© Point of View by Chris Stein, Rizzoli, 2018/Photography © Chris SteinBlondie guitarist Chris Stein‘s new book, Point of View: Me, New York City, and the Punk Scene offers a photographic look at the Big Apple of the ’70s.
The book is mainly made up of photos Stein took during the 1970s, which depict Manhattan’s gritty, rundown areas. There are also candid images of rock stars and lesser-known characters from the downtown New York music scene.
Point of View is a follow-up to Stein’s 2014 book, Negative: Me, Blondie, and the Advent of Punk.
Chris tells ABC Radio, “The first book was more flamboyant and had a lot of the images of…musicians and people we were encountering…The second one I have a lot of…street photography and the vibe of what it was like [in 1970s New York].”
He adds, “We’re in this moment now where we’re close to this period of the ’70s, but at the same time it’s very alien, what was going on then.”
Reflecting on the appeal of his gritty photos, Stein says, “Urban decay is great. There’s nothing wrong with it. I’m still drawn to rot.”
Not surprisingly, Point of View includes quite a few photos of Stein’s Blondie band mate and then-girlfriend Debbie Harry.
“Well, everybody wants to see pictures of Debbie,” he tells ABC Radio.
In addition to photos showcasing just Harry, there are images of the iconic singer with David Bowie, The Kinks‘ Ray Davies, Meat Loaf and Andy Warhol.
There’s also a pic from one of Blondie’s earliest shows.
“I would frequently give the camera to somebody that I vaguely trusted, and they would shoot us from the audience,” Chris explains.
To check out more details about Point of View or to order a copy, visit RizzoliUSA.com.
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