Blondie’s Chris Stein announces memoir ‘Under A Rock’
The book's foreword has been written by Debbie Harry
nme.com
By Elizabeth Aubrey – 17th November 2023
Blondie’s Chris Stein has announced details of a new memoir called Under A Rock.
In a new post on Instagram about the book, Stein unveiled details of the book this week (November 16), writing: “OK here we go. I’ve been working on this memoir for two years and it’ll show up allegedly in 2024.
“I mean, I like it… I wrote the whole fcking [sic] thing myself. It’s got a lot of weird ass stuff that actually happened even if it might seem made up. I’m quite looking forward to people interacting with it.”
Described as a “no-holds-barred” memoir, a synopsis from publisher Macmillan added: “Debbie Harry defined iconic band Blondie’s look. Chris Stein—her performing partner, lover, and lifelong friend—was its architect and defined its sound.
“‘Parallel Lines’, their third album, catapulted to [number one], sold 20 million copies, and launched singles like ‘Heart of Glass’, ‘Rapture,’ and ‘One Way or Another’, providing the beat when Bianca Jagger and Halston danced at Studio 54 and the soundtrack to every 1970’s punk-soundtracked romance.
“Chris Stein knows how to tell a story. Under A Rock is his nothing-spared autobiography. It’s about the founding of the band, ascending to the heights of pop success, and the hazards of fortune.
“Famous names march through these pages—Warhol, Bowie, Jean-Michel Basquiat, and more–but you can get famous names anywhere. What you can’t get anywhere else is a plunge into the moments that made a giant 1980’s artistic sensation. Stein takes us there in this revelatory, propulsive, distinctive memoir.”
The book’s foreword has been written by Harry. Check out more details about the book below and pre-order ahead of its June 11 2024 release here.
Back in July, Harry paid tribute after the death of Stein‘s daughter Akira.
Stein announced the news of his daughter’s death in a Facebook post this summer, revealing that Akira died from a drug overdose in May.
“We lost our daughter and sister Akira at the end of May to an overdose. I’ve been posting as usual because it distracts from the heartbreak,” Stein told fans. Harry later took to her Instagram account to post a photo of her with Stein and his family and shared an emotional tribute.
Stein has been absent from tours with Blondie over the last year, including a slot on the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury 2023. During the set, and the whole tour, Blondie were joined by former Sex Pistol Glenn Matlock on bass.
In April 2022, Stein explained his absence to fans, saying: “I’m sad and frustrated to report that I’m not going out with the next bunch of Blondie touring. I’ve been dealing with a dumbass condition called Atrial Fibrillation or AFib which is irregular heart beats and combined with the meds I take for it I’m too fatigued to deal.
“I’m still all in with recording and other band projects. That’s it, I’m fine, I’m around here and I love you all.”
https://www.nme.com/news/music/blondies-chris-stein-announces-memoir-under-a-rock-3542509
