R&R Hall of Fame: Its all about the Business

When Blondie, one of the most commercially successful band to emerge from an influential neopunk and new wave New York rock scene in the 1970s that also produced various bands such as Television, The Talking Heads, Patti Smimth, and the Ramones among many others, reformed after a stormy fifteen years of illnesses, bitterness, business, and bullshit.

Well to prove the bitterness and bullshit can be long lasting and driven by business, only three of the original members of Blondie have been allowed to tour under the moniker. I don't know about all of you but this strikes me as part of a series of efforts by different bands who believe that they can use the name to sell tickets and shitty music. Please do not make me vent about these bands who tour with one or two original members or most famous lineups.

There's a new EP on eMusic as of Wednesday with two live tracks by Blondie. I have to say that there is nothing quite as awful as Blondie doing a cover of the great Roxy Music's "More Than This," a song that probably would have been beyond Debbie's technical abilities even back in the day, but these days is a four-and-a-half-minute festival of missed notes. And, no it doesn't work. Sometimes a missed note or a clutch can make a song even more meaningful, but that is not the case here.

I guess this just adds fuel to the fire that when Blondie "reformed" it was the lawyers who determined what the band would do and which musicians could play. Former members Frank Infante and Nigel Harrison sued unsuccessfully to join in on the fun and were denied with prejudice.

So when the band Blondie was inducted into the rock and roll hall of fame, part of the most famous lineup Infante, Harrison and Gary Valentine, another former member left behind in a business dispute, were barely acknowledged by former bandmates Deborah Harry, Chris Stein and Clem Burke as they received their awards. Hard for me to think much of Burke... how long did he last as Clemmy Ramone? A month? It was just too hard to drum for The Ramones. Wimp.

As has been widely reported, Infante begged to perform with the band. One would think that if it was the music that mattered and not business, the decision was a no-brainer. Of course, you can play.

But no. The former Playboy playmate who was originally hired to perform in the band because of how she looked, told one of the musicians that he was no longer part of the band. I understand that her style was a powerful element of Blondie, but doesn't the struggle and solidarity matter? "Debbie, are we allowed?" he pleaded before Blondie performed their hits "Heart of Glass," "Rapture" and "Call Me." "Can't you see my band is up there?" Harry replied. The three rejected members walked offstage, but not before Infante groaned into the microphone.

Maybe the remaining Sex Pistols had the right idea about the hall of fame after all.