2023-11-16 00:14:38
Debbie Harry comments that she has not been to Spain for a long time and that was one of the reasons why she agreed to participate in the new edition of Rizoma. During the eleventh edition of the festival Madrid, which starts on the 17th, Harry will chat with Isabel Coixet and Rob Roth, author of videos, covers and a documentary about Blondie; He will sign copies of his memoirs, face (Libros Cúpula), and will receive the Bosque Rizoma Artists Award. “It was a great opportunity to rekindle my artistic relationship with Isabel and do all those other things. The proposal is fantastic and came at the right time.” Blondie do not plan to tour in the coming months, although they are finalizing what will be their next album. Meanwhile, she enjoys the status that comes with being Debbie Harry. With Blondie she broke sales records and social molds. She was the first singer to exploit her sexual magnetism in the same way that her male companions did. She had hits playing on the radio, but she never left the scene underground New York City where it was forged and to which it never stopped belonging. He played his first significant role in 1976, a film underground which paid tribute to Godard and which Amos Poe directed with the title Unmade Beds. He has collaborated with Warhol and HR Giger, with couturier Stephen Sprouse and with journalist and writer Glenn O’Brien. She was one of the first people to buy a work from Basquiat and appeared on television singing with the Muppets. All this and her pioneering character make her a fundamental figure who, at 78 years old, is still active and is not afraid to show herself in front of the camera for this videoconference interview.
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Rizoma has a reforestation project that gives its name to an award that will be awarded in Madrid during the festival. Environmentalism is one of the causes to which she is most committed. Do you think that artists like you, with a notable projection, should support this type of commitment?
Yes, definitely. From the moment you receive public support you also acquire a responsibility. And I also love nature. There was a time when soaking in it, calming down, and enjoying the benefits and beauty of the Earth saved my life. I have been dedicating myself to beekeeping for some time. It is not easy to raise bees, I had no idea it was so complex, but it is very important to actively participate to preserve the species. And by having a public voice I can spread these things and give them importance. In our daily lives we work, we take care of the house, the family, we earn money to get ahead, but, unless it is something that you have very much assumed, we are not aware of how important nature is.
I have been dedicating myself to beekeeping for some time. It is not easy to raise bees, I had no idea it was so complex, but it is very important to actively participate to preserve the species.
Blondie was one of the first groups with an independent and empowered woman at the front. Are you aware of her importance as a feminist icon?
I think so, although I am not sure that in the beginning it was a role that I played consciously. To be honest, I can’t say that my goal was to represent the female part of the human race. The thing is that I am very stubborn and I wanted to do everything I set out to do. But if over time that attitude has become an example for later generations, I think it’s great. I could also give you examples of people who were important to me. We all see someone in public whose work affects us emotionally and intellectually. It is something that comes with being an artist and having a public exhibition.
One of the two Isabel Coixet films she has worked on will be screened at Rizoma, My life without me. Elegy It’s the other one. How do you remember the experience of filming under your orders?
I remember very clearly the first time we met. She was auditioning for the role in My life without me. I had read the script and I was very impressed by the story, the message and the audacity of that proposal because it was beautiful and at the same time it broke your heart. So when I went to take the test I was quite nervous, I have never been good at tests in the castings. Isabel was very direct. She said very clearly what she wanted, what she needed, and she gave me the role. An instant connection was established between us. I trusted her and she trusted me. Elegy It was an exhausting experience. I had to be very sad for hours and hours because I was taking care of my dying husband and agh!… But I never had a problem with Isabel. I know that since then she has directed many other films and I am aware that she has become a true cinematic voice, that she has a style that identifies her and that in Spain she is considered an icon.
Isabel Coixet was very direct. She said very clearly what she wanted, what she needed, and she gave me the role in ‘Elegy.’ An instant connection was established between us. I trusted her and she trusted me
Of all the roles you have played, which is your favorite?
I don’t know… I think I have a predilection for more extreme roles. For example, Velma von Tussle, the horrible woman of Hairspray. It was very overwhelming, what do I know? [se ríe]. She was a horrible woman. And the other one that I love is the one I made in Videodrome [de David Cronenberg]. He was a very interesting character to play because I always liked science fiction and fantasy movies.
When did you know that you also wanted to be an actress?
When I was little I already wanted to be a movie star [de repente en su pantalla se activa un efecto que hace caer purpurina, al verlo se ríe y saluda]. As a child I was already fascinated with the idea of acting and when there were plays and recitals at school, I wanted to participate in all of them. But I didn’t take professional classes until much later. I think that every time you get on stage to try to tell a story, it is much easier to use someone else’s voice than your own. I think it is an activity that complements my role as a singer.
Taking advantage of his visit to Spain, he will promote his memoirs, facepublished here three years ago. Is there anything you regret having said?
That’s a terrible question! [Ríe]. I try not to regret anything. What I did realize when writing the book was how stupid I was at times. I made big mistakes. But the definitive conclusion is that while I live, I learn.
And do you regret not having said something then, something that you would add now?
When you sit down to write, nothing comes to mind and you say, my God…! Once I got into the task of writing the book, I really enjoyed the process of writing it. The truth is that there is still material to reveal because it is many years. I wanted to do a brave review of what my life has been, but there are many stories. My partner in Blondie, Chris Stein, is writing his own memoir and his is going to be a big, big book. He is going to tell many anecdotes. And that makes me remember things that he had forgotten about.
What’s the best part about getting older?
Yesterday I went to the bookstore and bought a book about aging because I thought, “Okay, maybe I can still learn something.” Getting old is sometimes very scary. Then I think about how lucky I was to have had great friends who shook the world, people who are no longer with us like Warhol, Basquiat, Stephen Sprouse… I am very happy to have lived through all that. I still have many creative outlets. I’ve written some things for Chris’ book. I have the interpretation, which makes me feel very alive. Blondie has a new album ready that I hope you like a lot, on whose lyrics I have worked more than ever.
Yesterday I went to the bookstore and bought a book about aging because I thought, “Okay, maybe I can still learn something.” Getting old is sometimes very scary
What is the best compliment you have ever been given?
When someone tells me that my music has made their life better or that it helped them in a very difficult moment in their life. That’s the best compliment anyone could have given me.
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