Marylyn Maxwell cannot escape her genes - a great-great aunt danced in what were probably considered, at the time (1890-ish) very risque reviews. Her maternal grandfather performed on the between-the-wars British music-hall stage as a grotesque. Her great uncle was a Tussaud of the famous wax-works family, and Daddy owned a fairground. Free rides were childhood-enhancing, no doubt! Marylyn was singing in the night-club aboard the QE2 when the original idea for BGTH came to the fore. She was crossing the Atlantic every week and spending every other weekend in New York. She remarked to guitarist Andrew Clarke how similar she thought London and New York were, and how she felt at home - unlike many places she had visited abroad. Andrew told her about his admiration for Blondie, and how he had gravitated to the New York run, partly to soak up the flavour of the city that had spawned such a remarkable band.
At first, Marylyn didn't share Andrew's enthusiasm for Blondie music, possibly because she had been trained as a classical pianist she tended to like bands that included keyboards or showy piano players….more the 'stadium heavy rock' type of thing. As for singers - she remained in awe of people like Robert Plant and Ian Gillan, and still is!

So what are the ambitions and state of mind of an artiste who becomes Debbie Harry on a nightly basis?

"I come to life each time I do these songs. I know how Debbie had to struggle to succeed against the pressure and mockery of the 'least likely to achieve award'. But I understand burlesque, playing with the desires and expectations of the audience to maximum effect is positively the first thing in my mind. But music doesn't come from the mind. The strength to play this character comes from Debbie herself. I saw her on the 'Rapture' video, flirting with the hip street guys, while that went on, you know the music track was excellent - it just blew the brain. It was the 'hey, I can do that' moment for me!

"I think Debbie is a really underrated singer - it's only when you listen to her closely that you realise just how good she is!"I know it sounds stupid teenage stuff, but the best feelings I've had in my life have been while singing in front of a stoating band, playing on the edge of their ability, and just riding the wave. I live for this. I didn't do what Debbie did nor have I achieved what she has, but I can see the logic there. So I will be doing my very best with this band, or they'll kill me. Slowly. Over a low light. No, they're alright. Really."

Michael Casswell has a collection of seventeen guitars which he plays in rotation, and will continue to do so until some guitar company comes up with a sponsorship deal!
As a well known London based session guitarist (you've probably heard his guitar on radio jingles and TV commercials) Mike says, it pays the rent between touring and recording with famous and not-so-famous bands.

While based in Los Angeles early in his career, Mike was signed as a recording artist in his own right by RCA America. Later, at the turn of the nineties came recognition with a soft rock band called Walk On Fire, who were signed to MCA. When poised for major success, along came Nirvana and the Seattle grunge sound became the hot selling thing as far as guitar bands were concerned. As Mike says "They really killed off any chance we had!"

Back in the UK and licking his wounds, his American-honed hip playing was greedily seized by the British rock establishment. Brian May was putting together a touring band in the wake of Freddie Mercury's untimely death, and it was Mike he invited to play second guitar in the band. Mike also came to the notice of drumming legend Cozy Powell, who asked Mike to join him, co-write and play on his upcoming album. It proved to be Cozy's last recorded output as he was tragically killed in a car crash in 1997. Mike had a large hand in the writing and production of the album which, titled 'Especially For You' was released in a hurry due to public demand. The inevitable Cozy Powell benefit gig saw a reformed Black Sabbath minus Tony Lommi - so it was Mike they turned to for lead guitar duties - the man did not disappoint!

Mike says "I'm really looking forward to the BLONDIE tribute. The music is so varied and inventive. My guitar collection is not an art gallery - the axes need to be played up on stage, at gig volume. Today Mike doesn't own a record or CD collection, doesn't have any preferences in music, he simply enjoys taking a guitar out of its case and making it talk!!!!

Simon T Hodges is a well known session bass player whose phenomenal technique owes much to his early training.

Coming from a musical family (his mother a concert pianist), he was classically trained from the age of 7, originally on clarinet and then from the age of 11 on double bass at a private music school. However, a career in classical music was not for him, and he took up playing electric fretless bass whilst still at school. Eager to be 'on with it' he left school at 14 and hit the road, touring with his first band.

Simon's slippery yet solid bass playing is a delight to hear, for he has invested heavily in state-of-the-art amplification systems - some of which are so 'cutting edge' they have been known to fail the testing rigours of the road. He puts up with these inconveniences in pursuit of excellence and the elusive bass players Holy Grail - a studio sound on-stage.

