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

by Gary Valentine

Book Overview

By 1970, the hippie dream of the 60s was dead -- the soundtrack of the revolution had become a multimillion-dollar industry. Glitter tried to save music's soul, but was too commercial to be cutting edge for long. Then, in 1974, a rescue movement arrived. Three chords, black jeans, a pair of shades, and a whole lot of attitude made music that matched the facts of life on its home ground, mid-70's New York City's East Village. The initiators of punk,...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1560259442
• ISBN13: 9781560259442
• Release Date: October 2006
• Publisher: Da Capo Press
• Length: 304 Pages
• Weight: 0.56 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.3" x 8.2"

Customer Reviews

It really put me there

I thought this book was an excellent account of the birth of an era. I found it wonderfully subjective and the account felt honest and real. His voice was straightforward and the stories were humorous as seen through a young man's eyes; it all seemed so new and fascinating to him and hinted at some hero worship from Gary to Chris and others. I consider him to be a fine writer with a personal touch to his credit. During that era, I played music in a different scene and declined most offers to visit there but always wondered what I had missed. Witnessing it through Gary's eyes put me there and it felt delighful to associate my personal memories along with it.

What ever happened to Gary Valentine?

If you are one of the millions of Blondie fans who ever wondered what happened to Gary Valentine (the composer of Blondie classics "Sex Offender" and "I'm Always Touched By Your Presence Dear") after mysteriously disappearing from the lineup in between the eponymous debut LP and Plastic Letters--and if you wondered why Valentine looked so uncomfortable being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame next to Debbie Harry and Chris Stein -- then this is the book for you. Valentine spent ensuing years as a writer and it shows in this gripping, insightful and informative book. Though there are some awkward misspellings--like Ric Ocasek of the Cars' name-- this is an absorbing, entertaining and anecdotal account of the birth of punk, the malaise of latter-day new wave, and the rivalry within a classic band--by someone who lived it every step of the way.

The X Offender returns!

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!

The REAL Blondie Story

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.

New York Rocker Rocks!

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.