Blandes have more fun An interview with Debbie Harry

Rip It Up, Issue 7, 1 December 1977, Page 9

Blandes have more fun An interview with Debbie Harry

Jeremy Templer

Debbie Harry, lead singer of New York group Blondie and cover girl to a hundred punk rock fanzines, was in Auckland with her manager about two months ago before flying on to Australia, hoping to give some publicity to a December tour of Japan, Australia and New Zealand. The Auckland Star put her photo on the front page, that evening, with a three-line caption. Television One carried a short news interview with her. The truth was that very few people knew anything about her. Blondie’s first album, released in the States in December last year hadn’t been released in New Zealand at that time. The album was ... produced ■ by Richard Gotiehrer, co-writer of the Chiffons’ “My Boyfriend's Back”, producer of the McCoys’ hits (including “Hang On Sloopy”), and his influence had some critics calling it a nostalgia album, placing Blondie purportedly a New Wave band in a strange position. For, as Debbie Harry explains, ”... it worked well for us commercially but artistically some of us were at odds with it. But for a first record I think it was great . . . We sound much harder and much rawer when we are live . .. the record to me is slower”. Gottehrer first approached Blondie after seeing them play at New York’s CB9B’s where, prior to forming Blondie, Debbie Harry had sung with a group called The Stilettoes. Chris Stein, Blondie’s guitar player, was guitarist with The Stilettoes. “The Stilettoes were together in 1973, before punk rock was called punk rock. We were one of the first punk groups on the scene. It was an all-girl trio with a three-piece band. We would all wear ripped clothing and garters. We looked exactly like the punk kids do in London now but we did it two years before they did it. We had songs like “Platinum Blonde”, “Poor Fool” ... a whole bunch of stuff like that. Real rough, bitchy songs. “We did some slow songs, sogie

cabaret-type numbers. We did some r &b, some girl-group-type songs like the Shi relies or Supremes. “Platinum Blonde” was one of my songs from that period, “Rip Her to Shreds” and “Man Overboard” were leftover songs from that period. “We were the house band at CBGB’s. We played there every single weekend with Television when Richard Hell was the bass player. We got the Ramones their first gig there ... ah, that was after The Stilettoes, as Blondie. “We were into a lot of camp and a lot of schtick. Like knives on stage and day-glo crosses and aii kinds of weird stuff . . . blood. It was definitely punk. It was ahead of its time." The Stilettoes played in New York for seven months before splitting up; Debbie and Chris forming Blondie with James Destri on keyboards, Gary Valentine on bass and Clement Burke on drums. They played at CBGB’s, didn’t move out of New York until February this year. In March and April they made their first national tour, as opening act to Iggy Pop and David Bowie (“it was a big thrill and Bowie and Iggy were great”), in May and June they toured England. Since they recorded their first album, Nigel Harrison, originally t}ass' guitarist with Michael Des Barres’ former group Silverhead, has replaced Gary Valentine, Frank Infante (Debbie calls him Frank Freak) has moved from his position as temporary bassist to add a second guitar to Blondie’s line-up. A new album, as yet untitled, was recorded in August and is due for release in Japan this month, in the States in January. Like the first album it was produced by Richard Gottehrer but the band was more sure of itself this time and more sure of the sound they wanted. These days Blondie doesn’t play CBGB’s. Last time they played there they broke all the club’s attendance records.