00:13:40,560 Speaker 1: the Pops. Seeing the band on television without him was painful, 213 00:13:41,280 --> 00:13:43,839 Speaker 1: but now strumming the song alone in the prison yard, 214 00:13:44,280 --> 00:13:46,480 Speaker 1: the reality of what he had done finally began to 215 00:13:46,520 --> 00:13:50,400 Speaker 1: sink in. Pete was in jail for a crime so bizarre, 216 00:13:50,640 --> 00:13:54,040 Speaker 1: so shocking, so utterly stupid, that he wondered if he 217 00:13:54,080 --> 00:13:59,720 Speaker 1: would ever play with the Libertines again. Back in July, 218 00:13:59,800 --> 00:14:02,080 Speaker 1: the rest of the Libertines were out playing the Fuji 219 00:14:02,160 --> 00:14:05,680 Speaker 1: Rock Festival in Japan, but Carl had insisted Pete's stay 220 00:14:05,720 --> 00:14:09,240 Speaker 1: home until he could clean up. Rather than taking Carl's advice, 221 00:14:09,559 --> 00:14:12,240 Speaker 1: Pete took the opportunity to go on a bender, all 222 00:14:12,280 --> 00:14:14,719 Speaker 1: the while getting angrier and angrier at the demand from 223 00:14:14,720 --> 00:14:18,480 Speaker 1: his friend. Finally, he convinced someone to drive him over 224 00:14:18,480 --> 00:14:20,640 Speaker 1: to the central London flat that Carl shared with his 225 00:14:20,720 --> 00:14:23,600 Speaker 1: sister to see if his bandmate really was off in Japan. 226 00:14:25,160 --> 00:14:28,120 Speaker 1: The apartment was empty when Pete arrived, but after three 227 00:14:28,200 --> 00:14:30,560 Speaker 1: days of smoking crack, he was convinced he could see 228 00:14:30,600 --> 00:14:33,480 Speaker 1: shadows moving inside of the room. He banged on the 229 00:14:33,480 --> 00:14:36,040 Speaker 1: door and demanded that Karl come out and face him, 230 00:14:36,400 --> 00:14:38,920 Speaker 1: and when there was no answer, he kicked in the door, 231 00:14:39,440 --> 00:14:43,160 Speaker 1: leaving a size eleven Rebok print clearly visible. He wandered 232 00:14:43,160 --> 00:14:46,280 Speaker 1: through Carl's living room, in between paintings and pictures of 233 00:14:46,320 --> 00:14:49,080 Speaker 1: the band, where there was a large framed poster from 234 00:14:49,120 --> 00:14:53,720 Speaker 1: a Libertines gig Carl had played without him. Rage boiled up, 235 00:14:54,080 --> 00:14:57,040 Speaker 1: Pete wanted to burn the poster. He wanted to ransack 236 00:14:57,120 --> 00:15:01,480 Speaker 1: the apartment instead. He quickly grabbed one of Carl's vintage guitars, 237 00:15:01,600 --> 00:15:05,000 Speaker 1: a harmonica, a laptop, and some cash from Carl's sister's 238 00:15:05,040 --> 00:15:07,320 Speaker 1: room and he threw the items in the back of 239 00:15:07,320 --> 00:15:10,160 Speaker 1: his friend's red Ford Fiesta and they headed home, where 240 00:15:10,200 --> 00:15:14,280 Speaker 1: Pete promptly passed out. When he woke up the next day, 241 00:15:14,720 --> 00:15:18,080 Speaker 1: he barely remembered the break in until the police showed up. 242 00:15:18,920 --> 00:15:21,320 Speaker 1: Thanks to a tip from Pete's girlfriend, who thought he 243 00:15:21,400 --> 00:15:23,800 Speaker 1: needed a wake up call. As well as the shoeprint 244 00:15:23,840 --> 00:15:26,600 Speaker 1: from Carl's front door, cops had all they needed to 245 00:15:26,600 --> 00:15:32,120 Speaker 1: book Pete for burglary. In the memory came roaring back. 246 00:15:32,160 --> 00:15:35,240 Speaker 1: As Pete finished playing the song on the battered acoustic guitar, 247 00:15:36,080 --> 00:15:39,560 Speaker 1: he felt fat tears rolling down his face, but he 248 00:15:39,600 --> 00:15:42,360 Speaker 1: also felt the wood of the instrument reverberate against his 249 00:15:42,440 --> 00:15:47,800 Speaker 1: skin and the steel strings against his fingertips, pure uncut music. 