Chicago’s Most Eclectic Independent Music Publication

Latest News

  • Legendary Mask Maker, Zagone Studios, Approaches Fifty-Years Of Innovation Right Here In Chicago
  • Photo Gallery: The Charlatans @ The Vic
  • Wilmette Illinois’ Own, Music Theater Works, Launches Into 43 Year With A Signal Grant By The Bayless Family Foundation
  • Photo Gallery: Naked Raygun In Store Event at Quimby’s: Broken Things 7” With Comic And Wax Trax! Records Pop Up
  • Photo Gallery: Black Label Society @ Radius Chicago 2023
  • Photo Gallery: Anthrax @ Radius Chicago 2023
  • Home
  • Music News
    • Breaking News
    • Features
    • This Just In
    • Interviews
    • Reviews
    • ITLM OTRS
    • Local Loop
    • Musical Theatre
    • ChiBluesBro’s Jukebox Reviews
  • Media
    • Photos
    • Videos
    • Streaming Live
  • Events
  • Festivals
  • Promotions
  • About
  • Contact
  • Follow
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Google+
    • Youtube

Rock Legend Book Review: Debbie Harry Reveals Deep Personal Tribulations In “Face It”

Jul 26, 2021 admin_bitlc Features, Music News, Reviews 0


Rock Legend Book Review: Debbie Harry Reveals Deep Personal Tribulations In “Face It”

By Vernon Hester,

“Face It”, by Debbie Harry, in collaboration with Sylvie Simmons (Day st. Publishing, 254pages)

“Hope I die before I get old…,” Pete Townsend from “My Generation.”

 

So sang a sparkly eyed, rose cheeked, barely legal looking Roger Daltry over fifty-five years ago when the concept of youth as an end in itself was still a ridiculous myth . Only in pop culture could the romance of an early death elevate an artist to iconic status (Jimi, Janis, James Dean, Jim) while giving the deceased an out for embarrassing themselves later in life (think of Sid Vicious, Elvis Presley, and Michael Jackson.). Really the best avenue toward pop mortality, though not nearly as romantic, is to grow old while living well. Apart from the lifetime achievement Grammys, the guest host spot on those extended Time/Life music compilation commercials, and those stately gigs at outdoor toney venues like Ravinia, the best perk is the cash to be had from all those tell all autobiographies. Better still for the reader are the memoirs that not only reveal the author and document a cultural scene from the inside, but challenge the reader’s perspective on what they thought they knew. Thankfully we’ve gotten a slew of great books from almost every area of rock and roll in the last decade (I can recommend books by Grace Jones, Patti Smith, Bettye LaVette, Meatloaf, Tony Orlando, Bob Mould, Tom Jones, Pauline Black, Pat Banatar, Alice Cooper and Quincy Jones off the top of my head.) and icon (Blondie front woman, fashion plate, jazz vocalist,  movie star, and celebrity goddess) Debbie Harry’s telling of her story, Face It is one of the best.

Face It is pretty much a creamy delightful, not only because Harry, who has always come across as approachable and warm despite her image seems to be so comfortable in her skin and with her past. The book is like sitting down with her over an endless Sunday afternoon for a latte, high end cheesecake, and frank conversation in the living room and chilling out. She also shies away from pretense, even when discussing the deliberate design of her image (“I was playing up the idea of being a very feminine woman while fronting a male rock band in a highly macho game. I was saying things in the songs that female singers really didn’t say back then. I wasn’t submissive or begging him to come back, i was kicking his ass, kicking him out, kicking my own ass too. My Blondie character was an inflatable doll but with a dark, provocative aggressive side.”) and the book grants her an objectivity that is refreshing. On top of all that of course is the story: how a tomboy from Florida ended up fronting one of the most successful punk/new wave bands to emerge in an already crowded scene, achieve world dominance, become the face of an era, move elegantly through the arenas of high art while conquering pop culture , and then watch the whole thing crumble in a swirl of bad health, inter-band animus, fraud, drugs, bad management, bankruptcy, and law suits.

