In 1981, Blondie were the first band to commercially release a VHS mega-compilation of all their music videos to date, loosely tied together by the story of a New York cabbie and fronted by the charismatic duo of singer Debbie Harry and guitarist Chris Stein. Appraising their late ’70s and early ’80s video aesthetic, we screen the entire video from original VHS.

Across 40 minutes and 15 tracks, The Best of Blondie visually traverses their big hits, earlier punk tracks and later experiments with the emerging hip hop scene. A swansong of the band’s career, they would go on hiatus that same year, followed by their break-up in 1982.

There will be an extended introduction by writer/academic and broadcaster Lucy O’Brien discussing the legacy and influence of Blondie. Programmed by Philip Ilson. ‘48

Lucy is author of She Bop: The Definitive History of Women in Popular Music and Madonna: Like An Icon. She has contributed to Q, Mojo, The Guardian, The Quietus, and numerous anthologies such as Mute Records: Artists, Business, History (2018). She played in all-girl band The Catholic Girls, and is currently working on a memoir about punk and feminism.