My post to the VH1 Diva board:
Debbie Harry - Ultimate DIVA
Debbie Harry was the first SEXY AND AGGRESIVE female singer to front a really "kick ass" rock band and run the show herself, unlike contemporary passive "don't hurt me" role models like Linda Rondstadt or women who downplayed their looks as much as possible like Janis Joplin.
Debbie writes her own songs, develops her own videos, is intelligent, talented, and is very outspoken about sexuality and rock music.
She had the first rock/disco crossover song with "Heart Of Glass" in an age when ROCK and DISCO were mortal enemies (and were generally considered to represent WHITE vs BLACK and STRAIGHT vs GAY). Blondie UNITED all these audiences rather than carve out a niche in just one.
She had the FIRST number one rap hit EVER with 1980's "Rapture". That's right, the FIRST. She didn't invent the genre, but Blondie was the first act to bring it to middle America. Many of todays rappers credit "Rapture" with being the first rap song they ever heard. In 1981 Debbie gave up part of her spot on Saturday Night Live to promote her friends the rap group "Funky 4 + 1 More", one of the first groups signed to Sugarhill Records. When Blondie was at their biggest and racism in the music business was at it's highest she took a huge chance to record "Koo Koo" with an all black group, CHIC, which prompted a huge racist response from radio station executives who could not accept the fact that as a white woman she was being propositioned by a black man on the record. Once she broke open that door, David Bowie decided to do a record with CHIC and had a huge hit with "Let's Dance".
She is THE role model for Gwen Stefani of No Doubt, Shirley Manson of Garbage (who have both covered Blondie in concert), Madonna (who has said so), Courtney Love, Cyndi Lauper (who would agree), Annie Lennox (who got started in the Blondie-esqe Tourists, and who has actually used Blondie's drummer Clem Burke on her albums), Divinyls and MANY MANY other female singers. The phrase "Women In Rock" was practically INVENTED for Debbie in 1978 - a rock group fronted by a sexy female was UNHEARD of in those days. Once Blondie became successful, there was suddenly a record company push and many female led bands were immediately signed, like Pat Benatar, the B-52's, Joan Jett, Suzi Quattro and many more. When people say she paved the way for female musicians, they mean she was getting out there in the street pouring asphalt!
Blondie and Debbie solo have had a boatload of international hits, including "One Way Or Another", "I Can See Clearly", "Maria", "X Offender", "Sweet And Low", "Denis", "In The Flesh", "In Love With Love", "Dreaming", "Union City Blue", "French Kissin" and many number ones all over the world: "Heart Of Glass", "Sunday Girl", "Atomic", "Call Me", "The Tide Is High" and "Rapture". "Good Boys" has already been a hit in other parts of the world and is currently #13 and climbing on the US dance charts.
She's been covered and sampled by countless bands, including Erasure, Garbage, No Doubt, Tracey Ullman, Annie Lennox, the Smashing Pumpkins, Mandy Moore, Berlin, Radiohead, Atomic Kitten, Wu Tang Clan, Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five, the Jungle Brothers, KRS-One, Black Eyed Peas, Missy Elliot, Noreaga, Destiny's Child, Jay Z and Foxy Brown.
She's been going for 30 years with NO intention of stopping! Unlike many people who let age be a barrier, she's saying "I am going to keep kicking ass and being cool and if you don't like it fuck you"! She's done punk, new wave, disco, rap, country, jazz, heavy metal, calypso, reggae, film, poetry, television and Broadway, and she always brings her unique sound and vision to every path she takes.
Debbie Harry and Blondie always did it the HARD way, often fighting racism, sexism, and ageism, and always will, because they would rather be UNIQUE and ARTISTIC than take the easy way and be GENERIC and play to the LOWEST COMMON DENOMINATOR.
I am not going to start comparing other people, because they are all talented in their own way and it's simply not necessary. It's obvious that Debbie is a DIVA of the higest caliber.
So get some schooling and have some respect for the PUNK GARBO, the MARILYN MONROE OF ROCK, the NEW WAVE BARBIE DOLL, the EMPRESS OF THE UNDERGROUND, the QUEEN OF THE USA herself, Debbie Harry.
