Did The KLF Invent Pete Doherty?

by 586 MEDIA on February 15, 2006 81 Comments


The Internet, famously, is full of a lot of bollocks. But every now and again we hear something that we want to be true so much that it hurts. Maybe it is, maybe it isn’t. You be the judge. It obviously is though.

An amazing thing dropped through the letter box of hecklerspray‘s letter box this morning. In a largely unmarked envelope, save the words ImpOrtANt ThiS we gallant and giddy lot started foaming at the beak because this was either a bomb or staggering, bum shattering news. OK, being truthful, we got an email, and started gawping.

Why? Because it claims that Pete Doherty is nothing more than an invention of the KLF, that’s why.

According to an email we got, Pete Doherty (DVDs) is a giant hoax created by Bill Drummond and Jimmy Cauty of KLF/ burning a million quid/ firing blanks at Brits audiences/ leaving dead sheep lying around fame. Evidence? You want evidence? Here’s what the email said:

The Samaritans have today recruited 600 extra staff to deal with an
expected surge in calls as troubled fans come to terms with today’s
revelations about rocker and teen icon Pete Doherty. In a surprise
press conference today, the men behind Doherty’s career revealed
themselves – and admitted that the Libertines, Babyshambles, the tales
of drug use, the armed robberies and the affair with supermodel Kate
Moss have all been part of one of the largest hoaxes in British
history.”

The men behind the scandal – Bill Drummond and Jimmy Cauty, who were themselves infamous popstars under the name The KLF – apparently admitted how they plucked a young Buddy Holly impersonator from obscurity and made him a ‘star’.

“It was a meant to be a quick stunt to show the frailties of our celebrity-obsessed culture,” said Cauty, adding, “there are too many people who are famous despite their lack of talent, usefulness and
basic intelligence. We wanted to do something that held a mirror up to that.”

Drummond and Cauty, two people whom genius is a hat that really fits, carried on in their prepared statements about how Doherty, real name Trevor McDermott was making a paltry living as a Buddy Holly impersonator, it is claimed. Being a general trampy arsed buffoon, the duo quickly realised that this toad would be ideal for their grand duping:

“The plan involved proving three theories we have about current British society. The first is that in the so-called “alternative” scene, everybody is too scared of missing The Next Big Thing to worry about anything else.” To prove this, some session musicians were provided to compose the rest of the “band”, The Libertines, and rumours of explosive gigs were leaked to the media. The gigs in question never actually took place, but we didn’t have to worry about that. Soon the buzz around The Libertines was so frenetic, journalists were falling over themselves to claim to have been at the front of every single fictional gig.”

Within weeks, The Libertines had gone overground, and wombling free. The e-mail alleges that Drummond and Cauty moved to their second theory:

“We feel that our culture has become an enormous soap opera. We don’t care what a person thinks, or creates, or contributes. We just care about what they do in their normal lives. Especially when it’s something they shouldn’t be doing.”

To demonstrate this marvellous notion, it’s claimed that the fab two orchestrated a number of scandals. The first was the notorious robbery staged in the house of Carl ‘P45′ Barat. When the house-usery took place, McDermott (aka
Doherty) was virtually an unknown outside of the wank-mag, NME but afterwards? Front page of every major national tabloid. A twist in the tale was yet to unfurl. That was the affair with the most famous Mantis in the world Kate Moss.

“That was not something that we planned or had any involvement. Whether she knew about the hoax is
something we are not party to. We have never had any contact with Miss Moss.”

This was a surprising result for the experiment. Smack, cracks and crime had made McDermott a media hot spud, the relationship with one of fashion’s most famous women slung the hopeless cunt into the world of
A-List celebritard.

In spite of this boon, the project started turning into a major setback for Drummond and Cauty. The email claims they were preparing to enter the final phase of the scheme, ‘Doherty’ decided that he wanted to part company with them and threatened legal actions if any details were leaked:

“We were upset at the apparent failure of our grand project, and also at the monster we had created in Pete Doherty. Our third theorem – that ‘If enough people say that a piece of bullshit is a bar of gold, we’ll
believe it’s a bar of gold’ – seemed to have been beyond salvation. Fortunately, at that point Pete released the first Babyshambles album.”

