Lock Up The Women, They're Back! 

As hundreds of Duran Duran fans stand in line at the Virgin Megastore carrying 8x10's, old magazines, pillow cases and tee-shirts, you can feel their pride. Patiently they wait, watching the band sign autographs while surveying each other. It's like they're sending signals to one another and beaming their message to the curious onlookers. Their unified declaration: "We told you so!" You see, Duran Duran fans are not your ordinary fans and Duran duran is not your ordinary band. A hybrid of different attractions of the past-new-wave glamour, heartthrob objectification, fashion fabulousness-Duran Duran left a permanent mark on sound, vision and image. Today, some sixteen years and twelve albums later, they're back to dazzle the world, with only a vague semblance of any wear or tear.

Simon Lebon, Duran Duran's frontman since day one and unequivical ladies man, takes control of his hotel lunch as if it were at home. "Tell me, the hash browns, are they really oily?" His distinguished British accent makes him sound like royalty. The waiter, upon recognizing LeBon, is visibly thrown off. The Hash Browns are a bit oily as a matter of fact, so it's a no-go for Simon. At 39, he's aware of the importance of a healthy diet and a healthy mind. He runs every day both to stay fit and to feel secure that he WILL fit into the high-end fashions that he's accustomed to wearing. The dilemma is not limited to him. Keyboardist Nick Rhodes and guitarist Warren Cuccurrullo, seating themselves not a minute later, are dressed as if they are heading to The Academy Awards. Elegance, style and confidence have always suffused Duran Duran, and they wear it well.

Having spent most of their adult lin the spotlight-Simon and Nick with Duran, And warren with Frank Zappa, then Missing Persons, before joining the band in 1986-their distinctive personalities, steadfast ways and cordial mannerisms are so natural, one would think their fame was a God-given right. In their heyday, they were hailed as the next beatles, dubbed the fab five by the press. To date, they have sold upwards of 20 million records. They were amount the first 'video' bands who helped glamorize a new medium. And, lest we forgot, they are historically some of the finest looking rock stars the world has ever seen.

From 1981 to 1985, the words Duran Duran were seldom uttered without also attaching one of the five original members names. It was a phenomenon all too common in the states. Like John, Paul, George and Ringo before them, Simon, Nick, John, Andy and Roger had become pop sensations in a relatively short period of time. Their acclaim was not undeserving. Duran Duran's appeal went far beyond their physical attractiveness, as they helped usher in a musical movement. When they came to America, the brought the New romanticera with them, opening the doors for a wealth of bands experimenting in synthesized sound. Their self-assigned description, 'The Sex Pistols meet Chic,' said it all as the country prepared for a second British invasion.

Their rise was fairly quick, getting a swift head start in England around 1981 with two hit singles from the debut album, DURAN DURAN but 1982's RIO was the clincher. With three hit singles paired with groundbreaking videos, It's been hailed as their best work. "It would be a tough one to beat." I remember thinking while awaiting the release of 1984's SEVEN AND THE RAGGED TIGER, but while not selling as much as its predecessor, Seven's songs climbed higher on the charts and solidified Duran Duran As a household name.

By 1985, rumors began to circulate about the band breaking up. Drummer Roger Taylor, known to loyal fans as 'the shy one' was visibly uncomfortable with his newfound celebrity status. Bassist John Taylor and guitarist Andy Taylor were working on a side project called The Power Station with Robert Palmer.. The end was approaching almost as quickly as their stardom had come. While Roger officially quit in 1985, followed by Andy a year later, Duran Duran recording. But Simon and Nick refused to leave the spotlight-returning as the highly successful ARCADIA with Frank Zappa guitarist Warren Cuccurullo in 86'. However the Duran flame was hardly extinguished. They reformed in 88' with Cuccurullo replacing Andy And John back on bass. It was impossible to match the glory of the early days. They struggled for chart success for almost seven years until they triumphed with their second eponymous album,known commonly as The Wedding Album, which sold millions world-wide. Their reputation as pop stars was reinstated, only this time in a slightly older market. Duran Duran's second coming wasn't a fluke, simply the result of maturity and a dedication of time and talent to a long-term endeavor.

