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Debbie Harry Autobiography Drops Tomorrow!

I'm definitely buying this one. I'm sure as hell more interested in her life than Demi Moore's. In a weird way though, Debbie seems (at least in the reviews) so blasé and non-judgmental about everything she's been through that even her juiciest stories don't come off as "shocking revelations."

Who else but Debbie could recount a rape/robbery and say that having her guitar stolen was the most painful thing about the incident?

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by Anonymousreply 160October 20, 2019 4:23 PM

Debbie has never been much of a talker in a public setting. I don't expect her autobiography, compiled from interviews with the ghost writer, will be up to much.

by Anonymousreply 1September 30, 2019 11:22 PM

Just learned she graduated from high school in Hawthorne, New Jersey in 1963, Next town to where I live.

by Anonymousreply 2September 30, 2019 11:26 PM

Does anybody even know who she is anymore?

by Anonymousreply 3September 30, 2019 11:33 PM

I’ll be buying it, too, op.

by Anonymousreply 4September 30, 2019 11:43 PM

Well she’s no Demi Lovato R3, but I’m sure there are still people with good taste in music around.

by Anonymousreply 5September 30, 2019 11:54 PM

She should've written this 20 years ago, when more of her fanbase was still alive.

by Anonymousreply 6September 30, 2019 11:56 PM

Thanks OP, I just put a hold on this at my library. I'm #42 out o 7 copies.

by Anonymousreply 7October 1, 2019 12:01 AM

Most of Debbie's fanbase would be in their 50s. She became a star in her 30s.

by Anonymousreply 8October 1, 2019 12:01 AM

I sent for it because I’ve always enjoyed Blondie and grew up listening. I also really enjoyed both No Exit and The Curse of Blondie. I hope her autobiography is a good read. It was a little gross that the NY Post excerpted a passage about her offering a gram of cocaine to David Bowie and Iggy Pop, and Bowie flashing her a peek at his junk in gratitude. It was kind of a silly story to call out. I hope there is more interesting material than anecdotes like this one.

Harry was (and is) a cool broad, but sort of blank and humorless in person, and really seems to connect better with outsiders. Her relationship with Chris Klein is pretty cynical and codependent in these late years. While they did establish and control Blondie long ago, they were also careless in negotiating creative and financial control of their material, and only partly recovered that in the late 1990’s. They’ve behaved badly towards others and can be really cynical smirking jerks towards those who have been discarded in the Band’s messy history. Harry and Stein are creative and talented, but not always very bright or very nice. They deserve a pass, sort of, because they were so smacked out during the Band’s implosion and his bout with pemphigus. Their penchant for camp is endearing, heard in songs like The Tingler. They also experimented with so many genres of music (rap, reggae, ska, samba, jazz, etc etc) and they did so successfully. Blondie presents a weird but interesting combination of talent, grit, self-pity, style, determination and luck. They are icons, but of the scratched and dented variety.

by Anonymousreply 9October 1, 2019 12:22 AM

I can’t wait to read it. I love Debbie.

by Anonymousreply 10October 1, 2019 12:29 AM

I read that in this book she does the same "being raped was no big deal" thing that Chrissie Hynde did in her book. I find it baffling and disappointing. Why make victims who DO feel it was a big deal, and DO experience trauma, feel that they weren't "tough enough"? It's cruel.

by Anonymousreply 11October 1, 2019 12:32 AM

R11 I didn’t think of that, but it’s true. That’s a really hurtful and reductive way to describe something that is so traumatic. It’s their independent right to view rape dispassionately, but it’s odd.

by Anonymousreply 12October 1, 2019 12:41 AM

I remember reading a Blondie biography that referenced Debbie recounting how, as a teen, she used to visit somewhere called Cunt Mile to have sex. I guess it was be considered a dogging spot in modern parlance. She said she went there to avoid getting a "reputation" as it was far from where she lived. I expect she had experience of rough sex at a very early age and it wouldn't surprise me if she also experienced rape there, long before becoming a New Yorker.

by Anonymousreply 13October 1, 2019 12:52 AM

*I guess it would be considered

by Anonymousreply 14October 1, 2019 12:53 AM

R9 that’s meant to spell Chris Stein, not Klein.

by Anonymousreply 15October 1, 2019 2:13 AM

I think you have to already be battered internally to feel that being raped was "no big deal." I was date raped in high school. They took my virginity. And I, too, thought, eh, no biggie. It was years and years later when I realized I had been severely neglected by my parents and therefore being disregarded and used did not feel particularly weird to me, nor did I assume I deserved a magical first time. It just was what it was. Now of course I'm much more pissed off and disappointed that this lame, disrespectful thing happened. But I still cannot muster a sense of trauma or outrage. You have to really respect yourself and have a certain innocence about you, to be devastated by an assault

by Anonymousreply 16October 1, 2019 2:24 AM

Maybe she feels like her identity and self worth aren’t just her vagina? Sometimes it sounds like the Victim parade are Victorians, devastated that their most precious commodity and property has been stolen.

by Anonymousreply 17October 1, 2019 3:05 AM

'Maybe she feels like her identity and self worth aren’t just her vagina? Sometimes it sounds like the Victim parade are Victorians, devastated that their most precious commodity and property has been stolen."

Wonder what kind of a piece of shit you must be in real life.

by Anonymousreply 18October 1, 2019 3:58 AM

I was molested.

by Anonymousreply 19October 1, 2019 4:55 AM

Debbie in all her glory..

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by Anonymousreply 20October 1, 2019 5:06 AM

Her hair is excellent in r20’s photo.

by Anonymousreply 21October 1, 2019 7:05 AM

Boomers have a very conservative culture, especially rocker and punks. People have largely forgotten this but the mid 70s through early 80s had a lot of musical celebs flirting with fascism: Bowie and the Thin White Duke character, Clapton praising Enoch Powell's racism, the entire punk movement's fixation on the white working class and resentment of black people being included in national conversations.

