Deborah Harry
Platinum Blonde
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- $9.99
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
Written with Deborah Harry's co-operation Platinum Blonde was the first portrait of the original Rock Goddess. With her unapologetic sexuality and perfectly aggressive pop, Ms Harry has remained a lasting icon of cool, synonymous with New York City attitude and the intersecting worlds of punk, rock, rap, art, film and fashion. Though a mainstream pop star, Deborah was never predictable. Her punk sensibilities, her roots in bohemian, alternative culture and her friendships with controversial artists such as William Burroughs and Andy Warhol set her apart from the archetypal sex symbol and pin-up girl. As bold and uncensored as the women herself, this quirky, broad sweeping biography, filled with new insights from Deborah, her friends, family and peers, is seeped in the vitality of down town New York and spiked with anecdotes of a maverick musician at large in a world of fame.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
A contributing editor at Time Out New York and frequent writer for pop culture rags such as Details and Interview, Che pays fun and frothy homage to multitalented pop icon Deborah Harry. Fans who have read Harry's own 1982 autobiography, Making Tracks, may not find much new grist here (unless you deem noteworthy the kudos of such contemporary hipsters as Shirley Manson, RuPaul and Theo Kogan of the Lunachicks). However, Che does mix her gushing about Harry's sex appeal, artistry, music and film career with some weighted analysis and original interviews--with Harry herself; members of Blondie, the band that brought Harry to the forefront in the late '70s; Blondie's unscrupulous ex-manager, Peter Leeds; and an eclectic cast of fans, friends and colleagues. Che also discusses the impact of Blondie's recent reunion, as well as some of Harry's lesser known feats, including her Broadway debut in Teaneck Tanzi: The Venus Flytrap, costarring the late comedian Andy Kaufman. Mostly, though, the book is a breezy, gossipy read. Those who aren't entrenched in pop culture might miss out on the copious references to New York fashion designers and scenesters (e.g., who is Ashley Heath, who notes, "That safety gear, knee-pad look she wore is just so Helmut Lang"?), but Che's lesson on Harry is loud and clear; as Fred Schneider of the band the B-52's says, "She's a goddess, in your face and in your ears." 16 pages of b&w photos.
