Three bands defined my existence as a teenage growing up in the late 70’s, early 80’s. One was Queen, my favorite band of all time. Another was The Police, a band who should have been around much longer than they actually were. And, one was a new Rock-n-Roll Hall of Fame inductee, Blondie. I spent what surely must have accumulated to hundreds of hours, locked in my bedroom, listening to A Day at the Races, Parallel Lines, and Zenyatta Mondatta.
I was excited to see that Blondie was being inducted into the Hall of Fame this year but I was not really surprised when they squabbled on stage. Blondie has been a band plagued with problems over the years. They started out where many great bands began – at CBGBs in New York. With their third album, Parallel Lines, Blondie was the first “punk” band to hit number one on the charts with “Heart of Glass.” Their fourth album, Eat to the Beat, was also a moderate success, but they hit number one again with the song “Call Me” from the American Gigolo soundtrack. Their next album, Auto American, saw two number one hits with “Tide is High” and “Rapture.” Then, Blondie just seemed to disappear.
If you don’t know what happened to them, you might be surprised. Blondie did not just “disappear,” it was actually a case of life or death. Debbie Harry had been dated Blondie’s lead guitarist, Chris Stein, for years. At the height of their fame, Stein came down with a rare, often fatal genetic disease called Pemphigus. The band quietly disbanded while Debbie spent almost all her time at the hospital, caring for Stein, who was seriously ill for a number of years. When Stein was finally on the road to recovery, Debbie was able to pick up her solo career, only to find it difficult to pick up where she left off. Blondie was probably on the verge of disbanding even without Stein’s illness. As they became more famous, the band members became more disgruntled that much of the focus fell on Debbie Harry and she was seen as Blondie. While the name was taken from what the local construction workers called Harry “Hey, Blondie,” the other band members felt they were just as valuable, but not receiving the credit.
At the induction, former guitarist Frank Infante asked to join Debbie Harry, Chris Stein and original drummer Clem Burke on stage to perform. Harry replied “Not tonight” and said that “her band” was waiting for them. Infante and former bass player Nigel Harrison unsuccessfully sued to rejoin the band when they regrouped in 1999. Original keyboardist Jimmy Destri still writes songs, but otherwise has retired from the music business.
Despite the fighting, most of Blondie is back, healthy, and making great music. They had a hit with “Maria” in 1999 and started touring again.
On a personal note, I have to add my husband and I got the opportunity to see Blondie about three years go in Tunica, Mississippi. I was so excited because I had never seen them in concert. Afterwards, we were walking from one casino to another and saw their tour bus. Chris Stein came out and some of the crowd asked for autographs. He told us he had to run in the bus but would be back. We all figured “Right.” But, he not only came back out, but brought his own Sharpie to sign autographs. What a great guy!
Check out Blondie’s Greatest Hits at Amazon.com!