In the time since then, the e-mails states that Drummond and Cauty have been locked in a vicious legal battle, which was eventually settled out of court by the discovery of a video showing McDermott/Doherty singing Peggy Sue at a
holiday camp in Devon. McDermott still denies all charges at the time of press.

Will this bugger Doherty’s career up? Who knows. Won’t hurt to try, though.

Read more:

Pete Doherty and the KLF – Record of The Day

[story by Mof Gimmers]

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{ 77 comments… read them below or add one }

Bigmarky May 16, 2006 at 1:51 am

Half witted junkie at best i hope he does not do a Kobain or a Morrison though i cant be arsed with the 10 years of sanctimony.

Reply

TimGum May 16, 2006 at 2:45 pm

Anyone who is interested in this stuff should check out Bill Drummond’s literary efforts he undertook with Mark Manning. I have just read “the wild highway”, and Drummond is one of the most astute and subversive thinkers of our time. He is also completely mad, and has had the gumption to see through much more difficult projects than hoaxing Doherty’s career.

Whether this rumour is true or not, Drummond has proved that “the public,” whoever they are, are a bunch of gullible and highly susceptible morons, willing to buy whatever NME tells them they need to just by bringing this rumour into the limelight and showing that it is believable. Don’t get me wrong, I like a lot of the libs stuff, they had some good tunes, but babyshambles? C’mon, I’ve seen better bands in my local! Good work by the KLF. Doesn’t everyone feel a twat now.

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can't stand me now May 16, 2006 at 8:34 pm

The KLF were not involved but the JAMS in conjunction with the Justified Ancients of MuMu today issued this statement from their ice-cream van:
All Hail the living Eris Discordia. The apple has been thrown.

Reply

Chappers May 21, 2006 at 11:07 am

funny,twisted. who had the time to think all that trough? what a load of crap……..no pls stand back and take time to think about it, bollox!!

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KEZ February 26, 2010 at 9:29 pm

its SNOT!!!!!!! ITZ TRUE!!! WEll I think trevor suits him!!!!!!! I might have moreof a chance if hes called TREV!!!!!! I’ve got an ex called TREV!!
Not REALLY he AINT PETER DOHERTY!!!!!!!!! Thats a LIE!!!!!!!!!!!!I know!! i found out the day I nearly died!!! I nearly died coz of him (one reason) – thats how I found out!!! I had a heart attack and found out that Peter Doherty ain’t called Peter Doherty REALLY!!!!! DOUBLE HEART ACHE!

I still like him – but I feel CHEATED!! Well none of these stars are EVER what they seem! I bet any money hes got a RICH DADDY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

OOWCHH!! I know its gonna break a million hearts!! But he ain’t Peter Doherty!

Hes TREV!!!!!!!! Goes well wiv KEZ!!! HA HA HA!!!!!!!!!!!

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KEZ February 26, 2010 at 9:32 pm

TREV & KEZ GO TO THE CHIPPY!!!!!!!!
HASHHAHAHAHHAH
HA!

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KEZ February 26, 2010 at 9:40 pm

actually take the RICH DADDY thing back!!
How can he have rich Dad if they called him TREVOR????
HA!!
LOVE KEZ!
KEZ 4 TREV!!!!!!
xx

x
x

x
x

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Rob June 13, 2006 at 5:05 pm

Mr Bojangles, TenaciousB and all you other braindead wankers step back and find out the full life of Pete Doherty and what he has achieved in his music not his drugs. Your posts are the world’s greatest proof of reincarnation; no one could get that dumb in just one lifetime. Dullards, do yourself and everyone else a favor: disconnect your computer from the Internet.

Thanks for your contributions, but if I had wanted to hear from somebody with your IQ, I’d be at my local supermarket talking to the vegetables. Are you lot always this ignorant, or are you making a special effort today? If you knew what you’re talking about, you’d be dangerous. As Ellen Glasgow once remarked: “He knows so little and knows it so fluently.”

