DEBBIE HARRY IS NOT BLONDIE

A Conversation About Her Second Solo Album, "Rockbird," 1986

Most people thought that the pop-ish punk band Blondie emerged from the brow of Hilly Kristal, fully formed in 1975 at his club CBGB. But the band's roots run deeper than those of former brunette-turned-blonde Debbie Harry, and her bandmate, songwriting partner, and serious boyfriend, guitarist Chris Stein.

People also thought that "Blondie" was also the name of the singer. It might as well have been, as Deborah, or Debbie, Harry, became the most popular rock magazine cover girl of the late 1970s and early 1980s, and Blondie became the most successful crossover band of that era. The band had four number one pop singles that still get played on alternative rock and oldies radio: "Heart of Glass" (1979), "Call Me" and "The Tide is High" (1980), and "Rapture" (1981). The band paid attention to trends, and ably absorbed disco, reggae, and hip-hop, enhancing their status as paragons of the then-downtown art, music, and fashion scene. (See the “Rapture” video, below.)

But Harry had been recor…