Pete Doherty has been called the most famous drug addict in Britain, and vilified by the tabloids after his on-off girlfriend Kate Moss was filmed allegedly snorting cocaine with members of his band, Babyshambles. He has been arrested twice this year on drugs and blackmail charges, spending four days in Pentonville prison. But the singer's diaries, known to him as The Books of Albion, reveal a very different man - a sensitive singer whose poetry is both haunting and emotional.
Pages from the journals, which appear exclusively in the Observer Music Magazine today, were given by Doherty to Jamie-James Medina, who has been photographing the singer since his days with the Libertines.
Their special relationship meant that Medina was the only photographer to be given full access to Babyshambles during their chaotic 19-date tour, which ended last week.
One highly personal entry is written to a lover, presumed to be Moss. 'I would betray my fate before I would betray my heart,' he writes. 'You have my heart, although now you are kicking me in your sleep... No numbing or narrowing of the mind can strip my soul of its orchestra that pipes up a crescendo when you say you love me, and, in my heart, I am inclined to trust you.'
Another page shows the concept behind Babyshambles' forthcoming album, Down in Albion. The three-act story charts the course of the doomed relationship between Moss ('Girl') and Doherty ('Beast'). The opening track on the album is rumoured to be a duet with Moss entitled 'La belle et la bête.'
Moss also makes a scribbled contribution. Next to her photograph, the model has added a speech bubble apparently directed at Doherty. 'Spend two hours staring at a fucking spoon,' it reads, beside a doodle of a smoking spoon. Following the furore over her alleged cocaine use, Moss is being treated at the Meadows clinic in Arizona.
A series of remarkable pictures by Medina show Doherty speaking to fans who clearly worship him. He signs autographs and chats to people outside the tour bus. Some of the images show Doherty changing the dressing on the infected opiate-blocker implant that he hoped would help him kick drugs.
Despite some recent high-profile mishaps, Babyshambles were given a good reception by the critics. Off-stage antics permitting, Down in Albion will be out next month.
