“We really paved the way”: Debbie Harry on the two bands that birthed New York new wave
Before the new wave explosion in New York, Debbie Harry and Chris Stein were already poised and ready. Performing at several big New York punk venues like CBGBs and Club 82, the duo helped to establish and refine what it meant to stand at the forefront of an industry on the cusp of a revolution, all before they even set the parameters for what would later be one of the best bands to emerge from the scene: Blondie.
Back then, the scene was mostly driven by a game of sheer energy, especially when it came to performances, which generally followed a mantra of the less thinking, the better. While there was undeniably a lot that went into the creation behind the scenes, performing at such clubs during the early iteration of new wave largely hinged on pure intuition.
And this is where Harry and Stein grew particularly efficient, not just in forming an impactful stage presence but also with the music itself. Joining The Stilettos with Elda Gentile, Billy O’Connor, Fred Smith, and Rosie Ross, the band took to the stage with a raw and energetic presence, initiating a microcosm of musical vivacity that paved the way for the forthcoming new wave and punk explosion.
Beyond the many reasons audiences became drawn to their burgeoning movement, they also challenged the parameters of the traditional rock group, with both men and women forming equal parts of the appeal. As we know, Harry would take this to the next level within Blondie, but appearing so unusually forthcoming during a time when commercialism reigned supreme was refreshing.
This is also why Harry believes it all started with them, playing clubs around the city with nothing but the desire to change the tide with hard-hitting innovation. A part of this ability also centred around their internal fluidity, which didn’t really rely so much on a steady, lasting lineup as much as it prioritised proficiency and sound progression. The only consistent members were she and Stein, who grounded their presence more than any other members who came and went.
“We never had steady musicians,” Harry told Interview magazine in 1979. “Sometimes we worked with Tommy Miami, sometimes with Jimmy Miami. We worked with a lot of different musicians. Maybe forty or fifty. Chris was our only steady musician. We played a lot of gigs at Kenny’s Castaways, at the Mushroom, at clubs that no longer exist. We really paved the way, you know. We really got the New York scene going.”
She added: “The only other group from that time that still exists, sort of, is Television.”
While The Stilettos are far more forgettable than Harry, Stein, and Blondie, their emergence alongside Television was particularly paramount in shaping and establishing the CBGB scene. Together, they sparked what would form the epicentre of a scene that later nurtured and championed other new wave and post-punk bands like Talking Heads, allowing space for the real boundary pushers that celebrated the spirit and ethos of greater artistic freedom.
While Blondie would continue to revolutionise other corners of the industry in more ways than one, this is no doubt where it all started, and without the pioneering spirit of Harry and Stein, it’s difficult to call how or where the scene would have otherwise blossomed. After all, once bands like The Stilettos and Television created alternative avenues for expression, the door was well and truly blown wide open.