Part of that whole culture meant women needed to be good broads and one of the boys, and if they complained if they got punched or raped, they were ostracized. If they got murdered like Spungeon they must have deserved it for being annoying and Jewish.

Debbie is part of that culture and she's internalized it. She, Siouxsie, Hynde, Mary Harron, Vivienne Westwood and others of that era have all done the "we're badasses for not caring about being assaulted" thing and it comes across exactly like every other rightish Boomer complaint.

by Anonymousreply 22October 1, 2019 9:03 AM

Is it as juicy as Demi Moore's latest autobiography?

by Anonymousreply 23October 1, 2019 9:41 AM

[quote] People have largely forgotten this but the mid 70s through early 80s had a lot of musical celebs flirting with fascism

Siouxsie Sioux used the Swastika symbol for post punk shock value.

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by Anonymousreply 24October 1, 2019 9:45 AM

[quote]Why make victims....feel that they weren't "tough enough"

Did she say that?

Guess I'll find out when I read the book.

by Anonymousreply 25October 1, 2019 10:09 AM

Why is it so controversial to not let rape destroy you?

If rape is about power, then isn't it reclaiming your power by not letting the bastards win by seeing you collapse?

by Anonymousreply 26October 1, 2019 10:29 AM

A lot of people believe that it's better for rape victims to remain victims and hang on to that "this was done to me, I was powerless back then, and I am powerless now!" status. No healing can take place that way and the rape and the victimhood it will define the victim for the rest of her life. The process of taking responsibility serves the purpose of rediscovering one's power that was never lost (by the act of the rape) and use it to overcome the trauma of said rape and not let the rape define your future. It's not about letting the rapist off the hook, it's about not letting that rapist live rent-free in your head for the rest of your life.

by Anonymousreply 27October 1, 2019 11:47 AM

r27, who are the people who believe it is better to stay in emotional pain? I think you pulled that statement out of your ass. Do you believe the same is true for war vets struggling with PTSD?

by Anonymousreply 28October 1, 2019 1:30 PM

[quote] who are the people who believe it is better to stay in emotional pain?

The ones who insist that taking responsibility means that rape victims is supposed to admit that she asked for getting raped.

by Anonymousreply 29October 1, 2019 1:44 PM

Sorry, ... that rape victims are supposed to admit that they asked for getting raped.

by Anonymousreply 30October 1, 2019 1:45 PM

"A lot of people believe that it's better for rape victims to remain victims..."

A lot of people believe that you can't heal until you face the truth about what happened to you and work through it, mentally and emotionally. It's not fun. But if you're insisting that having your guitars and amps stolen was a "bigger bummer" than someone forcing his penis into your vagina AT KNIFE-POINT, yeah, I'm going to go ahead and guess that you could use a few therapy sessions.

by Anonymousreply 31October 1, 2019 5:45 PM

Well, this thread took a giant shit.

by Anonymousreply 32October 1, 2019 8:30 PM

Really important point about trauma. Many are still stuck in the world of Freudian psychology where analysis and reflection and the past is what matters. But more current thinking finds that is often just a way to remain stuck in the trauma of the past. Hence, rather than analysis and childhood regurgitation, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is considered more effective in many cases. Focus on now.

I’ve found that focusing on bad things that happened in the past and considering them as “defining” moments or extremely important is bad. Move on, life’s short, appreciate what you can and don’t get stuck in the past.

Go Blondie - always loved her. Kick ass broad who represents the best of NYC.

by Anonymousreply 33October 1, 2019 9:36 PM

I read a recent interview where the writers notes that Harry changes the subject once drug use is introduced or referenced. I suspect she does that partly because it goes against the "tough cookie" persona. Tough cookies don't need to take trips for days at a time as Harry was wont to do (and perhaps she still does).

by Anonymousreply 34October 1, 2019 9:47 PM

Nah R34. I think she is just aware of the current state of extreme judgment against drugs, aka the new Puritanism. It would be the headline of every story “Harry is a drug addict”. When in fact she is just a functional drug taker like so many others.

by Anonymousreply 35October 1, 2019 10:08 PM

Gorgeous design, love that the cover is imprinted on the book and not a dust jacket, love the photos (tons) and that she really has a voice -- and doesn't seem to be a skimpy account. Costs more than Demi's half-a-book with the cheap cover and bad font but worth it. Glad I got it (at Barnes and Nobel for 20% off plus another 10% with my card).

by Anonymousreply 36October 1, 2019 10:13 PM

Pass. If you want a good read and a better story go read Chrissie Hynde's book. Hynde stays true to who she is, no plastic surgery either, not completely p.c. and unapologetic about recounting her memories the way she saw them.

by Anonymousreply 37October 1, 2019 10:23 PM

Yeah but doesn't Hynde's book END at the Pretenders being formed? Just the shit I want to read about.

by Anonymousreply 38October 1, 2019 10:28 PM

[Quote] I think she is just aware of the current state of extreme judgment against drugs, aka the new Puritanism

I don't think it's that. I read the Blondie biography in which she participated. The way the writer laid it out, my impression was that Debbie kicked heroin for good before Blondie. A few years ago I read comments by Mike Chapman about Debbie doing heroin and disappearing for days while cocooned in that HR Giger chair. I've seen numerous Blondie documentaries and comments like Chapman's have never been used. Similarly, Harry brushes away talk about Stein's illness, I've noticed. I can understand that she doesn't want to go there but the impulse to avoid it suggests to me that the "shit happens" thing is as much a mask as anything. Hell, she was lipsyncing to her hits in gay bars at one point. The woman has had some real lows. I don't believe that she's been all "Who cares? So What" throughout.

by Anonymousreply 39October 1, 2019 10:29 PM

R39 That's when they owned the house on the Upper East Side, which was unusually large and palatial even for that area. Deborah would sit alone on the HR Giger chair in the strange den on the upper floors and smoke crack and heroin while avoiding all business details, including managers and their accountants and the tax bills. No wonder the wolves came out for them.

