New York Rocker: My Life in the Blank Generation with Blondie, Iggy Pop and Others 1974-1981 [Paperback]

Gary Valentine (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1, 2002

By 1970, the hippie dream of the 60s was dead—the soundtrack to the revolution had become a multimillion-dollar industry. But four years later, emerging from the rubble of rock, was a music whose hard edge matched the lifestyle of its home turf—New York’s East Village. Punk’s initiators—Richard Hell, Tom Verlaine, and Patti Smith—had one foot in 19th-century French symbolist poetry and the other in the raw sound of predecessors like the Velvet Underground. Now, in New York Rocker, Gary Valentine offers an inside account of this little-documented era. He talks about the luminaries—like Debbie Harry, Lou Reed, Iggy Pop, David Bowie, Devo, and the New York Dolls—and the gigs at CBGBs hitting the news as Warhol and his glittering crew descended.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

By 1970, the hippie dream of the 60s was dead—the soundtrack to the revolution had become a multimillion–dollar industry. But four years later, emerging from the rubble of rock, was a music whose hard edge matched the lifestyle of its home turf—New York’s East Village. Punk’s initiators—Richard Hell, Tom Verlaine, and Patti Smith—had one foot in 19th–century French symbolist poetry and the other in the raw sound of predecessors like the Velvet Underground. Now, in New York Rocker, Gary Valentine offers an inside account of this little–documented era. He talks about the luminaries—like Debbie Harry, Lou Reed, Iggy Pop, David Bowie, Devo, and the New York Dolls—and the gigs at CBGBs hitting the news as Warhol and his glittering crew descended. What began as a unique blend of fin–de–siècle ennui and edgy rock, exploded worldwide into an anarchic frenzy of safety pins and gutter decadence, then plunged into excess and eventual ruin—with its survivors making a leap into the mainstream.

About the Author

Gary Lachman, as Gary Valentine, was a founder member of Blondie, and wrote many of the group's early hits. This book is the story of the world from which Blondie grew, with rare and intimate insight, and includes anecdotes of his life alongside other luminaries of the era with whom he performed, including Iggy Pop. His first book for Sidgwick is Turn Off Your Mind, a history of the arc and roots of the occult counterculture of the Sixties. This is its natural sequel for the Seventies.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Macmillan UK (February 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 028306367X
• ISBN-13: 978-0283063671
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,131,132 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

As Gary Valentine, Gary Lachman (1955- )was a founding member of the rock group Blondie, and wrote some of their early hits. He later worked with Iggy Pop, and fronted his own groups, the Know and Fire Escape. Since 1996 Lachman has lived in London, England, and been a full time writer, producing more than a dozen books on a wide range of subjects, from the evolution of consciousness and the western esoteric tradition, to suicide and literature and the history of popular culture. Lachman writes regularly for a number of journals in the US and UK, and lectures frequently on his work in the UK, US, and Europe. His work has been translated into several languages. His website is: http://garylachman.co.uk/

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The REAL Blondie Story, September 13, 2002

By 

Scott Coblio "kookoo guy" (West Hollywood, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: New York Rocker: My Life in the Blank Generation with Blondie, Iggy Pop and Others 1974-1981 (Paperback)

The problem with all the Blondie books up til now has been that each one was written with too distinct a bias. Lester Bangs's 1980 "Blondie" was a venemous attack that barely concealed Lester's own jealous envy (he was in a band of his own), the Fred Schruers mini bio "Headliners: Blondie" while more objective, was too short to provide a comprehensive biography of the band,1982's "Making Tracks" is a great book but was written by Debbie Harry & Chris Stein themselves, and therefore only tells half a story. Cathay Che's Debbie Harry bio "Platinum Blonde" along with the more recent "Blondie From Punk to Present" are more like fan love-letters than biographies.

