Bradley's Buzz

The Hall Of Attitude

So finally the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame did something right by me - they finally inducted my all time favorite band Blondie. But as is the case with my girl Debbie & her boys, the thing did not go off without a hitch.

While the Sex Pistols, also inducted made a huge stink about not attending, thus assuring them their place in the punk hall of fame, Blondie was more than willing to attend the awards ceremony, concert and dinner with fellow inductees including Black Sabbath and Lynyrd Skynryd. But as Blondie the band is full of bad blood there were a few moments of pause.

For anyone not associated with the history of this legendary band - here's a short bio. Blondie formed in 1975 with Debbie Harry, Chris Stein on guitars, Clem Burke on drums, Jimmy Destri on keyboards and Gary Valentine on bass/guitar. By the end of the first album in 1976, Gary had left the band. In 1977, Frank "The Freak" Infante and Nigel Harrison joined Blondie, and though they weren't on the album cover for Plastic Letters, they are on the record. By 1978 and the band's most successful album Parallel Lines, the Freak and Nigel were full fledged members of Blondie.

But tensions about fame and money and drugs ended up causing rifts between the members with Clem & Jimmy on one end, Frank and Nigel and the love birds (at the time) Debbie & Chris. By 1980, Frank was just called in when everything was done to put his guitar licks on tape. And by 1982, the end, Frank sued the band claiming he was being left out. And then the band quietly dissolved.

Chris became ill with a strange disease and Debbie left her career to take care of him, showing up sporadically for a new single here and there. By 1986, Debbie was off on her own doing fairly well, in music and film.

Until 1998 came around and Chris decided to put the band back together - sans Nigel, Frank and Gary. Once again Frank and Nigel sued Blondie saying they couldn't use the name. Debbie, Chris, Jimmy & Clem, meanwhile recorded a song for an Iggy Pop tribute under the moniker Adolph's Dog (Blondie was in fact the name of Adolph Hitler's dog - though that isn't how the band got its name).



Somehow, the law suit was worked out and Blondie was able to reform as Debbie, Chris, Clem & Jimmy and thus we got the reunion album No Exit & in 2003 The Curse Of Blondie. While they were recording and touring Debbie & The boys recruited Leigh Foxx and Paul Caboranna to join as semi-Blondies. And that is where we stood yesterday... but the Hall of Fame inducts all members of the band so Nigel, Frank and Gary were at hand for the ceremony.

And finally this is what went down:

When Blondie, the most commercially successful band to emerge from a fertile New York rock scene that also produced Talking Heads and the Ramones, reformed after 15 years, they didn't include former members Frank Infante and Nigel Harrison. They sued unsuccessfully to join.

Infante, Harrison and Gary Valentine, another former member left behind in a business dispute, were barely acknowledged by former chums Deborah Harry, Chris Stein and Clem Burke as they received their awards. Infante begged to perform with the band.

"Debbie, are we allowed?" he pleaded before Blondie performed their hits "Heart of Glass," "Rapture" and "Call Me."

"Can't you see my band is up there?" Harry replied. The three rejected members walked offstage, but not before Infante groaned into the microphone.

But before chastising Debbie and her attitude, I have to wonder if the whole thing wasn't staged. Debbie took a ton of grief for appearing at Wigstock one year because she attacked two drag queens who were performing one of her songs. The problem was it was all a big fake - the whole thing was planned out but Debbie and the attacked queens were so convincing people believed Debbie had turned Diana Ross.

So as I get the latest from the kids in the know, I'll let you all know what is true and what is staged and the most probing question of all - Where in the hell was Jimmy Destri?

posted by swivek @ 8:50 AM