June 23, 2008
A short interview with Deborah about her role in ‘Full Grown Men’ and the ‘Parallel Lines’ 30th Anniversary Tour’ can be found on nydailynews.com.
Mermaid role pulls Debbie Harry in deep
In the movie “Full Grown Men,” opening Wednesday, actress and singer Deborah Harry plays a woman who performed so long as a mermaid at a Florida theme park that she’s convinced she really is one.
“The mermaid intrigued me,” says Harry, who loved delivering such lines as, “Nothing against sea cows, but I’m hardly a manatee.”
Harry also improvised a flirtation during one scene with the hero, 35-year-old Alby (Matt McGrath), a husband and father who idealizes his barely finished childhood and - in a fit of nostalgia - goes on a road trip to a faded amusement park.
“In real life it would be a beautiful thing for a person to really embrace what they’re doing so wholeheartedly,” says Harry about her character. “I know it’s part of the whole arrested-development theme, but there’s something beautiful about it and so sweet.”
And there’s something very satisfying about touring with Blondie to celebrate the 30th anniversary of their best album, “Parallel Lines,” which the group will perform in its entirety at the Nokia Theater tonight.
The album, which included hits like “Heart of Glass,” just hit the U.K.’s Top 40 again thanks to its showing up in a commercial directed by David Lynch.
But thanks to more recent albums and hit singles like “Maria,” Blondie can avoid the trap of nostalgia. The band, which was recently inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, also will play at least one song from Harry’s 2007 album “Necessary Evil.” One listener, U2’s The Edge, considered it one of the best of the year.
Yet Harry, who became a star thanks mostly to “Parallel Lines,” still has mixed feelings about the album.
“I’m not totally in love with every song, but I feel like I can stand up for it,” she says. “I’m proud of the whole thing. That was a long time ago and the music is really okay. Some of it’s a little melancholic and sweet. And some of it, I think, ‘Well, that was a crazy person.’”
Which song makes her think that? “I’m not telling,” she says, laughing.
Michael Giltz
June 16, 2008
Check out Debbie’s new single ‘Heat Of The Moment’ with rapper Mecca Down. Go to Mecca’s Myspace page to listen to Deborah’s latest collaboration.
June 14, 2008
A review of the Blondie show at Casino Rama in Canada on July 12 can be found on canoe.ca.
 Casino Rama, Ontario - June 12, 2008
By JANE STEVENSON - Sun Media
RAMA, Ont. - Blondie’s breakthrough album, Parallel Lines, turned 30 this year.
So the New Wave veterans, fronted by the incomparable Debbie Harry, are back on the road performing their seminal disc from start to finish, plus throwing in some other hits and material from Harry’s most recent solo album, 2007’s Necessary Evil.
The only Canadian stop on the Parallel Lines 30th Anniversary tour was two back-to-back stops at Casino Rama that kicked off Thursday night.
Their backdrop even incorporated the black and white parallel lines that dominated the memorable album art - yes kids, those were the days when we stared at album covers for hours on end while listening to the record from start to finish.
Harry, who turns 63 on July 1, sounded as good and looked as great as she ever did back in the band’s heyday when she was a major stylesetter.
Decked out in a black and white stripped skirt and matching sleeves, red tank top, and matching converse sneakers, and black shades, with her trademark blonde bob haircut blowing in the breeze created by two fans in front of her, she personified cool.
The crowd rushed the front of the stage from the opening chords of Hanging On The Telephone and remained there for the duration of the night and someone even handed Harry a bouquet of flowers during One Way Or Another.
Those songs plus other Parallel Lines classics like the energetic Pretty Baby - with Harry waving and high-fiving various audience members while she prowled the stage - I Know But I Don’t Know, 11:59, Will Anything Happen, Sunday Girl, Heart Of Glass, and I’m Gonna Love You Too took the crowd back to a time when albums still mattered.
“Some days it feels like more than 30, and some days it feels like less than 30,” joked Harry, who eventually discarded her shades.
Other highlights during the 85-minute set included the Blondie comeback hit, Maria, the pioneering rap-disco song, Rapture, which incorporated a bit of Hey Bo Diddley in a shout-out to the legendary guitarist who recently passed away, Tide Is High, and a punk version of Celine Dion’s soaring pop anthem My Heart Will Go On.
“This is for all you Canadians,” said Harry, who even incorporated Dion’s chest-pounding antics during the song.
The only other original band members are guitarist Chris Stein and drummer Clem Burke, the latter who brilliantly pounded away on his kit while wearing a massive set of earphones and drove the show with his infectious beat. (Burke also wore a CBGB shirt in a nod to the now shuttered New York punk club where Blondie performed their early gigs.)
Stein was no slouch either delivering some stellar guitar moments during Picture This, I Know But I Don’t Know, Maria, Rapture, Harry’s reggae-tinged solo tune, Screaming Skin, and the title track from Necessary Evil.
Joining the threesome were more recent recruits, bassist Leigh Foxx, guitarist Paul Carbonara and keyboardist Matt Katz-Bohen, with Foxx and Carbonara also around when Blondie last played in Toronto at the Guvernment in 2004. (Harry played a solo show at the Phoenix last November that was one of the best gigs of the year.)
“Is anybody winning any dough out there?” said Harry. “I want to meet the winners.”
Chances are she did.
June 13, 2008
Win tickets for the ‘Full Grown Men’ premiere in New York City on June 25 among other prizes.
“‘Full Grown Men’ is the story of Alby, a man who refuses to grow up and sets out on a road trip with his childhood friend in search of youthful nostalgia in the form of Diggityland, his favorite amusement park. Alby is delusional, infuriating, and has a lot to learn… But his wacky adventure reveals his fun-loving personality and good heart.”
Submit your own story of adult male adolescence on fullgrownmencontest.com to enter the contest which will end on June 23.
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