Blondie - Mustaa valkoisella

by Dick Porter, Kris Needs

Ikonisen newyorkilaisbändin koko tarina

***

1980-luvun alussa newyorkilaisbändi Blondie oli yksi uuden aallon merkittävimmistä yhtyeistä. Blondien keulahahmot Debbie Harry ja Chris Stein muodostivat aikakauden kenties omaperäisimmän ja luovimman parivaljakon.

Vaikka Blondie oli ennen kaikkea yhtye, häikäisevän kauniista Debbiestä tuli väistämättä bändin kansikuvatyttö. Hän todisti, etteivät älykkyys ja kauneus ole toistensa vastakohtia, ja tasoitti näin tietä tuleville naisartisteille, mm. Madonnalle ja Lady Gagalle.

Menestyksen varjopuolella oli myös paljon henkilökohtaisia ongelmia. Musiikkibisneksen sudenkuopat, huumeidenkäyttö ja Chris Steinin vakava sairaus johtivat lopulta yhtyeen hajoamiseen vuonna 1982. Debbie Harry siirtyi soolo- ja elokuvauralle.

Vuonna 1998 Blondie palasi yhteen ja single "Maria" nousi listojen kärkeen. Bändi tekee edelleen levyjä ja kiertää maailman konserttilavoja.

"Blondie liittyy tiettyyn tapahtumaketjuun, New Yorkin skeneen, jonka koimme ja elimme täysillä." (Debbie Harry)

Tämä kirja kertoo, kuinka tuo kaikki tapahtui.

***

DICK PORTER ja KRIS NEEDS ovat englantilaisia rock-journalisteja, jotka ovat kirjoittaneet lukuisia bändihistoriikkeja ja rock-elämäkertoja. Kris Needs on Debbie Harryn ja Chris Steinin luottoystävä. Heidän ja bändin muiden jäsenten Needsille yksinoikeudella antamista haastatteluista on syntynyt ainutkertainen rock-biografia.

Genres: Music, Biography, Nonfiction

434 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2012

Reviews

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Before we go any further, I think it’s important that I point out Blondie are one of my favourite bands of all time - I loved them in their heyday, I’ve seen them live several times, I still listen to their music. There, glad we have that sorted. The book charts the rise (and fall and slight rise again) of the band, from the depths of the Bowery in the early 70s, from ridicule at their inept playing (though it doesn’t explain quite how they managed to get so many chances to have another go), to the huge chart success in the late 70s and beyond, whilst also delving into the biographies of the key band members and associates. There’s also a nice parallel with the story of New York, as the city so beloved by the band is smartened up from the sleaze that allowed Blondie to get together and rise up, eclipsing the careers of their peers - The New York Dolls, The Ramones, Television, et al. The first part of the book, the early 70s, is great fun - getting together, seeking out like-minded souls, all driven by the need to create music and enjoy themselves. There are some casualties, sobering the tone but watching the band pull together makes for a good read.

Unfortunately, during the mid-section of the book - where Blondie became huge in the late 70s - it quickly becomes apparent that co-writer Kris Needs is a little too near to the material. A zine editor at the time, he got very close to the band and so even though we get detailed accounts of gigs, playlists, after-show-parties and smooching, we also lose any kind of objective viewpoint. The shows are great, the band is tight, problems are the fault of others (such as the sound-man), Debbie is stressed, Peter Leeds is an arse - the swing into sycophancy robs the text of any real power. Also, as much as Leeds is derided by the band and Needs and portrayed as unscrupulous, it’s worth remembering - purely from the writing here - that it was all down to him they got the Chrysalis contract, kept making albums, got all the tours lined up, etc, etc. I don’t doubt that his legacy crippled the band but if he hadn’t started working with them - again, purely from what’s written here - it’s not a certainty to say that they could have progressed from Private Stock and the ridicule of CBGBs.

What the middle section does do well, however, is show the struggle of a band that has hit a level of success and must now deliver it again and again, something that fans don’t often think about. Picking up quotes from most of the band - especially Chris Stein, who launched several side-projects at the same time - it’s easy to see how this fear and pressure, mixed in with the bad blood between them and management, helped to create division in the band. When the split happens it’s almost an anti-climax - Frankie had been frozen out of the band (though the reasons why are never explored or explained), Chris was working with his label and getting more and more ill and everyone just seemed to want out. As it says, they simply dissolved.

