You
You
Well at the first band I got into about the age of 12 13 and
They've been kind of part of my musical journey really ever since in the age of 12
They've always been in my life and I was a teenager. It's like London was always on the record player in the car
They rock my world. I can't explain it
They rock my world. A lot of people think Blondie's my life. Blondie is my life
But it is a huge part of my life.
Davie just admits this all, doesn't she? Even when she's on Tally and
Jory's show. I was born in 78 and my dad was one into Blondie. He had the best old vinyl
So I just grew up with the music. First record, I didn't actually buy my mum boy
He was the tightest high and then she'd be the best at Blondie and I had to kind of stole them first
She's someone that's got this just amazing stage presence
You know how it comes so it's complicated at times
Nothing compared to
That's a good thing about her
Don't be hair as performance is
E-long jev-it-ity
It's a big word
Because it's still there. It's a strong today
And that's what's so good about everybody coming together
Because you'll find people that like them for two years, twenty years, thirty years
And everybody feels the same sort of feeling
And it's just the
Sort of thing that hits you in the face. It's hard to describe
Davie and Blondie were the first act that I sort of found by myself
Having a lot of influence
I remember seeing them on top of the pops when I was thirteen
And they played Diney and I was just blown away
Absolutely blown away. I don't know what it was
I don't know why I've stayed a fan for so long
But I was just totally blown away
I just fell in love with Davie Perry the moment I saw him
On May it was, as a three-year-old in 1979
Basically I ended up watching a
From recollection it was Christmas top of the blocks
With Davie performing Sunday Girl
I was nine and it was similar
Because I was sitting at home and I took pictures sitting on the floor
Top of the pops on and my mum said
Their pants they are and that was it
That was it from that moment on and that was it
We obviously have some very ardent fans over here in the UK
They've always been very supportive
And I have a feeling that we're probably
Putting near and dear to a lot of people
From back in the early days
When we had our initial success over here
Songs like Diney Diney and Sunday Girl
Things like that and it was a big boost to us
To have the success that we had in the UK
Back when prior to our success in the States
I'd say probably about 15, 16 times in total
Probably between 50 and 60 so far
I've shrunk into a couple really
It kind of kicks it a bit more fresh
I've lost count but I'm trying to do as many concerts as possible
It's been a good few since obviously when they
Reformed because I was too young before
I've not counted
I've been to so many I can
I'll have to actually sit down
And write them all down
In the area of about 30
I'm not sure, my first time was in 98
Depends on how far the credit card stretches
I'm curious as to how people can go to so many shows
If you want us to read your minds
I think a lot of people that go to every single gig
They're big fans but I think part of the reason
They go to every gig is because they want to meet the band as well
It's becoming a addiction I think
The more gigs you go to
The more you want to go to the next time around
I meet other people
Get carried along with it
All the good things that you see in a different office each time
And that's the main thing
Every single concert is totally different
How many did you do this time?
12
Did you?
And every single one you can remember
For a certain different thing
You're saying that we're different every month?
Yes, but still, you know, that much repetition
I don't know
Just like the shtick doesn't take a lot of time
I'm a big fan of people like Bruce Springsteen
Or Bob Dylan
But I still don't know how many shows I could take in a row
I think there's some stones
I can see some fucking things that run off
It would be like a vivid memory in my head
She's just different from the show
On the bottom of this as well
Especially the sound as well
It's different
It's nice to see different reactions
From the crowd as well
Yes, definitely when the crowd are into it
You get so much more of a response from the band
You can see it both in the people in the front row
And the band does that
They'll play their hearts out
If you're getting something back from it
The former say you feed off the audience
But there are certain detonators
That you can press to kind of get the audience going
And that really has to do with sort of the more well-known songs
The first one that the former made through
Simply because we'd never seen that before
We just knew such thing as YouTube
And we had nothing to refer to
The first one, like I said
November the 25th, 1998
Just to see you walk on stage
It made me first, possibly
Because I thought I would never see them
We all bought us tickets
Well that was a surprise
We got them a week before
So that was really when we were absolutely
Trapping ourselves that day
Because it was our first ever concert
We'd ever been through
Mine would be January 1980
It was my very first concert
As well as my very first bloody concert
I was 14
Because I was sold out
I paid 22 pounds on my ticket
Which was a lot of money then
For a 14 year old
But I had to go
I had to get another ticket
Because how was it for my own
When Debbie came on stage
I was just over 60 years
And it was just very emotional
The night from there
I'm going back
The first time around
Pocket Money didn't stretch that far
So when they came back
Reunion, 1998, 1999
That was just a dream come true really
It's fantastic
The one I remember the most
Was probably the Debbie solo tour in 1999
So that was my actual
The very first one
That was at the Borderline
The most special memorable
Was the first time I saw Debbie
Which was at the Borderline in 1989
The stage was no higher than this table
About that high
And I was like
I could do that and hold the microphone
I was standing right next to her
And the stage was quite low
And she had this kind of see-through
Black mesh thing on
And I remember all the songs
I remember people throwing roses at her
And she was biting her hips
And spitting them back at the audience
I think a little bit of spit on my cheek
I didn't wash my face for about a day
As you see her just sort of strutting out
Onto the stage
There's a few seconds
It's just not electric
It's all about going to the gigs for me
And music is a very, very big part of my life
And to be able to go to the gigs
Hear these songs, they're live
But you haven't necessarily heard before
It's just fantastic
The set list is a bit controversial
Amongst the band members at the moment
To tell you the truth
I have a lot to say
Usually I arrange it
And then I have to fight with everybody
To make them do what I want them to do
This is such a fucking struggle
Just to get people agreed to do the same songs
Yeah, everything is a fucking struggle
You know, so people come up
Why are you doing a movie?
