Some days I feel like it doesn’t matter and
other days I feel like, “Oh shit.”
… DEBBIE HARRY ON GETTING OLD
After four decades, how do you maintain your
passion for performing?
I don’t think it’s much of a problem. I just really enjoy doing
it. The response seems to be good, and that always makes it
easier.
If I had told you in 1978 that “Heart of Glass”
would still be popular in 2017, would you have
thought I was insane?
Probably! No offense.
Yet, here we are.
I always admired artists whose songs had longevity, so I’m
happy it’s happening to me. But you also have to realize
that Rock and Roll is coming
of age, as it were. It’s just
a natural progression, I
suppose. People grew up to
that music, and they really
don’t have much choice, I
suppose. As for me, I will
always be an artist, whether I
do music or some other form
of it.
What did it mean for
you to be inducted into
the Rock and Roll Hall
of Fame?
It was quite an honor,
really. It made me feel
very legitimate and part of
history. It really makes you
feel like maybe you actually
did do something. It’s just so public. I think it made people
who aren’t in the business and who never really paid much
attention to Blonde sit up and take notice.
Are you afraid of getting old?
I think it changes from day to day. Some days I feel like it
doesn’t matter and other days I feel like, “Oh shit.” You might
think that’s an inconsistent answer, but that’s the way it goes.
Are you aware that you’re in the Guinness Book
of World Records as the Oldest Female Singer to
have a No. 1 single in the UK?
Oh, excellent! That’s news to me, but there you go.
There’s also talk of a movie being made about
your life with Kirsten Dunst playing the lead
role. Care to set the record straight?
Kirsten and I did talk about that. She’s a really sweet, fun
girl, and she expressed some interest, but we don’t have
anything really going. She mentioned it in an interview, and
the press has been treating it like it’s actually happening.
Do you want the film to be made?
Oh, sure. I generally don’t really like biographical movies
on music people. I think they’re usually kind of bullshit and
phony. So if a movie is made, I want to somehow be involved
in it. I think I could make it a little bit more interesting.
Of course, I couldn’t let you go without asking
you about growing up in Hawthorne, New
Jersey. What was that like for you?
It’s probably a much bigger town now. I haven’t been back
there in a while. Every once in a while I’ll run into somebody
from there or an old friend or
someone who knew my sister.
It’s really just a typical suburban
commuter kind of town. I think
when I was a little, tiny girl,
there were actually farms there.
When those farms went, that
was the big change for me.
All that land became housing
developments. That was kind of
shocking to me.
Is there anything in
your life that you regret
or wish you could do
differently?
Yeah, I suppose there are. I try
not to think about those things,
actually. It just doesn’t get you
anywhere. Obviously, there
are steps along the way you wish you could do differently.
Hindsight and all that crap. You know? But I don’t know if
it does you any good. You just have to learn from those
experiences and move on. However, thinking of things like
that with regret can be poisonous.
Do you see yourself still performing ten years
from now?
I don’t know. It’s hard to say. I hope I’m still doing music
somehow, if not for myself, then writing for others. I would
also like to travel just for the fun of it. I hope to be linked up
with somebody and fall madly in love. That would be a lot
of fun.
Are you in love now?
Not with one person in particular. Why, are you available?
For more information on Debbie Harry go to:
www.Deborahharry.com.