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Deborah Harry, who is currently touring with Blondie on their Parallel Lines 30th Anniversary tour, sat down with Entertainment Tonight's Mary Hart to talk about music, fame and "Burt Sugarman's The Midnight Special" DVD release which features Blondie.
Check out the video here
Blondie kicks off their Parallel Lines 30th Anniversary international tour in Baltimore tonight at Rams Head Live, 20 Market Place, at 8 p.m.!
Check Blondie's official site www.myspace.com/blondie for tour details.
Resilient 'Heart of Glass'
30 years later, sounds of Blondie are still fresh as they re-release 'Parallel Lines' and embark on new tour
By Rashod D. Ollison | Sun Pop Music Critic
June 5, 2008
It's 1978, and New York City, in fact the world, has disco fever. Concurrently, new wave, the pop-friendlier side of punk, is taking shape. And Blondie, an experimental band on the city's underground rock scene, leads the movement. The sextet -- which is fronted by a former Playboy Bunny with two-toned bottle-blond hair named Debbie Harry -- makes its mainstream breakthrough with the release of Parallel Lines.
By the end of the year, the album, which spawns the international No. 1 smash "Heart of Glass," tops the charts and quickly sells 2 million copies. Since then, Parallel Lines has attained classic status, was listed by Rolling Stone as one of the 500 greatest albums of all time, and has sold more than 20 million copies worldwide.
To commemorate the 30th anniversary of the LP's release, Blondie is launching an international tour, which kicks off at Rams Head Live tonight. EMI is also reissuing a two-disc deluxe edition of Parallel Lines, including four bonus tracks and a DVD of videos from the era. That will hit stores June 24.
"Thirty years? It's hard to believe," says Harry, 62. "It's exciting to go back out and play these songs again. I don't think we've ever played all the songs from the album in one show."
Over the years, there has been no dearth of Blondie compilations or reissues of Parallel Lines. But the deluxe edition features a superior, clearly balanced remastering, revealing just how fresh the music still sounds.
"Heart of Glass," the only cut on the album that flirted with the disco craze, sounds as immediate as it did during the days of Studio 54 and painted-on Jordache jeans. But the song, a dance-rock masterpiece, pushed the boundaries of disco. It married the stripped-down, muscular 4/4 beat of Chic with the inventive synthesizer touches of Giorgio Moroder's work with Donna Summer.
"It was the advent of technology that pushed us ahead," says Harry, who last week was at home in New York. "The synthesizers brought a lot of color to our sound, which has given us some longevity. That coupled with the fact that we were so experimental. We were a bunch of city kids, very urban. It seemed natural for us to just incorporate the things we heard around us."
True to the band's adventurous spirit, Blondie -- whose members include guitarist Chris Stein, guitarist Paul Carbonara, keyboard player Jimmy Destri, drummer Clem Burke and bassist Leigh Foxx -- scored a huge hit in 1981 with "Rapture." It was the first No. 1 single by a mainstream pop act to incorporate rap, a genre that was bubbling under the surface at the time.
"It was a transitional period," Harry says. "People were learning to accept those sounds. It was like, 'What's that?' Now it's so normal. Then, the integration of urban and rock was new."
The first wave of success the band garnered with Parallel Lines created some tension within the group. For starters, the underground rock press, which had supported the band since its inception in 1974, turned its back on Blondie, calling the unit a sell-out. Plus, group members started to resent all the attention generated by Harry's hard-edged sexy image.
"If you're in a band, there are different personalities, and everyone is important," the singer-songwriter says. "As for my image: By today's standards, I was pretty conservative. I thought I was being natural, smart and hip. In the long run, it was low-key compared to today."
Harry went solo in 1981, releasing the gold-selling Koo Koo. She has put out four more solo albums since then, the most recent being last year's Necessary Evil. The artist is also an established actress. But Harry is forever linked to Blondie and the new wave landmark Parallel Lines.
"We perform all the time still, and it's great," she says. "The songs are still alive. It's going to be fun. I'm really looking forward to seeing what the old folks can do."
See Blondie at Rams Head Live, 20 Market Place, at 8 p.m. Tickets are $35-$39.50. For more information, call 410-244-1131 or go to ramsheadlive.com.
- Baltimoresun.com
Scarlett Johansson and Debbie Harry pose for a photo in New York on Tuesday.
