A NYC Night....with BLONDIE!

 Last night was another magical NYC evening! My hunky BFF Tommy Hottpants and the stunning Miss Guy invited me to go see one of my favorite bands, Blondie. They are currently on the North American leg of their Endangered Species Tour, which is promoting their soon to be released album Panic of Girls. Their set was a perfect blend of all the classic hits mixed with some of their killer new tracks....and a few covers. Debbie Harry is a rock'n roll goddess, a NYC icon and a fucking blonde legend! She's 65, still looks amazing and sounds AWESOME! She's always been a singer that really delivers live and doesn't disappoint with her vocals. I scored some sweet VIP All Access passes for my collection and had a fabulous time.

ICON

Raptured.

NYC Rock'N Roll

...and your heart beats like a subway train.

LEGEND

Cover me with kisses baby, cover me with love. Roll me in designer sheets, I never get enough

....and if the concert wasn't good enough, there was also the afterparty! Duh! Thrown at the Hudson Hotel (a place where I always seem to be these days), the party was NYC star studded and full of glaMOUR. Miss Guy and NYC drag legend The Lady Bunny DJ'ed, I got wasted, kiki'ed with Debbie, had impromptu photo shoots in the bathroom, lived, dreamed, won. You know, just another casual night out for Darian Darling.

pAArty

Atomic Blondes!

 Parallel Lines

The Lady Bunny

I ♥ Miss Guy

Heart of Glass

Me and NYC nightlife icons Miss Guy, The Lady Bunny and Susanne Bartsch

Markus!

Just a casual nip. (obvs I've been hanging out with The Jocelyn too much.)

Stairway to Heaven

The always stunning Kelle Calco

BLAM!

 LOVErichard

Darian Darling and Debbie Harry
Dreaming is free!

Brought to you in association with the HOUSE of BaD kIDs!

Darling Delight: Atomic Blondies Recipe inspired by Debbie Harry!

Blonde Beauty Icon Debbie Harry

For the Atomic Blondies recipe scroll down or click here!

I truly believe that Debbie Harry is one of the most beautiful women on the planet! Originally from New Jersey, she heard the siren call of fame and moved to New York City in the late 1960's. She worked as a waitress at Warhol haunt Max's Kansas City, was a bunny at the Playboy Club and even worked at Dunkin' Donuts!  She formed a campy girl group, The Stilettos in the early 70's which she later ditched to form punk band Blondie in 1975. Making a name for themselves on the LES club scene, they were one of the biggest acts to come out of punk megaclub CBGB's. It wasn't until their 3rd album, 1978 disco infused pop-punk masterpiece Parallel Lines that made Debbie and the band a household name. Not afraid to explore new musical sounds, they incorporated elements from numerous sub-genres into their punk style, including new wave, disco, reggae and hip hop. Launching just on the cusp of the MTV phenomenon, Debbie Harry and Blondie put out some of the first rock music videos. Her iconic look was created with the help of her friend, the pop art designer Stephen Sprouse. He not only styled the band but art directed their music videos as well. Many female musicians have been inspired by Debbie Harry's pioneering role in popular music including Madonna, Gwen Stefani, P!NK and Garbage's Shirley Manson.

Debbie's ethereal beauty is beyond amazing! Her hair, her voice, her music; they have all been super inspirational to me. She is truly one of my top icons. I have had the pleasure of meeting her several times and she is always lovely. We've had great conversations about the addictive qualities of peroxide and how we are both bleach junkies. I just try not to gush.....too much.

The band

I mean........

A soft application of eye shadow!

No words!

 
Debbie's look in this performance is killer! A purple spangles sweatsuit with silver strappy stilettos? OK!!

Makeup by Marla Belt

WOAHHHHH?!?!

LOVE THIS!!

Is that magenta spandex I spy?



You MUST get into the two dancers in clear plastic clothing....like duh!

Nobody made having blonde hair and black roots more appealing!

Pretty in P!NK!

Headscarfs....NOW!

 
Rare song from Blondie's original 1975 demo! VERY inspirational!!

A turquoise moment!

What are you lookin' at? 

Lace and leather!!

Glitter'N Gold!

DISCO sucks? Nope!