The members of Duran Duran like to set goals and achieve them. They enjoy the challenge of breaking a new record, but know that by doing so, they'd be reacquainted with a reality they'd assume just forgo-superstars worshipped by their fans. That's a lot of weight to carry. It manifests itself when they are asked about the old days, or when people mention a meeting years ago or when girls tell them, "I love you",Love is a strong word, after all, not one to be thrown around loosely. While you would expect a startled response from any normal human being, Duran Duran have learned to acknowledge this unspoken bound. They don't necessarily say it back,but will, in their own way, let you know that the "love you too." It could be a nod, a drawn heart, or a kiss on the cheek. Whatever the boys decide, rest assured it heart felt.

Medazzaland, Duran's New Album...

Simon Ask me if I like Duran's new album, And I respond with a resounding "YES!" as a magazine editor, I'm confronted with 'comeback albums' almost as much as 'debuts', but any skepticism about Medazzaland was quickly swept aside upon first listen. Simon:Its got a kind of depth, doesn't it? The frilly, sparkly, bubbly top layer, that's your "Barbarella" or "Big Bang Generation" then you've got things like "Be My Icon" which is like a strong emotion. It actually bears witness to the very strong, very purposeful band that we feel we are.

Smug: Also, you sound so young and vibrant.
Simon: Do I really? I'm not THAT old!
Smug: Could 'Barbarella' be a hit single?
Simon: If we get that one away, then we might get another one away!
Smug: Which one?
Simon: I think 'Who Do You Think You Are?' It's not the one that I would normally choose, but so many people are coming up to me and saying "That Song is amazing." It really is a very strong track.
Smug: Big Bang Generation, who is That?
Simon: It's anybody who wants to get on a train and go for a ride. The song's got a lot to do with looking at the world for the first time. Seeing something that is fairly new, forgetting about people's common perceptions. It's not a very defined kind of song.
Nick: I see it as looking at the world from the point of view of a human being but actually feeling a little alien about all the things that happen around you. Perhaps looking optimistically at the benefits.
Warren: I just wrote the music!

Decades

Duran Duran is as synonymous with the 80's as skinny ties. From 1982 to 1985, they ruled the clarks. Their faces could be found on everything from magazine covers to notebooks. They were displayed so frequently on MTV, one could mistake them for substitute VJ's. Through their popularity dwindled in the late 80's, the intensity felt by the fans who stuck around has remained constant, making Duran a shining example of durability for aspiring bands to come. Simon: {laughs} 'Cuz our line-up keeps changing and we have no control over it! Warren: No matter what, people know the name young and old around the world. It's like a brand name that's instantly recognizable. It lets you get foot in the door to a certain extent. But at the same time, It has alot of negatives attached to it, like being an icon of the 80's. It's what happens with the saturation of the market when one act is SO huge, like a burnout syndrome. {Duran Duran's} existence is a media perception, but {we} proved in 1993, with two number one {singles} and four million albums sold, that we are not just an 80's band we can also make relevant statements in the 90's.

Smug: What is it that makes the music so adaptable to the 90's?
Simon: I think good songs do actually. It's quite simple. Technology changes, production changes, styles change, but the real content, whether its the emotion that comes through the lyrics or the music itself, is always constant. We're able to utilize the technology and current styles because we were a part of making it like that anyway, so it just feels natural.

The Old Days

Like Most bands, Duran Duran developed a following by playing small clubs. But it didn't take them long to zoom up to the charts, even on their first time out, with the release of 'Planet Earth' in 1981. Poised for stardom, they targeted America. They had all the necessary ingredients: exceptional good looks, a stable of highly original music videos (particularly the X-rated 'Girls On Film' video, risqué' even by today's standards) and already a handful of radio hits to their name. The takeover was inevitable, and it happened quickly-"Careless Memories" And "Girls On Film" gave away to "Rio" and "Hungry Like the wolf"-all monster hits! At this point it wasn't safe for John, Andy, Roger, Nick or Simon to walk the streets alone, rabid fans followed them around anywhere. For refuge, they traveled to the exotic locations to work groupie-free. With inspiration drawn from their jet-set lifestyle and love for the tropics, the staple Duran Duran look resulted: Riviera garb, beautiful women, sexual innuendoes, and involving hair colors-an image which has followed the guys throughout their professional careers and seeped its way into their personal lives.

