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September 3, 2011

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Icon, shm-icon: Who wouldn't love being an icon? Debbie Harry. Shrugging off that association might seem ungrateful, but consider this: She's been the face of iconic punk-rock band Blondie for 37 years.

Although there are two other core members, guitarist and former partner Chris Stein and drummer Clem Burke, Blondie has often been confused as her name, not the band's name. Her iconic cheekbones have been on countless magazine covers; her iconic sense of style served as the template for generations of female rockers. The band's iconic sound helmed the New Wave movement and build a bridge between punk and pop. You get the idea. "We're all tired of hearing that word, aren't we?" she says. "Everything seems to be iconic now." But the 66-year-old demurs a bit. "I'm flattered. On one hand, being an icon is appropriate because I've been around for so long," she says. "But on the other, it sounds like I'm dead."

Together again: Ninth studio album Panic of Girls (out Sept. 13 exclusively on Amazon), the group's first studio album in eight years, arrives in the USA soon after Saturday's tour launch in Harris, Mich. Harry's not worried about the intense touring schedule in the least. "I enjoy performing and I don't get nervous. Nerves sap your energy." The 25-stop tour runs through Oct. 9, with a couple of TV appearances along the way, includingToday (Sept. 12) and The Tonight Show (Oct. 6).

The ties that bind: It's no secret that the band has been through its share of turmoil. After Blondie's popularity crested in 1980, the band decided to take a break in 1982.

That break ended up being 15 years, during which Harry had a fairly successful solo career. But she put that on hold to care for Stein, who suffered from pemphigus, a rare autoimmune disorder. The core group reunited in 1997, and have since picked up three new members, Leigh Foxx, Tommy Kessler and Matt Katz-Bohen.

Still happy to be together: While Stein and Harry's romance ended years ago, the pair's onstage chemistry burns bright. "For me and Chris, we thrive on creative energy. We need to push on and create new music," she says. "We had a lot of new material that we were ready to record, which is inspiration enough for a new album."

The secret to being around the same people, day in and day out, for months on end? Finding time to be alone. "If I need some head space, I take a walk, go shopping, get a massage, visit friends," she says. "Most importantly, though, we enjoy each other's company."

Another kind of 'Mother': Lead single Mother keeps in Blondie's tradition of playful punk. It's not about motherhood (Harry has no children), which wouldn't be in tune with Blondie's image of downtown cool. It's about the famed New York City nightclub of the same name, a '90s hot spot. "The song is about the fringe atmosphere of the place — it was very New York in that it was shady, but full of creativity. It was always a good night out," she says. "I loved going there, but now it's gone. Where will I go?"

The good old days: Dressing rooms and tour buses have gotten bigger, and comfier, but Harry recalls some fine, fun times from their grungier days. "One of my favorite early shows was in Glasgow, Scotland, at a big rock theater called The Apollo.

The stage was really high because the crowds were so wild," she recalls. And one time in Perth, Australia, "we'd been flying for 32 hours and had to play that same day. We were all so knackered that I tried this new move and instead slid under the drum riser.

Chris threw his guitar up in the air, and it broke, mid-air. We were all a big, hot mess."

In with the new and the old: Don't expect Blondie to just reprise its greatest hits on tour. "There will be surprises for the fans, but, honestly, I enjoy our new material," she says. "It's fun, fresh and challenging." On Panic of Girls, Blondie updated its signature New Wave sound with the electro-pop efforts of producer Jeff Saltzman (The Killers, Fischerspooner) and the rock sensibilities of Kato Khandwala (Paramore, Papa Roach). "Music has more layering — there are so many ways that music becomes a part of your thinking now," Harry says. "It used to be that rock was the forbidden fruit, you had to seek it out. Now music is everywhere, in everything you do."