In the new issue of Q Magazine Pete Doherty makes the surprising confession that on-off girlfriend Kate Moss has never been a fan of his music.

In an interview about the art of songwriting – the overarching theme of the new issue – Doherty explains: “In a way it’s good because you know they’re not with you just because they like your music. But it’s sad. The fact that Kate didn’t like my songs was always a bit of a choker.”

Elsewhere Doherty reveals that fellow ex-Libertine Carl Barat was the one who first taught him how to write songs. “I just sat at his feet, gobsmacked. Just taking it in.”

He also reveals that drugs are a hindrance, rather than a catalyst, when it comes to songwriting: “It’s not conducive to concentrating and playing and singing. I tend not to get a lot done when I’m battered.”

The new issue of Q, featuring interviews with songwriters as diverse as Burt Bacharach, James Blunt, Rufus Wainwright, Michael Stipe, KT Tunstall, Bjork and Nick Cave, is onsale now.