GARY VALENTINE

Blonde & Blue Gary Valentine's inside look at Blondie
by Chris Parcellin
Rock'n'rollers who write memoirs about their seedy, salacious pasts are not exactly in short supply these days. Indeed, spilling one's guts in book form has become something of a cottage industry for fifty-somethings rockers in the last few years with the likes of Aerosmith, Gene Simmons, Grace Slick, et al. churning out tawdry tell-all tomes about their wicked, wicked ways. But the new book "New York Rocker: My Life in the Blank Generation with Blondie, Iggy Pop and Others 1974-1981" (Sidgwick & Jackson) by Gary Lachman (credited here as Gary Valentine) is something else entirely.

Sure, Lachman is extremely forthcoming with memories of chemical abuse, behind-the-scenes squabbles and the like--but unlike the other musicians mentioned here--at the time he wrote his music biz bio he was already an accomplished author having penned the acclaimed "Turn Off Your Mind: The Mystic Sixties and the Dark Side of the Age of Aquarius."

With "New York Rocker," Lachman attempts to reach a bit deeper than simply a straightforward account of his career playing bass and guitar with Blondie and Iggy Pop (and hanging out with people like Johnny Thunders and the Heartbreakers). He provides a context for his story by also examining the burgeoning glam rock scene in the New York City of the early 1970s as well as an overview of the later punk scenes in New York and Los Angeles. And he seems to give an unflinching look at his personal life as well, recounting the sadness of his teenage years--having been involved in an underage pregnancy--and the ups-and-downs of his relationship with his girlfriend during the '70s, actress Lisa Jane Persky. The book is definitely a fitting follow-up to "Turn Off Your Mind."

And the London-based author's literary career is going great guns with at least two more books set to be published in the near future. Plus, there's a CD by Lachman's late-'90s group Fire Escape that's just become available.

What prompted you to write "New York Rocker?"
There were a few motivations for writing NYR. In the first place it's an autobiographical account of my early days in NYC, and at some point in their careers, most writers have a go at telling their own story. It had been on my mind for some time in fact, and I had written an earlier version back in the mid-90s. But the main prompt was my publisher. I approached them with the idea for my first book, "Turn Off Your Mind," my 'occult' history of the 1960s. Along with some other things, I gave them a copy of the MOJO article I did on my Blondie days, to give them an idea of my style. They loved it and asked if I would turn it into a book. I said yes, and so they commissioned both books from me. Also, I had seen a few other books about the NY scene and it struck me that they told a very partial story--I wanted to give some of the bands that never get mentioned their due.

Your initial musical influences were the New York Dolls and the scene surrounding them. Correct? What was it about that whole era that you found so captivating?
The most inspiring thing about the New York Dolls was that they played simple music that was also the most exciting thing available. Basically they made me, and a lot of other people, feel that we didn't need to be Jimi Hendrix or Eric Clapton in order to get something good out of a guitar. I learned how to play by figuring out the songs on the first Dolls album. Also, I was 18 at the time, so you have to remember I was very impressionable. It was exciting to be living in NY, writing poetry, hanging out with musicians, artists and other oddballs, wearing wild clothes and makeup. I left home and very quickly found myself taking a walk on the wildside with some very strange company.

You mentioned in the book how, when you first joined Blondie, the band couldn't really play very well. How much commercial potential did you think there was at the time?
I was absolutely convinced that we would be successful. I had great faith in Debbie as well as in myself and the others. I knew being great musicians wasn't what we were about: the songs and the attitude were what mattered. It struck me that it was only a matter of time. It was clear that several bands on the scene would wind up with recording contracts; I knew we would be one of them.

When you joined the band you were around nineteen, and you sort of looked-up to Debbie Harry and Chris Stein. What impressed you about them?
Well, as I said, I left home and suddenly found myself in this milieu of musicians, artists, poets, all of whom were at least 5 or 10 years older then me. They were more or less living in a way I had so far only read about. Debbie of course was very sexy, and Chris was like an older brother--or surrogate father at times, although he is only 6 years older than me. They very kindly and generously took me under their wings and introuduced me to people. I had completely cut ties with my family, so I was very much dependant on them in the beginning. I also liked them a lot--Chris especially, we got along and shared a lot of interests.

As a member of Blondie, you were in the frontlines as the NYC punk scene exploded at CBGBs and Max's Kansas City in the mid/late '70s with a bunch of great bands. Ultimately, only a couple of those bands really had much music biz success. Why do you think that was?
It isn't surprising that people like Richard Hell didn't become very successful, at least in terms of record sales. I mean, he modeled himself on poets like Rimbaud and Edgar Allan Poe, both of whom, in the eyes of the public at least, were failures in their lifetimes. That what's I found so exciting about the early days of the NY scene--74, 75, 76: it was about ART and POETRY and excitement, passion and intelligence, not about money and being a celebrity. These things don't always sell to the kids in Indiana or wherever however. Of course, everybody wanted a record deal, there was no doubt about that, but the bands that went on to become very successful, like Blondie and Talking Heads/David Byrne--they modified their sound, changed it, and made it more accessible to a wider audience. This isn't a bad thing. But, at least for me, I never really listened to them--or any of the others--after, say, 78. There was a 'purist' sensibility in the early CBGB days; that, for me, was lost after the UK punk stuff started coming over. I'm glad I was there as early as I was and got to see and hear a kind of music that is pretty rare.

