Face It: A Memoir by Debbie Harry

Author: Debbie Harry 

Title: Face It 

Published: 2019

Publisher: Harper Collins

Pages: 368

Genre: Autobiography 

     DEBBIE HARRY is a musician, actor, activist, and the iconic face of New York City cool. As the front-woman of Blondie, she and the band forged a new sound that brought together the worlds of rock, punk, disco, reggae, and hip-hop to create some of the most beloved pop songs of all time. As a muse, she collaborated with some of the boldest artists of the past four decades. The scope of Debbie Harry’s impact on our culture has been matched only by her reticence to reveal her rich inner life – until now. In an arresting mix of visceral, soulful storytelling and stunning visuals that includes never-before-seen photographs, bespoke illustrations, and fan art installations, 

     They say that to understand someone we must walk a mile in their shoes. Now to actually achieve this may be a little difficult in the much more literal sense. But I think there is a chance we can come close to this in reading from the horse's mouth so to speak when we pick up someone's autobiography. This is of course entirely down to just how much we can trust the person telling us their tale. But when it comes to Harry she never seems to have shied away from speaking her truth even to the extent of not hiding away parts that might not be so flattering. It is still to this day a refreshing thing in a world where people seem to spend far too much time hiding away the parts of themselves they fear others might see. It is I believe in seeing other vulnerabilities that help us connect with them. Put someone on a perfect pedestal and you will not only be let down but you are doing them a great injustice. After all we are all just human.  

     I am sure that Harry came into my consciousness far before blondie ever did. I remember a friend at school who had a much older brother talking about her in the way older brothers are prone to doing at that age. And a few years after that my brother showed me a slightly fuzzy version of Videodrome. At this point, I'm not entirely sure I was aware she was a musician that would take until my late teens. I suppose this is about the time I was starting to find my own musical tastes. Hunting out bands and artists that I could call my own. Punk, Grunge, and old-school rock were starting to flood my waking hours as I took in as much as I could. So I suppose it was only a matter of time before I came across Blondie. I can remember endlessly listing to Parallel Lines and Autoamerican on endless repeat much to the annoyance of those around me. But hey you can't win them all right. And whilst they have not been a constant companion in my life I have always at some point come back to them. It's like one of those great friends that you only see a couple of times a year. But somehow it feels like no time has passed at all. Even so, until I picked up this book I can't say I really knew much about Harry and her life.

     The book loosely comes to us in chronological order, but that is not to say that Harry doesn't enjoy veering off when it comes to telling a good story. I suppose it should come as no surprise that she is excellent at spinning a good yarn. After all, as a songwriter, each one is a small story unto itself. Somehow the way in which she talks to the reader makes you feel included in this grand adventure. It's like those first few magical weeks or months of a new relationship when you are getting to know each other. But there is something deeply intimate to be found within the pages of this book too. Harry, after all, is not trying to impress us here with grand deeds and name-dropping. She brings us into things that I'm not entirely sure good friends would tell you if not for a bottle of wine for courage first and even then maybe not. There is something to be said for that strange feeling of being trusted into holding this knowledge by someone you've never even met, probably. It is for want of some better words a raw honesty to this book. I suppose it follows in her punk roots that guiding force that seems to have followed her, her whole life. Say what you want about this genre of music but it does scream from a place of truth. Life is brutal after all but hey let's try and have some fun along the way. 

     This is one of those books that really didn't take long to get through. Every chance I got I was picking it up and delved right back in.  You want to know how each story is going to end and what came next. For me, it was also great to read these moments when she came into contact with musicians that I had played on endless repeat through my teenage years. Be they friends Harry made along the way or simple people she happened to brush shoulders with it goes to open up a much bigger light on the music scene of the seventies and eighties. For me, the most enlightening moment came to show us this deep-down love of music she has. It's like this beautiful dancing flame at her center and the times when she seems at her calmest and happiest are when she is writing and creating what was going to be next. But maybe that is true for many of the musicians that have come before. The music is the purity of it all only becoming corrupted by the beast we call fame. But I guess that might just be a much bigger conversation for another time. 

     For me, this is a beautifully crafted and elegant book that allows us to dip our toes into a life lived at full kilter for the most part. It has given me a much better understanding of not only Harry but the music she has created over the years. It does that great thing of giving context to some of our favorite songs. Whilst we all project onto music our own fears and hopes it is also a grand thing to know just how the author was feeling when it was created. Face It is one of those rare books that makes you feel like you have made a new friend when you come to the end of it. To capture so much of a person's life in a very intimate and reviling way without feeling like she is just regurgitating cold dead history for the sake of a quick buck.  So it turns out that not only is this a book that I would be happy to recommend but one that shall take its place on my forever shelf. And in a few years' time, I'll pick it up again and start it all over again.