That leaves us with Mr. Valentine, who played bass for only two years, 1975-1977. These were, however, the pivotal years of the band's inception and early development, and therefore are the most interesting and crucial to read about. His accounts of living and playing with Debbie and Chris are niether spiteful nor ingratiating, and provide what might be the first objective insights on what being in Blondie was really like. Nobody comes off worse for wear, even though many eccentricities, insensitivites and downright hypocrasies are revealed. Rather, it makes them more interesting and human than ever.

In any summary of a life or career, it's fair to say that nobody owns the truth. There are many subjective truths. But Gary's literary voice rings true, you get the feeling he's being honest in his accounts. He's neither trying to turn you against the Blondies (like Lester) nor kissing their collective ass (like Ms Che). He's just telling it like it was from his persepctive, and the result is a fascinating account of the whole scene.

The pix are quite good, mostly rare, and capture a Blondie that most folks probably don't even remember. A must have for any fan of Blondie and/or the NYC punk era.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The X Offender returns!, October 7, 2002

By 

L. A. Diedrich "harlowgold" (Denver, CO United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: New York Rocker: My Life in the Blank Generation with Blondie, Iggy Pop and Others 1974-1981 (Paperback)

I've been a fan of the band Blondie for quite some time and I read everything I can get my hands on about this band. Gary Valentine's book is by far the best look at Blondie's early years. It's a witty, funny, insightful view of the New York rock scene of the 1970's. Since Gary was a member of Blondie during their early days he has all the stories you could hope for about life with the band when they were just beginning and he lends insight into the creativity that went into the writing of his two most notable Blondie contributions - X Offender and Presence, Dear. Just about everyone you'd be interested in from this time period makes some sort of appearance in this book - Johnny Thunders, David Bowie, Iggy Pop, Patti Smith, Richard Hell, Captain Sensible, Tom Verlaine, etc. I will read this one over and over again. Gary takes a good long look at what differentiated the New York, London and LA punk scenes and it's one fun and fascinating read. If you are a fan of Blondie or the 70's glam or punk scene or the early 80's new wave scene then you must get this one!

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars New York Rocker Rocks!, August 16, 2002

By 

Henry Branham (Howell, MI USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: New York Rocker: My Life in the Blank Generation with Blondie, Iggy Pop and Others 1974-1981 (Paperback)

Complete FUN from start to finish. Valentine kicks off his rock and roll autobiography by dropping the reader off in his late teens when he discovered a bohemian lifestyle in the glitter days of The New York Dolls, and the fact that he was young and innocent at the time makes his adventures quite amusing. Although he was more of a bookworm than a musician, he soon found himself playing bass in a struggling bar band called Blondie. There are tons of great stories regarding the famous punk hangouts CBGB's, Max's Kansas City, and later Hurrah, as well as a plethora of anecdotes regarding peers, friends, and enemies, who have since become punk rock royalty; Patti Smith, Tom Verlaine, Richard Hell, The Ramones, Suicide, Talking Heads, The Germs, Wayne County, etc., Valentine's insight is told as a very keen observer to the freakish lifestyle of the entire scene and he constantly adds touches of winking humor that makes the book more and more enjoyable with the turn of every page.
His tenure with Blondie is the center of the book, as this is where he found fame but not fortune. As a roommate to the first couple of New Wave, Debbie Harry and Chris Stein, he enjoyed a strange friendship with them while at the same time being accused of trying to upstage them. Although it may somtimes appear that he is tossing sour grapes at them, he is really just giving his point of view of certain situations. Many of the Blondie stories have been told before, but a different point of view is always refreshing. Valentine never rakes the band over the coals, despite being jilted from their reunion during the late 90's.
The book does not just cover the New York punk scene, but extends to the West Coast as well when Valentine leaves Blondie and forms The Know. For anyone who thought he dropped off the musical radar after Blondie, his adventures continued, proving that he was no Pete Best (the lost Beatle). He wraps up the book with a sex and substance drenched tour with Iggy Pop and his involvement in the early stages of the Blondie reunion in 1996. From start to finish, NEW YORK ROCKER is an incredibly well written account of the punk movement and a very welcome addition to the growing library of books on the topic.