It’s 1997 and a television crew has stumbled upon a fresh-faced 18 year-old eating a croissant in the queue for the latest Oasis release, “Be Here Now.” When asked to sum up the band in one sentence for a vox pop interview, the witty teenager replies without hesitation.

“Well,” he says. “I subscribe to the Umberto Eco view that Noel Gallagher’s a poet and Liam’s a town crier. I’ve always seen that as the perfect combination.” Former MTV presenter Eddy Temple Morris, clearly not expecting such an engaging response, urges him to repeat his spiel before asking him whether he’d fancy a stint as a presenter. The 18 year-old Pete Doherty, still ensconced in his pastry, nods enthusiastically.

In the twelve years that followed this fifty second interview, now a YouTube favourite, the former Libertines and Babyshambles musician has dozed and rambled his way through every interview going, from Friday Night with Jonathan Ross to Newsnight.

Physically, he’s stayed much the same throughout the years; all wide eyes and gangly limbs hidden under the mod-inspired skinny black suit and tie combinations that not only saw him through his numerous court appearances but also resulted in him becoming the muse of fashion designer Hedi Slimane before inspiring a signature collection with Italian label Gio-Goi. Still, it’s almost impossible to reconcile the former precocious young music fan with the Pete Doherty of the mid 2000s, when he earned the dubious honour of Britain’s most notorious junkie.

Long gone are the heady early days of the Libertines, when their first album ‘Up the Bracket’ went platinum and Doherty, along with bandmate Carl Barat, were named NME’s ‘Cool Icons’ of 2004. Doherty’s poetic lyrics displayed his strengths as a songwriter, without the clumsy drug references and meandering vocals that blighted some of Babyshambles’ later efforts.

By the time of the of their eponymously titled second album was released to critical acclaim, the impressionable Doherty was no longer the last romantic but a convicted criminal and heroin addict. Although he’s made it past 27, the age at which fellow rock n’rollers Jim Morrison, Jimi Hendrix, Kurt Cobain and Janis Joplin all died, Doherty, for his sins, is now Mick Jagger’s illegitimate heir apparent to the throne of rock n’ roll destruction. There’s no two ways about it: rock music loves a rebel. But rock music also loves a tragic icon, none more so than an über-talented musician with a penchant for excess.

Authenticity is a word often banded around when it comes to discussing Pete Doherty, or Peter Doherty, as he’d now like to be called. This isn’t true of most tabloid journalists, who prefer to focus on the more sensational aspects of his life story; his substance abuse, his 14-week jail sentence for violating a probation order, his numerous spells in rehab and his tumultuous on-off relationship with Kate Moss. With the exception of Amy Winehouse, who rivals Doherty both in terms of songwriting ability and apparent desire for self-destruction, Doherty is the closest thing we have to the bonafide sex, drugs and rock n’ rollers of the 1960s. Other bands might affect the style but Pete Doherty truly lives the lifestyle, with the lank hair and dirty fingernails to prove it.

Regardless of personal views, it would be nigh on impossible for anyone to deny that illicit substances have inspired some classic rock tunes. With its lilting harpsichord and Hugh Cornwell’s moody vocals, The Stranglers’ sophisticated pop classic “Golden Brown” made it to No.2 in January 1982. It wasn’t until the band revealed that the song was not primarily about a girl, but also about heroin, that the moral majority began to question the unsteady beat and dreamlike lyrics.

Two of my favourite Beatles tracks, “Got to get you into my life” and “Day Tripper” were written about marijuana and acid respectively. Amy Winehouse’s lyrics on the magnificent “Back To Black”, informed by her struggles with drink and drugs, even appeared in a 2008 Practical Criticism exam paper at Cambridge University, in which students were asked to contrast them with the work of Sir Walter Raleigh.

The problem is that the archetypal rock n’roll lifestyle invariably takes its toll on the music world’s most promising talents. You only have to look at the Beatles over the years to see how a few years of dabbling set them on the slippery slope to misspent months of meditation in the Himalayas and mostly uninspired solo efforts.

Serge Gainsbourg, the dirty old man of pop, serves as a cautionary tale for any wannabe rock star. Having gained huge commercial success across Europe with his provocative 1969 duet “Je T’Aime…Moi Non Plus” with Jane Birkin, 1971’s more experimental “Histoire de Melody Nelson” showcased a seedier side to Gainsbourg’s life; one filled with drugs, disease, suicide and controversy. Provocative and outspoken, he was at once vilified and admired when he burned a 500 franc note on television in a protest against heavy taxation.

Many rock musicians, notably Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones and Eric Clapton, have successfully undergone drug rehabilitation programmes, but never quite reclaimed their former success, although Richards has used his craggy good looks to great effect as Johnny Depp’s pirate father in the “Pirates of the Caribbean” trilogy. Doherty recently announced that he is prepared to reform the Libertines, with or without Carl Barat, but I’ve seen enough half-arsed comebacks in recent years to know that it’s better to wait a while before digging out my once much-loved memorabilia. I have a feeling it’ll be a while before my red army jacket sees the light of day again.

Perhaps these days, it is more rebellious not to conform to the stereotype of the heavy drinking, drug-taking rock star. In an interview with the TV Times last month, Cliff Richard described himself as the most radical rock n’roll singer Britain has ever seen. “I was the only one who didn’t spit or swear or sleep around. I didn’t do drugs. I didn’t get drunk. I didn’t indulge in soulless sex. And I’ve always felt comfortable with the decisions I’ve taken. I like being Cliff Richard.”

Then again, maybe not.