Debbie Harry Reveals The Inspiration Behind Her Iconic ’70s Hair

by Verena von Pfetten | 12:36 pm, August 8th, 2011

If we had to choose between appearing on the September cover of a fashion glossy and the chance to hang out with Debbie Harry, we’d definitely pick the latter. So, while Lea Michelle may have snagged the September cover of Harper’s Bazaar, Lady Gaga got the way more covetable honor of interviewing the former Blondie frontwoman for the same issue. The two chatted about her career, her new album, and, most interestingly, her hair.

Platinum blonde, perfectly bobbed, and featuring a wide swath of inky black ends, Harry’s hair has inspired no shortage of copycats, including Gaga herself. And while the look seemed ever so coolly contrived, the whole ‘do was apparently just a matter of convenience.

Lady Gaga: Now, this is a more over-arching question, but are you aware of the tremendous effect you had on women when you dyed the underside of your blonde hair black? Because when I experiment with a different blonde, like I did that very yellow blonde and a teal blonde and a lavender blonde, I put a black root in because of you.

Debbie Harry: I did it for practical purposes because I was always doing my own hair and I didn’t think I could do the back. But I ended up really liking having the back be this sort of dark side of the moon. Because when I was in school, that was one of my nicknames: Moon. It seemed perfect, that here I was with the bright side of the moon and the dark side of the moon.

Home dye jobs: inspiring insanely expensive salon styles since 1978.

[Harper's Bazaar.]

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