One week ago on July 1st, Blondie front woman Debbie Harry turned 80 years old. Growing up with a music loving Dad like mine it feels like I've always known that Debbie Harry is cool. All one really has to do is look at literally any photo of her to know that. And as far back as I can remember I've always loved the song "Rapture" and as I got older, "Heart of Glass" but that was about the extent of what I knew about her and Blondie.
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| Face It, A Memoir outside of Fabulousa Books in SF photo by Nikki DeMartini |
Late last summer I discovered that the female punk pioneer turned music icon had written and released an autobiography. The news capitivated my attention while the title itself spiked my interest further, Face It, A Memoir. In order to grow as a person one must work through things in life meaning that you must face them. You must face yourself. This is a hard and uncomfortable lesson I myself have been and am learning and putting into practice. I immediately searched the internet for where to buy this book. Not wanting to feed the Amazon monster, I opted spend a little more time and money to find it else where. Work would bring me to San Francisco soon so why not support one of my favorite bookstores in the city that's close to and has always felt like home? I called up Fabulosa Books on Castro Street, delighted to find out that though they didn't have the book in stock, they could and would order it for me and hold it until I was ready to pick it up.
I'm not here to do a full-on book report and spoil any of her story, rather, I simply want to celebrate this trailblazing woman, sparking through her some inspiration in others.
I was taken aback to learn that I had, to an extent, some things in common with her. She starts her story from the beginning, sharing that from birth there was a deeply strained familial relatonship bestowed upon her and a motherly wound that cuts deep. She had a modest upbringing. A beautiful and curious little Debbie wasn't quite sure what she "wanted to be" but she knew she wanted to be something. As a young woman trying to find her place while forging her own path, she endured unfortunate situations, one of which every 1 out of 4 women in America face. It's extremly brave of her to bare all on this front. She remained modest even in her most vulnerable moments, as not to victimize herself which is profoundly admirable.
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| the back of Face It, A Memoir by Debbie Harry photo by Nikki DeMartini |
She speaks of her humble beginigs in music, a time when there was no real place for women in rock n roll. It was also a time before the age of internet, where societal misfits had to venture out to find each other and sensitive creatives alike had to find their outlet. In those days many found both on the streets of New York City. Along with drugs of course. What a time to be alive! These passages made me yearn to go back in time. Would I Have surivived it? Who knows! I would have had fun trying.
Along the way of the rise and fall and phoenixing of the band, Debbie Harry stayed true to herself and what Blondie stood for. The band Blondie actually didn't stay within the lines of any one genre throughout their career. A true testimate of legitimate punks. She dips into her acting career, different romantic realtionships and different artisitic ventures. One of the more enduring things she shares with readers is some of the fan art she's recived over the course of her decade spanning career and what they mean to her.
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| Inner sleeve of Face It, A Memoir by Debbie Harry photo by Nikki DeMartini |
She didn't set out to be a star and while both names end in the same two letters, Debbie is not Blondie. Not Blondie the band anyway. She was not naive to the fact of how attractive she was. Being one of the first front women, espeically to an all male band, she used this to her adavantage. That blondie on stage that sang and performed with Blondie was a character. A personified vision of the band and herself mixed with with a outward presentation of Marilyn Monroe. Her stage alter ego in a sense. As striking and feminine as she looked, she was driven by androgyny. Listen again to a song by Blondie and you will find that anyone, any gender (or non-gender) can sing it. That was no accident. Resisting to conform to cultural and societal constraits is again very punk rock, even if Blondie was and still is considered new wave.
Reading the 500 or so pages of her book, which I got as a hardback, was easy, though traveling with it was not as easy. The style of her writing is is very conversational. It reminded me of reading Keith Richards' autobiogrpahy, Life. It's almost as if you can hear them talking and they're talking to you like an old friend would. No filter, witty and full of charm. Not trying to convince you of anything, just telling you how it is, was or could have been without needing or wanting anything in return. She speaks of the past in comaprison to the present. She talks about her role as an activist on certain issues, which is another testimate of a legitimate punk. She doesn't take herself too seriously, even in the most serious of moments.
In the end, Debbie Harry did it, she faced it. The good. The bad. The ugly. No facade, just Debbie, her story in her words. Sure she might have left some stuff out but don't we all? I found a new appreciation for Debbie Harry and Blondie after reading Face It. This woman is a force to behold. An imense source of inspiration to be your authentic self. Even if you don't necessarily know who you are yet, what you want, what you want to do with your life or where you fit in. Face the music authentically and wholeheartly, no matter how hard, messy and scary it is. It will be all of that and probably more but you'll come out on the other side to find that you became, you are, exactly who you were meant to be.
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| A page of Face It, A Memoir by Debbie Harry photo by Nikki DeMartini |
Face It is available as a hardback, paperback, Kindle eBook and an audiobook. Debbie Harry herself narrates the audiobook which is so cool! My Dad told me today that he started listening to Face It on audio after I gushed about the book. Now that I know she narrates it, I might have to give it a listen. Audiobooks read by the author are the best in my opinion and this author is Debbie Harry! It doesn't get much better, or cooler, than that.
I was lucky enough to be able to catch some of Blondie's set at Coachella Music Festival a couple of years ago. After the passing of their drummer Clem Burke this year on April 6th, Debbie has stated that she can't see herself on-stage as Blondie without him (or Chris). That doesn't mean no more pieces of work from this artist. Until then, we will always have Blondie to listen to and Face It to read when we want to get up close and personal with Debbie Harry.
