Face It cover art

Face It

A Memoir

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About this listen

Featuring exclusive additional content and guest contributions from Chris Stein and Clem Burke.

‘I was saying things in songs that female singers didn’t really say back then. I wasn’t submissive or begging him to come back, I was kicking his ass, kicking him out, kicking my own ass too. My Blondie character was an inflatable doll but with a dark, provocative, aggressive side. I was playing it up, yet I was very serious.’

BRAVE, BEAUTIFUL AND BORN TO BE PUNK

DEBBIE HARRY is a musician, actor, activist and the iconic face of New York City cool. As the front-woman of Blondie, she and the band forged a new sound that brought together the worlds of rock, punk, disco, reggae and hip-hop to create some of the most beloved pop songs of all time. As a muse, she collaborated with some of the boldest artists of the past four decades. The scope of Debbie Harry’s impact on our culture has been matched only by her reticence to reveal her rich inner life – until now.

In an arresting mix of visceral, soulful storytelling and stunning visuals that includes never-before-seen photographs, bespoke illustrations and fan art installations, Face It upends the standard music memoir while delivering a truly prismatic portrait. With all the grit, grime, and glory recounted in intimate detail, Face It recreates the downtown scene of 1970s New York City, where Blondie played alongside the Ramones, Television, Talking Heads, Iggy Pop and David Bowie.

Following her path from glorious commercial success to heroin addiction, the near-death of partner Chris Stein, a heart-wrenching bankruptcy, and Blondie’s break-up as a band to her multifaceted acting career in more than thirty films, a stunning solo career and the triumphant return of her band, and her tireless advocacy for the environment and LGBTQ rights, Face It is a cinematic story of a woman who made her own path, and set the standard for a generation of artists who followed in her footsteps – a memoir as dynamic as its subject.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2019 Debbie Harry (P)2019 HarperCollins Publishers Limited
Entertainment & Celebrities Music Celebrity Memoir Career Inspiring Heartfelt Thought-Provoking New York

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Critic reviews

‘In this whirlwind tour of her life, Harry deploys an irreverent style well suited to her story. Her tales 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. Readers will find reflection on life with a budding band and an uncensored view of what it took to succeed.’ Kirkus

‘An eye-opening memoir’ The Times

‘The ultimate rock’n’roll memoir’ Sunday Times

Most relevant
Most of us could listen to Debbie Harry reading out the phone directory, which is just as well because that's what it sounds like she is doing in many places. Whether because it's ghost written and she doesn't feel it, or because she's just not a natural dramatiser, she didn't feel wildly engaged with the story.

but it is such an extraordinary story - especially the early years of a broke, broken down New York, that it scarcely matters. Blondie the band and the cultural artefact takes a back seat to New York, this steaming, stinking, bankrupt, rotten, violent place, but which was absolutely the galvanising life force behind all that culture. there's no doubt that that kind of art is simply not possible in a gentrified city of today.

fascinating.

Great document, but a little loose in places

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As good as any music biography, a real star and a great writer. Well worth a listen even for non Blondie fans

A must read

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Really enjoyed this book, Debbie Harry is a legend, loved every chapter! Thumbs eh haha

Wonderful book!

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An insight to the life of Debbie & the journey of Blondie. yes she is a bit lacklustre in her narration. It's not the she can't be bothered as many state. She should have read each chapter first before pressing record. It's hesitant and unrehearsed but you get used to it and she gets into the flow as it continues. learned a lot from this and feel she is a nice person, which is what you want to come away with. Warts and all, you get it in detail and she takes on their rise, many bumps and the demise of Blondie. But the book follows her life, from childhood to where she stands now. She misses Chris :(
If you are a Debbie fan, what you take away from this is that it would be nice to meet this hero.

Enjoyable & honest

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An easy listen and some enlightening anecdotes- never knew about H D S, what a legend!

Touched by your presence, dear!

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I enjoyed every last minute of this, was worth the long wait, and really enjoyed that debbie herself was reading it

Absolutely Fabulous

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A Blondie story.
interesting and mostly engaging. Worth a listen if you're a fan of Blondie/Debbie Harry.

One Way or Another

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Interesting insight into the music scene way back when. The start of Punk, a female fronting an androgynous band.

More!

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loved it, narrated by Debbie everything comes alive. she mentions in passing some things that would and should be major events to everyone else. Blondie is everything to her but a small part of this story

Amazing and alluring

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Really enjoyed listening to Debbie’s story. All except the final couple of chapters was incredibly captivating and helped evoke a sense of NYC many decades ago.

Great memoir

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