Deborah Harry
The Biography
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- $14.99
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- $14.99
Publisher Description
'I was hugely influenced by Debbie Harry when I started out as a singer and songwriter. I thought she was the coolest chick in the universe' Madonna. Written with Deborah Harry's cooperation, this book celebrates the life of the original rock goddess as boldly as she's lived it. The Blondie front woman 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. Fully revised and updated for 2013 to include new studio and live albums, numerous world tours and Blondie's induction to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and including three exclusive interviews with Deborah, as well as contributions from her friends, fans and contemporaries, this book is as close to official as it gets, and is a tribute to a truly unconventional pop star, who is still influencing a new generation of female pop icons.
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.
