Face It: A Memoir

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As her star rises in the late 1970s, towering cultural figures drift in and out of her orbit, among them Miles Davis, Patti Smith, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Andy Warhol. While I realize she plays up her sex appeal, and that is a big part of her stage persona, I was a bit surprised by her strong reliance on her outer appearance, and how, despite believing her music was cutting edge, and that she was standing up to men, and for herself, through her music, she placed a very heavy emphasis on her looks and sex kitten persona rather than on her talent.

Early on, Harry offers a vivid portrait of a seedy, bohemian scene in late-60s New York in which drugs were “part of your social life, part of the creative process, chic and fun and really just there. Harry didn't seem to be connected to the the book at all and there was nothing that felt personal or overly interesting in the entirety of the book. Most of the art is really outstanding, and I thought it was such a nice thing to do because it shows she appreciates her fans and the things they send to her. Their ensuing fame, success despite managerial problems, record corporation resistance, and financial ruin and break-ups, then reunions, are told in a personal way.Instead, readers will find reflection on life with a budding band and an uncensored view of what it took to succeed. She still claims being a punk, which might appear curious considering some other punks, far from the sophistication of his most notorious band. Note: I couldn't comment on the promoted artwork and photos as they weren't part of the advance copy. Before Blondie took off, she worked variously as a model, a secretary at the BBC’s New York office, a waitress and a Playboy bunny, all the while trying to figure out her next move.

For all ebook purchases, you will be prompted to create an account or login with your existing HarperCollins username and password. It's her sense of humor that comes out and she hates to do interviews or at least in the States she does. Although I was a little underwhelmed by the book, and I may have made it sound worse than it really was, I’m still glad I read it. I hate coyness in memoirs so I appreciated Debbie letting loose with names along with her honest feelings and opinions of her talent, looks, friends, and past relationships. I couldn’t wait for my library to get a copy, so I listened to the audio on Scribd without the benefit of having a digital or print book to complement it- something I rarely do.Harry's memoir is divided into many chapters; each read like transcribed interviews, because they are. Time flies when you're sleepwalking through life in pointless meetings and unsatisfying relationships. It may be the case, as Harry notes, that this would be a better memoir if she'd kept a journal over the years. She and Stein were keen to re-make the 1965 film Alphaville, and even bought the rights from its director Jean-Luc Godard for a thousand dollars.

I wasn't submissive or begging him to come back, I was kicking his ass, kicking him out, kicking my own ass too. Beside to its commendable commitment to the environmental issue, Debbie shows great respect for others, perhaps more than I would. Upending the standard music memoir, with a cutting-edge style keeping with the distinctive qualities of her multi-disciplined artistry, Face It includes a thoughtful introduction by Chris Stein, rare personal photos, original illustrations, fan artwork installations and more.

She is devoted to environmental issues such as clean water and saving pollinators as well as the promotion of the LGBTQ community and human rights.

Noting Bowie’s generously proportioned appendage, she is moved to wonder “why Iggy didn’t let me have a closer look at his dick”. What I got was a book with uninteresting random facts that had no bearing on Blondie and a bunch of weird fan art. It's reconstructed from a series of interviews she did to reconstruct her memories, so it's a bit jangly and jumpy, but not overly so.In fact, she went out of her way to avoid that subject, explaining that she just put up with it and got on with what she needed to do- which is a cycle we are desperately trying to break. It felt glossed over and lacking detail regarding her relationship breakdown etc however she mentioned she was a private person so that may explain it. Of course, within a few years Blondie had become a veritable powerhouse of hit songs that topped the charts around the world. Harry had the pleasure of acting in some of the most interesting independent films of the last twenty years. True there are not loads of photos from Debbie and Blondie over the years, but there are a few, if you have an open mind about what constitutes art, then you can really appreciate that the book is really well put together.