THE ART OF BEING CHRIS STEIN

Interview by Gil Sembrano

One of the things that is remarkably striking about musician, artist and art patron Chris Stein is how soft-spoken, wittily dry and inquisitive he is in person and in conversation. Such a cool, calm and accessible demeanor for the lead guitarist and songwriter for one of the most influential musical acts of the last 30 years, the legendary band Blondie. In 2006, Chris Stein and the band were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame alongside other pioneering music performers such as Miles Davis, Lynyrd Skynyrd and the Sex Pistols.

In 1974, Chris Stein formed Blondie with original members Deborah Harry (vocals), Clem Burke (drums), Jimmy Destri (keyboards) and Gary Valentine (bass). The band's genre-bending sound that integrated elements of punk, disco, new wave, reggae and hip-hop were a testament to the band's involvement in the DIY cut-and-paste ethic of the downtown arts scene of the '70's and '80's. Through the last three decades, the band achieved international stardom, critical acclaim and cult-status while racking up multiple #1 hits worldwide such as 'Heart Of Glass', 'Call Me', 'The Tide Is High' and the ground-breaking 'Rapture', the first rap song to achieve #1 status in the US. To this day, Blondie's musical and stylistic influence can be seen and heard in performers as diverse as Madonna, No Doubt, Garbage, The Cardigans, Texas and Goldfrapp.

What many do not know, however, is Chris Stein's long-standing involvement in the contemporary arts as an innovative photographer, eclectic art collector and collaborator on arts-oriented television programming and movies such as Andy Warhol's 15 Minutes, Glenn O'Brien's TV Party and 'Downtown 81', a film about painter Jean-Michel Basquiat. As a composer, Mr. Stein wrote and contributed music for John Waters' 'Polyester', the animated 'Rock and Rule' film and 'Wild Style', a film that documented the birth and ascendancy of hip-hop music.