© Getty
Blondie were finally given their spot in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2006, alongside such luminaries as Black Sabbath, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Miles Davis and Sex Pistols, who were a no-show, depositing a typically wry note in their absence. Perhaps Blondie should have swerved the bash too, as what began in the usual dull back-slapping manner turned awkward when former guitarist Frank Infante took his turn at the podium to ask to perform with his old band. Nevertheless, they all went home satisfied with awards presented by Shirley Manson. Debbie took unexpected pride from the accolade: “I had always been scoffing the whole thing,” she told Esquire. “But I think it launched us into being considered a real part of the shift in music… in a way we were part of the great tradition of rock and roll in that the best aspects of it have always been counterculture.”