Debbie Harry: ‘Who Doesn’t Love David Bowie?’
Blondie‘s Debbie Harry has released a statement regarding the death of David Bowie, who passed away on Sunday following a private 18-month battle with cancer.
“In NYC there is a yearly Bowie Ball when local musicians all perform a Bowie song,” Harry said, referencing the yearly event at Le Poisson Rouge hosted by designer Deryck Todd. “It happens every year and this next one will be a sad and extremely heartfelt evening for everyone.”
Harry goes on to compliment Bowie’s many artistic contributions during his lifetime. “Who doesn’t love Bowie? A visionary artist, musician, actor, a completely renaissance man who has given us a long list of songs like ‘Heroes,’ ‘Rebel Rebel,’ ‘Young Americans,’ ‘Diamond Dogs,’ ‘The Jean Genie,’ and some memorable film performances like The Man Who Fell to Earth, Basquiat, Labyrinth, The Hunger. I can’t say enough things about David Bowie to show how much I love him.”
The Blondie singer went on to state that she believes that “Bowie played a big part in [Blondie’s] future successes” after Iggy Pop and Bowie took the young band on tour following the release of Bowie’s Low and Pop’s The Idiot. “They asked Blondie to open for them and as they say, the rest is history. Without this visionary and his friend Iggy Pop where would Blondie be today?”
In an interview with Esquire last year, Harry and bandmate Chris Stein shared similar sentiments on the importance of that 1977 tour. “[Bowie] gave me advice on working the stage,” Harry recalled. “I moved around but it was about delivery as an actor. Inevitably you have to take the advice. If he’d said ‘Get out of town’ I probably would have done that, too.” In 1980, Blondie paid tribute to Bowie by covering his song “Heroes.”
Read Debbie Harry’s full statement below:
In NYC there is a yearly Bowie Ball when local musicians all perform a Bowie song. It happens every year and this next one will be a sad and extremely heartfelt evening for everyone.
Who doesn’t love Bowie? A visionary artist, musician, actor, a completely renaissance man who has given us a long list of songs like “Heroes,” “Rebel Rebel,” “Young Americans,” “Diamond Dogs,” “The Jean Genie,” and many, many more, and some memorable film performances like The Man Who Fell to Earth, Basquiat, Labyrinth, The Hunger.
I can’t say enough things about David Bowie to show how much I love him. When the Low album was out and Iggy Pop was about to tour, David played keyboards in Iggy’s band. They asked Blondie to open for them, and, as they say, the rest is history. Without this visionary and his friend Iggy Pop where would Blondie be today? Silly question and one that can’t be answered really, but there is no doubt in my mind that Bowie played a big part in our future successes. As for now, love you David Bowie. xx