Towards the latter half of the book, it does become more of a Debbie Harry biography. Admittedly the other bandmembers didn’t have such a high profile (and Stein was seriously ill) but whilst they might merit a sentence or two, she carries at least a chapter on her own. The ‘No Exit’ era gives us detail and depth on the setting up - it was mostly Clem pushing - but then skirts issues with bandmembers (Gary Valentine was involved in the early shows but was out by the time of ‘Maria’) and the recording yet gives us potted reviews of each song. At this point, you get the impression that these interviews aren’t cut and pasted (like the previous ones) but were carried out by the authors and transposed direct from tape. For instance, Chris Stein’s quotes are rambling and so full of ‘fuck’ and ‘shit’ that you lose track almost as often as he does, his stream of conscious conversation apparently not having been edited at all.

There are problems (beyond Needs’ gushing) with the book - some of the writing is lazy, some of the tangents (you don’t need to give us potted biographies of everyone but it’d be nice if you were consistent in terms of their standing in pop culture) are pointless, none of the quotes are attributed (there’s simply a list of sources at the end), some key items are missing from the index (not a major issue but if you’re got an index, why not use it) and some of the photo captioning is wrong (you could, perhaps, mistake David Lynch for David Cronenberg, but Debbie Harry hasn’t make that many films). However, this does do a good job in showing how a disparate group of people got together and (quite literally) against the odds became one of the biggest bands in the world, before everything self-destructed. Inspiring, nostalgic, fun and sad in equal measures, this is well worth a read for any Blondie fan and for that reason, I recommend this.

[*TUDOR^QUEEN* · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a great privilege to have received this advance reader copy from NetGalley in return for my honest review.

I am drawn to rock biographies, and since Blondie's salad days occurred during mine it was a pleasure to delve back into the 70's when hits such as "Call Me" and "Heart of Glass" were mainstays on the radio.

What makes this book so special are the many direct quotes from singer and front woman Deborah Harry, as well as her bandmates: Guitarist and longtime lover Chris Stein, drummer Clem Burke, bassist Gary Valentine, keyboardist Jimmy Destri and other later band members. The authors were embedded with Blondie from their early inception because they worked for a British music magazine. Because of this, they have a treasure trove of interviews with Blondie that span decades. Hearing the band members "speak" in real time relative to each time period lent a wonderful authenticity to this biography.

The book is chock full of details of each Blondie album's creation, as well as Deborah Harry's solo offerings and many concert tours. The breadth of these descriptions will no doubt delight major Blondie fans who are already familiar with their discography. If you only know the major hits like me, this deep analysis of their songwriting album by album might become a bit tiresome (unless it inspires you to listen to the song samples on the internet).

Chris Stein's mysterious illness and eventual recovery was also explored, as well as Debbie's successful parallel career as an actress.

As for me, I particularly enjoyed the many passages of interviews with the band members, especially the ones from Debbie. It was a joy to journey along with them throughout the years to see where they are today.

[A Reader's Heaven · Rating 4 out of 5]

(I received a free copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.)

One of the most iconic groups of their generation, Blondie experienced an unparalleled rise to global superstardom during the late 1970s. As they topped charts throughout the world, vocalist Deborah Harry adorned magazine covers and bedroom walls everywhere.
Drawing upon extensive first-hand interview material from Debbie Harry, Chris Stein and many other significant players in the band’s long history, Blondie: Parallel Lives is the definitive eye-witness account of the group’s long and often tumultuous existence.
Beginning with their childhoods, backgrounds and influences, the book charts the development of Blondie to their massive popular success and eventual break up; the 1997 reformation, subsequent renaissance with their No Exit album; the controversies surrounding the 2006 induction to the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame, ending in the present with the release of Panic of Girls.
Co-author Kris Needs established a friendship with Harry, Stein and the rest of the band that endures to this day. As a trusted confidante, he now recounts the full story.

Let me start by saying that Blondie WERE NOT my favourite group growing up - I wasn't really old enough to know who they were during their heyday. It wasn't until I was well into my teens before I had heard of them - and their career was starting to go backwards pretty quickly.

But this book - this book makes me wish I was a little bit older and had the chance to see those days of both Blondie and the New York scene in general, at the time. See, this isn't a book JUST about Blondie - it is a book about a time and a city, and the goings on in the music scene and industry.

And, for the most part, it is a brilliant biography. Not just chronicling the years of the band, but giving the reader a more intimate knowledge of the members of the group. We read about the early days of the band - and the dreadful music they played live in those years - and also about their contemporaries: The New York Dolls, The Ramones, Television to name just a few, and how Blondie worked together as a group to out-do those heavyweight names. Personally, I am not sure they eclipsed The Ramones...but my bias is probably showing there. Now, speaking of bias...