Smug: What is the one thing you miss the most about the heyday of Duran Duran?
Nick: I still think its the heyday of Duran Duran, so I don't miss anything.
Simon: I'm sure there's something, but I can't think of it right now. Hmmmm
Smug: Is there something you are glad that you never have to experience again?
Nick: Holiday Inns. The first time we came to America, we had to stay in Holiday Inns. One time in particular, at a long Island Holiday Inn- I remember this very well-we were playing the spit club. we were at the hotel, and I had a major battle with the vending machine for the first 24 hours of my stay in America.
Smug: Is there a goal That you didn't accomplish?
Nick: Yeah, I think there' slots of things. I wish we had made a proper movie. Because those things really mark time. We did do stuff, we did a lot of videos to make up for it, I suppose.
Smug: A movie to document your life?
Nick: Not necessarily, more like a Purple Rain.
Warren: Like a SPICE Girls!
Nick: Not quite like that.
Warren: Hey, they've got the right idea...They thought, "we're not going to be around much longer, so let's make a movie for them to remember us by"!
Smug: Where you ever concerned About overexposure?
Simon: All the time, but it was too late.
Warren: I don't think you were concerned (earlier) because you didn't even have time to think.
Nick: (Interrupting both of them with his hard-hitting answer) We got on a ride in 1980, and it didn't stop until we slammed on the breaks really hard sometime in 1985. It just didn't stop. When we finally stopped, like on the edge of a cliff, and looked back at everything, we said "My God, we went all that way, and now we're stuck here?"! there were many things we could look back on and say "how did that happen?" "How did we LET that happen?" Or "I can't believe we did THAT"! It was only then that we realized (Our mistakes), and by then all those greedy lawyers were eating us for lunch.

The Music Business

Duran Duran made a lot of money for a lot of people. However the business practices of a variety of people working on their behalf have made for a bitter existence. With little control of their financial affairs, their commercial image was exploited. Granted, this type of shiftiness was there music industry's way back then, and since that time measures have been taken to protect artists' rights, but fame blinded Duran Duran's business sense and they suffered for it. Smug: Why do artists get taken advantage of by an industry built on their talents?

Nick: It's in every business, not just the music business. I mean where there is art, there's also the low, sub-soil of this planet. We've had some very-very greedy people involved with us, not the least which was our management company, who were really just common thieves,to be honest.
Smug: Has the music business changed?
Simon: It's become much more of an industry. We came along when the beatles ethic was still ruling. You know, "A bunch of guys get together, make music, and if you're lucky everybody makes a little money."In many cases, the focus has shifted. Now you GOTTA make money. (record companies) go out and find bands. It's the record companies who are going out and creating, rather then the people who've got talent that are trying to find an outlet or a vehicle for their music. It's worth a lot more money now, too, the whole industry is, as more of the world starts to buy music. And its not regulated. The way radio stations work is a perfect example. when we started, A DJ could play what he wanted, records he liked. That just doesn't happen anymore. Now you have people call "Programmers" who chose what is right for that radio station to play in order to sell the most advertising space. Ultimately at that level, our role has changed from a communicating device which makes life either more comfortable or more meaningful perhaps, into a device to sell fridges and cars to people! And that's kinda sad. But I think it would be naive to think that it would be any different.
Nick: I think it's always been like that,It's just that now the science of it is more effective. It's got nothing to do with art and
everything to do with commerce.

Girls,Girls,Girls:Fans,Fans,Fans

Typical Duranies look upon their idols with reverence and honest appreciation. They are actually thankful to have admired the band for So many years. It's quite an interesting phenomenon. Duranies are a close-knit network of fans with no demographic or geographic barriers. They are well-spoken, devoted and passionate, but most importantantly, supportive through the tough times. And Duran Duran are no strangers to low points. Several albums have admittedly bombed if not by poor sales (liberty,1990) then by unfavorable critical response (Thank You 1996's cover album). Through both the good and the bad, the fans stood up for who they commonly call "The Best Band On Planet earth!" With the renowned success of 1993'a The Wedding Album came an effort to 'go public' once more, this time by way of the Internet,which allows for a limitless communication base. Fans could now share stories, fantasies, sightings and opinions. They could humor each other (even they cringe every once and awhile) and gush to their hearts content. And they do. The band, in turn, is grateful over this new way of communicating with their fans. It gives them the one thing they yearned for and couldn't get when they were international superstars. Distance.

