Doherty Waltzes into Film, in Typical Dandy Fashion

Mysterious, delinquent, poet, junkie, artist, loser, troubled genius, drunk, Dickensian lost soul. All phrases used to describe Peter Doherty, the epitome of a rock n' roll tragedy.

Now he'll bring that melancholy to the big screen in French director Sylvie Verheyde's "Confession of a Child of the Century," based on the Alfred de Musset's 19th century novel. Doherty, starring opposite Charlotte Gainsbourg, plays Octave, a disillusioned dandy who strolls about in self-medication after he learns of his mistress's infidelity (Really?).

Verheyde has been quoted as calling Doherty's performance "literary and sincere," and said the musician showed "emotional depth" and promptness. Qualities rarely seen at his live shows. If ever there were a film role for Doherty, this would probably be it. But considering he has a hard enough time speaking in complete sentences in interviews, it's anyone's guess how he'll behave on camera.

I learned about Doherty's drug habits and tabloid scandals before I learned about his music. And so I made a rule for myself, granted I was roughly 13 or 14 at the time, that as I entered the world of punk music idolatry, I must never listen or give my money to an artist with an addiction. You don't need crack to make good music, and anyone who perpetuates that myth shall not receive my time or attention.

I was quite proud of my maturity.
...and then I heard "Don't Look Back Into the Sun." Crap!

Since then I've managed to look past Pete Doherty's problems and focus on why he's so fascinating. He's a character, a unique anomaly of a person who was born out of time but not out of place. His stupidity with the law cannot be mistaken for stupidity in general. He's well read, a fashion trendsetter, an incedibly talented songwriter, and an assest to British music and culture. Doherty lives his life like a Dickens novel, a degenerate wanderer of hidden potential, crawling along back alleyways of the East End. He even has the empty bank account to prove it.

Doherty's committed to his lifestyle. Maybe it's not yours, and it certainly isn't mine, but it's part of him, and while he has managed to stumble to his 30s, which no one, probably not even him, expected, we'll all keep watching until the end.