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by Anonymousreply 40October 2, 2019 1:05 AM

Chris Stein must have been really well endowed to have scored, and then been able to keep Debbie Harry for all those years.

by Anonymousreply 41October 2, 2019 1:08 AM

R31 What if the guitar and amp meant a lot to her, that whilst they are just objects, it did set her off course at that moment (not having money, they may have had sentimental value). Perhaps she was able to disassociate the rape as something purely physical, that happened to her body, that was done in the past and was able to not dwell on it?

It doesn't seem right that the only narrative is that the woman should be emotional and weakened by rape.

I thought we were about women having agency and deciding for themselves how they lived, and by extension, how they react?

by Anonymousreply 42October 2, 2019 4:28 AM

Harry can live as she likes but it sounds like she's peddling bullshit. "XYZ happens to me and I just shrug it off"*

*Oh and I've done lots of drugs but nvm

by Anonymousreply 43October 2, 2019 4:31 AM

R39 Debbie's Giger chair.

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by Anonymousreply 44October 2, 2019 5:21 AM

I read the book in like two hours. If you're already a Blondie fan, there isn't much you don't already know.

There is some, however (if not enough). She and Chris Stein were back on smack by '82 — interesting, because it was clear she had gained a lot of weight in "The Hunter" videos and tour — and she brought heroin to the hospital to keep him dosed up when he was admitted for pemphigus for three months circa '83.

Their heroin/coke use was so heavy that Blondie's last manager left them. For that to happen in the early '80s, they must have really been in deep.

by Anonymousreply 45October 2, 2019 5:33 AM

I always thought Blondie's fall was oddly precipitous. They had three #1 hits in 80-81 and then suddenly it seemed they were over. KooKoo was sort of a baffling record (and not just because of the cover).

I'll always love her though. She was probably the coolest chick of the late 70s.

by Anonymousreply 46October 2, 2019 6:04 AM

They were huge in the UK, They also had more than 3 hits. They made such iconic sings as

Heart of Glass Dreamin' Rapture The Tide Is High One Way or Another Maria Sunday Girl Shayla Call Me

Their first two albums are lesser-known, but every song is a gem. Every album up through (and including) Autoamerican is first-rate and sound just as good (if not better) than when they were released.

Debbie is an American icon. I'm not sure why the fell out with Jimmy Destri - he wrote many of their songs and was a major key to their success and sound.

by Anonymousreply 47October 2, 2019 1:56 PM

It looks like she uses eyeliner around her nostrils in OP pic?

by Anonymousreply 48October 2, 2019 2:25 PM

R47 in the book, she comments that he stared at her in a leering, disrespectful way. At the time he was excluded from the Band, I thought it was an issue of sobriety, but then again I think he is a counselor or sobriety coach.

I agree that Destri’s songs are some of Blondie’s best, and that he gave the band Maria, which landed them on the charts., and I think Nothing is Real But the Girl, too.

Destri looks a little out of it in the video for Goodboys, but I wonder how he was treated over the arc of his career with Blondie. From outward appearances, I see Jimmy Destri as an appealing presence in the band. I could be wrong, I know.

by Anonymousreply 49October 3, 2019 2:56 AM

Has Destri given any interviews since leaving? The road probably isn' the best place for an addict.

by Anonymousreply 50October 3, 2019 3:02 AM

Jimmy was one tasty twink!

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by Anonymousreply 51October 3, 2019 3:08 AM

Any shirtless of young Clem Burke?

by Anonymousreply 52October 3, 2019 3:41 AM

Jimmy was really cute. Clem looks a little gay in this picture.

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by Anonymousreply 53October 3, 2019 3:51 AM

One of the BBC documentaries had a still shot from Blondie's prime, a portrait of Clem Burke with his black t-shirt/sweater pulled up over his head to reveal a very nice hairy chest. I've never seen the image since.

by Anonymousreply 54October 3, 2019 3:55 AM

Jimmy was dreamy.

Now he's a bloated gargoyle.

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by Anonymousreply 55October 3, 2019 3:56 AM

R55 He looks like social climbing sugar baby model Gage Gomez in that pic.

by Anonymousreply 56October 3, 2019 4:09 AM

I love that dress Debbie is wearing in R53. She wore it in the Picture This video and mentions it in the book: It's a Stephen Sprouse (boatneck, double-side-slit skirt) worn with a beaded belt his mother made.

She wears a black version in one of the Eat to the Beat videos. I think Sprouse made her a red one too.

If I were female, I'd have it made it every color. It's super-flattering, has a timeless sort of subtly slutty secretary vibe.

by Anonymousreply 57October 3, 2019 4:38 AM

Bunny Debbie looked terrific

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by Anonymousreply 58October 3, 2019 6:40 AM

Why did she and Chris Stein break up? They were together for many years, and she nursed him through that terrible illness. After going through all that together, *then* they decide to go their separate ways? I've always wondered why.

Even so, they still kept the band together, and they tour do and do the occasional album. So apparently it wasn't a really bitter split like the one between Kim Gordon and Thurston Moore, which ended Sonic Youth.

by Anonymousreply 59October 3, 2019 7:28 AM

One thing I always found endearing about Debbie is that although she was drop-dead gorgeous, as a performer she was somewhat klutzy and awkward. She didn't have the presence of a cool, ultra-confident sex goddess. It made her more relatable.

And of course I loved Debbie's and the band's music, wit, and style.

by Anonymousreply 60October 3, 2019 7:39 AM

Because Debbie was such a knock-out and also the frontwoman of the band she got the most attention. I remember reading that other band members were jealous of her and insisted that the record label market them with the slogan "Blondie is a group."

That always sounded like petty bullshit. I bet their fragile male egos just couldn't deal with the fact that people were paying more attention to a woman than to them.

by Anonymousreply 61October 3, 2019 7:46 AM

I think when they reformed, Jimmy became the second diva of the group and Debbie was having it only because he wrote the two comeback hits. It's a pity because his songwriting is still excellent, and when they parted company he offered them several new songs, which were great but they refused and recorded the hot-mess "Panic of Girls" without him. As much as I love her, being on the outs with Debbie in that group puts you in camp-'B' which is where most of the musicians who were squeezed out eventually were put first.

by Anonymousreply 62October 3, 2019 8:11 AM

Who can forget the infamous Blondie Hall of Fame Induction when Debbie was confronted by Frank Infante onstage and Debbie had her "this ain't my first time at the rodeo" moment. Zimmer frames went flying over the stage!