250 00:15:48,120 --> 00:15:51,160 Speaker 1: After what seemed like an eternity without it, for just 251 00:15:51,200 --> 00:15:53,880 Speaker 1: a moment, he could imagine a world where music was 252 00:15:53,880 --> 00:15:57,040 Speaker 1: all he needed. He could repair his relationship with Carl, 253 00:15:57,400 --> 00:16:00,480 Speaker 1: he could reunite the band, he could leave the drugs behind, 254 00:16:01,560 --> 00:16:03,560 Speaker 1: and for the rest of his time in prison, that's 255 00:16:03,640 --> 00:16:07,240 Speaker 1: more or less what Pete the already did. On October eighth, 256 00:16:07,320 --> 00:16:09,680 Speaker 1: two thousand and three, when he was released after serving 257 00:16:09,720 --> 00:16:11,480 Speaker 1: two months, he was as clean as he had been 258 00:16:11,560 --> 00:16:14,640 Speaker 1: in years, and when he walked out of the prison gates, 259 00:16:14,840 --> 00:16:18,400 Speaker 1: paparazzi were waiting to snap his picture. There was someone 260 00:16:18,400 --> 00:16:22,160 Speaker 1: else waiting for him as well, Carl Barrett. Carl hugged 261 00:16:22,160 --> 00:16:25,000 Speaker 1: Pete in an embrace and tossed him into the passenger seat, 262 00:16:25,320 --> 00:16:28,080 Speaker 1: and the pair tore asked toward Kent, and they weren't 263 00:16:28,080 --> 00:16:29,960 Speaker 1: going to take it easy on Pete's first night on 264 00:16:30,000 --> 00:16:35,440 Speaker 1: the outside, not by a long shot. They were headed 265 00:16:35,480 --> 00:16:37,640 Speaker 1: for a small pub and music club called the Tap 266 00:16:37,680 --> 00:16:40,360 Speaker 1: and Tin. A young booking agent who worked there had 267 00:16:40,360 --> 00:16:43,320 Speaker 1: been writing letters to Pete while he was locked up. Together, 268 00:16:43,360 --> 00:16:46,520 Speaker 1: they planned a small acoustics show informally billed as the 269 00:16:46,560 --> 00:16:49,760 Speaker 1: Pete Daugherty Freedom Gig, But now the buzz was building 270 00:16:49,800 --> 00:16:51,280 Speaker 1: that this is going to be much more than the 271 00:16:51,320 --> 00:16:54,760 Speaker 1: solo acoustic performance from Pete. Tonight would be a full 272 00:16:54,760 --> 00:16:59,120 Speaker 1: blown Libertines reunion. When the pub opened, more than three 273 00:16:59,200 --> 00:17:02,480 Speaker 1: hundred people squeak into a space designed for half that number, 274 00:17:03,040 --> 00:17:04,679 Speaker 1: and by the time the band hit the stage, it 275 00:17:04,720 --> 00:17:08,680 Speaker 1: was pure pandemonium. Kids were everywhere Poe, going up and down, 276 00:17:08,880 --> 00:17:11,560 Speaker 1: climbing onto the stage, and working themselves into a frenzy 277 00:17:11,600 --> 00:17:14,600 Speaker 1: while the band ripped through a dozen cathartic songs. It 278 00:17:14,640 --> 00:17:17,080 Speaker 1: was free wheeling rock and roll chaos at its best. 279 00:17:18,080 --> 00:17:20,359 Speaker 1: Enemy would eventually declare the Freedom Show the gig of 280 00:17:20,400 --> 00:17:23,159 Speaker 1: the decade. They sent a photographer to document the night. 281 00:17:23,840 --> 00:17:26,280 Speaker 1: He snapped the backstage picture of Karl with his arm 282 00:17:26,320 --> 00:17:29,000 Speaker 1: around a bleary looking Pete Dharerty, both showing off their 283 00:17:29,119 --> 00:17:33,400 Speaker 1: matching Libertine tattoos. It was an iconic indie rock image 284 00:17:33,520 --> 00:17:37,199 Speaker 1: that would eventually adorn the cover of the second Libertines album. 285 00:17:37,600 --> 00:17:40,720 Speaker 1: Not Everything ended on a high note, though someone in 286 00:17:40,760 --> 00:17:43,280 Speaker 1: the crowd passed Pete some heroin and he shot up 287 00:17:43,320 --> 00:17:47,639 Speaker 1: in the bathroom despite promising that he wouldn't. Later, the 288 00:17:47,680 --> 00:17:50,880 Speaker 1: party spilled out into the street in an improvised congo line, 289 00:17:51,240 --> 00:17:53,600 Speaker 1: and Carl tried to jump a parking meter and missed. 290 00:17:54,080 --> 00:17:56,159 Speaker 1: He landed on his chin and skidd it a solid 291 00:17:56,200 --> 00:18:00,240 Speaker 1: ten feet across the sidewalk. When he stood up, Bood 292 00:18:00,320 --> 00:18:02,439 Speaker 1: was soaking his white T shirt and there was a 293 00:18:02,480 --> 00:18:04,720 Speaker 1: hole in his chin so big that he could see 294 00:18:04,760 --> 00:18:07,879 Speaker 1: his teeth through it. A few dozen stitches and a 295 00:18:07,920 --> 00:18:10,800 Speaker 1: small scar seemed a worthy price for a memorable night. 