Blondie - It Seemed Like the Real Thing

"It’s no secret that I’m slightly obsessed and hugely influenced by the scene in New York in the 70s. The emergence of punk and disco against the dangerous backdrop that was NYC at the time created a sense of decadence that I’m very drawn to. From the gritty scene at CBGB to the opulence at Studio 54, there was a juxtaposition in the city that attracted musicians from all genres and all parts of the world.
Very few artists personify that juxtaposition like Debbie Harry and Blondie. Coming out of the CBGB scene, Blondie could easily be seen as one of punk’s own, but with their sound changing song by song, they could also pass for a disco, and at times, even a reggae band. Blondie’s sound and look was truly genre bending.
The concept for this piece was to try and capture that bending of genres between punk and disco. When I stumbled across the iconic photo of Debbie at a studio mic by Martyn Goddard, I immediately embarked on getting permission to re-imagine it against a backdrop that uniquely represents both the band’s, and New York’s vibe at the time." -Stickman