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by Anonymousreply 63October 3, 2019 8:22 AM

Look at her face. That's all the story I need. She's a fuckin zombie. Dead, dull colorless. Why do old gays like Blondie and Cher so much? They're terrible musicians and bad singers. A couple of ok songs from the pre AIDS era I guess. Debbie Harry is not revered. She looks like a trailer park granny gangbang slut. I don't get it. Heart of Glass and The Tide is HIgh? SHITE.

I suspect her fans also fill up the Judy Garland threads.

by Anonymousreply 64October 3, 2019 8:23 AM

[Quote] Look at her face. That's all the story I need. She's a fuckin zombie. Dead, dull colorless. Why do old gays like Blondie and Cher so much? They're terrible musicians and bad singers. A couple of ok songs from the pre AIDS era I guess. Debbie Harry is not revered. She looks like a trailer park granny gangbang slut. I don't get it. Heart of Glass and The Tide is HIgh? SHITE.

[Quote] I suspect her fans also fill up the Judy Garland threads.

[Quote] She loves Beyoncé, as do we all.

No.

by Anonymousreply 65October 3, 2019 10:40 AM

R61 Same with Grace Slick/Jefferson Airplane. I’d guess that deep down most guys think that women are not as talented as them. When you have musicians who think they are great and then a “chick” gets all the press and limelight they feel hard done by. The reality is there are thousands of guys in bands, many really good but there’s not space for them all at the top. Without Debbie and Grace their bands likely wouldn’t have received as much fame and attention. Grace summed it up by saying “when there’s 3 pigs and a cow you look at the cow”.

by Anonymousreply 66October 3, 2019 11:02 AM

Yikes, watching that clip of Blondie’s Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction was rough, worse than I remembered it. Harry writes about it in her book, basically stating that Blondie’s manager was told that told Frank, Nigel and Gary weren’t supposed to be allowed onstage (“they weren’t going to let those guys go up”). It’s messy and sad. She also writes how furious Chris was about the lawsuit filed by their early members, yet in the cli Chris speaks rather softly and offers a namaste to the audience. Jimmy looks a bit lost in the RRHOF induction clip, and it looks like he was later pushed out of the Band in the same way. Interesting that Harry suspects that the reason the three former Blondie members were allowed onstage was because someone at the event didn’t feel Blondie’s recognition was deserved, and “got back at us in some small way”. That sounds like Harry & Stein cynicism. Harry wanted Leigh Foxx recognized, and both he and Paul Carbonara are good musicians who supported Blondie’s return with No Exit and The Curse. Harry comments that Leigh Fox played with Blondie for 20 years, but these years followed Parallel Lines and Autoamerican, arguably the band’s most influential material. As interesting as Harry is, she comes off as disloyal, conspiratorial and self-interested in the way she and Chris Stein treated their lineup, first with Gary, Nigel and Frank, then with Jimmy. Chris and Debbie hold on to Blondie’s success pretty tightly, and pass the failure onto others. They seem fondest of submissive types who support but don’t challenge them. Harry mythologizes fuckups and lightweights an awful lot, and that’s just not very bright. Her breezy autobiography is an ok read, but not a book to keep or save. It’s simple and self-interested, like she can be.

by Anonymousreply 67October 3, 2019 11:31 AM

R61 & R66, Grace Slick is an interesting comparison here. She stepped away from the microphone after her prime and said older performs don’t really belong on the rock stage. Slick, as a performer, seems deeper and wiser than Harry (I admire both, and some aspects of Patti Smith, too).

If you have a chance to listen to Grace Slick’s isolated vocals from White Rabbit, do it. The track is on YouTube and it’s pretty amazing.

by Anonymousreply 68October 3, 2019 11:39 AM

I'll be buying the e-book when it comes out on the 8th. Debbie has said she left enough material out for another volume. Incidentally, this is not her first autobiography. The first one was Making Tracks: The Rise of Blondie in 1982.

by Anonymousreply 69October 3, 2019 11:49 AM

I read that the Kindle version is impossible to see.

by Anonymousreply 70October 3, 2019 12:39 PM

Font too small and printed in landscape.

by Anonymousreply 71October 3, 2019 12:40 PM

Debbie Harry was the Annie Lennox of the early 1980's. I loved "Heart of Glass", wore out the record, and also had the cassette which I played driving to Cedar Point in Ohio. We were driving through Cleveland during rush hour blaring "Dreaming" and singing at the top of our lungs. The usage of drums in that song is fabulous. And of course "Hairspray"....Her Velma Von Tussle has never been surpassed!

by Anonymousreply 72October 3, 2019 12:47 PM

The book’s design is by the awesome Rob Roth, who created the fantastic concepts for No Exit and The Curse. No Exit’s packaging and media, and the tour catalog and all the singles and remixes, were all done in blue and orange depixilated borders and black and white photos of the band looking so smart and sexy. It was a real high point for Blondie. They had good content, management, stature, energy. Their videos of this timeframe were very good, too. Maria and some edits of Nothing is Real but the Girl played in Europe, and looked amazing, particularly Maria. John Waters commented at the time that, with their return, he hoped they’d treat each other better, choose their words more carefully. They didn’t, really. The expressions for the media related to The Curse seemed more tense and forced, but the design language (flames spelling words) was clever. There are great songs on The Curse, but you sense that they struggled to choose which to promote. The engineering of Goodboys made it tough for Harry to reproduce that sound live, but she managed to craft a version to perform live that sounded good (deeper, more ponderous). Harry is an odd artist/presence. She is overrated and underrated at the same time.