MySpace introduced screen siren Scarlett Johansson to punk rock icon Debbie Harry for this exclusive Artist on Artist interview. Two of the world’s most well known blondes reveal that Scarlett idolizes Debbie, discuss why some things should be kept private and toast each other and their new releases. http://www.myspace.com/artistonartist
A 30th anniversary celebration for Blondie's "Parallel Lines" album was not the band's idea, according to singer Debbie Harry. "It's really sort of traditional EMI behavior," the group's frontwoman and namesake tells Billboard.com with a laugh. "None of us really were counting the hours and the days or whatever."
But Harry says she and her compatriots are happy to participate in the party, which includes an expanded "30th Anniversary Edition" of "Parallel Lines" on June 24 and a tour that begins June 5 in Baltimore.
"It was a good period for us, a very good period," Harry notes. "We were starting a new relationship with a new label (Chrysalis) and a new producer (Mike Chapman). We really liked the music. It was a very exciting time."
"Parallel Lines," Blondie's third album, provided the group with its commercial breakthrough, going platinum and peaking at No. 6 during a 103-week run on The Billboard 200. The single "Heart of Glass," which Harry says she and guitarist Chris Stein wrote several years earlier, hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, while "One Way or Another" made it to No. 24.
The album has sold more than 20 million copies worldwide, but Harry was most pleased about its impact in the States. "We'd had hits all over the world -- in Europe, in the U.K., in Australia," she says. "But having a hit at home after three years of being on the road was really, really important to us."
The "Parallel Lines (30th Anniversary Edition)" includes the 7" single version of "Heart of Glass," the French version of "Sunday Girl" and some remixes, plus a DVD with promo videos and TV performances. During the tour, the group -- which still includes founding members Stein and drummer Clem Burke -- plans to play the album in its entirety. "A couple of the songs we might try to do a little more punky," Harry says, declining to reveal which ones.
Harry -- who released a solo album, "Necessary Evil," in 2007 -- thinks the "Parallel Lines" celebration "will draw the group closer together in a way," but she's not sure it will lead to new Blondie material.
"Chris and I have been working on a couple of things," she says, "but I don't know exactly what the future of Blondie is for new material. We've always been open for the opportunity to make some new stuff, but with the industry the way it is, it's kind of difficult, especially for a band that's been around for a while. They're not really looking at you for anything new, so you're sort of stuck with the things that people know you for. We'll have to wait and see."
- Billboard.com
Debbie Harry performed on May 18 in Vienna at 'Life Ball' 2008, Europe’s largest and most outrageous charity benefit dedicated to raising funds for HIV and AIDS research. www.Lifeball.org
Debbie Harry performing the Blondie classic 'X Offender' at the Tribeca Premiere Party for the rock-doc film Squeezebox! on April 25 2008. www.myspace.com/thesqueezeboxmovie
Original fans and new generations alike are undoubtedly bursting with excitement at the prospect of Blondie playing at this year’s GuilFest. The American band, who delighted and excited crowds in Guildford four years ago, are set to be performing once again as a headline act on Saturday, July 5. Guitarist and songwriter of Blondie, Chris Stein has been one of the core members of the group since they formed in the 70s.
Stein met lead singer Debbie Harry when he joined the Stilettos in 1973. The pair, who later became romantically involved, went on to recruit musicians and form Blondie. The name was chosen because it was what imaginative truckers used to shout out at Harry when they drove past in their trucks.
Stein, who has visited the UK on several occasions to perform, said: “I remember the very first show we had in England, how amazed we were to see how enthusiastic the crowds were, even compared to the American crowds. We’ve been doing these UK tours every year, Guildford’s one of these places where we’ve been before. We always walk around a little, but we do so many, things tend to blend together, so it’s hard to remember. It all comes back to you when you’re there though. For this year’s tour we’re going to try and add some new stuff.”
After gaining fame in 1978 following the release of the album Parallel Lines, Blondie stayed together for just four years before splitting up.
“We got back together in 1999, and it seems to be very successful. After we did that a lot of bands started doing reunions, we’ve always been a little premature in what we’re doing. I don’t think the dynamics really changed over that time,” Stein said.
When asked whether the band members still get on well together, he replied: “Sure. The band is what it is, it’s a family.”
Another reason for Blondie splitting up was the New York-born guitarist developing a rare and potentially fatal skin disease known as Pemphigus. Despite the fact that he spent a number of years recovering, he does not believe the experience had a particularly profound effect on him.
“I think having kids has changed my outlook on my life more than that, being able to spend time with my two girls has affected me a lot more than the medical thing,” he said.