296 00:18:11,560 --> 00:18:14,719 Speaker 1: Pete and Carl both felt hopeful about the renewed partnership 297 00:18:15,080 --> 00:18:19,159 Speaker 1: and a second Libertines album. For a moment, things seemed bright, 298 00:18:19,840 --> 00:18:24,359 Speaker 1: but darkness was looming for Pete. More drugs, more chaos, 299 00:18:24,840 --> 00:18:34,080 Speaker 1: and more bloodshed. We'll be right back after this. We're 300 00:18:34,359 --> 00:18:42,440 Speaker 1: We're where. March two thousand and four. Mick Jones of 301 00:18:42,520 --> 00:18:45,840 Speaker 1: The Clash was feeling it. He had his hands up 302 00:18:45,880 --> 00:18:47,760 Speaker 1: in the air and his hips were swinging in that 303 00:18:47,800 --> 00:18:50,840 Speaker 1: little dance that he always did During a great studio take. 304 00:18:51,880 --> 00:18:54,880 Speaker 1: In the tracking room, the Libertines were slamming their way 305 00:18:54,920 --> 00:18:57,840 Speaker 1: through a new song called Can't Stand Me Now, their 306 00:18:57,880 --> 00:19:01,480 Speaker 1: first of the day. Signed on to produce the album. 307 00:19:01,800 --> 00:19:03,800 Speaker 1: Was listening in the control room and he liked what 308 00:19:03,880 --> 00:19:06,840 Speaker 1: he heard. The song was written by Pete as a duet. 309 00:19:07,320 --> 00:19:09,639 Speaker 1: It was a song about a love gone wrong. It 310 00:19:09,680 --> 00:19:13,640 Speaker 1: wasn't about Kate Moss, who Pete wouldn't meet for another year. Instead, 311 00:19:13,680 --> 00:19:16,719 Speaker 1: it was about the love between him and Carl. It 312 00:19:16,760 --> 00:19:19,719 Speaker 1: was structured like an English indie rock version of Johnny 313 00:19:19,800 --> 00:19:23,720 Speaker 1: Cash and June Carter's Jackson, only instead of a married 314 00:19:23,760 --> 00:19:26,640 Speaker 1: couple bickering about the flame going out, it was two 315 00:19:26,680 --> 00:19:30,080 Speaker 1: brothers calling each other out for controlling behavior and rampant 316 00:19:30,119 --> 00:19:35,440 Speaker 1: smack addictions. Mick was nervous about starting with this one. 317 00:19:35,920 --> 00:19:39,280 Speaker 1: The lyrics were so raw, direct, but it quickly became 318 00:19:39,359 --> 00:19:42,680 Speaker 1: clear he didn't have any choice. Although the band booked 319 00:19:42,680 --> 00:19:45,280 Speaker 1: a week of rehearsals before the session, this was the 320 00:19:45,320 --> 00:19:49,240 Speaker 1: only song they had ready. Watching Pete and Carl leaning 321 00:19:49,280 --> 00:19:52,359 Speaker 1: into their lines, shouting back and forth, he knew it 322 00:19:52,400 --> 00:19:55,680 Speaker 1: was worth the risk. The electricity of their performance was 323 00:19:55,720 --> 00:20:00,560 Speaker 1: impossible to miss. Standing practically nosed to nose, two frontmen 324 00:20:00,680 --> 00:20:03,719 Speaker 1: conjured up years of frustration in three and a half minutes, 325 00:20:04,640 --> 00:20:07,560 Speaker 1: Mick knew the song was a winner. That's why I 326 00:20:07,680 --> 00:20:10,639 Speaker 1: was working with Pete and Carl again despite all the hassles, 327 00:20:11,240 --> 00:20:17,720 Speaker 1: because they made great music. Mick had also produced the 328 00:20:17,760 --> 00:20:21,439 Speaker 1: band's debut album, Up the Bracket. Back then. Pete and 329 00:20:21,480 --> 00:20:24,160 Speaker 1: Carl have been a handful, but Mick had been through 330 00:20:24,200 --> 00:20:27,000 Speaker 1: his share of tense studio sessions with Joe Strummer and 331 00:20:27,040 --> 00:20:29,919 Speaker 1: they still managed to make plenty of great albums. He 332 00:20:29,960 --> 00:20:33,680 Speaker 1: could handle the tension, and his steady hand and umpeccable 333 00:20:33,760 --> 00:20:37,480 Speaker 1: rock credentials kept Pete and Carl relatively restrained during sessions 334 00:20:37,480 --> 00:20:40,040 Speaker 1: for the first album, which snuck onto the top forty 335 00:20:40,040 --> 00:20:43,200 Speaker 1: of the UK album charts a year later. The follow 336 00:20:43,280 --> 00:20:46,520 Speaker 1: up album was hotly anticipated by fans in the music press. 