by Anonymousreply 73October 3, 2019 12:58 PM

R72 You’re right. (“No lip from you, Miss Ingrate!”). That part, Velma, robotic but beautiful, high camp mannerisms and progressively bigger hair (ultimately her wig explodes), was very cleverly cast. Waters caught the fluid boundary between bubbly charm and menacing control in Velma pretty effectively, and did it again with Serial Mom. These characters were a lot of fun. Harry was very effective in her role as Velma. Hairspray is a guiltier pleasure today than when it was released. The racial subtext feels atonal now.

by Anonymousreply 74October 3, 2019 1:07 PM

It's funny. I love Debbie and I love Hairspray (BTW, inspired casting having Debbie married to Sonny Bono!), but I thought Velma was played a little too campily. a little over the top. Maybe I need to see it again.

by Anonymousreply 75October 3, 2019 1:47 PM

Is the autobiography as dull as the early reports?

by Anonymousreply 76October 3, 2019 2:57 PM

Destri had the greatest mouth. Kind of the male version of Debbie's.

She was truly the Most Beautiful Woman in the World at her peak so that explains some of the gay following. She might have been a bit blank but at least she wasn't silly or girly. She felt NYC tough.

by Anonymousreply 77October 3, 2019 3:17 PM

She looked 45 when she started out and she looks 80 now. She was never the most beautiful anything, not with that wide cow face. She is a vacancy. Appeals to ancient gays on poppers and ludes.

by Anonymousreply 78October 3, 2019 6:02 PM

I just downloaded it on my iPad via iBooks, and I would not recommend the e version. It is not formatted like a standard book, and it is very difficult to read because of the layout. Given that most books are read in e version, it is surprising that they made it so difficult to read in that format.

And to the person who recommended Chrissie Hynde's book: Did you read it? I read a lot of performer's memoirs, and it was, without a doubt, the worst I have ever read. She displayed no wisdom or insight, and she comes across as thoroughly unlikeable, although Im sure that was unintentional. The book just peters out, as though she reached the minimum word count required by her contract, and then just stopped writing. It is a terrible book, and, given the people she knew and how she was involved in the early London punk scene, it should have been great.

One rock star memoir that was tremendous is Viv Albertine's Clothes Music Boys. I did not care for the Slits, Viv's band, but she is a delightful and wonderful and funny storyteller and her book is worth reading if you're interested in the british punk scene.

by Anonymousreply 79October 3, 2019 6:27 PM

Chrissie Hynde was one of the few people Morrissey spoke well of in his grudge-fest memoir - I'm sure animal rights stuff had something to do with it, but it made me wonder if she's similarly insufferable.

by Anonymousreply 80October 3, 2019 6:32 PM

R79 I heard that about Chrissie Hynde’s book. My sister said Hynde’s was a good book, but she is such a huge fan, she couldn’t be objective. That may be the case with Harry’s most devout fans. I always enjoyed Blondie’s music, but looking at Harry with adult eyes, she seems more mean than tough, and more “removed” than “cool”. You sense that she has dealt with so many rabid fans that she is reserved by necessity. Anyone can understand and respect that. Yet that RRHOF Induction video linked above seems telling, too. In her book, she writes that Chris was seething about their lawsuit, but she is the performer who actually returned to the podium to oppose the ousted band mates’ perceptions. Watching her diminish Frank, Gary and Nigel, you wonder if she and Chris coordinated their exclusion of others between themselves, like mean schoolgirls. It’s curious that Chris comments on cynicism in his acceptance, and Jimmy gestures behind him, pointing out friends who supported the Band over time. It looked like Deb and Chris tried to get off stage before Gary, Frank and Nigel finished speaking, and Clem and Jimmy seemed caught in the middle. The relationships overall seemed cancerous.

The business of the band seems really shitty and full of resentment and disappointment and recrimination. Jimmy Destri did more than they acknowledge. He was a really appealing presence in the lineup. His look and stance added sex and energy, and he’s a damned good songwriter. VH1’s Behind The Music featured comments on competition for exposure and notoriety during Blondie’s implosion. Seems like a drugged-out shit show.

by Anonymousreply 81October 3, 2019 7:42 PM

No one ever really explained Gary Valentine's drumming out of the group. "I Am Always (Touched By Your Presence, Dear)" is a fantastic song - should be much better known. The group would have been so much richer with him. Yes, Debbie treated them poorly at the RRHOF, but Frank and Nigel were pretty forgettable as artists. Neither added much to the band.

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by Anonymousreply 82October 3, 2019 7:58 PM

Clem Burke has stuck with them all these years though (and what a fantastic, underrated drummer). I agree that "Presence Dear" is one of their absolute best though. "Fan Mail" too - several hidden gems on that record.

by Anonymousreply 83October 3, 2019 8:05 PM

I'm not sure that Harry treated them poorly at the induction. I don't know what decisions were made to not have the original lineup play, but, once it was decided, it was in poor form and a little confrontational for him to say what he did. I'm not sure what Harry could have said onstage to mollify the situation. It does seem unfortunate that they could not set aside their differences and play together. I was just a casual fan, and did not know there was bad blood in the group. I guess i will find out what it was when I read the book.

by Anonymousreply 84October 3, 2019 8:25 PM

Fan Mail is another Jimmy Destri gem.

by Anonymousreply 85October 3, 2019 8:39 PM

"I Am Always Touched By Your Presence Dee-uh, Dee-uh, Dee-h, Dee-uh".

I guess that's a Hawthorne accent.

by Anonymousreply 86October 3, 2019 8:43 PM

I was really young when Blondie came on the scene, so Debra Harry really made an impression on me (looks, style, music). Her facial bone structure and bleached blond hair were amazing. In retrospect, Michelle Pfeiffer looks a lot like DH. She was very, very thin. It's almost impossible for a woman to stay that thin.

