No Exit’s return is accompanied by The No Exit Interrogation Tapes, a newly created, tongue-in-cheek short film by Rob Roth capturing Chris and Debbie’s wry humor and creative chemistry in their own words.
Out today! No Exit (Deluxe Edition) celebrates Blondie’s landmark 1999 comeback album with a newly remastered and expanded reissue. The definitive new edition is available in digital, 2CD, crystal glass clear 2LP, and black 2LP vinyl formats.
A celebration of one of Blondie’s most pivotal eras, No Exit captures the moment Debbie Harry, Chris Stein, Clem Burke, and Jimmy Destri reunited after a 17-year hiatus, reigniting the spark that made Blondie a global phenomenon.
“It was important to us that this album remain, above all else, a creative pursuit. We weren’t thinking about touring or nostalgia — our focus was entirely on creating new work.” — Debbie Harry
“I was just surprised to realize that No Exit marked the (thus far) halfway point of the Blondie 50+ year arc. Cool record.” — Chris Stein
“We began the reunion very bare bones. I think it was Debbie’s idea to go down to this extremely minimalist studio on Ludlow Street with just the four of us. No bass. Chris with a guitar, Debbie with a feedbacking microphone, Clem on an old kit and I had a cheap electric piano. It just clicked. It still sounded like the four of us”. — Jimmy Destri
Blondie: Against The Odds Cover Art by Amanda Conner & Paul Mounts
LOS ANGELES—Coinciding with the upcoming launch of the Blondie:Against The Oddsgraphic novel this fall, Z2 Comics and Blondie will include the recently announced Blondie 1974-1982: Against The Oddsofficial 4-LP box set with all platinum editions of the graphic novel.
The package features 52 bonus tracks across four albums—Plaza Sound, Parallel Beats, Coca Cola, and Home Sounds, and comes packaged as a 128-page hardcover book inside a foil-wrapped slipcase.
The package definitively captures the iconic band’s inception and rise, as Blondie merged disco, rock, and beyond in the punk cradle of New York City’s Lower East Side. Limited to 100 copies, the Blondie 1974-1982: Against The Odds 4-LP box set will be released in platinum editions of the Blondie: Against The Odds graphic novel anthology. The book’s 21-page biography is written by famed Harley Quinn creative duo Amanda Connor and Jimmy Palmiotti, with electric art from Montos. A cache of writers and artists contribute 14 additional stories based on standout songs. These creative teams include such standout talent as: • Wendy Wright-Williams • Cassie Parkes • David Avallone • Howard Rodman • Jazzlyn Stone • Dan Whitehead • Davide Barnett • Richard Kadrey • J.H. Williams III • Sebastian Piriz • Lisa Weber • Anthony Marques • Manuela Pertega • Corey ‘Rey’ Lewis • Emily Pearson • Liana Kangas • Evgenia Vereli • Sean Pryor • Rodrigo Reyes • Marco Perugini
Combining an imaginative take on an oral history of the band, interspersed with artistic interpretations of 14 songs from their catalog and an essay by famed music journalist Victor Bockris, Blondie: Against The Odds captures the creative friction of NYC as the band fought their way to prominence, as well as the power and energy contained within the songs that fueled their rise to legendary status.
Regarding the Blondie 1974-1982: Against The Odds box set,Debbie Harry said, “It really is a treat to see how far we have come when I listen to these early attempts to capture our ideas on relatively primitive equipment. Fortunately the essence of being in a band in the early 70’s held some of the anti-social, counter culture energies of the groups that were the influencers of the 60’s. I am excited about this special collection. When I listen to these old tracks, it puts me there like I am a time traveler. As bad as it was sometimes, it was also equally as good. No regrets. More music.”
Blondie: Against The Oddsis written by Amanda Conner and Jimmy Palmiotti (Harley Quinn) and features art by Montos, as well as a cover by Conner and her longtime colorist Paul Mounts, and is available for preorder now for a fall release in softcover and hardcover editions at finer comic shops, book, and record stores worldwide. Exclusively available through Z2’s website in limited quantities are the deluxe and signed platinum versions, packaged with exclusive prints from artists including Colleen Doran, Alison Sampson, Brian Ewing, Michael Allred, Dan Lerner, Matthew Lineham, Scrojo, Jan Meininghaus, Jesse Phillips, Tess Fowler, Brennan Wagner, Sean Pryor, John K. Snyder III, and Jay Jay Jackson. The platinum edition includes the Blondie 1974-1982: Against The Odds box set along with a 12-inch vinyl single of “Sunday Girl” featuring new cover art from Jesse Phillips.
BLONDIE: VIVIR EN LA HABANA, directed by Rob Roth, will be making its Nordic premiere on October 2 at the 2021 RIFF | Reykjavík International Film Festival.
Both Debbie Harry and Rob Roth will be present at the screening. Plus, Debbie and Rob will have a conversation with Andrea Jónsdóttir, Bergur Ebbi Benediktsson, and the audience afterward.
First and foremost, our hearts go out to anyone who’s been impacted by the virus, either directly or indirectly. We have been through a lot together over the years. We have lived through attacks, bombings, mega huge storms & natural disasters, economic downturns, unemployment, strikes, bad governance, fuel shortages, blackouts and now this: a pandemic viral invasion. Our lives are a wild ride but not necessarily fun or amusing.
Now we have all been made to separate for our own good (rightly so), restrained and under house arrest so to speak, and to top it all off, warned to keep at least six feet away from each other. This is very hard on the huggers, and though I never considered myself one of these, I have never felt such a desperate need for an embrace. Coupled with the instructions to constantly wash your hands, I can’t help but think of the ever popular Lady MacBeth who could not eradicate bloody guilt no matter how often she washed her hands, in order to stop the spread of this plague, the coronavirus.
The blame game will get us nowhere. This is not the time to be divisive. All of us in the Blondie family were looking forward to a season of concerts and festivals as I am sure you were too. Clearly we have to fight this disease with everything we’ve got. During these times, we need social solidarity. We all have an ethical obligation to curtail activities and maintain vigilance with practicing social + physical distancing. The decisions we make now will ultimately affect the trajectory of this global outbreak
Together, we are facing a truly unprecedented situation. This is a chance to make our planet a safer place for all the beautiful creatures of the earth. Please take care.
Join Blondie front woman Debbie Harry for an illuminating evening as she introduces her long-anticipated memoir, FACE IT (Dey Street, October 1, 2019).
Featuring an in-depth conversation, a visual presentation and more, with Blondie co-founder and renowned photographer, Chris Stein, and multi-disciplinary artist and director, Rob Roth.