337 00:20:47,160 --> 00:20:49,080 Speaker 1: No one had any doubt that it would hit number 338 00:20:49,080 --> 00:20:51,520 Speaker 1: one if they could actually get it made. That is, 339 00:20:52,240 --> 00:20:54,600 Speaker 1: Mick knew that the last time Pete and Carl spent 340 00:20:54,680 --> 00:20:56,919 Speaker 1: more than forty eight hours together, they were supposed to 341 00:20:56,920 --> 00:20:59,120 Speaker 1: work on new songs for the album at the home 342 00:20:59,200 --> 00:21:03,040 Speaker 1: or their manager, Alan McGhee. Instead, they got into a 343 00:21:03,080 --> 00:21:05,320 Speaker 1: fight and Carl got so drunk that he bashed his 344 00:21:05,359 --> 00:21:08,000 Speaker 1: face into a bathroom sink until his eye was literally 345 00:21:08,040 --> 00:21:11,040 Speaker 1: hanging out of the socket and he needed seventy stitches 346 00:21:11,080 --> 00:21:14,480 Speaker 1: to repair the damage, so Mick was more than a 347 00:21:14,480 --> 00:21:17,600 Speaker 1: little concerned about the prospect of Pete and Carl spending 348 00:21:17,600 --> 00:21:21,040 Speaker 1: a week recording together in the same room. The bodyguards 349 00:21:21,040 --> 00:21:23,800 Speaker 1: would help, though, Alan McGee, who had dealt with a 350 00:21:23,840 --> 00:21:27,040 Speaker 1: share of combustible brotherhoods as the manager of Oasis and 351 00:21:27,080 --> 00:21:30,160 Speaker 1: the Jesus in the Mary Chain, decided to hire bodyguards 352 00:21:30,160 --> 00:21:32,040 Speaker 1: for Pete and Carl to make sure they didn't try 353 00:21:32,040 --> 00:21:35,280 Speaker 1: to kill each other during the recording sessions. The presence 354 00:21:35,280 --> 00:21:38,720 Speaker 1: of the two burly men unnerved Mick, but fortunately, the 355 00:21:38,800 --> 00:21:41,159 Speaker 1: vibes have been great so far, and the bodyguards had 356 00:21:41,200 --> 00:21:45,320 Speaker 1: spent most of the morning shooting pool. In the tracking room, 357 00:21:45,520 --> 00:21:48,119 Speaker 1: the band brought the song to a thunder and climax. 358 00:21:48,680 --> 00:21:50,920 Speaker 1: The ending was so good that Mick made a mental 359 00:21:50,960 --> 00:21:53,199 Speaker 1: note to try cutting it and using it as a 360 00:21:53,240 --> 00:21:56,240 Speaker 1: song's intro. It seemed like the right move for a 361 00:21:56,320 --> 00:21:59,679 Speaker 1: song that was about an ending. Mick motioned for the 362 00:21:59,680 --> 00:22:01,920 Speaker 1: band to join him in the control room. He lit 363 00:22:01,960 --> 00:22:04,359 Speaker 1: a spliff and inhaled as he sat back in a chair. 364 00:22:05,119 --> 00:22:08,000 Speaker 1: The band, the pair of studio engineers, and the bodyguards 365 00:22:08,200 --> 00:22:10,600 Speaker 1: all filed into the room and stood around a long 366 00:22:10,680 --> 00:22:14,560 Speaker 1: glass coffee table, Hearing the song again through the speakers, 367 00:22:14,920 --> 00:22:16,960 Speaker 1: it was clear to Mick that they had just captured 368 00:22:17,040 --> 00:22:20,280 Speaker 1: lightning in a bottle. The song practically jumped out of 369 00:22:20,280 --> 00:22:23,560 Speaker 1: the speakers. It felt like a number one song. Not 370 00:22:23,600 --> 00:22:26,679 Speaker 1: wanting to lose momentum, Mick quickly asked Pete and Carl 371 00:22:26,720 --> 00:22:29,320 Speaker 1: what song they wanted to do next. Carl threw out 372 00:22:29,359 --> 00:22:32,480 Speaker 1: a suggestion and Pete shot it down. Pete suggested another, 373 00:22:32,520 --> 00:22:35,120 Speaker 1: but Carl spat back that that song didn't seem finished. 374 00:22:36,000 --> 00:22:39,600 Speaker 1: Mick felt the tension rising in the room. Pete suggested 375 00:22:39,640 --> 00:22:42,360 Speaker 1: they set up a small digital recorder at Carl's apartment 376 00:22:42,440 --> 00:22:43,960 Speaker 1: so the two of them could flush out a few 377 00:22:43,960 --> 00:22:48,920 Speaker 1: of the songs between sessions. Carl's eyes narrowed into slits. 378 00:22:49,960 --> 00:22:52,720 Speaker 1: You mean the apartment that you broke into, he asked. 