07/22/2019
The singer of the New Wave band Blondie and star of art-house movies Videodrome and Hairspray looks back on lots of sex, drugs, and rock ‘n’ roll in this rough-and-tumble memoir. Harry recounts her plunge into bohemian New York in the 1960s and her navigation of the music scene as it shifted from hippiedom to disco to punk. It’s a story of creative ferment, as she infused the burgeoning punk aesthetic into her own glammed-up style—Marilyn Monroe with “a dark, provocative, aggressive side”—and used Method acting techniques to hone her singing while slogging through gigs in gloriously grungy clubs including CBGB’s and L.A.’s Whiskey a Go Go . Her portrait of Blondie’s success in the late ’70s feels less effervescent, full of wearisome touring and business wrangles. Harry offers a frank look at her life on the edge, including “oversexed” erotic adventures, a mugging and rape that she shrugs off (“the stolen guitars hurt me more”), an attempted abduction by a man she thinks may have been serial killer Ted Bundy, and unapologetic drug use. (“Heroin was a great consolation,” she reflects of a period when she supplied herself and her hospitalized bandmate and boyfriend Chris Stein with the narcotic.) The narrative rambles, but Blondie fans will love its piquant atmospherics and the energy and honesty of Harry’s take on her singular saga. (Oct.)
Ms. Harry is a plain-spoken rock goddess.” — PENELOPE GREEN, THE NEW YORK TIMES STYLES
“Harry’s new memoir is a post-punk bijou that rewards her devotees.” — USA TODAY
“Readers, both familiar and unfamiliar with Harry’s career, will enjoy this memoir...She was a young woman who fell under the spell of New York and made herself into the performer she always knew she’d become, one who went on to cast her own spell on millions of listeners.” — THE WASHINGTON POST
“[An] insightful new memoir…the most distinctive quality in Harry’s book is her sangfroid. At each dramatic turn — and there are plenty — she remains unflappable.” — Los Angeles Times
“Harry writes with a certain cool…She is one magnificent broad. The worship continues.” — New Statesman
“With Face It, Harry is here to fill in some of the blanks—briskly, humorously… Knowing that there are still those who expect her to be simply “a blonde in tight pants,” she tells her life story how she wants to tell it.” — The Atlantic
“From run-ins with poltergeists, would-be kidnappers, and the IRS, to the touch-and-go grit and glam of life on the road, this memoir elucidates the triumphs and trials of Blondie’s enigmatic frontwoman.” — Vanity Fair
“Face It makes for an engaging and occasionally surprising read.” — The Guardian
“The book is a great read full of humor, pathos, bittersweet reflection.” — Arizona Republic
“Face It departs from most celebrity bios… It features original art, comic strips and pages of fan art” — Miami Herald
“Blondie fans will love its piquant atmospherics and the energy and honesty of Harry’s take on her singular saga.” — PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
“In this whirlwind tour of her life, Harry, one of the most photographed faces in music, deploys an irreverent style well suited to her story. Her tales of life before, during, after, and beyond her time with Blondie are intermixed with interludes that capture the eclectic and electric passion she has for the creative process. In a narrative that feels simultaneously heartfelt and spontaneous, Harry recounts close encounters with violence and harassment with the same immediacy as the moments that catapulted Blondie to worldwide fame. Harry doesn’t focus on the challenges of being a woman in the music industry but rather on the collaborations that fueled her creativity. Though her sound and style influenced rock, and especially women in rock, there’s refreshingly little self-congratulation in these pages. Instead, readers will find reflection on life with a budding band and an uncensored view of what it took to succeed...A wild ride of fame, friendships, music, and drugs sure to appeal to Blondie fans and 1970s rock in general.” — KIRKUS
Face It makes for an engaging and occasionally surprising read.
From run-ins with poltergeists, would-be kidnappers, and the IRS, to the touch-and-go grit and glam of life on the road, this memoir elucidates the triumphs and trials of Blondie’s enigmatic frontwoman.”
Harry writes with a certain cool…She is one magnificent broad. The worship continues.”
The book is a great read full of humor, pathos, bittersweet reflection.”
Harry’s new memoir is a post-punk bijou that rewards her devotees.
Ms. Harry is a plain-spoken rock goddess.
Readers, both familiar and unfamiliar with Harry’s career, will enjoy this memoir...She was a young woman who fell under the spell of New York and made herself into the performer she always knew she’d become, one who went on to cast her own spell on millions of listeners.
With Face It, Harry is here to fill in some of the blanks—briskly, humorously… Knowing that there are still those who expect her to be simply “a blonde in tight pants,” she tells her life story how she wants to tell it.”
[An] insightful new memoir…the most distinctive quality in Harry’s book is her sangfroid. At each dramatic turn — and there are plenty — she remains unflappable.
Face It departs from most celebrity bios… It features original art, comic strips and pages of fan art
[An] insightful new memoir…the most distinctive quality in Harry’s book is her sangfroid. At each dramatic turn — and there are plenty — she remains unflappable.
Face It departs from most celebrity bios… It features original art, comic strips and pages of fan art
2019-07-03
The iconic singer reveals her legendary journey.
In this whirlwind tour of her life, Harry, one of the most photographed faces in music, deploys an irreverent style well suited to her story. Her tales of life before, during, after, and beyond her time with Blondie are intermixed with interludes that capture the eclectic and electric passion she has for the creative process. In a narrative that feels simultaneously heartfelt and spontaneous, Harry recounts close encounters with violence and harassment with the same immediacy as the moments that catapulted Blondie to worldwide fame. Harry doesn't focus on the challenges of being a woman in the music industry but rather on the collaborations that fueled her creativity. Though her sound and style influenced rock, and especially women in rock, there's refreshingly little self-congratulation in these pages. Instead, readers will find reflection on life with a budding band and an uncensored view of what it took to succeed. Whether she's recounting her experiences making clothes, waitressing, meeting artists, or playing early gigs at CBGB, Harry's intimate portrait often reads like a love letter to a bygone version of New York City. The narrative reflects the energy of the punk and new wave scene as the author weaves personal stories with entertaining descriptions of partying and playing with the likes of the Ramones, Andy Warhol, Iggy Pop, and David Bowie. There is no shortage of notable cameos in Harry's chronicle of her journey to stardom, and she maintains effervescent senses of humor and grace throughout. From small venues to world tours, bankruptcy to gold records, this account of life behind the fame offers a candid view of the hard work, big breaks, and tough times that came before and after celebrity. The co-founder of Blondie, Chris Stein, provides the introduction.
A wild ride of fame, friendships, music, and drugs sure to appeal to Blondie fans and 1970s rock in general.