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The Rapturous Debbie Harry

As punk celebrates its 30th year — as captured in Spin‘s October issue on 1977, the year punk exploded— pioneering New York City-based banshee Debbie Harry still radiatesas much as she did when seducing the CBGB stage three decades ago. Thebottle-blonde hair, pouty lips, and sugary voice have made her an iconin music, fashion, and acting. And she’s still doing it all, too. Currently touring North America in support of her sixth studio album, Necessary Evil, her first solo LP since 1993’s Debravation,the 62-year-old Harry just can’t stop — stop working, that is. “It’sreally what turns me on… I think a complete vacation would probablykill me,” the Blondie frontwoman coyly joked to SPIN.com.

The infectious genre-blending sonics of Necessary Evilfound the new wave diva teaming up with a hosts of collaborators,including production team Super Buddha, the Toilet Boys’ Guy Furrow,Jazz Passengers’ Roy Nathanson and Bill Ware, and longtime musicalpartner, Blondie guitarist Chris Stein. Here, Harry chats about themaking of the album (“I just sort of took the opportunity as it came…it happened slowly”), her and Stein’s unbreakable bond (“We appreciateeach other’s sick sense of humor”), and the aesthetic of a greatfrontwoman (“I think Madonna really worked that to the ultimate”).After all, Debbie Harry should know!