How Fab 5 Freddy Introduced Debbie Harry and Chris Stein of Blondie to Rap

I first met Chris Stein and Debbie Harry of Blondie around Christmas, 1978. It was on the set of TV Party. I was enrolled at Medgar Evers College, but being part of TV Party—the gonzo public-access cable talk show hosted by Interview’s Glenn O’Brien—felt like Downtown Hipster University, PhD level. I was a guest on episode one and became a regular, both on camera and behind it, as a camera operator. For the next couple of years, TV Party was a Tuesday-night ritual, total immersion in…