Pete Doherty Fights Back

Pete Doherty is hitting back at media critics, by launching Balachadha.com a ‘living biography’ on the internet, complete with intimate videos of the former Libertine, poetry and extracts from his journal.

Bala Chadha, which means “top blonde” or “good white” in Bengali (the slang drug dealers in the East end use for crack cocaine) was the innovation of the Babyshambles frontman and his friend and literary agent Paul Roundhill. Roundhill has shot four hours of footage of Doherty performing, relaxing and chatting to close friends, which will be available to website subscribers for a nominal fee.

Roundhill has commented: “When I first met Peter I felt he had multimedia potential and he would break the mould, dismantling the barriers between the band the audience.” Doherty has asserted that he is keen to publish “unsanitised” footage on Bala Chadha, particularly after footage of him self-harming was cut from Roger Pomphrey’s documentary, ‘Who the F*** is Pete Doherty?’ And wants the site to be as ‘honest’ as possible about his drug use.

The site itself states: “Everyone’s saying what’s wrong with Peter that they’re worried about him and that’s how it always was and always should be, that’s how you know he is doing the right thing…”

“…he is in all probability o.k. and the only thing bothering him is about a million and a half individuals ringing up each other, his mother and the newspapers to express their deep concern about his well-being. It is as if becoming the fastest rising successful singer songwriter in the world betrays some weakness that only they can allay…”

The site is also to publish short films, poetry and other work by artists who have collaborated with Doherty, the Guardian newspaper reports, including a clip of the Babyshambles guitarist Patrick Walden playing acoustic guitar and poetry, and performances by Wolfman and Dot Allison.