Photo: James Currie

Even if you know the story like I did (I’ve been hot for Blondie since my teens) her version of the most minute details give it a pungent heft. But that’s not all… Harry makes it clear that Blondie was not merely her back up band but the product of a collaboration with Chris Stein (her lover and lead guitarist), her bandmates (Clem Burke, Jimmy Destri, Gary Valentine, Nigel Harrison), producer Mike Chapman, and her own restless attitude toward experimentation and investigating new mediums. This explains the band’s ability to straddle seemingly opposing musical genres like pop (“The Tide is High,” “Sunday Girl,” “Maria”), straight up punk (“Rip Her to Shreds”), subversive hard rock (“One Way or Another,” “I’m Not Living in the Real World”), disco (“Heart of Glass,” “Call Me.” “Atomic”), rap (“Rapture”), art rock (“Auto American,” “Union City Blue,” “Shayla”) without sounding at odds with themselves or being accused of selling out.

This also explains Harry’s film career, turning up in wildly diverse films (Hairspray, Videodrome, Forever Lulu, Elegy) and television roles (as guest host of The Muppet Show as well as Sabina The Teenage Witch and RuPaul’s Drag Race) all the while shrewdly manipulating a media image that seemed to make her omnipotent at the time (covers on Rolling Stone and Interview Magazines as well as that solo album cover depicting her face skewered with king sized acupuncture needles) without overkill. Madonna may have finessed the art of media manipulation later on, but it’s undeniable that she has an aroma of cynicism and arrogance while Harry’s efforts do not (it was a different era to be sure). You have to marvel at the stellar cameo cast that pops up in Face It as well; H.R. Giger, John Waters, Shep Gordon, Phil Spector, Fab Five Freddy, Iggy Pop, Gloria Vanderbilt, Andy Warhol, Divine, David Bowie, Grandmaster Flash, The Ramones, David Cronenberg, and Jean Michael Basquiat to name but a few) but the one delight that really made me swoon is her memories of hallowed punk/wave bars Max’s Kansas City and CBGB’s. Face It may be an elegantly overstuffed memoir (the book also features a wealth of well curated fan art) but it could be easily viewed as a history book that engagingly depicts a period in pop culture that is now viewed as mythic. And yes, it is incredibly entertaining to boot.

Thank heaven for Debbie Harry. Now at the age of 76 she has made it clear that it was not enough to live one of the wildest and most iconic rock and roll existences on the planet, but to author a book that was well worth the wait.

 

For more on Debbie Harry, click here

For the book, click here

Photo: Vernon Hester

Share this:

  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Reddit
  • Pinterest
  • Email

Related


  • tweet
PERRY FARRELL’S KIND HEAVEN ORCHESTRA TO OPEN FOR YOUNG THE GIANT AT OFFICIAL LOLLAPALOOZA AFTER SHOW Steppenwolf Theatre Company Announces New Co-Artistic Directors Ensemble Members Glenn Davis and Audrey Francis

admin_bitlc

Related Articles
  • Legendary Mask Maker, Zagone Studios, Approaches Fifty-Years Of Innovation Right Here In Chicago
    Legendary Mask Maker, Zagone Studios,...

    Oct 25, 2021 0

  • Photo Gallery: The Charlatans @ The Vic
    Photo Gallery: The Charlatans @ The Vic

    Feb 08, 2023 0

  • Wilmette Illinois’ Own, Music Theater Works, Launches Into 43 Year With A Signal Grant By The Bayless Family Foundation
    Wilmette Illinois’ Own, Music...

    Feb 06, 2023 0

  • Photo Gallery: Naked Raygun In Store Event at Quimby’s: Broken Things 7” With Comic And Wax Trax! Records Pop Up
    Photo Gallery: Naked Raygun In Store...

    Feb 06, 2023 0

  • Photo Gallery: Black Label Society @ Radius Chicago 2023
    Photo Gallery: Black Label Society @...

    Feb 02, 2023 0

More in this category
  • Wilmette Illinois’ Own, Music Theater Works, Launches Into 43 Year With A Signal Grant By The Bayless Family Foundation
    Wilmette Illinois’ Own, Music...

    Feb 06, 2023 0

  • Live Review: Anthrax Bring 40 Years of Metal Thrashing Madness To Chicago
    Live Review: Anthrax Bring 40 Years of...

    Feb 02, 2023 0

  • LONG STORY SHORT: WILLIE NELSON 90 A STAR-STUDDED CONCERT CELEBRATING WILLIE’S 90TH BIRTHDAY
    LONG STORY SHORT: WILLIE NELSON 90 A...

    Jan 25, 2023 0

  • Chicago Premiere: Raven Theatre Presents the Chicago Premiere of RIGHT TO BE FORGOTTEN
    Chicago Premiere: Raven Theatre...

