That is the title bestowed upon the 68 year old punk icon by NME last week. Does she deserve it? Nah. Debbie is a tribute to greatness for sure but genius? Not exactly. The awards title is amusing enough, but I suppose we can redefine the word to fit.
When you’re the lead singer of a band called Blondie and decades later you’re still on stage- you’re legendary at least. She has maintained her grace and beauty all along the way and despite wear and tear on the vocals (or is that just the mellowing of age?) she and her band have gone on non stop since the beginning with just a couple line up tweaks.
So how exactly does a band survive almost 40 years in the biz? Well, its not by following what ‘the man’ tells you, if you believe Debbies statement
“You have to take a stand. It’s a toss-up between being in a business and being an artist. Sometimes you have to hold your ground and refuse to do what’s expected of you, even if it could make you money,” Debbie explained to NME magazine.
“I don’t know how many times we were told, ‘Do another song like Heart of Glass.’ It’s impossible to really do that. I’ve seen artists come out with a second song after they’ve had a big hit, and then they try to replicate it with a follow up song, and it usually just falls flat.”
I’m not so sure that’s true when you look at those awful rap bits she took on, I cant help but thing that was not her master plan. Regardless, Debbie isn’t a God Like Genius but she is a Goddess for her sheer longevity in the biz that kills.
