Blondie’s Chris Stein says it’s “doubtful” he will play live with the band again
Blondie’s Chris Stein has said that it’s “doubtful” he will play with the band again due to ongoing health issues.
Stein has been absent from tours with Blondie over the last year, including a slot on the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury 2023. During the set, and the whole tour, Blondie were joined by former Sex Pistol Glen Matlock on bass.
In April 2022, Stein explained his absence to fans, saying: “I’m sad and frustrated to report that I’m not going out with the next bunch of Blondie touring. I’ve been dealing with a dumbass condition called Atrial Fibrillation or AFib which is irregular heart beats and combined with the meds I take for it I’m too fatigued to deal.
“I’m still all in with recording and other band projects. That’s it, I’m fine, I’m around here and I love you all.” Stein was later diagnosed with prostate cancer.
Now, in a new interview with The Sunday Times, Stein says he often feels “fatigued” and has come to terms with the fact he might not tour with the band again.
He said: “I miss it a little [playing live], but it’s a lot of work, and I did it for 50 years, I kind of got it out of my system. It’s doubtful I’m gonna do more shows at this point.”
He went on to add that he felt his earlier rock n’ roll lifestyle played a part. “All this stuff caught up with me in my old age. Don’t do drugs, kids, is all I can say. All that shit I did over the years didn’t help.”
Earlier this week (November 16), Stein announced details of a new memoir called Under A Rock.
In a new post on Instagram, Stein unveiled details of the book writing: “OK here we go. I’ve been working on this memoir for two years and it’ll show up allegedly in 2024.”
“I mean, I like it… I wrote the whole fcking [sic] thing myself. It’s got a lot of weird ass stuff that actually happened even if it might seem made up. I’m quite looking forward to people interacting with it.”
Described as a “no-holds-barred” memoir, a synopsis from publisher Macmillan added: “Debbie Harry defined iconic band Blondie’s look. Chris Stein—her performing partner, lover, and lifelong friend—was its architect and defined its sound.
“‘Parallel Lines’, their third album, catapulted to [number one], sold 20 million copies, and launched singles like ‘Heart of Glass’, ‘Rapture,’ and ‘One Way or Another’, providing the beat when Bianca Jagger and Halston danced at Studio 54 and the soundtrack to every 1970’s punk-soundtracked romance.
“Chris Stein knows how to tell a story. Under A Rock is his nothing-spared autobiography. It’s about the founding of the band, ascending to the heights of pop success, and the hazards of fortune.
“Famous names march through these pages—Warhol, Bowie, Jean-Michel Basquiat, and more–but you can get famous names anywhere. What you can’t get anywhere else is a plunge into the moments that made a giant 1980’s artistic sensation. Stein takes us there in this revelatory, propulsive, distinctive memoir.”
The book’s foreword has been written by Harry and you can pre-order ahead of its June 11 2024 release here.
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Elizabeth Aubrey
NME
