DEBBIE GIBSON PREMIERS AUTOBIOGRAPHY

LEGENDARY  Blitz Magazine - The Rock And Roll Magazine For Thinking People Editor / Publisher Michael McDowell and DEBBIE GIBSON welcome the faithful to Pickering, Ontario on 25 July for Gibson's sold out show at The Arena. Blitz Magazine celebrates the September release of Gibson's autobiography, Eternally Electric: The Message In My Music (Gallery Books) below.. Photo by Eddie Bennett (Click on above image to enlarge).

ETERNALLY ELECTRIC:

DEBBIE GIBSON

THINKS WITH HER HEART

IN NEW AUTOBIOGRAPHY

By Michael McDowell

"If you think my goals could be so trivial and small, then I don't think you know me at all".

That line from the Monkees' 1966 recording of I Don't Think You Know Me was a prototype of the challenges in which the beloved band found itself at the time. Their determination to realize their formidable creative vision in the face of limited expectations from both their record label and the mainstream media led to a well publicized "palace revolt" on their part.

At first, the mainstream assertion that the Monkees' bid for creative autonomy was at best premature gained momentum. As a result, the band initially lost a sizeable share of their core audience; albeit primarily from among the less devoted rank and file contingent. 

However, the faithful stayed the course and the Monkees' ultimately prevailed. They went on to amass one of the most impressive and influential legacies in music history, which finally concluded in 2021 with the passing of lead guitarist Michael Nesmith.

In some respects, the meteroric rise to center stage in the late 1980s for composer, vocalist, multi-instrumentalist, producer and Brooklyn, New York native Deborah Ann "Debbie" Gibson is not without parallel to the Monkees' saga. Extraordinarily gifted musically and blessed with a home recording studio during her mid-teens, Gibson and her "momager" mother, the late Diane Gibson made the rounds of the various major labels, armed only with unwavering resolve and a paper sack full of home demo cassettes. Atlantic Records' founder Ahmet Ertegun took notice, signing Gibson to a one off single deal in 1986.

As was the case with the Monkees, both label and mainstream media initially professed limited expectations. But Gibson responded with a "palace revolt" of her own. As a result, she found herself by decade's end with a series of smash singles and a pair of multi-platinum albums that overflowed with first rate original material.

To be certain, such accolades invariably come with a price. By the early 1990s, the limited attention spans of the rank and file had moved on to other artists and genres. However, Gibson had by that time nurtured a hardcore audience known as Debheads, who grew in number and remained fiercely loyal. Duly inspired, Gibson sustained her momentum as an independent recording artist and pursued various acting roles on Broadway and in film. 

It was a journey that required unwavering resolution on her part, ultimately earning her the nickname, "Queen of Relentless Optimism" from Blitz Magazine - The Rock And Roll Magazine For Thinking People. Nonetheless, it was a journey that came with a myriad of personal and health challenges that would test the mettle of the most resolute. 

This extraordinary adventure is chronicled in detail in Gallery Books' Eternally Electric: The Message In My Music. Therein, Gibson matter of factly sets the record straight on the issue of reality versus public perception.

Not surprisingly, Gibson is at her most cerebral when sharing the intrinsic details of the creative process behind her art. The chapters devoted to that subject find her weighing in on a Jan Berry / Brian Wilson level of technical savvy. That lofty assessment is borne out in abundance in the various mixes of her sublime 1989 signature single, We Could Be Together.

In turn, Gibson chronicles her major challenges (including anxiety and Lyme disease) and her subsequent triumphs over them. She did so with a determination that she summarized in the Stuck chapter as a "trial and error" process. 

Gibson is also lavish with praise (and rightfully so) for her current dream team, which includes choreographers Buddy Casimano, Eddie Bennett and Keeth "Stepp" Stewart, bassist Kirk Powers, saxophonist Adam Tese, guitarist Ariel Bellvalaire, backing vocalist Ronda Grinds, co-visionary / arranger Sean Thomas and long time manager Heather Moore. Yet most discerningly, Gibson defers to each of them to tell their own tale in due course. That option could play out quite well for Casimano in light of his extraordinary comeback from a heart attack in May 2025. 

Blitz Magazine - The Rock And Roll Magazine For Thinking People has covered Gibson extensively in recent years. During her July 2025 tour stop in Pickering, Ontario, she confessed to Blitz that the blessings and shortcomings of the process continue to vie for her attention.

"We're just so busy", she said.

"I don't even know if I'll have time for breakfast in the morning!"

Ultimately, in keeping with the relentless optimism component of her mission statement, it is the blessings that continue to emerge triumphant. 

"This is like my highwire act", Gibson told Blitz Magazine after a sold out performance in Wabash, Indiana in October 2024. 

"I'm so honored".

Honor, tempered with gratitude and a matter of fact approach to it all continue to serve her well.

"I really work hard to be the best I can be at what I do", Gibson told Blitz Magazine in June 2022. 

"Not just for me as an artist, but for all of you, who also mean so much to me".

Those attributes can be found in abundance in Eternally Electric: The Message In My Music, which rightfully takes its place as an instant classic among autobiographies. To paraphrase an earlier Gibson triumph, that is what happens when you Think With Your Heart.