From Blondie’s Bowery loft to the esoteric frontier: Gary Lachman’s remarkable journey

Gary Lachman has lived several lifetimes in one. In the 1970s, as Gary Valentine, he played bass for Blondie, writing the music for their first single “X-Offender” and “(I’m Always Touched by Your) Presence, Dear,” which became a UK top ten hit. He lived with Debbie Harry and Chris Stein in the legendary Blondie loft on the Bowery, rubbing shoulders wit…