debbie harry
Deborah Harry admits that realising she was Blondie, the name of her multi-award winning, internationally famed band, was both a blessing and a curse. The singer, now 62, was the most vivacious, outspoken woman of the punk-rock/nu-wave set in the late 1970’s and onward through the 80’s. Characterised by her shaggy bleached blonde mane, no-rules fashion sense and rock-chick sex appeal, Harry struggled with the intrinsic linking of her personal identity with the band she so successfully fronted.
(No Exit Tour Book)
Her personality, style and technique continue to remain an inspiration for females today. Gwen Stefani can be seen Harry-esque in much of her No Doubt days, model Agyness Deyn takes cues from the bleached blonde hair and 80’s style and Sophie Dahl featured in a Vogue tribute to the Blondie front-woman.
Adopted at the age of three months, Harry lived in the boroughs of New Jersey, graduating High School in 1963. After working as a Playboy Bunny in the late 60’s and singing in several bands including a folk group and a female-trio “The Stilettos’” Harry met her eventual beau Chris Stein. Together the pair began the band Blondie, releasing a first album in 1976 and receiving international interest first in Australia in the late 1970’s.
The band seems to have become so successful through the marketing of Harry as a poster girl for the punk-rock scene. Early advertisements proclaiming “wouldn’t you like to rip her to shreds’?” have a sexual undercurrent, Harry is dominant yet seductive, innocent eyes with a belligerent pose.
Says Harry in the book Making Tracks (Bockris, 1982)
Harry earned her reputation as a rock ‘n’ roller; wild adventures, trashing hotel rooms and creating chaos wherever Blondie went, the behaviour parallelling the traditional masculine traits of punk-rock bands of the era.
In 1979, the cover of American tabloid magazine Circus, placed Debbie Harry on the front with the words “BLONDIE: NEW ROCK SEX SYMBOL”, below in smaller font, it read “Is she selling out to chauvinism?”
The UK magazine Record Mirror also said of Harry in 1979- “Debbie on stage resembles a ruined cocktail waitress trying to recall her days as a cheerleader in high school.”.
Here is where we begin to see the backlash of the two paradigms of Harry as an artist and a performer. In some aspects she exploits her sexuality, in other degrees it is done for her, being a female in a male dominated profession. If she was to shy away from the character she had been marketed as, backlash would surely ensue.
There is no argument that Debbie Harry was in control of her body, style and performance techniques during Blondies hey-day but what can be questioned is if she had approached her role as front-woman in a different way (for example demurely) if the band would have been as successful or pigeon-holed into a more pop segmented musical genre.
Deborah Harry (Record Mirror, 28.04.79)
In the mid-1980’s, after Harry had released several solo albums (all varying degrees of commercial success), Blondie formally announced it’s hiatus. The bands’ most recent album had received lacklustre reviews, founding member (and long term partner of Harry’s) Chris Stein was diagnosed with a genetic disease, and it is during this time speculation arose that Deborah Harry was suffering from depression. Eventually as Stein recovered, the relationship ended, Harry put on vast amounts of weight and was ridiculed by the press- going into hiding.
In 97, the band began working together again, then in 1999, Harry entered the Guinness Book of records as the oldest woman to reach Number One on the UK charts, with a new Blondie release.
Still touring both with the band and solo, Harry remains a firm heroine of the punk-rock scene, proving age is no barrier, nor sexuality.
She has also put her Blondie persona to good use, becoming a spokesperson for Gay and Lesbian Rights and fronting MAC aids campaigns in the US.
http://www.rip-her-to-shreds.com/archive_press_magazines_rm28april79.php
http://www.punk77.co.uk/groups/blondie.htm
http://www.hellomagazine.com/profiles/deborahharry/
ellie3120 said,
May 13, 2008 at 2:22 am
Kass,
Your character profile of Deborah Harry is great. It’s really informative & gives great insight into her rock and roll persona & lifestyle.
Last week, I watched a documentary on Blondie and Debbie Harry: “Blondie: Beneath the Bleach” (Thursday, 8th of May, 8:30-9:30pm) on MAX.
” In 1999, Blondie reformed for a comeback tour across the USA. Tune in and come on tour with the band and join them as they reminisce about thier rise from young New York Wavers to one of the biggest bands of the eighties!”
From watching this doco, I learned a few interesting things about the life and success of both Debbie Harry & Blondie;
- Marilyn Monroe was a major influence upon Debbie Harry’s appearance and Blondie’s debut song reflected this idea: “Platinum Blonde”;
- Debbie Harry spanned the genres of folklore, pop and rock before deciding that rock and roll was her preferred style; the folkgroup she was a part of was called “Wind in the Willows” and she also contributed to the 3 person-girl group ” the Stilletos”;
- “Blondie” could be associated with bands and artists including “Talking Heads”, “The Ramones” and Andy Warhol;
- Harry’s attitude towards her succession highlights her passion and love for rock music and fame:
” I want to be an artist–I have to be an artist!”
“My face is my fortune.”
It was a really interesting documentary, and in accordance with your character profile of her life, it is fair to say that Debbie Harry can be recognised as an influential woman in a man’s rock & roll world!
ellie3120 said,
May 13, 2008 at 2:37 am
OH!
I also found this clip of Lily Allen & Debbie Harry singing the Blondie classic “A Heart of Glass” together.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=me9Wpnu7rMY