379 00:22:53,840 --> 00:22:56,400 Speaker 1: Everyone was silent. That's the question hung in the air, 380 00:22:57,080 --> 00:23:00,000 Speaker 1: and Carl continued, My sister won't even let you step 381 00:23:00,040 --> 00:23:03,800 Speaker 1: foot in the apartment. Mick stubbed out the spliff in 382 00:23:03,840 --> 00:23:06,800 Speaker 1: an ashtray and jumped up from his seat. Time to 383 00:23:06,880 --> 00:23:10,119 Speaker 1: jump in before things got worse. So he walked across 384 00:23:10,160 --> 00:23:12,920 Speaker 1: the control room and saw Pete staring speechless at Carl 385 00:23:12,960 --> 00:23:15,640 Speaker 1: from across the glass table. He looked like he might 386 00:23:15,680 --> 00:23:19,879 Speaker 1: break into tears or possibly rip Carl's head off. Better 387 00:23:19,880 --> 00:23:22,840 Speaker 1: to start off with a gentle approach, Mick thought to himself. 388 00:23:23,480 --> 00:23:27,200 Speaker 1: He reached an arm toward Pete and Carl. Boys, boys, 389 00:23:27,400 --> 00:23:31,760 Speaker 1: what's all this about? He asked softly. Carl looked at 390 00:23:31,760 --> 00:23:35,280 Speaker 1: Pete with a sneer, his eyes were still burning with anger. 391 00:23:35,680 --> 00:23:39,240 Speaker 1: It's nothing, Mick, he said. Pete just can't handle his brown. 392 00:23:39,920 --> 00:23:43,320 Speaker 1: Before Mick could react, Pete launched himself across the glass 393 00:23:43,359 --> 00:23:46,040 Speaker 1: table at Carl. As he tackled Carl, they both went 394 00:23:46,080 --> 00:23:48,680 Speaker 1: down in a heap, and Pete started punching him wildly 395 00:23:48,720 --> 00:23:52,200 Speaker 1: in his face and stomach. Mick was shocked. In the past, 396 00:23:52,280 --> 00:23:54,680 Speaker 1: Carl had been the more aggressive one. Pete would rather 397 00:23:54,760 --> 00:23:58,720 Speaker 1: run than fight, but maybe prison had changed him. Fortunately, 398 00:23:59,080 --> 00:24:02,520 Speaker 1: the two bodyguards rushed in. One easily lifted Pete in 399 00:24:02,560 --> 00:24:04,879 Speaker 1: the air by the waistband of his genes, and the 400 00:24:04,920 --> 00:24:07,359 Speaker 1: other held Carl back as he screamed about wanted to 401 00:24:07,359 --> 00:24:16,080 Speaker 1: finish things outside. After struggling for a few minutes, eventually 402 00:24:16,160 --> 00:24:19,720 Speaker 1: both Pete and Carl calmed down. Mick shared a few 403 00:24:19,800 --> 00:24:22,480 Speaker 1: choice and anecdotes about scrapes he and Joe Strummer got 404 00:24:22,480 --> 00:24:25,800 Speaker 1: into while recording Combat Rock, and they even managed to 405 00:24:25,840 --> 00:24:29,040 Speaker 1: lay down a few more songs that day. But after 406 00:24:29,080 --> 00:24:31,720 Speaker 1: the fight and the emotional drain of recording Can't Stand 407 00:24:31,760 --> 00:24:37,760 Speaker 1: Me Now, Pete's heart wasn't in it. Something about hearing 408 00:24:37,760 --> 00:24:40,040 Speaker 1: the words he had written for Carl being sung back 409 00:24:40,040 --> 00:24:43,080 Speaker 1: at him. He'd always imagined that Carl hated him on 410 00:24:43,119 --> 00:24:47,560 Speaker 1: some level. After recording the song, he knew it was true, 411 00:24:47,600 --> 00:24:50,680 Speaker 1: and thanks to the tenacity of his bodyguard, Pete showed 412 00:24:50,760 --> 00:24:53,560 Speaker 1: up for the next few sessions, but his partnership with 413 00:24:53,640 --> 00:24:58,399 Speaker 1: Carl had fractured beyond repair. Besides, Pete was looking forward 414 00:24:58,400 --> 00:25:02,480 Speaker 1: to new bands, new experience. It's his new friends, like 415 00:25:02,520 --> 00:25:04,800 Speaker 1: the ones who were hanging around his apartment every morning 416 00:25:04,800 --> 00:25:08,679 Speaker 1: when his bodyguard showed up, the crack dealers and groupies 417 00:25:08,720 --> 00:25:12,120 Speaker 1: and another so called artists that inhabited his world now. 418 00:25:13,400 --> 00:25:15,600 Speaker 1: While the rest of the Libertines were mixing the album, 419 00:25:16,040 --> 00:25:19,160 Speaker 1: Pete was in rehab and when the band was playing festivals, 420 00:25:19,480 --> 00:25:22,520 Speaker 1: Pete was in court on a series of drug possession charges, 421 00:25:23,040 --> 00:25:25,040 Speaker 1: and by the time the second album hit number one 422 00:25:25,040 --> 00:25:28,520 Speaker 1: on the charts. Pete was out of the band indefinitely. 