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by Anonymousreply 87October 3, 2019 9:40 PM

I always thought Pfeiffer looked like Harry as well, especially in Scarface. Interesting that they both played Velma in Hairspray.

by Anonymousreply 88October 3, 2019 9:44 PM

Grease 2 was offered to Debbie, but she felt she was too old to play a high school student.

by Anonymousreply 89October 3, 2019 9:51 PM

Pretty crazy that after having 3 back to back US number ones, Deborah took the part of a lady wrestler in Teaneck Tanzi, not because as some had speculated she'd lost her mind, but because she desperately needed the cash after the IRS took away Debbie and Chris' health insurance while he was ill.

by Anonymousreply 90October 4, 2019 11:04 AM

Sad about the e book. Amazon seems to have pulled the kindle version. That’s really going to hurt opening sales.

by Anonymousreply 91October 4, 2019 12:06 PM

I just downloaded the Kindle version a few hours ago and read the whole thing, the formatting works fine.

by Anonymousreply 92October 4, 2019 12:20 PM

R92, good for you. I just went to buy it and it wasn’t there. Only kindle related item was bad reviews for the formatting. Hopefully it’s fixed and available again soon. Thanks for the update.

by Anonymousreply 93October 4, 2019 12:25 PM

I wish she had gone into more details about the songwriting and recording process. Her solo career is brushed over. It would be interesting to know about the side projects she recorded. And the rumoured beef after workiny with Jellybean isn't mentioned.

Didn't they start work on what became Rockbird and then when that was aborted the the A+R at Geffen linked her with Seth Justman, someone with no track record as a producer for other acts, before or since.

No mention of the early aborted Autoamerican sessions with Giorgio Moroder either.

Maybe she is saving stuff for the second volume she has mentioned earlier in the promo campaign for 'Face It'?

by Anonymousreply 94October 4, 2019 5:52 PM

awww, man, anywhere to find the Moroder sessions of "Autoamerican"? I will try youtube. Thanks for the info!

by Anonymousreply 95October 4, 2019 5:55 PM

R95 - Nothing has surfaced. According to an interview with Harold Faltermeyer, who flew in with Moroder to engineer the sessions, it became very obvious that they could not work with the band.

Call Me - was effectively a Debbie Harry solo track, no band member played on the track, maybe Frankie.

Jimmy Destri could never master the keyboard solo from Call Me , live for that reason.

by Anonymousreply 96October 4, 2019 6:05 PM

Clem Burke didn't play on Call Me?!

by Anonymousreply 97October 4, 2019 6:30 PM

R97 - Maybe. I think Harold Faltermeyer said one member played. I can't remember so will try and find the interview.

by Anonymousreply 98October 4, 2019 6:35 PM

It's a shame Deb didn't work with Moroder on any of her true solo work. The Phil Oakey hit would have suited her.

by Anonymousreply 99October 4, 2019 6:39 PM

R99 - Moroder produced 'Rush Rush' from the soundtrack to the movie 'Scarface' in 1983.

by Anonymousreply 100October 4, 2019 7:32 PM

r100

Thanks for the reminder. "Rush Rush" was no "Call Me". Shame. If it had been better (and a hit), we might have got a solid album.

by Anonymousreply 101October 4, 2019 7:41 PM

Abdul's Rush Rush was a much better song. Debbie Harry sucks. Call me is a good new wave song, but that is also oxymoron. There's a reason it died, while Ska and punk music continue forever. Go Paula.

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by Anonymousreply 102October 4, 2019 10:49 PM

Ska and punk are niche, just like New Wave. All those genres have reappeared in pop over the years. There's no "relevance" hierarchy there.

by Anonymousreply 103October 4, 2019 10:53 PM

R101 Yikes Paula Abdul's Rush Rush is god awful!!! And that's the reason that few have even heard that song since 1991. Debbie's song still gets played today, and even though was not a massive hit it has the Scarface connection and lots of people love it. There was a video filmed for Rush Rush but DH didn't participate.

by Anonymousreply 104October 5, 2019 12:03 AM

[quote]Blondie are a new wave group from when that was actually new; a punk group with clear vocals and pop hits; a rock'n'roll group whose best-known track is disco and who have been credited with the first single to hit #1 featuring a rap vocal.

by Anonymousreply 105October 5, 2019 12:04 AM

Yeah, I'd love to hear exactly what went down with Giorgio Moroder and the Autoamerican sessions.

They never should have gone into the studio together in the first place. Giorgio was 100% high-gloss dance-rock, and Autoamerican barely had any dance or rock songs.

I wish Blondie had tried to do an '80s-presaging electronic album with him instead. But it was beyond their abilities.

by Anonymousreply 106October 5, 2019 2:32 AM

If the could work with Mike Chapman, I don't see why it couldn't have worked with Moroder. The recent "Heart of Glass" EP had an interesting article about the recording of the track. It gave insight into the group's default approach versus Chapman's pop sensibility.

by Anonymousreply 107October 5, 2019 2:36 AM

It's such a Debbie thing to happen that the Kindle version of the book is all fucked up and in the wrong format.

Nobody at the publisher bothered to test it? They had one job.

But she chose the publisher ... at some point, all the sloppy, slapdash shit that marked her post-1981 career stops being a coincidence or somebody else's fault.

by Anonymousreply 108October 5, 2019 2:37 AM

R108 -- THe iBook version is also fucked up. It is simply not formatted for an e reader.

by Anonymousreply 109October 5, 2019 4:08 AM

The exploitation movie that Debbie speaks about being offered in her bio that involves a woman being institutionalized, with lots of nudity was filmed as Hellhole in 1984, starring Judy Landers.

