They were rock stars for sale, Taylor later said. Quotes from band members could be counted on to be outrageous and provocative. The publicity machines cranked flight-arrival times were announced on the air. Loaded with sleek women, sleek cars and colorful sights, they were inspired fantasies, part Playboy magazine, part James Bond movie. (Duran Duran, however, have said that they made MTV popular and not vice versa.) Three videos were shot in Sri Lanka, followed by two in Antigua. Their first three forays into America went almost unnoticed, but frequent play of their catchy videos on MTV, beginning in 1982, helped boost their recognition. Taylor says, ''but they didn`t think of them.'' ''You go into a Holiday Inn bar, and you see musicians playing our songs perfectly, more technically, than we could play them ourselves,'' More important than the execution, the Durans believe, is the ability to invent a sound. It`s my ambition that got me where I am, not my bass playing.'' I`m far more ambitious than I am a musician. Taylor acknowledges, ''I`m not that interested in being a musician. But, virtually in spite of themselves, the skills of the band have improved over the years. The actual playing was almost secondary to the band. They like to think somebody else did it.'' Rhodes: ''We created something that everybody else thinks we weren`t able to create. We were never Duran Duran-ized-we created ourselves.'' We were very sophisticated individuals that dressed the best in Birmingham. Taylor: ''We were never scungy kids with jeans. Unlike some young bands, whose record companies transform them, these folks, who favored ruffles and heavy makeup at the start, already had an image, thank you. The two founding Durans still like to call their front man a ''drama queen.'' They became Duran Duran (named after a character in the film ''Barbarella'') sometime at the start of the `80s, very much invented by themselves. In the beginning, ''Simon was as much of a singer as we were musicians,'' says Rhodes sardonically. Maybe it was the pink leopard-skin pants. Last they met Le Bon, a Londoner and half-hearted drama student, with not much of a voice, but a certain something. (none related), drummer Roger and guitarist Andy, both now gone. "įor those interested, Rob's book, "Talking to Girls About Duran Duran: One Young Man's Quest for True Love and a Cooler Haircut," can be purchased here: Amazon.In 1978 they formed a prototype of the group, later adding two Taylors So I guess this book is my small attempt to pay homage to their massive presence in music and in pop culture over the years. Simon’s whole sense of wit and wordplay was way ahead of what my other favorite bands were doing at the time, along with the whole idea of blending punk and funk, which would’ve been unheard of for any American band. Like so many other American kids, I had my whole idea of music altered by Duran Duran. Simon and Nick were playing all these obscure videos by brilliant artists I’d never heard of, stuff that MTV normally would never play. I remember watching MTV one night in 1983 when Simon and Nick were doing a guest VJ spot, for the world premiere of the “Save a Prayer” video. They taught me a lot about music I never would have heard if not for them-stuff like Kraftwerk and Visage, Chic and Roxy Music. " “Talking to girls about Duran Duran” is how I’ve spent my whole life! It always amazes me how huge this band is, and how much loyalty and ferocity they inspire in their listeners. Publisher's Weekly says ".(in this) tuneful coming-of-age memoir, the glamorous New Wave band Duran Duran presides spiritually over the all-consuming teenage male efforts to comprehend the opposite sex.The result is a funny, poignant browse from a wonderful pop-culture evocateur." An unabashed Duran Duran fan, Rob Sheffield has decided to play tribute to one of his musical heroes by sharing stories of how they aided him while growing up growing up and learning all about girls. A terrific new book will be coming out on July 15th, Talking to Girls About Duran Duran: One Young Man's Quest for True Love and a Cooler Haircut.
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