Blondie’s Desperation to Sing
Blondie, a legendary style icon
The Debussy stage has of course hosted many majors stars in the world. But when Blondie, after having took a platine blonde wig out of her "bag of tricks", performed live, singing a capella the beginning of Heart of Glass, it was certainly a memorable part of Grey's Sixth Annual Legends of Music Seminar.
Deborah Harry, the American prolific singer-songwriter and actress best known as Blondie, the lead singer of the punk rock and new wave band which has sold 40 million albums, continues to break new ground, testing stylistic boundaries and audaciously mixing and matching genres that have included hip-hop, disco and avant-garde art. She goes on tour on the fall. The style icon, introduced by Jim Heekin, Grey Group CEO, was interviewed by Tim Mellors, Grey’s Worldwide Chief Creative.
During her conversation with Mellors - obviously a fan of hers - Debbie Harry recounted the years of her debuts, explaining that her stage name "Blondie" was decided in a snap moment, as it seemed so right and obvious. Blondie is a band and her first song was a tribute to Marilyn. She revealed that her mother kept telling her " You're too sensitive!" At the time when she was performing at CBGB, the "Home of underground rock" club that was hosting Blondie as well as Patti Smith or the Ramones in the years 70-80, New York was not a popular city. The unique and fertile cultural activity that inspired artists of different horizon, like Andy Wharol, contributed to change a lot of opinions. She added: "Punk music gave everybody a chance to and made you sexy again." Harry recounted that she would sometimes play seven weeks straight at CBGB, learning ho to perform rock and roll, because of the availability of the premises, but she said that sometimes, "she worked for beers…"
Tim Mellors turn to another important topic: Blondie vs Debbie Harry by suggesting that she could adopt either a dark personality, in which her dark character gives depth to her lyrics as well as another, a light personality, in which she is related and available. Harry said that she didn't know where her determination came from but she always felt a desperation to express herself. What she did, in performing a capella for the great delight of the Debussy audience.
