Coney Island Blondie

Posted on by Tobe Damit
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Debbie Harry, Coney Island, NY, 1977 — Image © Bob Gruen

WHEN HARRY MET DEBBIE…

weti

“Hi, it’s Deb.  You know, when I woke up this morning I had a realization about myself.  I was always Blondie.  People always called me Blondie, ever since I was a little kid. What I realized is that at some point I became Dirty Harry.  I couldn’t be Blondie anymore, so I became Dirty Harry.”

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”People always called me Blondie, then I became Dirty Harry”

New Jersey’s own Debbie Harry is an icon and sex symbol (those dead eyes and daft lips…) of the 1970s Punk/ New Wave/Art scene.  She originally hailed from Hawthorne and went on to graduate from Centenary College in Hackettstown — all just a long stones’ throw from the killer stomping grounds.  Eesh. Her career nearly ended before it began when she jumped into the back of a car driven by a serial killer.

”It was the early Seventies, maybe .72. I was trying to get across town to a party. It was two or three o’clock in the morning and I was staggering around on huge platform shoes. This car kept circling around and some guy was offering me a ride. I kept refusing, but finally I took the ride because I couldn’t get a cab.

I got in the car and the windows were are rolled up, except for a tiny crack.  This driver had an incredibly bad smell to him. I looked down and there were no door handles and no cranks. I started scanning the inside of the car and there was absolutely nothing. The inside of the car was stripped. The hairs on the back of my neck just stood up.

I wiggled my arm out of the window and pulled the door handle from the outside.  I don’t know how I did it, but I got out. He tried to stop me by spinning the car but it sort of helped me fling myself out. I fell out and nearly got run over by a cab.

Afterwards I saw him on the news: It was Ted Bundy.

Debbie Harry, NYC, 1976 —  Image © Bob Gruen
Debbie Harry, NYC, 1976 —  Image © Bob Gruen
1978 — Debbie Harry of Blondie — Image by © Martyn Goddard/Corbis
Debbie Harry, New Jersey, 1978 – Image © Bob Gruen
Debbie Harry & Iggy Pop, Toronto, Canada, 1977 — Images © Bob Gruen

Debbie pictured with her iconic Warhol portrait © Brian Aris
Debbie pictured with her iconic Warhol portrait Image © Brian Aris
1982 — Debbie Harry of Blondie — Image by © Lynn Goldsmith/Corbis-
Los Angeles, California, 1977 — Clem Burke, Jimmy Destri, Chris Stein, Debbie Harry, Gary Valentine. — Image by © Michael Ochs Archives/Corbis
A young Debbie Harry

1978 — Debbie Harry and Chris Stein of Blondie — Image by © Martyn Goddard/Corbis
1978 — Debbie Harry, lead singer of Blondie — Image by © Lynn Goldsmith/Corbis
1979 — Blondie — Image by © Martyn Goddard/Corbis
CA.1980s — Debbie Harry of Blondie — Image by © Lynn Goldsmith/Corbis
Los Angeles, California, 1977 — New wave band Blondie, from left– Gary Valentine, Debbie Harry, Chris Stein, Jimmy Destri, and Clem Burke. — Image by © Henry Diltz/Corbis
1978 — Debbie Harry with a Knife — Image by © Lynn Goldsmith/Corbis
Debbie Harry, Basquiat, Fab Fred, NYC 1981 — Image by © Lynn Goldsmith
Debbie Harry during a Polaroid shoot with Andy Warhol. Photo by Christopher Makos, 1980.
Ca. 1970s — Rockers Vicki Blue, Joan Jett, Debbie Harry, David Johansen, Joey Ramone, and Mickey Leigh perform a fake wedding ceremony. — Image by © Corbis

Debbie Harry in Leather Knickers, Punk magazine centre-fold shoot by Chris Stein 1976
Debbie Harry in Leather Knickers, Punk magazine centre-fold shoot by Chris Stein 1976
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Debbie Harry (Blondie)/Joan Jett (The Runaways/Blackhearts) 
1978 — Joan Jett and Debbie Harry of Blondie backstage at the Tower Theatre in Philadelphia, PA at a gig featuring The Runaways, The Ramones & The Jam — Image by © Scott Weiner/Retna Ltd./Corbis
Debbie Harry and Nancy Spungen
The Clash with Al Fields, David Johansen and Debbie Harry, NYC, 1979 — Image by © Bob Gruen
Ca. 1970s — Debbie Harry of Blondie booty-bumpin’ a beater.
1978 — Debbie Harry and Chris Stein — Image by © Martyn Goddard/Corbis
1978, Philadelphia, PA — Chris Stein and Debbie Harry — Image by © Martyn Goddard/Corbis-
New York — An early publicity photo of new wave band Blondie. From left– Gary Valentine, Clem Burke, Debbie Harry, Chris Stein, and Jimmy Destri — Image by © Bettmann/Corbis
1978, London, England — Debbie Harry and Chris Stein of Blondie at the opening of Blondie in Camera exhibition at the Mirandy Gallery — Image by © Martyn Goddard/Corbis
1978, London, England — Debbie Harry of Blondie at the opening of Blondie in Camera exhibition at the Mirandy Gallery — Image by © Martyn Goddard/Corbis
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With unknown friend, David Jones

Debbie Harry, 1969

weti 

dirty-harry

Original idea by JP in

20 thoughts on “Coney Island Blondie”

    1. SHe was invovled with everyone that was related to the punk wave!! She was one of the first band to play at the CBGB, friends with The Ramones, Burroughs, Warhol, Lou Reed, Richard Hell, Legs McNeil, The Talking Heads…Debbie Harry was not just a pretty face, she was one of the main founding step pf music in New-York in the 70s.

      Like

    1. She definitely was afraid of nothing!! Debbie Harry was a very important figure starting int he 70s up until today. She was the first white to write a rap song!! And this is just a small feat!

      Liked by 1 person

    3. She was indeed! No one can deny that!! It’s interesting to know that she almost got caught by Ted Bundy!! Imagine!! How tragic it would have been! It’s funny because a lot of people don’t even notice it,s the starting subject in the article…

      Liked by 1 person

    3. Oh and you are very welcome!! You know this post got refused on reddit becasue they think nudity shoudl not be used to promote a artist!! My God!! This is so stupid and narrow minded of their part. She was beautiful and why would she hide it?? She totally didn’t mind. I think my post does her justice. I’m not using the fact that we see her boobs to promote her. Does it feels that way to you?? Just asking… I might have done just that without realising it…

      Liked by 1 person

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Published by Tobe Damit

To read my profile page To Be/Not To Be: http://wp.me/P4zD8p-ja (short link) or https://tobedamit.com/httpfr-gravatar-comtobedamit/ (permalink).