423 00:25:29,560 --> 00:25:32,520 Speaker 1: Without Carl trying to rein him in, Pete's drug use 424 00:25:32,520 --> 00:25:36,680 Speaker 1: spiraled even further out of control. Chaos followed him everywhere, 425 00:25:37,200 --> 00:25:42,479 Speaker 1: violent altercations with paparazzi, trashed hotel rooms, canceled gigs, and 426 00:25:42,560 --> 00:25:45,639 Speaker 1: on one fateful December night, for an unknown actor with 427 00:25:45,760 --> 00:25:49,440 Speaker 1: dreams of stardom, a brush with Pete Doherty would mark 428 00:25:49,520 --> 00:26:19,760 Speaker 1: his last night on Earth among the living. Mark Blanco 429 00:26:19,960 --> 00:26:22,879 Speaker 1: started off his Saturday evening on December two, two thousand 430 00:26:22,920 --> 00:26:26,240 Speaker 1: and six, like he did most Saturdays, at the George Tavern. 431 00:26:26,960 --> 00:26:30,879 Speaker 1: Mark was intelligent, Cambridge educated. He was a trained actor, 432 00:26:31,240 --> 00:26:33,520 Speaker 1: and his friends said he had real talent, but he 433 00:26:33,520 --> 00:26:37,000 Speaker 1: struggled to land roles. He also struggled to connect with 434 00:26:37,040 --> 00:26:40,080 Speaker 1: people off stage. He had a hard time finding his 435 00:26:40,160 --> 00:26:43,720 Speaker 1: place in the vast London arts scene at the George Tavern, 436 00:26:43,800 --> 00:26:47,280 Speaker 1: though he finally felt like he'd found a community here. 437 00:26:47,400 --> 00:26:50,360 Speaker 1: He made friends with artists like Paul Roundhill, whose so 438 00:26:50,440 --> 00:26:54,320 Speaker 1: called literary Salon was just around the corner. The George 439 00:26:54,359 --> 00:26:57,000 Speaker 1: Tavern was where Mark Blanco decided to put on a play. 440 00:26:57,600 --> 00:26:59,679 Speaker 1: He was thirty years old, and tired of feeling like 441 00:26:59,760 --> 00:27:02,439 Speaker 1: life was slipping by. He was tired of waiting for 442 00:27:02,480 --> 00:27:06,560 Speaker 1: some director to cast him. Instead, with the helpsome friends, 443 00:27:06,600 --> 00:27:08,919 Speaker 1: he would put on his own production right there at 444 00:27:08,960 --> 00:27:12,440 Speaker 1: the Tavern. For his debut, he chose Accidental Death of 445 00:27:12,480 --> 00:27:15,520 Speaker 1: an Anarchist, an Italian play based on the real life 446 00:27:15,560 --> 00:27:18,639 Speaker 1: death of Giuseppe Pinelli, an anarchist who fell to his 447 00:27:18,760 --> 00:27:23,720 Speaker 1: death under suspicious circumstances while in police custody. Mark threw 448 00:27:23,800 --> 00:27:26,600 Speaker 1: himself into the production. He acted in the lead role, 449 00:27:26,800 --> 00:27:29,600 Speaker 1: he directed, He did the marketing, which is why as 450 00:27:29,640 --> 00:27:31,399 Speaker 1: he put away a few pints at the George that 451 00:27:31,480 --> 00:27:33,800 Speaker 1: Saturday night, he had a stack of flyers for the 452 00:27:33,840 --> 00:27:37,639 Speaker 1: show tucked into his jacket pocket. As he ordered another round, 453 00:27:37,920 --> 00:27:40,200 Speaker 1: a friend popped into the pub with an excited look, 454 00:27:40,520 --> 00:27:42,600 Speaker 1: and he said that the rock star Pete Dahart he 455 00:27:42,600 --> 00:27:46,200 Speaker 1: had just turned up at Paul Roundhill's apartment. When Mark 456 00:27:46,280 --> 00:27:49,240 Speaker 1: heard the name, his ears perked up. He knew from 457 00:27:49,240 --> 00:27:51,959 Speaker 1: the tabloids about Pete's reputation as a druggie and as 458 00:27:52,040 --> 00:27:55,280 Speaker 1: half of a celebrity couple with Kate Mosss, but he 459 00:27:55,359 --> 00:27:58,199 Speaker 1: also read that Pete was a true artist, someone with 460 00:27:58,280 --> 00:28:02,880 Speaker 1: deep knowledge of poetry, book and plays hell. He'd named 461 00:28:02,880 --> 00:28:06,240 Speaker 1: his band after a Marquis de Sade novel in short, 462 00:28:06,400 --> 00:28:08,360 Speaker 1: Pete Dahert. He was the kind of man who might 463 00:28:08,400 --> 00:28:11,240 Speaker 1: be interested in a new do it yourself theater production. 