How Debbie Harry’s first extravagant purchase almost panicked her into being poor again: “I wanted to die”
These days, it’s hard to imagine Debbie Harry as anything but a global icon, such is her startling command of power, even in all her 80 years. Yet, before the cultural behemoth of Blondie ever gained its wings, there was a time when you could have found Harry as a restaurant waitress, a secretary, or a Playboy Bunny, when money was nothing more than an abstract concept, and she could never have envisioned soon being the item of punk rock’s desire.
But the story of her rags-to-riches journey is hardly an anomaly when it comes to the history of rock and roll. Even the toughest, gnarliest, and most scathing stars would have all had their Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman moment whenever their first paycheck arrived in their inbox, even if they couldn’t compare it to that parlance at the time. However, in Harry’s case, the luxurious novelty of that moment had a scarring effect, as with it came the realisation that life would never be the same again.
So, with the hits riding high in the charts, what was the first blow to her bank account? “The first thing I bought it cost $300. It was a beautiful coat by Yohji [Yamamoto],” Harry told The Guardian in 2002. And that’s true for any of us, regardless of fame—you always remember your first truly expensive item of clothing, down to every last stitch and intricate detail.
“It was a cotton-quilted, square thing, with these big square pockets. Like a tunic,” the bombshell recalled, evidently lavishing in the memory.
But as she walked the New York streets with her new precious purchase in hand, an anxiety began to course through her body. She explained: “I bought it at Henry Bendel’s when it used to be on 57th Street, and I was so panicked by the time I got it home, I was ready to just die.”
Suddenly, money was no longer the thing she worked every waking hour to save and scrimp together; it was completely and utterly at her disposal whenever she pleased, and that could be terrifying.
Indeed, launching into the land of fame is like diving into the deep end of the pool, both in an identity and financial sense. It’s the beast that can drive many rock stars crazy—just ask Elton John—and before you know it, you could risk drowning in the sea of excess. Subsequently, in Harry’s eyes, it was a case of sink or swim. Her choice? “I quickly learned to get over it. I will succumb”.
As much as it may seem like the height of a first-world problem to those of us unused to the proclivities of fame and fortune, it is a real issue faced by those in the know. How do you go from having nothing to being granted everything that you could have ever dreamed of and more, seemingly all within the blink of an eye? It’s possibly the most intoxicating cocktail that one could ever taste.
Ultimately, we all know the path that Harry would go on to take in terms of how she would use her money and status. Whether it has served her well in the long run is, of course, another debate to be had entirely, but there’s no denying that Blondie would never have had its blazing star if she hadn’t learned the ropes of indulging in a little luxury.
