At a festival where Blondie imitators (conscious or unconscious) are everywhere, the founders of the genuine article sit in the basement of the Four Seasons Austin, trying to avoid the spotlight. “I don’t have any anonymity,” says Deborah Harry, who removes her massive sunglasses only when there are no civilians in the room. “I’m either in the hotel or I’m at the gig. I can’t go anywhere. It’s kind of awkward.” She and Chris Stein have brought their band to town for a talk and a couple of shows, part of a series of events celebrating Blondie’s 40th anniversary this year. Up next is a Smithsonian Channel documentary on the group, which premieres March 21. The group’s 10th album, “Ghosts of Download,” comes out in May, packaged with a new greatest-hits release, as “Blondie 4(0) Ever.” The duo chatted with T about the new record, Lou Reed’s memorial and what it means to be hip these days.
Q: What would the 25-year-old Debbie Harry think about the 40th anniversary of Blondie?
HARRY: I don’t think we would have even considered that it would happen. The first seven years that Blondie was together was mayhem. It was chaotic, we worked nonstop, we had a crappy record deal, we had crappy management, you know, it was really a struggle. I didn’t expect the band to get back together. If Chris hadn’t made it happen, it wouldn’t have.
Q: When you made “Parallel Lines,” did you sense that you’d hit a new spot?
HARRY: I think it’s a building process! We had hits in Europe off the first two, and it brought us into a world market, but once we brought on Mike Chapman, the production changed. And he was a production genius for radio.
STEIN: And discipline. He forged it into what it became, and we didn’t know how to work with a type of merciless repetition like that, so it was great. The first two records, you go in and you play it a couple of times trying to get it to sound O.K., and when we got with Mike it was like . . .
HARRY: A hammer.
Q: Whereas the first two albums caught the feel of a club performance?
HARRY: Definitely. And rawer, certainly. That said, he managed to split the difference; some of those songs have a good energy in them even though they’re precise.
Q: Did Lou Reed’s memorial bring people together from previous eras of the New York scene?
STEIN: The event was great that Laurie put on at the Apollo. That was terrific. Very moving. The most mind-bending thing for me was hearing a recording of him doing “Heroin” in 1965. Jesus. 1965.
Q: So, like, two years before the record came out?
STEIN: Yeah, and he sounds like Donovan.
HARRY: It’s done like a folk song!
STEIN: Except he’s singing “Heroin.” Incredible. Also I’d never met Moe Tucker before, and that was really nice.
Q: Tell us what to expect from the new disc.
HARRY: Well, there were a lot of people who contributed to this album, a lot more writers. So I think in a way it’s a much more traditional Blondie album, because we always had a lot of contributors. I think the music is moving, it’s bright, it’s danceable. The attitude of it and the strength of it are very similar to “Parallel Lines,” so I'm very happy about that.
Q: Have you learned anything at South By?
STEIN: Everybody’s hip now. We used to be on the fringe. I was always drawn to obscure things, something that was hidden, something that was on the edge. And it’s harder to find something like that now, because it’s all in your face immediately. Where do we go?
HARRY: The spirit of rock ‘n’ roll was this clandestine, sort of forbidden attitude. Now, it’s corporate. Also, I can’t walk around and be free to do things. In New York clubs, it’s casual. In Austin, people are looking to see people, so I'm like a target. I’d really have to wear a dark wig to fool these guys. I would need to get a fake beard.
Q: Is 2014 Debbie Harry wiser than 1974 Debbie Harry?
HARRY: Oh, possibly. Maybe I have a better, more comprehensive view of human nature. But I still have my shortfalls!
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