    Jan 23, 2023 0


Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Categories

CALENDAR

February 2023
S M T W T F S
 1234
567891011
12131415161718
19202122232425
262728  
« Jan    

Archives

  • February 2023 (6)
  • January 2023 (9)
  • December 2022 (4)
  • November 2022 (5)
  • October 2022 (12)
  • September 2022 (28)
  • August 2022 (27)
  • July 2022 (37)
  • June 2022 (21)
  • May 2022 (20)
  • April 2022 (13)
  • March 2022 (33)
  • February 2022 (21)
  • January 2022 (22)
  • December 2021 (11)
  • November 2021 (15)
  • October 2021 (16)
  • September 2021 (36)
  • August 2021 (21)
  • July 2021 (26)
  • June 2021 (27)
  • May 2021 (13)
  • April 2021 (12)
  • March 2021 (12)
  • February 2021 (4)
  • January 2021 (2)
  • December 2020 (7)
  • November 2020 (4)
  • October 2020 (3)
  • September 2020 (10)
  • August 2020 (6)
  • July 2020 (7)
  • June 2020 (3)
  • May 2020 (5)
  • April 2020 (3)
  • March 2020 (10)
  • February 2020 (22)
  • January 2020 (10)
  • December 2019 (8)
  • November 2019 (30)
  • October 2019 (30)
  • September 2019 (27)
  • August 2019 (41)
  • July 2019 (33)
  • June 2019 (27)
  • May 2019 (36)
  • April 2019 (25)
  • March 2019 (41)
  • February 2019 (22)
  • January 2019 (11)
  • December 2018 (17)
  • November 2018 (13)
  • October 2018 (34)
  • September 2018 (43)
  • August 2018 (25)
  • July 2018 (34)
  • June 2018 (23)
  • May 2018 (31)
  • April 2018 (24)
  • March 2018 (49)
  • February 2018 (48)
  • January 2018 (25)
  • December 2017 (10)
  • November 2017 (30)
  • October 2017 (10)
  • September 2017 (26)
  • August 2017 (25)
  • July 2017 (42)
  • June 2017 (37)
  • May 2017 (49)
  • April 2017 (54)
  • March 2017 (44)
  • February 2017 (39)
  • January 2017 (14)
  • December 2016 (22)
  • November 2016 (20)
  • October 2016 (20)
  • September 2016 (35)
  • August 2016 (46)
  • July 2016 (51)
  • June 2016 (23)
  • May 2016 (15)
  • April 2016 (18)
  • March 2016 (22)
  • February 2016 (27)
  • January 2016 (11)
  • December 2015 (8)
  • November 2015 (17)
  • October 2015 (21)
  • September 2015 (30)
  • August 2015 (54)
  • July 2015 (49)
  • June 2015 (44)
  • May 2015 (16)
  • April 2015 (6)
  • March 2015 (9)
  • February 2015 (9)
  • January 2015 (2)
  • December 2014 (2)
  • November 2014 (2)
  • October 2014 (1)
  • September 2014 (2)
  • August 2014 (5)
  • July 2014 (1)
  • June 2014 (4)
  • May 2014 (5)
  • April 2014 (1)
  • March 2014 (1)
  • February 2014 (2)
  • January 2014 (2)
  • December 2013 (1)
  • November 2013 (2)
  • October 2013 (1)
  • September 2013 (1)
  • August 2013 (2)
  • July 2013 (3)
  • June 2013 (2)
  • May 2013 (5)
  • April 2013 (3)
  • March 2013 (1)
  • February 2013 (1)
  • May 2012 (2)
  • January 2012 (3)
  • September 2011 (1)