When asked about how he feels about touring, Stein said: “I just love doing the show, I really missed playing with the band when we stopped. It gets me, everybody seems enthusiastic, everybody seems to look like they like it. Though I’m anti the rock star thing, although at the same time I think when anybody steps off stage they see themselves in that way.”
He added: “What I don’t like about being on tour is leaving the kids; they come to the American shows.”
Many bands have risen and subsequently dived into obscurity since Blondie first came onto the music scene.
Stein explained that he doesn’t really consider how his band compares to the competition.
He said: “I really don’t see other bands, though I saw the Blind Boys of Alabama, they were fantastic. The music I listen to is old reggae music, for pleasure.”
To book tickets to see Blondie or any of the other acts at GuilFest visit www.guilfest.co.uk/2008 or call the ticket hotline on 0871 424 0050.
First printed in: Surrey Advertiser
Hard to believe it, but Parallel Lines, the breakout album from New York City new wave icons Blondie, turns 30 this year. Frequently cited by critics and fans as Blondie's best, Parallel Lines spawned at least two instantly recognizable and ubiquitous classics-- "One Way or Another" and "Heart of Glass"-- and went on to sell 20 million copies worldwide. Not too shabby for a band which, as Blondie drummer Clem Burke nonchalantly puts it, was "just making music" at the time.
Pitchfork chatted with Burke recently about the album's pearl anniversary and the two celebratory gestures Blondie have planned: a deluxe reissue and two solid months of special shows on both sides of the Atlantic.
"We just wanted to make a statement about the Parallel Lines record being 30 years old," Burke offers matter-of-factly, before adding, with a laugh, "We wanted to make a statement that we're all old. We wanted to make sure everyone knew how old we were."
The North American half of the anniversary tour kicks off June 5 in Baltimore and fills out most of that month, followed closely by a gig in Israel and jaunt around Europe in July. And in ATP/Don't Look Back fashion, Blondie plan to rock Parallel Lines from front to back at each stop. "That's the general idea," Burke explains. "We're going to play the record and then another 45 minutes of Blondie stuff.
The other stuff will likely be a mix of songs from Blondie's late 1970s/early 1980s heyday and some material recorded since the combo reconvened in the late 1990s. "At this point, it's still kind of in the planning stages," Burke says. "We have a list of songs we can do. I guess we're going to have to wait and see how they feel when we play them live. I would definitely like to do stuff from the first two albums [1976's Blondie and 1977's Plastic Letters] that we don't really perform that often, that most people probably don't even know."
Burke doesn't really have a favorite song off Parallel Lines, but the ascent of one particular track buried deep in the album continues to amuse him. "At the time, we got a lot of flak for 'Heart of Glass'. [Now] it's one of the main Blondie songs that has endured and contributed to our success."
Blondie have delivered two records since reuniting late last century, 1999's No Exit and 2004's The Curse of Blondie. Can we expect another one? "We're definitely always talking about that," Burke reveals. "I think really, for ourselves, we need to make some new music, and it's been taking a while. I think it's time for a new record, just for ourselves. I would like to do a record that is without technology, myself. Just [us in the] studio, just playing, you know? I think the last record got really bogged down with technology."
The creation of new Blondie material these days regularly has to compete with a number of factors, including various band members' side pursuits. Deborah Harry, for instance, released solo album Necessary Evil last year, while Burke himself has at least two side-things going: Slinky Vagabond, which also features Glen Matlock of the Sex Pistols, and Magic Christian, led by Cyril Jordan of Flamin' Groovies fame.
A recent trip to Austin with Magic Christian helped Burke reconnect with his roots in the rock underground. "We did South by Southwest. We did five shows in two days at SXSW, really guerilla style, just kind of showing up at a venue, throwing gear on the stage. It was pretty damn fun. I think it's positive for me to do things like that."
Other than that, Burke's just "really excited about the [Blondie] tour. If it was up to me, we'd be on the road 300 days a year. I admire artists like Springsteen and Dylan-- obviously, they do it because they enjoy it. When I feel the most normal is when I'm on stage; I really enjoy touring. At this point, it's like going on vacation."
As for what's keeping Burke from his 300-days-a-year ideal? "Couches, beds, TV sets, kids," he shares with a laugh. "All those kind of things, I guess."
- Pitchforkmedia.com
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Debbie Harry has been writing and recording some new tracks, and “Fit Right In” is from these sessions. Total straight up dance pop that should have Kylie and Madonna shaking in their boots. Listen, leave a comment and download the song for free at Big Stereo - http://this.bigstereo.net/
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