 

Best look EVER!

 Day-Glo Delight!
 

I need those boots!

Red eyeshadow? Green mascara? Ugh...she's too much!

Pop!

Her whole body hangs off those cheekbones!

Rock'N Roll is Forever!

Andy Warhol and Debbie Harry in Stephen Sprouse....n'uff said!

In honor of Debbie Harry's iconic two toned blonde bleachjob with dark underlayer I bring you my special delight:


The Atomic Blondie
Bleached blonde brownie low-lit with a chocolate brown cookie bottom

Two toned gooey goodness!

Ingredients:

* 2 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, melted

* 2 cups white chocolate chips

* 3 large eggs, at room temperature

* 1 cup sugar

* 1 tablespoon Nielsen-Massey Madagascar Bourbon Pure vanilla extract

* 2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour

* 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

* 2 teaspoons baking powder

For the crust:

* 6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted

* 3 cups chocolate wafer cookie cumbs

Topping:

*1 cup white chocolate chips

Directions:

 
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Line a 12x18-inch jelly roll pan with parchment paper, allowing a 2-inch overhang. In a medium sized bowl, combine the chocolate cookie crumbs with the melted butter. Press firmly into pan. Bake for 8 minutes and allow to cool.

In a medium sized saucepan, melt the butter with 2 cups of the white chocolate chips over low heat, stirring often. When smooth allow to cool for 10 minutes.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the eggs until light and frothy, about 3 minutes. Add the sugar. Beat in the white chocolate chip mixture. Add the vanilla extract and beat until smooth. 

Add the flour, salt and baking powder, beating until the mixture is smooth. Pour the batter into the prepared pan with crust. Sprinkle 1 cup of additional white chocolate chips evenly over the blondie batter.

Bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with moist crumbs attached.

 Remove to a wire rack and let cool overnight,  Remove the bars from the pan using the parchment handles, transfer to a cutting board and cut into squares.

Makes 18-24 blondies

Darian Darling as Debbie Harry

If you want to make it...you have to BLEACH!!!

If you want to go places in life.....you need to bleach your hair! There is something very magical about going blonde that seems to elevate a star on the rise to stratospheric levels. Think I'm crazy? Here's the official evidence:

Exhibit A: Marilyn Monroe

Norma Jeane Baker was discovered in 1944, while working in an airplane munitions factory during WWII and quickly started posing as a glamour model. When she applied for representation at The Blue Book Modeling Agency, she was told they were only looking for models with lighter hair. Norma Jeane bleached her hair to a golden blonde and became one of their most successful models. She got signed to a film contract with 20th Century Fox, changed her name and the rest is cinematic history! 

 Exhibit B: Debbie Harry

Debbie Harry moved to NYC with dreams of fame and artistic freedom. She soon began a career in music as a backup singer in the hippie folk band The Wind in the Willows, and later an all-girl trio called The Stilettos but they both proved unsuccessful. By 1975, Debbie had bleached her hair (only in the front since she couldn't reach the back), formed the L.E.S band BLONDIE, and was quickly catapulted from the downtown CBGB's punk scene to international acclaim and success!



Exhibit C: Madonna

Madonna Ciccone moved to NYC in 1977 to be a modern dancer but soon gave it up to become a rock star. She met her first manager, who was determined to transform her into the next Pat Bennitar, while singing and playing guitar in L.E.S band Emmy in 1980. After deciding she had a better shot at fame singing dance-pop, she ditched her manager, bleached her hair, signed a 12" singles deal with Sire Records.....and rose to the top of the charts!

 

Exhibit D: Lady GaGa

Stefani Germanotta was an aspiring singer/songwriter on the L.E.S, singing and playing keyboards in her college rock band, SGBand. After being repeatedly turned down by record labels, she changed directions and began singing indie electropop, collaborating with performance art DJ Lady Starlight in a cabaret act, Lady GaGa and the Starlight Revue. Bleaching her hair at the end of 2007, getting signed to a recording deal with Interscope and starting to perform in gay clubs sealed the deal: three #1 singles off her debut album....and counting!


Lady GaGa w/ Lady Starlight performing at Lollapalooza 2007. My favorite song from the Starlight Revue days. ♥