Why are you doing this?
You should be doing this
You know, I get the list of fucking screenplays
And things and people, right?
Well, you know, it's lucky to sit around
In your bedroom and think of cool shit
Which we all do
But to actually do it is something else
A Blondie tour
It can be around
It can be around the
Three, four, five hundred a pound one
And just on the tickets alone
And then you've got travelling expenses
I think we worked it out
With the calculators in here the other day
I think twice the gig tickets
Came to about eight hundred pounds
Like, buy, buy, student loan
It amazes me that people can just go
And spend all this amazing time
All their time and all this money
On going to all these shows
And I'm very thankful
That people feel that way
What do you think about people
Seeing every show?
Don't you think it attracts someone
From the levels of excitement?
No, because you change the set
And the sound is different
In each one
So this place is particularly good
I don't necessarily always see
Everybody's face
Sometimes it's very comforting
Sometimes it's a little bit strange
I guess every night is different
And it always feels a little bit different
The acoustics are different in every place
So sometimes I really don't hear
Everybody singing or responding sometimes
I don't know, I guess it sort of depends
Most of the time it's pretty good actually
It's nice
I don't know what to do
I'd rather find myself in bed
And be the one I'm looking for
I'm looking for a place
I love you
I'm looking for a place
I love you
I'm looking for a place
I love you
I'm looking for a place
I love you
I'm looking for a place
I love you
I'm looking for a place
I've been buying Blondie Stuff since the mid-80s, it's just been possible to try and work it
out, but it's probably more than 10,000, I don't know that, maybe 20,000 even, I don't
know, really don't know.
I started making press cuttings in the early days, sort of back in the late 70s, anything
I saw, little pictures, or even named Blondie, I'd cut it out and start building up my little
scrapbook.
Now we've got eBay, which is made kind of items, which I don't even know about then,
more accessible.
So I spent probably quite a lot of money over the last couple of years.
Our eBay bill came to about £5,000 at one time, didn't it, in a month.
My doll was on eBay and I had to have it, and we didn't pay the mortgage that much,
and we just went for it, my husband tolerates, he likes to make me happy, and I paid £650
for it.
Probably the most expensive thing is the gold and platinum records that are just up there.
I've got one for parallel lines, one for auto American and one for no exit.
I think they were kind of about $300 each, so they were pretty expensive.
I didn't buy them all at the same time, didn't I?
This doll, you put it on the fireplace to keep the children away from the fire.
But it has pride of place in a pine glass cabinet in my study, along with the bit of
her dress that she had into it, and the little flashy thing that she gave me at a concert.
Personally, I would say it's not really about how much it's worth, it's what it means to
me, it's some connection that I have with it.
I take a lot of photos of gigs and of Derby and stuff like that, and that to me is more
important because it's my own sort of stuff, so that's something I'm proud of, and it's
something that's personal to me, and it's not something you can go and buy in the shops.
She kept her shoes up and then launched it out of me.
She pointed right at Jason through it and he actually called her, so that's the almost
prized possession, isn't it?
You wouldn't be able to get that anywhere else.
It's the priceless things that are most important.
Last year at Southend, they signed a symbol and gave it to me off the stage, and that's
just a highlight.
The one thing that stands out to me, I think, is the tea bags.
Derby's famous brand of tea that she brings on stage with her.
I happened to attain her tea bags.
There was a bit of leftover tea, and I took it home with me as a souvenir.
Made a note of the brand of tea, and proceeded to go on eBay, and I got a whole bunch of these
lovely teas that you can't get in the UK.
