Fun Trivia : Harry, Deborah

Structure Sub-topic of: Music H-K Quizzes Interesting Questions, Facts and Information There are a total of 10 general entries.

Interesting Questions, Facts, and Information

Harry, Deborah

Where and when was Debbie Harry born?

Deborah Harry - Rock's Blond Bombshell


Miami, FL in 1945. Debbie was raised in Hawthorne, New Jersey from the age of three months by her adoptive parents, but she was born in Miami July 1, 1945. She has never sought her birth parents. To Deborah, The Harrys are her only parents.



While performing with the cabaret act The Stilettoes in 1974, Debbie Harry met her future companion and Blondie cofounder, Chris Stein. The place was Max's Kansas City, the hangout place for which multimedia artist (who was famous for much more than 15 minutes)?

Deborah Harry - Rock's Blond Bombshell


Andy Warhol . Andy Warhol was an influence on quite a few musicians, Lou Reed, The Cars, The Velvet Underground and Nico among them. He an avant garde filmmaker, author, and songwriter. He is most famous for his paintings of the Campbell's Soup can, and the peelable banana on the cover Velvet Underground and Nico's classic album. Yes, he painted DH. Andy coined the phrase "fifteen minutes of fame".



After a succession of hits with Blondie, Debbie released her first solo album, "Koo Koo", in 1981. The album cover, designed by H.R. Geiger, was as memorable as the music. What movie creature did Geiger also design?

Deborah Harry - Rock's Blond Bombshell


Alien. Geiger was behind the scary title character in 1979's "Alien." He created a similar half-human creature for the 1995 hit, "Species". His gothic cover featured Debbie in black and white with her hair slicked back and spikes seemingly going through her face!



To promote the album "Koo Koo", Debbie hosted "Saturday Night Live" and also was the musical guest. One skit included Debbie running into a guy at a store, with whom she immediately bonded because they were both from JOY-zee! Who was the actor?

Deborah Harry - Rock's Blond Bombshell


Joe Piscopo. It was the highlight of his career. Debbie performed with The Funky Four Plus One More, singing "Love T.K.O." Koo Koo did not yield any Top 40 hits for Debbie, but a couple songs, "Backfired" and "Jump Jump", were big in the clubs. This was after the disco backlash when few artists dared to do dance tracks. Nile Rodgers was the producer.



Debbie released her first solo album, "Koo Koo", in 1981. Her next solo album, "Rockbird", didn't arrive until 1986. It yielded one hit single. What was the title of that song?

Deborah Harry - Rock's Blond Bombshell


"French Kissin' (In the U.S.A.)". The record was released with Debbie's name amd the title printed graffiti style in your choice of several neon colors around a photo of Debbie looking like a biker chick. "The Hunter" (1982) was Blondie's last album before breaking up for fifteen years. "Island of Lost Souls" was its comparatively minor Top 40 hit. "Rockbird" also had a semi-popular dance club song, "In Love with Love".



Debbie appeared in John Waters' "Hairspray", playing Velma Von Tussle. Her spoiled daughter Amber was played by someone who went on to a singing career of her own. Who is Amber Von Tussle known as today?

Deborah Harry - Rock's Blond Bombshell


Vitamin C. She is credited in "Hairspray" as Colleen Fitzpatrick, her birth name. Colleen went solo after her band, Eve's Plum, disbanded. Eve's Plum recorded a song, "Last Night", produced in the style of Blondie's "Heart of Glass". No one made the connection at the time. In fact, little mention is ever made of Vitamin C's awesome film debut, not even when she appeared in "Dracula 2000". Her hits include "Smile" and "Graduation (Friends Forever)".



Her first solo album was released in 1981, her second in 1986. Her third solo album from late 1989 featured a double exposure cover of Debbie, now billed as "Deborah", looking like she just got out of the shower. It yielded the club songs "Sweet and Low" and "I Want That Man". What was the album's title?

Deborah Harry - Rock's Blond Bombshell


Def, Dumb, and Blonde. By this time a pattern had emerged with pop radio ignoring Harry for newer acts and the clubs putting her songs on the map. Remixed maxi-singles from this album sold very well and the critics praised the album, which also included a few hard rock tracks. Note: There is a poster for this album on the bedroom wall of a murder victim in Jonathan Demme's "The Silence of the Lambs", although according to the plot her character would have been killed before its release. (Her body had been submerged for three years.)



In early fall 1990, Deborah appeared on the "red hot + blue" tribute to Cole Porter charity album singing Porter's campy song, "Well, Did You Evah!" Who was her duet partner?

Deborah Harry - Rock's Blond Bombshell


Iggy Pop. This was the first "red hot + blue" CD. Since then, other compliations have been released, raising millions of dollars for AIDS charities. The liner notes of that album were incredibly written in two beautiful booklets. A few years later, Blondie and Iggy each ended up on the soundtrack to a little independent Scottish film called "Trainspotting".



Two years before Blondie reunited unexpectedly in 1998, Deborah collaborated on a full album with an avant garde American band and performed some live shows in yet another unique style. What was the band's name?

Deborah Harry - Rock's Blond Bombshell


The Jazz Passengers. Supreme Music Program plays for Megan Mullally of "Will & Grace". The Jazz Passengers' album featuring DH was called "Individually Twisted", and the shows garnered excellent reviews. The group's leader looks like a cross between Groucho Marx and Gabe Kaplan. When I was fact checking this quiz, I found articles referring to Debbie/Deborah as a new wave singer, a punk singer, a rock singer, a onetime disco singer ("Heart of Glass"), AND a pop singer. She raps too. (Blondie's "Rapture" was the first rap song to hit #1, not "Ice Ice Baby".) It just goes to show how versatile she is; I only had room for one movie role. Thanks for playing!