If those posts were intended as jokes, you forgot to include the punch line. If I had wanted to talk to somebody with your personality, I would be at the damn pet store talking to the lizards. Maybe you wouldn’t read like such pathetic losers if you weren’t intellectually slower than a herd of turtles stampeding through a vat of chunky peanut butter; if your weren’t so fat that the Brooklyn Bridge would collapse if you ever tried to go Bungee Jumping off of it, or if you didn’t have a face so ugly that your Psychiatrist makes you lie face down. Who am I kidding? You would.

In conclusion, sit down and shut up before you trip over your own tongues and hurt yourselves.

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philpo July 23, 2006 at 8:59 pm

Ha ha ha. Im suprised at the amount of people that actually believed this. Deary me, we do have a nation of complete idiots.

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Neil August 9, 2006 at 11:49 pm

haha. Having just listened to some Babyshambles this is story makes complete sense and explains how this trash gets so popular. enjoy the sonic rubbish, sheep.

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Gimpo September 20, 2006 at 1:21 pm

OF COURSE DOHERTY IS A HOAX! Isn’t it incredible how a joke can become the ‘truth’ if enough people are sucked in (and clearly way too embarrased to admit it). The same people who love Doherty are probably still voting ‘new labour’ and dreaming of pixies… hey ho… ;-)

Reply

Tall Cedars October 13, 2006 at 11:41 am

Watch the Great rock n Roll Swindle and there you have it.

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gavin October 15, 2006 at 6:58 pm

if the klf came out with those identical sounds they wouldn’t have got anywhere, since the early days of pop music older stars have assisted in manufacturing stars of tomorrow as an outlet, potboiler or otherwise. if this is true, the only thing any different is that it happened in a territory people put too much stock in – indie rock bollocks. i wouldn’t be shocked, do you lot really care?

plus side is one or two nice songs came out of it, and if you found a way to really relate to any of the lyrics consider yourself blessed.

Reply

dr whooooo ooo hey dr who dr whoooo April 1, 2007 at 11:29 pm

====================================================================================
Despite this boost, the project began running into a major setback for Drummond and Cauty. Just as they were preparing to enter the final phase of their scheme, Doherty decided that he wanted to part company with them, the fake band, and begin seriously recording music. He stopped all contact with the men, and threatened legal actions if any details were leaked to the press. “We were upset at the apparent failure of our grand project, and also at the monster we had created in Pete Doherty. Our third theorem – that ‘If enough people say that a piece of s*** is a bar of gold, we’ll believe it’s a bar of gold’ – seemed to have been beyond salvation. Fortunately, at that point Pete released the first Babyshambles album.”

In the time since then, Drummond and Cauty have been locked in a vicious legal battle, which was eventually settled out of court by the discovery of a videotape showing McDermott singing “Peggy Sue” at a Butlin’s in Devon. Publicly, McDermott still strongly denies all charges. How this affects the future career of Pete Doherty remains to be seen.

********

Not really. All vicious lies. Pete Doherty is a wonderful artist, who will no doubt have a long and successful music career due to his incedible musical talents. This was concocted as part of HateQuest 2006
=====================================================================================

ok everybody
lie down on the floor and keep calm

take me aha take me aha aha
take me to the church of the klf
take me to the church of the klf

ladies and gentlemen the klf have now left the building

r these guys for real???
i mean
wots with all this justified ancients of mumushit!!!

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAA

KLF RULEZ FOREVAAAAA

SAMPLE CITY

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- August 11, 2007 at 12:35 am

http://www.gawker.com/news/pete-doherty/the-pete-doherty-hoax-resolved-156036.php
Pete isn’t a hoax set up by the KLF! Don’t believe everything you read, some of it is pure rubbish.
Pete’s real name is PETER Doherty, but not Trevor McDermott! Pfff..

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I WEAR THREE HATS October 4, 2007 at 7:11 am

HE CANT WRITE DECENT MUSIC,IT’S JUST DRUGGY RAMBLINGS
HE IS A SWEATY LITTLE SKINNY NERD
HE WEARS STUPID 60′s CLOTHES FROM A CHARITY SHOP
HE CANT SING AT ALL
HE SHOULD BE LOCKED UP WITH NO GEAR FOREVER

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Shelby October 17, 2010 at 11:55 pm

His lyrics are genius.
There’s nothing wrong with being skinny, or a nerd for that matter.
60s clothes are amazing and so are charity shops.
And obviously he can sing.

