Gary valentine related to kevin james
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New York Rocker: My Life in the Blank Generation with Blondie, Iggy Pop, and Others, 1974-1981
By 1970, the hippie dream of the 60s was dead ? the soundtrack of the revolution had become a multimillion-dollar industry. Glitter tried to save music's soul, but was too commercial to be cutting edge for long. Then, in 1974, a rescue movement arrived.
Three chords, black jeans, a pair of shades, and a whole lot of attitude made music that matched the facts of life on its home ground, mid-70sNew York City's East Village. The initiators of punk, Richard Hell, Tom Verlaine, and Patti Smith had one foot in nineteenth-century French symbolist poetry and the other in the raw sound of their predecessors such as the Velvet Underground. This first-hand account of a little-documented era features luminaries such as Lou Reed, Iggy Pop, David Bowie, Debbie Harry, Divine, Devo, and the New York Dolls, and tells of the gigs at CBGB hitting the news as Warhol and his glittering crew descended. What began as a unique blend of fin-de-siècle ennui and razor-sharp rock became anarchic frenzy and sa
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For a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, Gary Lachman has had an unusual career trajectory. In the mid-1970s he joined Blondie as their boy wonder bassist and wrote some of the group’s classic early songs—”X Offender” and “(I’m Always Touched By Your) Presence, Dear”—before quitting just as they were becoming a well-oiled hit machine.
Today, Lachman is the author of over a dozen books on the occult and esoteric thought, an interest that began during his Blondie days (back when he was known as Gary Valentine). While living in a three-story loft near famed New York City club CBGB’s with lead singer Debbie Harry and guitarist Chris Stein, Lachman’s curiosity was initially piqued by the spooky, kitschy detritus strewn about their living quarters/rehearsal space. “Debbie and Chris had occult bric-a-brac around their flat,” he told me, “and it also covered the walls when we were living on the Bowery.”
“It was probably more Chris than Debbie,” Lachman added, “he and I shared some interests, li
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Gary Lachman
American writer and musician
This article is about the writer and musician. For the international lawyer, see Gary S. Lachman. For the actor-comedian, see Gary Valentine.
Musical artist
Gary Joseph Lachman (born December 24, 1955), also known as Gary Valentine, is an American writer and musician. He came to prominence in the mid-1970s as the bass guitarist for rock band Blondie. Since the 1990s, Lachman has written full-time, often about mysticism and occultism. He has written more than 22 books[1] on consciousness, culture, and the western esoteric tradition,[2] written for journals in the US and UK,[3] and lectured on his work in the US and Europe; his books have been translated into more than a dozen languages.[4]
Biography
Musical career
Lachman joined Blondie in spring 1975 after original bassist Fred Smith left to join Television[5] amid founding bassist Richard Hell's departure. He wrote the music to the band's first single, "X-Offender",[6] and popularized the band's sixti
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