Facebook

Instagram

Photo Gallery: @thecharlatans UK live in Chicago @thevicchicago on their North American Tour 2023 with Ride. #charlatans #charlatansuk #martinblunt #timburgess #MarkCollins #tonyrogers #northamericantour #ride #thevictheater #chicago #alternative #English #ukband 📸 By #JamesCurrie
Photo Gallery: @nakedraygunofficial In Store Event at @quimbysbookstore: Broken Things 7” Single With Comic And @waxtraxchicago Trax! Records! Pop Up.
Photo Gallery: @blacklabelsocietyofficial @radiuschicago 2023. @zakkwyldebls #zakkwylde #blacklabelsociety #doomcrew #doominccrew #hardrock #heavymetal #chicago #radius #concertphotography #concertphotographer 📸 by #jamescurrie
Live Review: @anthrax Bring 40 Years of Metal Thrashing Madness To Chicago. By Christopher David When it comes to sustaining a career, forty years is a long time. And when that career involves constant touring, it becomes one hell of a long time. But you’d never know that it’s been forty years since thrash titans Anthrax landed and broke the mold for what a thrash band could be if you were basing it on Sunday’s raging performance at Chicago’s @radiuschicago club. ... #anthrax #Radius #40thanniversary #thrashmetal
Sad news today. @lin_brehmerxrt always a positive force for Chicago radio @93xrt and beyond. A champion of live events, Chicago life and rock n roll. A legend gone too soon. You will be sadly missed on air, on stage and in our lives. #LinBrehmer #93xrt #WXRT #Chicago
TOMORROW! Chicagoland, Illinois, Joliet, check out our states first and only Rock n Roll Hall of Fame! Friday, January 20th, 2023 at 5PM, @cheaptrick @cheaptrickrick Rick Nielsen will light up "Gigantar" at the Rt 66 roadstop rock shop @Illinois Rock and Roll Museum on Route 66 located at 9 W. Cass St. Joliet, IL 60432. Come by and help launch the opening of this soon to be legendary music business. #irrm #illinoisrockandrollmuseum #ILRR66 #ilrr66gigantar #route66 #rocknroll
2023 LIVE RUN BEGINS JANUARY 30 IN NEW YORK CITY, WITH HEADLINER TO CHANGE EACH NIGHT BOTH BANDS TO PERFORM CLASSIC ALBUMS IN FULL – THE The @thecharlatans UK PERFORMING 1992’S BETWEEN 10TH AND 11TH, @rideox4official PERFORMING 1990’S NOWHERE – ALONG WITH GREATEST HITS, FAN FAVORITES, AND MORE TICKETS FOR ALL ANNOUNCED DATES ON SALE THIS FRIDAY, DECEMBER 2, AT 10 AM (LOCAL)... #charlatans #rideband https://beintheloopchicago.com/?p=49473
Today, multi-talented and genre-bending artist @chiiild releases his latest track “Good For Now” featuring @recordingacademy Award-winning R&B powerhouse Lucky Daye via Avant Garden/4th & Broadway/Def Jam Recordings. The track will appear on Chiiild’s forthcoming album Better Luck in the Next Life, due out March 3, 2023. #chiiilds
Hey Chicago! Special Event this Sunday: @amctheatres River East 21 To Screen @elvis The 2022 Movie For Free In Honor Of The Kings 88th Birthday. #elvispresley #theking #elvismovie #amctheaters #freeshowing #chicago
Breaking: Kings of Thrash Announce First Leg of Tour With Opening Night Right Here in Chicagoland @forge_live #davidellefson #jeffyoung #killingismybusiness #sofarsogoodsowhat #megadeth #megayears #kingsofthrash https://beintheloopchicago.com/?p=49460

Follow me on Twitter

My Tweets

Tag Cloud

Blues on the Fox (2) Bobby Broom Organi-sation (2) Brian Wilson (2) Can't You Hear Me Knocking (1) Chicago (5) Dap-Kings (1) Doyle Bramhall II (1) Farm Aid (3) Farm Aid 30 (3) FirstMerit Bank Pavilion at Northerly Island (3) Heavy Metal (1) Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre (2) Jamboree (2) Jukebox Pick of the Week (2) Live and Let Die (1) Lollapalooza 2021 (1) Lollapalooza Chicago Grant Park (2) Mavis Staples (1) Moreland & Arbuckle (1) North Mississippi Allstars (1) Otis Taylor Band (1) Paul McCartney (1) Q101 (2) Rattle That Lock (2) Ravina (2) Ravinia (11) RiverEdge Park (2) Rodríguez (2) Rolling Stones (2) Royal Southern Brotherhood (1) Santana (2) Sharon Jones (1) Steely Dan (2) Sticky Fingers (1) Summerfest (1) Tedeschi Trucks Band (1) The Rockabye Gollie Angel Tour (2) Toto (2) Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue (1) United Center (2) Veruca Salt (2) Wheels of Soul Tour (1) Wings (1) Yes (2) ZZ Top (2)

Meta

  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.org

Stats

  • 177,608 Page Views
© 2023 In The Loop Magazine / All Rights Reserved.
  • Music News
  • Media
  • Festivals
  • Promotions
  • Venues
  • About
  • Gallery
 

Loading Comments...