What stopped this being a 5-star review was two things: about halfway through the book, we get a lot of minutae about the band - gigs, parties, playlists etc. Hardly interesting reading. Now, the co-author Kris Needs used to run a fanzine of Blondie, so that could explain the details...
The second thing was that the last 100 pages or so was a Debbie Harry retrospective. While she went on to become the famous name from the band, it seemed to step away from being a book about Blondie...

Overall, a very good read about a band, a time and a place...well recommended!


Paul
ARH

[La La · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh, this book, soooooooo good. It is more than just a biography. It also chronicles the New York City fringe and underground music scene from the late sixties until the early eighties. You get background on the clubs and venues and how they started, who was playing with whom, who was headlining, what bands were sharing members, or quarreling, and how different bands morphed from one genre to another. There is information not only about the recording studios, but why the studios/producers/engineers were chosen. There are sections about management and the tours bands were doing during that time; on both coasts and in the UK. There is so much music history crammed into this book it boggles the mind. And it has photos! Lots of photos. *takes a deep breath*

It also sheds light on how things changed in the late 1970s, early 1980s, for bands and musicians. I always say these are the years when the music "business" turned into the music "industry". The book shows what was happening and evolving on the business and technical sides, at that place in time, to set these changes in motion. It is most certainly a book I will re-read more than once.

I was approved for an eARC, via Netgalley, in return for an honest review.

I loved this book so much I will be doing a funky thought-provoking review on my blog at some point and will add the link when it is posted.

[Jamie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not a fan of Blondie's to be honest but found their story very interesting, in that it charted the highs & many lows of the band both together & apart. However, it was spoiled by the lack of objectivity. We're told how every song is amazing & when albums didn't chart it was because of villains like record companies or Madonna. I think even if I was a fan of the band that would've bothered me.

[Carol · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have wanted to read this book for so long but somehow it just didn't do it for me...
It just didn't have the vibrancy or electricity of other 70's rock biogs. In fact it's like the author went all out to let us know how 'normal' everyone was...

[Metalfist · Rating 3 out of 5]

Blondie, het blijft toch een enorm coole groep als je het mij vraagt. Ik kende ze al wel langer van een aantal hits, maar het was de enorme aantrekkingskracht van Debbie Harry die ervoor zorgde dat ik meer van hen wilde weten. Net op het moment dat ik hun oeuvre was aan het ontdekken via onder andere een vinyl van Plastic Letters die nog van mijn vader was geweest, kwam de monumentale Against The Odds: 1974 – 1982 boxset uit. Toen na veel twijfelen aangeschaft en helemaal verliefd geworden op het werk van de band en hun frontvrouw. Vandaar ook eens begonnen aan een biografie en dan leek Parallel Lives (uiteraard een dikke knipoog naar Parallel Lines) me een interessante keuze.

Omdat de auteurs sowieso redelijk wat geschiedenis met de band (en met Debbie Harry en Chris Stein in het bijzonder) hebben en dat is een mes dat langs twee kanten snijdt. De vroege jaren (zo ongeveer tot aan de split) zijn sowieso het interessantste met de manier waarop Blondie gevormd wordt, de carrières die de verschillende bandleden hebben gehad vooraleer ze Blondie vormden, de eerste demo’s, het rauwe New York en de bijhorende clubs, … Misschien ligt het aan mezelf omdat ik zo’n ontstaansgeschiedenis sowieso altijd wel interessant vind en de eerste pakweg 4 albums nagenoeg kan dromen, maar erna begint het boek wat in te zakken. In de eerste plaats omdat er nog altijd weinig ruimte is voor een kritische noot. Het is nu eenmaal een feit dat Blondie bij de reünie (en volgens sommigen zelfs al vanaf Autoamerican, hoewel ik dat echt nog wel een toffe plaat vind) nooit meer de kwaliteit heeft afgeleverd die ze in de jaren 70 op het publiek losliet. Het helpt dan ook niet dat Porter & Needs vooral nog in contact staan met Debbie Harry en Chris Stein en dat de rest van de bandleden er redelijk bekaaid afkomen. Van hun twee wordt werkelijk elke scheet belicht, maar over bijvoorbeeld Clem Burke (die er toch ook al vanaf het prille begin bij is) wordt weinig verteld. Ik had ook wel graag iets meer geweten over de ruzies tussen de huidige groep en bijvoorbeeld Gary Valentine en Frank Infante, maar ook daar wordt niet echt dieper op ingegaan.

Blondie is echter niet de enige focus in het boek, want er is best nog een grote rol weggelegd voor New York zelf. Het is nog een extra positieve insteek wat betreft het eerste deel van het boek, maar na de split van Blondie lijkt ook de music scene in New York te zijn ingezakt en wordt het niveau nergens meer opgepikt. Interessant om eens gelezen te hebben, maar ik zou toch nog graag eens een wat meer kritische biografie lezen.