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by Anonymousreply 110October 5, 2019 6:46 AM

saw her walking her dog in the village ages ago, musta been in her junkie period::::she looked fab.

by Anonymousreply 111October 5, 2019 7:24 AM

R108 That’s true, and it’s really too bad.

by Anonymousreply 112October 5, 2019 1:18 PM

It burns more than a little that Patti Smith is stacking awards on her shelf for her pretentious (“blah blah Rimbaud...”) autobiography, including a National Book Award, when poor daffy old Harry’s is so thin and superficial. Harry was so fascinating to me in my youth, so I t’s kind of sad to scratch the surface and find so little underneath. Her writing is like an inscription in a middle school yearbook. I really do admire her interest in the environment, but wearing silly hats and headbands doesn’t really make her Rachel Carson. I hope Pollinator earned something in support of conservation, but it doesn’t look like a big seller. In interviews, Harry and Stein come off as so vacant (his nasal whine is pretty tragic, though I know he can’t help it). I wish someone had their backs and got them to a media coach Decades ago. They’re somewhat successful, but don’t seem very bright. I guess you really shouldn’t meet your idols.

by Anonymousreply 113October 5, 2019 7:25 PM

R94 I agree it would be interesting to understand the context and backstory of some songs, like liner notes in an anthology. I know two of Blondie’s modern songs, Hello Joe and Under The Gun we’re inspired by their friendships with fellow musicians, both troubled and sadly doomed by poor health.

by Anonymousreply 114October 5, 2019 8:16 PM

[quote] Moroder produced 'Rush Rush' from the soundtrack to the movie 'Scarface' in 1983.

Love Scarface, but the soundtrack was a weak component of that movie. Every time they'd play a Moroder song, you'd realize this was a movie with a bad soundtrack. (Instead of being immersed in the movie and the narrative.)

by Anonymousreply 115October 5, 2019 8:19 PM

R115 I think Moroder reworked Goodboys pretty successfully around the release of The Curse of Blondie.

by Anonymousreply 116October 5, 2019 8:27 PM

I preferred the Scissor Sisters remix. I think that should have been the single version.

by Anonymousreply 117October 5, 2019 8:31 PM

They wouldn't have had the success they've had if they weren't bright. I've always seen Debbie as rather sphinx like. I don't know how any fan could expect a revelatory autobiography.

by Anonymousreply 118October 5, 2019 8:33 PM

Gary Valentine wrote a whole book about his time in Blondie. I read it. It was whiny. Maybe that's why they kicked him out. The whining

by Anonymousreply 119October 5, 2019 8:50 PM

R119 I think I read that, too. I remember that Gary stayed with Debbie and/or Chris, and I think he wrote that Chris’ loft smelled like cat pee, and that Debbie kept Chris going financially, or possibly agreed to re-assemble Blondie for the financial benefit of the Band members. There was a passage about a bad record deal, and I think implicated Harry in the Band’s decision to sign it, writing that screamed “just sign it!!”.

by Anonymousreply 120October 5, 2019 9:02 PM

[quote] I wish someone had their backs and got them to a media coach Decades ago.

Debbie Harry and Stein probably wanted to do things their own way. If Harry had hired a writer to help her write this autobiography, I am 100% sure it could have been an interesting book.

by Anonymousreply 121October 5, 2019 9:03 PM

What’s in her nostrils?

by Anonymousreply 122October 5, 2019 9:05 PM

The autobiography was written with a journalist who conducted a series of interviews with Harry. That's been mentioned in the coverage. Debbie has never been very forthcoming verbally.

by Anonymousreply 123October 5, 2019 9:06 PM

I think she's such and abstract thinker, she also doesn't seem to convey much emotion, in terms of her connection to other people, those she worked with in movies and music.

But then again she said she took heroin to feel less. She's certainly enigmatic.

Extraordinary looking up close in person too. Quite petite with a huge head that gives her a doll like quality, yet almost alien.

by Anonymousreply 124October 5, 2019 9:09 PM

R124 Yes, I have seen here pretty often in person and her head is quite large (that’s why she is so extremely photogenic). Several comments about her nostrils upthread make me wonder about the angle at which the top photo was taken. I saw her speak at an event for the photographer Francesco Scuvullo and at several other things in NYC. She’s tiny and very, very pretty. She usually looks moist and dewey, too, like super exfoliated and hydrated. For some years, she swam regularly in her building’s pool, and was surprising fit. I haven’t seen here in person lately, but suspect she is still a gilf. She’s odd, though, looks easily bored and distractable, sometimes close to autistic. Some photos, taken with newsphoto lenses, “flatten” facial features, but she has always photographed well, except near facelifts, where her face looks drawn and tight, but settles in over time. She’s really “put together”, though, even now.

by Anonymousreply 125October 5, 2019 9:26 PM

R125 should spell “seen her pretty often”, not “seen here”.

by Anonymousreply 126October 6, 2019 1:35 AM

R124 - Yes her skin is almost translucent. Flash photography does her no favours.

The lighting director on the movie 'Videodrome", a man of significant experience said she was so tricky to light because the angles of her face would cast shadows.

She's a one off. PS Don't worry about typos.

by Anonymousreply 127October 6, 2019 2:10 AM

I bought the Kindle edition on the release date. It was $26. Ridiculous for a digital book, but I love Debbie, so I did it. The text was tiny, but I read it anyway.

Tonight I got an email from Amazon, along with a full refund:

[quote]We recently learned that, due to circumstances out of our control, the version of "Face It" that you purchased was delivered misformatted. We unfortunately aren’t able to make the content available to you by sending you a content update.

What a fuckup.

by Anonymousreply 128October 8, 2019 10:14 PM

A book does not "drop". Can we please stop this nonsense. You are not Clive Davis.

by Anonymousreply 129October 8, 2019 10:20 PM

A book does not "drop". Can we please stop this nonsense. You are not Clive Davis.

by Anonymousreply 130October 8, 2019 10:20 PM

A book does not "drop". Can we please stop this nonsense. You are not Clive Davis.

by Anonymousreply 131October 8, 2019 10:20 PM

[quote]Most of Debbie's fanbase would be in their 50s. She became a star in her 30s.

I'm 56 and was bang on time for her and had to put up with her ghastly music for years - then came Madonna and Michael Jackson.

One thing I like about being older is that you can bypass aspects of pop culture you hate....trouble is, you miss the good stuff as well.

by Anonymousreply 132October 8, 2019 10:21 PM

A book does not "drop". Can we please stop this nonsense.