464 00:28:12,080 --> 00:28:14,240 Speaker 1: If you could get Pete to attend the play, then 465 00:28:14,240 --> 00:28:16,920 Speaker 1: he had no doubt that attendance would go through the roof. 466 00:28:17,400 --> 00:28:20,240 Speaker 1: Then the play would be a success. And Mark was 467 00:28:20,280 --> 00:28:26,080 Speaker 1: determined to make it a success. So Mark set off 468 00:28:26,080 --> 00:28:30,040 Speaker 1: for Paul Roundhill's apartment, arriving just around midnight, and whether 469 00:28:30,080 --> 00:28:32,720 Speaker 1: it was the excitement, the pints, or his all consuming 470 00:28:32,720 --> 00:28:35,919 Speaker 1: desire to make the play a success, witnesses say he 471 00:28:36,000 --> 00:28:39,360 Speaker 1: was drunk and aggressive, or at least overly enthusiastic when 472 00:28:39,360 --> 00:28:42,520 Speaker 1: he began talking to Pete about the play. He cornered 473 00:28:42,520 --> 00:28:46,240 Speaker 1: Pete badgered him about attending, and then when Paul and 474 00:28:46,240 --> 00:28:49,640 Speaker 1: Pete's bodyguard, Johnny Hedlock, tried to back him away from Pete, 475 00:28:50,200 --> 00:28:54,120 Speaker 1: he refused to leave. Pushing and shoving broke out. Witnesses 476 00:28:54,120 --> 00:28:57,000 Speaker 1: from the apartment building heard screams, and then Johnny Headlock 477 00:28:57,000 --> 00:29:00,240 Speaker 1: and Paul forcibly pushed him out of the building. Taking 478 00:29:00,240 --> 00:29:04,560 Speaker 1: a few steps away, Mark Blanco decided to return. Why 479 00:29:05,240 --> 00:29:08,200 Speaker 1: Maybe he left something behind, Maybe he wanted to get 480 00:29:08,200 --> 00:29:11,840 Speaker 1: the final word. Maybe, as Pete suggested, he wanted to 481 00:29:11,840 --> 00:29:16,040 Speaker 1: make a dark, artistic statement with the brutal final act. 482 00:29:16,600 --> 00:29:19,680 Speaker 1: What we do know is that just fifty seven seconds later, 483 00:29:20,000 --> 00:29:22,800 Speaker 1: the same security camera that captured him leaving the building 484 00:29:23,120 --> 00:29:26,440 Speaker 1: showed his body plummeting to the ground and hitting the sidewalk. 485 00:29:27,440 --> 00:29:31,320 Speaker 1: What happened to Mark Blanco? The police were quick to 486 00:29:31,360 --> 00:29:35,120 Speaker 1: rule the death a suicide and later an accident, but 487 00:29:35,200 --> 00:29:39,520 Speaker 1: there's no evidence that Mark Blanco was suicidal. Toxicology reports 488 00:29:39,520 --> 00:29:41,720 Speaker 1: didn't show any drugs in his system, although his blood 489 00:29:41,720 --> 00:29:45,360 Speaker 1: alcohol level was elevated. A forensic analyst claimed that reverse 490 00:29:45,440 --> 00:29:48,480 Speaker 1: projection techniques indicate a second person was on the balcony 491 00:29:48,520 --> 00:29:52,600 Speaker 1: with Mark Blanco before he died. The security camera shows 492 00:29:52,640 --> 00:29:56,360 Speaker 1: Pete Daugherty, a young woman, and his bodyguard all running 493 00:29:56,440 --> 00:30:00,480 Speaker 1: from the scene moments after Mark's body was discovered. They 494 00:30:00,520 --> 00:30:03,720 Speaker 1: stepped right by the prone body, paused to yell something 495 00:30:03,760 --> 00:30:07,280 Speaker 1: up at the balcony, and then sprint away. Was this 496 00:30:07,320 --> 00:30:10,080 Speaker 1: because Pete already wanted to avoid another arrest for drug 497 00:30:10,120 --> 00:30:14,560 Speaker 1: possession and another negative tabloid headline, or was it because 498 00:30:14,600 --> 00:30:17,640 Speaker 1: they knew something more about what happened to Mark Blanco. 499 00:30:20,040 --> 00:30:24,200 Speaker 1: There's also this. Two weeks after the death, Johnny Hedlock 500 00:30:24,280 --> 00:30:27,960 Speaker 1: walked into a police station and confessed to murdering Mark Blanco. 