It just amazes me that the support that we have in the UK, it's more than a second home
to us.
It's phenomenal, and it's really appreciated.
We hung around, I don't usually do this, we hung around in the backstage area, we named
it.
The band came in, and I got picked with Clem.
I've been fortunate enough to meet all members of the band, but I've met Clem for more than
a year.
You said about getting recognition, isn't it?
They know our names.
Yeah, and sharing a joke with them, and just not coming across to them.
They know that they've got your support, but we'll go out there and it'll be screaming,
and it'll be sharing.
Oh yeah, I love sharing.
Sarah Bird, Basila.
No.
I've approached the band.
I've got the vibe that they don't want to be disturbed, so I do back off.
I know it won't be like that for the whole thing.
There's a time to time bet everything.
I spent so much time travelling around after the band, it doesn't matter.
We just sat down next to her, just smiling, wasn't it?
We didn't know what to say.
She told us to help ourselves to the bar, didn't she?
We just sat there with her, in or over.
I just sort of absorbed the moment.
I just saw her walking around and chatting to different people, and I just got an amazing
buzz.
I wasn't nearly as crazy and mad as I thought I was going to be.
I don't like to crowd them because, you know, at the end of the day, they're not under
any sort of professional obligation to sign things for you.
That photo's done with you.
I suppose it's a positive if you do see them.
Rock and roll were a famous item, which they were all amazed I went out and looked at it.
Every member that I've been in the band was there that day, and I got to speak to them all.
I had the fact of taking them all.
Not your malady, which makes it even more special.
Normal life, like I'm a married mother, because it's quite sensible.
And then I come to a blind meeting and it's just like pressure.
I go today, I just pull, I can feel the pressure, just go, and you can forget who you are.
You're not answerable to anybody and you're lost in the music.
It's just unbelievable because you can't believe that this person that you've adored for 10,
15 years is standing six feet away from you.
It's just unbelievable.
I'm happy to hold on to it.
I'm happy to hold on to it.
I'm happy to hold on to it.
Yeah, you sing too. I mean, Clem, Clem the drummer is absolutely fantastic.
It just makes you feel special.
She's a musician I've respected for the last 20 or 20 years.
You know, I'm not going to change my views or mine now.
I'm not going to be on my half a life.
Is that a tattoo?
It is, yeah, it's permanent.
No, I think it looks fine just like that.
What's the most unusual request you've had regarding anything for you to sign?
A dick.
Are you cool with that?
Yeah, it was a nice dick.
Is it your face?
I don't know, this guy's an ass.
I don't want to post books in your room.
Yeah.
My friend makes these craft items.
They're called teasers and they've got little hedgehogs.
It looks really good.
A little vulture t-shirt and a little sparkling microphone.
Well, I went to the books at the Cap and Shane book signing in New York.
The box has been into flowers, she was actually there, she bites the head of them and spits the petals into the audience.
Anybody's sort of bought and given to you that you thought that's really useful?
And you've actually got a good use out of it.
You know what I mean?
Something you might be sitting at home that actually came from a fan.
No, usually it's just sort of little trinkets and stuff like that.
It's never usually anything that's tremendously useful.
It's just sort of, you know, remembrances and most recently I guess I got a little skull pin and a tube of hand cream.
I guess the hand cream is very useful.
Definitely wins her.
Once you see everybody again, you can't get carried along.
Yeah, I love meeting people at the gigs.
It's not just about the gig, it's about the more social occasion.
A great bunch of people.
Yeah, because you've got that in common, you end up forming some new good friendships.
If it wasn't for Blondie, we would have met and got engaged.
And I kind of figure all those years ago from being 14, there was a reason why I became a Blondie fan and carried that on right through to today or to last year.
We met through the Blondie forum and meeting at gigs and you know, he's taken it off.
That was obviously a life-changing experience for us all down to Blondie.
Blondie, Blondie...
Blondie, Blondie...
When are you two younger than me?
What do you mean?
at the shows and as you sort of get about you get to meet so many different people.
Sarah, I think Sharon, Paul for Guernsey, Laura, everybody has been so great and we've
all been a nice big company.
Yeah you stay in touch with people which is really nice it's become you know like
right for other people it's become a social thing when Blondie go on tour.
It's strange how a band can bring a group of people together that might not necessarily
meet each other and you know the rest of their lives.
We're all very lucky that they made a comeback when we thought it was all over.
We just thought you know the Capitol build radio stations like that would be playing
the great hits and then they came back and sort of reinvented themselves and carried
on where they left off and you know brought new albums and new songs and kept definitely
going so it was a huge second chance for me and a lot of people.