[John Plowright · Rating 3 out of 5]

When Lester Bangs published his ‘Blondie’ in 1980, some admired the book and others loathed it (as being more about Bangs than his nominal subject) but all presumably assumed that the last word on the group could be written then. How wrong they were. There has, of course, been a major revival of interest in Blondie since, on the back of the band’s 1998 reformation, and their subsequent recording and touring successes.

Dick Porter and Kris Needs would seem, on the face of it, ideally placed to bring the Blondie story up to date as they’ve not only previously co-authored a book on the New York Dolls, who emerged from the same Lower Manhattan scene as Blondie, but also because Needs knows Blondie personally, and particularly Chris Stein, through having championed the band in their early days in his position as editor of ‘Zigzag’ magazine.

It’s a pity then that Chris didn’t tip Kris the wink that - thankfully - there’s still no end in sight of Blondie’s music making. Thus this book, which was published in 2012, covers the previous year’s ‘Panic of Girls’ but of course has nothing to say about 2014’s ‘Blondie 4(0) Ever’, let alone 2017’s ‘Pollinator’. The claim to tell “the whole remarkable story’ of Blondie is thus now invalid by some margin.

The book, as it stands, is quite an enjoyable easy read but in addition to not telling the whole story includes some very questionable statements. For example, we are told that Debbie Harry “refused to be manipulated by any authority” overlooking incidents such as Private Stock marketing the band, against Debbie’s wishes, with a photograph of her in a see-through blouse.

There’s also the hyperbolic assertion that Debbie is “the most imitated (though never equalled) female singer of all time.” The most uncritical fan might digest this sort of stuff but anyone who has heard Billie Holiday or Aretha Franklin or Bessie Smith or Nina Simone, say, is likely to find such a claim at best endearingly ridiculous. But then I guess this book is really intended for those willing to suspend their critical faculties and just go along for the ride.

[Allan Heron · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hugely enjoyable biography of Blondie up to about 2010.

Needs is not an unbiased observer but he has ensured that all parties have had the chance to input into the narrative which makes for a reasonably balanced approach.

Very much focused around Debbie Harry and Chris Stein, the titular parallel lives, it may tend to make the other key members, particularly Clem Burke and Jimmy Destri, seem a tad less consequential than they are but that is a minor quibble.

[JAnn Bowers · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I first saw this book, memories flooded back to my childhood and I had to read it. I was right this book was filled with Blondie facts that i never knew with great stories and information. I love Blondie for her raw vocals and her lyrics.

I received this book through NetGalley for an honest review.

[LeaVixx · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a good autobiography but it felt too long for what it actually was. It was very dry and impersonal. I would for example love to know more about the drug addiction of the members and how it affected their work just as I would love to know what has changed after getting sober.

[Douglas Castagna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book about a pretty awesome band. The story gives a nice amount of time on each band member as they formed and came up, with most of the story focusing on Debbie and Chris and life before, during and after the Blondie phenomena. Very nice style, easy to get into and well researched.

[Neil · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was enjoyable and I was able to quickly read through in a few days whilst on holiday. The book covers the band from their early days all the way through to the recent release of Panic Of Girls. The content is a little too slated towards the early days and does not cover the second half of the band in as much detail and has lots of background content on the New York scene of the mid-seventies. Co-written by Kris Needs who knew the band from the early days so includes some first hand reflections.

If you like Blondie or the New York music scene in the seventies I think you will enjoy this book

[Paulien · Rating 3 out of 5]

While this is a fairly thorough record of Blondie’s rise and internal workings, it lacks the emotion I associate with Blondie - the excitement, passion, fun. This book is a bit dry, almost scholarly. As meticulous and detailed as it was in the beginning, so rushed seemed the second part.

As a massive Blondie fan, I appreciated this account all the same. With these kind of biographies, having a fan of the band as the author can be tiresome when they do nothing but applaud their subject - but these authors did a good job of keeping enough distance to make this interesting.

[Hillery · Rating 4 out of 5]

Liked the book for the content, not so much the writing style. Relied too much on long paragraphs of direct quotes from band members. However, this is the most detailed history I've seen our there so far on Blondie, one of my favorite bands.

[Wendy-Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to Net Galley and the Publisher for giving me the opportunity to read and review. "Blondie Parallel Lives" was a great biography on this wonderful band from the 1970's and 1980's. Great incite and lots of new information that I did not know before reading this. Highly recommended.

[Anthony Faber · Rating 2 out of 5]

The title is actually "Parallel Lives". History of the band. Not bad, but not my usual cup of tea.