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pete is a crack fiend October 4, 2007 at 7:17 am

ive heard his poems.

i think i would rather enjoy pouring hot lava in my ears than listen to that crap again.

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L L Brainwashed April 27, 2008 at 7:13 pm

well well welly my lickle droogs bed ways is right ways time to get a lickle spatchka – the KLF may have made absurdism possible in RnR but Pete Doherty has that “i’ll tell you what it is about Pete Doherty” quality. I met him we exchanged I tell you as true as i am BLUebeard Trevor has never once cheated on Kate, Kate never Cheadleed on Pete. No one listens anymore isn’t that what the KLF are saying and why James Cauty is now an ARTist and Bill well Bill is secretly managing Celtic Partthistle – who could win the title and get into europe. There will be nothing of Scotland left at this rate. Pete the parties at mine at seven bring a can……….

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cb May 9, 2008 at 4:22 pm

brilliant reporting – totally true

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sheep June 22, 2008 at 6:16 pm

well im convinced that theres more to this than meets the eye. theres a track on a shambles cd east wing b wing d wiiiing and its the biggest load of tripe i think thats ever crossed into the public domain. how anybody could endorse this utter shit and still consider themselfs to be a valid artist is beyond believing even more than this tale of the latest KLF hoax

Reply

KEZ February 26, 2010 at 9:22 pm
KEZ February 26, 2010 at 9:50 pm

< SORRY TO CONTINUE….thinkin about it!!
It would seem right that he was called TREVOR McDermott
Fitting for the occassion !!
The occassion in which I found out!!
HA!!!!!!!!!!!
Lookin back it seemed right that it would be something as comical!!
Why did he change it from Trevor Mc Dermott to Peter Doherty???
Well David Bowie was Davie Jones!!

HA!!!
I’m sorry Pete!

he knows I LOVE him!!!
I’m not lettin the CAT out the BAG!!

I”M JUST FUCKIN PISSED OFF AT THE WORLDS A SHAM!!!!!!

BABYSHAM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

WEL I’M KEZ TURNER!
Not much better than Trevor McDermott ey??
just as THICK N COMMON!!!!!!!

LOVE KEZ
xxx
x

<

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KEZ March 24, 2010 at 1:06 pm

FUCKIN HELL!! Can’t you remove these comments????
OOOPXXZZZZZZ!!
Sorry!!!!
Love

Kez
xx

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KEZ June 10, 2010 at 8:01 pm

I must now say I was VERY disappointed when I went to The Brixton Jamm to See peter Doherty last week! He used to be really personal, intimate and engaging. I was really looking forward to a laid back acoustic session that took its own route – mistakes, unexpected twists and a unique musician at his best. OK so I was PISSED BUT! I was DISGUSTED THAT HE CRAMMED IN 2 sets in one night to get MORE MONEY IN. People separated off with wristbands.
The Jamm is a small intimate venue and that was certainly not a small intimate gig.
There should have been a limited number of tickets off one unique night with Peter // Trevor.
I’m really put off now and its not the musician that I used to love for his imtimate performances (for example at the Tavern that night)
It seems FAME & WEALTH has made him into just another SELFISH ROCKSTAR.
PLAYING DOWN TO US FUCKIN PEASANTS!!!!

These stars are grossly overpaid and the rest of us are forced to witness there lavish lifestyles. it makes me sick.

Hes certainly not having a lousy life.

I have to sell my body so I can make my art & music and i see these stars they have it all so easy.

So Peter – why not buy a picture off me ??? Help me stop having to sell my body.

Its my misery help rescue me.

LOVE KEZ
x

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knowitall17 October 18, 2010 at 5:34 pm

KEZ……….
YOU’RE BEYOND RESCUE OR REDEMPTION. STFU!!

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knowitall17 October 18, 2010 at 5:30 pm

Didn’t these two idiots burn a MILLION quid and film it as ART? If true, they have to be the most selfish, stupid, druggies of all time. They could have done a lot of good things with that money. Rock musicians, and they are barely that, are POS!!

Reply

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