Experimentation requires I reject your hypothesis. A book does indeed drop.

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by Anonymousreply 133October 9, 2019 4:04 AM

The book is disappointing over all. It could have been a lot juicier.

by Anonymousreply 134October 9, 2019 9:39 AM

^ Why am I not surprised.

When did she ever show signs of having a personality?

by Anonymousreply 135October 9, 2019 9:44 AM

The book is terrible. At least she doesn't come across as unlikable as Chrissie Hynde is her memoir, but she comes across as someone whose superficiality runs deep. She really has noting to say. And there are huge chunks of the book devoted to fan art, and she gushes over them. Was that a put on? I can't imagine anyone of her statue really relishing the horrible fan art she reprints in the book, unless she is so narcissistic that she gets off on anything that has to do with her. And a word of warning to those who are going to get it: the e format is close to unreadable. Get the printed edition.

by Anonymousreply 136October 9, 2019 3:29 PM

Including fan art makes it easier to reach the required page total, no?

by Anonymousreply 137October 9, 2019 3:31 PM

[quote]At least she doesn't come across as unlikable as Chrissie Hynde is her memoir

I really liked her book and warmed to her and I was NEVER a fan.

by Anonymousreply 138October 9, 2019 3:37 PM

I agree about all those wasted pages of hideous fan art.

by Anonymousreply 139October 10, 2019 8:02 PM

The Guardian summarises Harry's story quite well in its review. The best parts in the book were about her childhood and the changing times in mid-century Jersey. Also, it was fascinating to read about her very early days in NYC, when her looks opened doors at various stratas of society, even though she was a beatnik with no direction who dropped acid with Tim Leary. Also shocking, her pornographic sexual experiences at cunt mile- ("ooh, my pussy got so moist!"). Thankfully she drops those kinds of graphic descriptions after that chapter.

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by Anonymousreply 140October 10, 2019 10:50 PM

At least she does cover more of those mystery years than she has at other times. I thought that when she was nursing Chris Stein in the hospital cot (also the time she lost her money and house) was in 1984, but it was more like late in 1982, right after The Hunter tour finished. Stein was well enough to live at home again with Debbie by the time she did the Teaneck Tanzi in mid-1983. There are some pictures of him looking deathly gaunt in late-1982 and then unrecognizably huge and swollen because of all the steroids in 1984.

by Anonymousreply 141October 17, 2019 12:39 PM

That whole mid-1983 period did a terrible number on Debbie's confidence. She seemed really strung out and off-kilter.

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by Anonymousreply 142October 17, 2019 12:55 PM

TEANECK Tanzi?!

by Anonymousreply 143October 17, 2019 12:57 PM

It's a shame because Deborah was in peak form and looked amazing right up until The Hunter Tour. She gained weight as a lady wrestler and was a complete mess on drugs. By the time they both recovered in early 1985, she had started to do some public apearances again like at the Amiga launch with Warhol. Her career had completely stalled but she was looking really beautiful again.

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by Anonymousreply 144October 17, 2019 1:10 PM

R144 she's totally strung out on heroin here. She was on a methadone programme until 1988.

by Anonymousreply 145October 17, 2019 1:45 PM

I remember when huge stars had quite local accents. One hears those less and less on late night talk shows and what not.

by Anonymousreply 146October 17, 2019 2:27 PM

As Debbie lay in a cot next to her ailing partner Madonna released her first record. SUCH uncanny timing!

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by Anonymousreply 147October 17, 2019 2:54 PM

R147 - What was Harry thinking when she signed to Sire Records in 1988. Conflict of interest.

by Anonymousreply 148October 17, 2019 5:39 PM

R148 Their partnership was actually a fairly natural one. Richard Gottehrer was Debbie's early producer and the co-founder of Sire Records with Seymour Stein. Of course, they had billions of dollars to make in the 80s and Debbie was shuffled out of the way when her little solo records didn't sell much.

by Anonymousreply 149October 17, 2019 11:56 PM

I enjoyed the Face It audiobook but was upset to see that Debbie never says why she and Chris Broke up (she just states that they broke up on the same day that Andy Warhol died). She does say the reason that ex-band members sued her and Chris, either. It is not 100 per cent clear what caused the ruckus at the Rock Hall but I was there that night and assumed that the old band would play together.

by Anonymousreply 150October 19, 2019 8:20 PM

The book was really worthless. If you're going to write a memoir, write a memoir, for crying out loud, and not just some random thoughts and a bunch of horrible fan art. I don't know she even bothered to write it, because she clearly didn't want to.

by Anonymousreply 151October 19, 2019 11:25 PM

R151 I’m sorry to say that’s true. I was/am an admirer of Blondie, particularly their second wave of content 1998-2003. But this memoir feels “phoned in”. Harry doesn’t have much to say.

by Anonymousreply 152October 20, 2019 12:30 AM

Deborah wants Emily Mead to play her in a Blondie biopic.

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by Anonymousreply 153October 20, 2019 12:54 AM

Debbie Harry the original.

Madonna the brand.

by Anonymousreply 154October 20, 2019 1:05 AM

She was on Graham Norton yesterday and she was a total bitch. No idea why people like her. Blondie’s music wasn’t even all that.

by Anonymousreply 155October 20, 2019 1:10 AM

R155 I just watched the full episode of Graham Norton and she was completely polite and affable in it. Don't make negative stuff up.

by Anonymousreply 156October 20, 2019 2:24 AM

bump

by Anonymousreply 157October 20, 2019 2:37 AM

[Quote] she was a total bitch.

Lies.

by Anonymousreply 158October 20, 2019 1:48 PM

R158 I watched the episode on YouTube and she was in fact pleasant and engaging. Looked good, too.

by Anonymousreply 159October 20, 2019 4:18 PM

r159.

I saw it as well. Debbie was fine. She's never been a raconteur. Linda Hamilton seems a little... wacky. I did like that she lowkey outed Ahnold as a perv.

by Anonymousreply 160October 20, 2019 4:23 PM
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