How to do pop “the right way”: Blondie’s Clem Burke interview
Clem has been behind Blondie’s set for decades, witnessing the ups and downs in the rock, post-punk, and record industries.
Blondie drummer Clem Burke says, “My earliest memory is playing my father’s kit along to the Four Seasons.” His sly New Jersey lilt is a world apart from my mumbly West Australian brogue.
The local heroes for all of us East Coast kids were them.
Burke Clem
A true city boy, Clem embodies everything that one thinks of when one thinks of guitar music in the Tri-State area, having witnessed the birth of early rock ‘n’ roll and the golden age of doo-wop, as well as the Velvet Underground’s avant-garde (yet distinctively NYC) sound and the legendary CBGB’s scene, of which Clem is a made man. Let’s just say that having a talk with Mr. Burke entails realizing that you are conversing with someone who has a rich musical history. It’s in every sentence.
Blondie
He waves a hand across his immaculate mop top and says, “We always straddled that line between the underground and then a larger ambition to make hit singles that were universal.”
The five brunettes behind Blondie’s legendary frontwoman, Debbie Harry, do a fantastic job of holding it down, even if those who aren’t familiar with the business of record making will likely be lured to her cool charm right away. The lifelong drummer takes great delight in this part of his job.
For us, pre-production has always been crucial. I believe you can hear it in many of those performances—being prepared and entering the room with a plan.