You seemed disappointed when Richard Hell quit The Heartbreakers. Do you think things might've worked out any better for the band if he'd stuck it out?
Oh, I don't know. I just thought the combination of Hell and Thunders worked well. They were so different. There was an edginess to the sound, as if the whole thing could fall apart at any moment. I really couldn't see either of them 'making it' in a very big way. And on their own it was just too much of one thing--I never liked the Voidoids or Thunders' Heartbreakers as much as the original group. Again, being there was part of it. Their shows were very exciting. CBs was packed. And you could go home and play the songs on your guitar later that night.

There is also the NYC syndrome: you can be fantastically successful there, and be an absolutely nobody for the rest of the country. In fact, it's almost guaranteed that if you are very successful in NYC, you won't be a hit across the Hudson. New Yorkers, at least back then, weren't Americans. The Dolls were the hottest thing in Manhattan and were dropped by their record label.

At first you were slated to work with Blondie on their 1996 reunion (and even played a few shows.) And then you were dropped with no explanation. What do you think happened?
You got me. I never heard from them about it, after dozens of promises. It isn't surprising though. We were all the same, like family. I tried my best to get along, and put myself into it--even put my own projects on hold, left London--where I live--and went to NYC, because Chris begged me to. But...oh well. It was just a replay of how things were twenty years earlier. I was disappointed, because no one could pick up a telephone to tell me; I had to hear about it third hand.

Have you spoken to anyone in the band since then?
No. I haven't heard from any of them since late 1997, early '98.

What do you think of the Harry/Stein book on the Blondie years called "Making Tracks?"
As their own account of things I guess it's all right. Obviously I saw my involvement with them differently. I haven't looked at it in years to tell you the truth. It isn't my bedside reading.

They seemed (and your book seems to back this up) overly annoyed that you jumped around onstage during shows. What did you make of their attitude?
I imagine they thought I was trying to upstage Debbie, and that I should just stand in the background. I enjoyed performing--still do--and basically was having fun. I think our fans liked it. I can get very passionate at times.

You moved to L.A. after you initially quit Blondie. How would you compare what was going on out there to the scene in New York?
There really wasn't a coherent LA scene when I moved there in 1977. There were bands, of course, and venues like the Whiskey, the Starwood and a few others. But LA isn't NY. There isn't a street life, and the clubs had a veneer of show biz glitz that made it seem a bit, I don't know, too 'Hollywood', if that makes sense. Things changed when my band, the Know, started playing at a club in Chinatown--Madame Wongs, a Polynesian restaurant that turned into a New Wave club at night. We opened the place to a packed house of about 300 people--we had to turn a lot of people away. It was, I think, the first time new wavers felt they belonged to a kind of 'movement'. In any case, there were an awful lot of people there wearing skinny ties, Beatle boots and peg legged pants.

Also in the book, you wrote about working with Iggy Pop. You say he had a cruel streak. What do you think was behind that?
Oh I don't know. Who doesn't have a cruel streak? People are strange. Iggy had a kind of dual personality, but that's true of practically every 'star' I met. They could be nice one minute and the next throw you out a window. Nervewracking.

From your description of his offstage exploits, Iggy lived up to his image and then some. What's your overall opinion of him?
Iggy Pop is a genius, a true rock and roll hero, one of the most resilient and courageous human beings I have ever worked with, with a capacity for enjoyment--at least at the time I knew him--that was remarkable.

What can you tell us about your band Fire Escape?
I formed Fire Escape in 1998, after realizing I was once again no longer working with Blondie. I had written quite a few songs, some of which were supposed to be on the Blondie reunion album. I decided I wasn't going to let that work go to waste, so when I got back to London, my partner (who plays violin) and I decided to start a band. We played around London for about two years, during which time we recorded a limited edition 5 track EP/CD, "First Step." At the same time I was writing journalism, my first book, taking care of our first child and a dozen other things, so that when it came time to write NYR, I had to consider my priorities.

Unfortunately, it's expensive to have a band, if you're the one footing the bill, so as we weren't making a tremendous amount of money, and as I had already came close to a nervous breakdown dealing with the band, the first book, the first child, and other things, I decided to put the band on hold. And when our second child came around, it was clear something had to go. Sadly, it was the band. The CD did get some reviews, especially in MOJO, and we did have a following here in London. But at present I am a full-time writer and a full-time dad. I do have some copies of the CD if anyone is interested.

Do you have anymore books in the works?
My third book, having nothing to do with music, is coming out in the US in Spring 2003. It's called "A Secret History of Consciousness." I am currently researching and writing my fourth and fifth books, also not about music. "A Dark Muse: The Dedalus Book of the Occult," will be published in Spring 2004 in the UK by Dedalus Books, and "The Sly Man: The Story of Gurdjieff and Ouspensky" will be published by Quest Books in the US, also in Spring 2004. The US edition of my first book, "Turn Off Your Mind: The Mystic Sixties and the Dark Side of the Age of Aquarius" will be published by the Disinformation Company in Spring 2003. "New York Rocker" has just been released for US distribution this fall. I'm also writing for Fortean Times, MOJO, and several other journals, so you can say I'm busy. By the way, except for NYR, all of my books are written under my real name, Gary Lachman.
To purchase a copy of Gary Valentine's CD with the band Fire Escape you can e-mail norfolksquare@aol.com and ask for it. The price is $8.00 (U.S.) including postage and Ł5 in the U.K. (Sorry, credit cards not accepted.)
Overground Records in the UK is releasing a Gary Valentine compilation CD, "Tomorrow Belongs to You," in February, 2003. For more info, contact them at www.overgroundrecords.co.uk
Š 2002 Chris Parcellin & D-Filed, All rights reserved.
All photographs Š 2002 Lisa Jane Persky, All rights reserved. Except the top photo which is Š Jonathan Postal, the photo of Lisa Persky & Gary Valentine is Š Jack Baran and the Blondie album cover is Š 1976 Shig Ikeida.