Smug: How do you feel knowing that you were responsible for a sexual awakening in millions of teenage girls?
Simon: {Jokes} I find it quite exciting, Actually.
Nick: I don't think it's something you think about that much, is it?
Simon: Well, from time to time. Its not something somebody could be particularly proud of. It's like having a really nice little secret that you don't actually have to talk about in order to communicate.
Smug: Are Duran Duran fans different from other fans? Do they have certain personality that define their sense of loyalty?
Warren: I don't think they are. Maybe they're different from Deadheads, but even they're in it for the long run, just as Duran Fans are. It's about watching the evolution of a band being glad that the band is still there. There's fan clubs for bands that have been extinct for ten years still going. Music is what binds them all together.
Simon: Different bands of artists touch different subjects. They tend to attract a certain type of person. We don't attract people who wanna smash everything up, but there are bands who do. There's something about vulnerability and optimism, and also wanting to live your own life and be happy without having a romantic unreality. It's about having a musical reality-that's something that attracts a lot of fans to us.
Nick: I don't disagree with that.
Smug: How does the internet life fit into Duran's grand scheme of things?
Simon: It's a real chance to escape the stranglehold the record industry has on music.
Nick: A lot of our fans, for some reason, really seem to like the internet. There's over 30 unofficial sites up there, and the amount of kids that I met personally who say, "Oh yeah, I saw this on the Internet or read this on-line," made me realize how active it is for our audience. That's why I was so interested in getting involved with the site.
Simon: Its about the ability to make your presence on your own individualism felt in a way that doesn't happen in magazines or any other medium. Your message is you. It's customized, it's there and it's instant.
Warren: And it's a daily thing. you don't have to wait for the next issue.
Nick: It's a very different contact,too. warren and I did an AOL chat the other night, and the amount of people who were there was incredible (appoximately 2,000) I said, "This is probably as close as we're going to get to talking to (all of you), and we're really glad that we could do this."
Warren: The bands in the future are going to have it a lot easier then the bands of the '60s,'70s and '80s. Because with the Internet, you're able to download music and just say hello tp a band. Say a Boston band has a really good following, and they invest in a web site where they could get a web-wide buzz going on. It's going to spread without having to get incredible amounts of promotion and touring done. For a band on a baby budget, they can do it themselves. They can be self-sufficient, and they will become a business. It's nowhere now, but there are artists like Prince, who are on a higher level, who've been in the business for ten or fifteen years, that are trying it out.

Image

Duran Duran spawned a visual revolution that's yet to be matched. At times, their image was dictated by packaging professionals, but most often it was the band's artistic vision that guided record covers, video treatments and publicity poses.

Smug: I noticed you took an art direction credit in the Medazzaland package. How involved were you with the production of the artwork?
Nick: We're always very involved. Andrew Day, the guy that did it was somebody I found in an art college in London, and I brought him over, and Simon and warren looked at his work, and we all like it. He's really got a cutting-edge way of looking at things, but at the same time it's quite organic. It's nice that he actually painted things. Originally, the front cover was gonna be a photograph that Andrew had taken, but when we saw the painting in its final form
Warren: The original concept was going to have some kind of painting on the cover, but then we went the other way. The other thing was that this kid never made a product before, he was dealing with the corporate world for the first time. It was pretty interesting. We helped him get through that. I've also thrown him some other things, like solo projects. He did three albums for me during the time he was doing Medazzaland.
Nick: Staying invloved has always been important to us though. I sort of look at Duran Duran as a mini-corporation anyway. I quite like the corporate identity, it's just that ours is a funky one.
Warren: And when you find someone young like that, he's someone you could use in future projects. He's working on our website right now with another guy from the same school, doing all creative stuff on the website. We've talked about this a lot. We've never found someone like that-someone young, just out of art school-in the film world. we'd love to discover a young filmmaker to do some interesting work with.

Setting The Standard For Music Videos

Duran Duran's first album, 1982's DURAN DURAN, spawned three videos, including the super sexy "Girls On Film". You'd be hard pressed to find something that raunchy on VH1 or MTV today, but back then, when Duran Duran made a video, it was news, MTV had to play it, albeit carefully edited, because a captivated audience waited for its world premiere. They longed to see where the boys would travel next. Sri Lanka, Antigua,the south of France? Who would be the lucky guy to get seduced? What would they wear? And of course, What's the latest hair-do?