501 00:30:28,520 --> 00:30:32,000 Speaker 1: You heard that right. He confessed to the crime, but 502 00:30:32,120 --> 00:30:35,840 Speaker 1: an hour later he recanted. During his interrogation, he was 503 00:30:35,880 --> 00:30:38,880 Speaker 1: so high on cocaine that the police questioned the validity 504 00:30:38,880 --> 00:30:43,040 Speaker 1: of his confession from the start. Meanwhile, just a few 505 00:30:43,040 --> 00:30:47,240 Speaker 1: weeks after Mark Blanco's death, Pete made the extraordinary, some 506 00:30:47,400 --> 00:30:51,680 Speaker 1: might say, extraordinarily tasteless, decision to make a video of 507 00:30:51,760 --> 00:30:55,360 Speaker 1: himself singing a brand new song in the same flat 508 00:30:55,440 --> 00:30:59,160 Speaker 1: where Blanco died, in the name of the song, The 509 00:30:59,280 --> 00:31:05,240 Speaker 1: Lost Art of Murder. The Libertines reunited in twenty ten. 510 00:31:05,880 --> 00:31:08,800 Speaker 1: Since twenty fourteen, they've put out two new albums and 511 00:31:08,840 --> 00:31:11,920 Speaker 1: toured with more regularity than in their early two thousand's Heyday. 512 00:31:12,560 --> 00:31:16,080 Speaker 1: Pete Doherty, for his part, says he's clean. He says 513 00:31:16,120 --> 00:31:19,200 Speaker 1: French cheese has replaced heroin as his drug of choice. 514 00:31:19,720 --> 00:31:22,000 Speaker 1: He also says he knows nothing about what happened to 515 00:31:22,040 --> 00:31:25,120 Speaker 1: Mark Blanco. During the latter's final fifty seven seconds in 516 00:31:25,160 --> 00:31:30,000 Speaker 1: that apartment, and maybe there's nothing to know. Maybe it 517 00:31:30,080 --> 00:31:33,360 Speaker 1: was just a freak accident, just another in a series 518 00:31:33,400 --> 00:31:37,840 Speaker 1: of horrific events that accompanied Pete doherty slide into darkness. 519 00:31:37,880 --> 00:31:41,360 Speaker 1: To the surprise of many. Somehow, Pete managed to make 520 00:31:41,400 --> 00:31:45,040 Speaker 1: it out the other side, alive, to repair his fractured 521 00:31:45,120 --> 00:31:49,600 Speaker 1: relationship with Carl Barrett, to continue making great music. But 522 00:31:49,720 --> 00:31:52,360 Speaker 1: not everyone who followed him into the darkness would be 523 00:31:52,520 --> 00:31:59,120 Speaker 1: that lucky. Then that's a disgrace. I'm Jake Brennan in 524 00:31:59,160 --> 00:32:15,000 Speaker 1: this is Disgraceland. All right, guys, thanks for listening to 525 00:32:15,000 --> 00:32:18,080 Speaker 1: this episode of Disgraceland. Pete Doherty, listen, I want to 526 00:32:18,080 --> 00:32:19,520 Speaker 1: know a question of the week this week? What do 527 00:32:19,520 --> 00:32:21,360 Speaker 1: you think happened? Do you think Pete already had anything 528 00:32:21,400 --> 00:32:23,840 Speaker 1: to do with the death of Mark Blanco six one 529 00:32:23,880 --> 00:32:26,680 Speaker 1: seven nine oh six sixty six three eight voicemail and 530 00:32:26,800 --> 00:32:29,280 Speaker 1: text let me know what you think. Can also email 531 00:32:29,320 --> 00:32:32,320 Speaker 1: me Disgrace Lampod at gmail dot com, hit me up 532 00:32:32,360 --> 00:32:36,240 Speaker 1: on the socials at disgracelandpod, or in the Patreon check. 533 00:32:36,280 --> 00:32:38,280 Speaker 1: Go to Disgrace lampod dot com to sign up to 534 00:32:38,320 --> 00:32:41,320 Speaker 1: become an all Access member today to unlock exclusive and 535 00:32:41,440 --> 00:32:45,440 Speaker 1: ad free content. Guys appreciate y'all. Here comes some credits. 536 00:32:47,120 --> 00:32:49,920 Speaker 1: Disgraceland was created by Yours Truly and is produced in 537 00:32:49,960 --> 00:32:53,320 Speaker 1: partnership with Double Elvis. Credits for this episode can be 538 00:32:53,360 --> 00:32:57,000 Speaker 1: found on the show notes page at disgracelampod dot com. 539 00:32:57,080 --> 00:33:00,240 Speaker 1: If you're listening as a Disgraceland All Access member, thank 540 00:33:00,240 --> 00:33:02,880 Speaker 1: you for supporting the show. We really appreciate it. And 541 00:33:02,960 --> 00:33:05,240 Speaker 1: if not, you can become a member right now by 542 00:33:05,280 --> 00:33:09,960 Speaker 1: going to disgracelampod dot com slash Membership members can listen 543 00:33:09,960 --> 00:33:13,640 Speaker 1: to every episode of disgracelan ad free, rate and review 544 00:33:13,680 --> 00:33:16,080 Speaker 1: the show, and follow us on Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, and 545 00:33:16,200 --> 00:33:20,280 Speaker 1: Facebook at disgracelampod and on YouTube at YouTube dot com, 546 00:33:20,280 --> 00:33:29,520 Speaker 1: slash at disgracelaandpod Rock a Roller. He then Land