This son of Essex, when citing a wish to be 'closer to the music' left these shores and settled in Toronto, Canada, where his quickly established himself as a sideman of rare quality with local and visiting bands keen to use him. He remembers spells with The Roy Young Band, Long John Baldry and Spencer Davis together with Huey Lewis and George Thoroughgood. He was busy on the recording scene too with sessions at Manta Sound in Toronto, and in the USA at Electric Ladyland in New York City.

Back home in the UK, Simon's session diary began to fill, and he has remained busy ever since. One of his delights is playing with retro outfits like sixties chart toppers Love Affair, and on the last dates with Billy Fury. A band knows what to expect when Simon T plugs in his instrument, that's if his latest experimental star-ship of an amplifier has survived the journey. "Don't worry, I always carry a spare!" says Simon with a broad grin.

The thing about Dave Dulac is, that he likes retro sounds and believes, regardless of what keyboard manufacturers would have us believe, that most keyboards have one great sound and that's the one that made them famous!

Dave is a bit of a one-off, although he has a perfectly serviceable Hammond organ sound on his Roland keyboard, and although the Roland is reliable, robust, road-proof and light enough to tuck under one arm, he still prefers the real thing. Yup, a genuine Hammond complete with its country-house-sideboard size, shape and weight and the fact that it requires a small team of Olympic weightlifters to move it - and despite its preferred amplification partner, a Leslie cabinet (another great chunk of baroque furniture) being stuffed full of very un-road-proof glass valves……it's the sound you see!

Dave likes his instruments to have a bit of character, and he likes a bit of painting too. There's the harpsichord……that's right, a harpsichord, which he has prepared for stage use by giving it a coat of PINK paint……somewhat different from the smug hi-tech black uniform of the modern keyboard, and not forgetting the Roland, that's a bit different too in its new RED livery!

Dave emanates from that time honoured tradition of piano lessons - he can tickle the old 88's with the best of 'em. They've come in very handy, he says, although if forced into doing a restaurant gig on his own (purely to pay the rent and eat you understand), he prefers to play straight through without a break thus avoiding having to make small talk with people stuffing their faces with over-priced food. Now, he has rapidly become the session keyboard player of choice, and his special affection for 70's bands is evident in the list of those he has played, recorded and toured with - The Kinks, Sweet, Tremeloes, Bony M, Dozy Beaky Mick & Tich.

Guitarist Andrew Clarke has adored Debbie Harry since early adulthood. Obsessed by the turn of the eighties he even auditioned for Blondie, or at least the disaffected remnants of the band following the acrimonious break-up.

Andrew has been playing guitar ever since he gave up playing violin, which he never wanted to play in the first place, but it was the only instrument his cash-strapped parents could get for free out of the Education Authority - and it came with free lessons. "I hated it" recalls Andrew "I think it was made out of plywood….even my violin teacher couldn't get a decent sound out of it, but I persevered. One Christmas, my parents thought it would be nice if I took my violin to my Grandpa's house and play him some carols. I remember the old chap being reduced to tears. It was due to his keen ear for music I was later informed".

A neighbours father played guitar and sang, so Andrew put together his first group with one guitar between them, and a home made drum kit. The next group, formed at grammar school, consisted of clarinet, that violin, bass guitar and a set of bongos. "All participants felt they should be lead vocalist, but clearly the clarinet player and the lad with two bongos between his knees were always going to be at a disadvantage"…..hence Andrew emerged the clear winner. "We featured self-penned original songs, written by me, so only I knew the words, not that it mattered. We started doing school dances, not that anyone could dance to us, people just turned up to laugh!"

The violin eventually found its way to the second-hand shop and a weekend job at Halfords quickly financed its replacement "It was a white Framus 6 string with strings so high off the fretboard that it could have done service in a Sherwood Forest epic. I already had an amp, a present from that neighbours dad when he finally hung up his plectrum."

As Andrew recalls "London in the 70's was a very different place to what it is today. It was free and easy to survive - we lived in a van parked on the streets of south Chelsea (all right, Battersea) - and rehearsed an original band with a Russian drummer and a girl singer from Iceland. Loud guitar, loud bass, loud drums and a woman shrieking unintelligible words in fractured English…..Mmmmm, nice!"

Brent Keefe plays Yamaha drums, but could be persuaded to play Premier! A committed Blondie freak, rivaling even the most way-back fans in the band, his collection of Debbie CD's, sprinkled amongst tales of broken skins, snapped sticks and faulty pedals are long. The drums kick..yet the man doesn't seem to move a muscle……how does he do these complicated callisthenics without involvement? The man is a rare treasure, and a pleasure to have on board!

For more information, or to book Blondie Goes To Hollywood, please email

abbie@halcarterorg.com