Smug: Did you enjoy making videos?
Simon: Oh, they were great fun. It was hard work, but it was great going to those places. It was great being involved in something that you knew would look good, like the 'ARENA' video or 'Wild Boys' Watching (wild Boys) being made was quite incredible. I remember standing in the enormous studio, and there were about twenty guys about to jump off trampolines and come out of the walls (To Nick) Remember that scene? And I just thought, "This is all because we wrote this song.! Its all because of that bass that John was playing." (He emulates the sound of the 'Wild Boys' bass intro) It all came from that, it was fascinating.
Warren: And you paid for half of it! (Laughter all around)
Smug: How long does a production like that usually take?
Simon: That particular video took a long time, but don't forget we were also making a long form 'Arena' video at the same time. So we'd be shooting something for the long form, then we'd switch to shooting something for 'Wild Boys.' It actually took about two weeks.
Nick: A LONG time.
Simon: But we got a lot of other stuff out of it. We got the video for "The Chauffeur", the live version.
Smug: Do you feel that music videos at all detract from the listenability of the music?
Simon: Yes, absolutely. Because music itself, to me at least, is best listened to inside your head, in your room or on the dance floor. Any visual is bound to distract the attention away from the music. Often what's going on visually has nothing to do with the music at all. But it's a necessary part of putting the package together, and you don't really question it, so what you do is try and make it work together as much as you possibly can-get the feeling of the song into the visual and get them working together.
Warren: In the end, more times then not, it's going to make a not-so-great song a bit more interesting.
Simon: But there is also another aspect of it. After a while, the image loses its novelty whereas the music has a much longer staying power-there;s much more depth, there's much more layers, there's much more to get into with a piece of music then a piece of film.
Smug: Did you feel that way from the beginning?
Simon: No, not really. But it was a great vehicle for us. It was a of being in fifteen countries at one time instead of having to tour; you could be on TV in America, France, Germany, Canada, bla,bla,bla,everywhere simultaneously. It was fantastic. When people say Duran Duran exploded on the scene, that's what they mean. It was the visual impact. Sometimes I wonder how it would've been if it had been a little bit slower, if people would have gotten into us through their radio which they did as well-if our songs first broke on the radio. I wonder whether we'd have a different kind of persona as a band if we hadn't been so involved in video. I wonder, I don't know.

Photos Blitz Of The 80's!

Copyright issues were less regulated in the '80s, meaning hundreds of different photos could permeate the print market without the bands consent. Pictures of the band were in high demand by fans seeking as many different poses as possible. Photographers, both amateurs and professionals, were more then happy to oblige. The state of band imagery has changed since then. Today, imaging professionals are often limited by an industry that dictates what can and can't be reproduced, and bands are more protective of their image. Duran Duran don't object to this new policy, and maybe deep down inside, they wish they could have imposed more restrictions.

Smug: Bands these days are more then a bit concerned with their image;They want complete control over it. For example, at this years Tibetan Freedom Concert, when Eddie Vedder came onstage, all the pit photographers were forced to retreat beneath the stage, where they weren't allowed to move because Eddie didn't want his picture taken. What do you think about that?
Nick: Sounds like he's an ego-maniac
Simon: Des he photograph badly,Cuz he's quite good looking.
Smug: No, I think he looks fine.
Warren: They can really be cruel, Some of these photographers.
Simon: Live shots are really the one area where {photos} can backfire on you. Sometimes I think we should have controlled it much more then we did.
Warren: In the UK, in the Daily Mail, they have printed some shots of the Rolling Stones with a really favorable story to go with it saying how great they were on stage, but in the photos, they looked like cadavers-all of them. It was really gross. Nick: It depends what you want out of it. I think you can get a bit too obsessive about it,too. You know, it's only pop music. Simon: Yeah, but I've seen shots of all of us that have come out in local newspapers and just went, "Uhh, I wish, I wish.." When we take our own photographer on tour, we spend weeks going through those photographs. Warren: {Interjects} With an airbrush!
Simon: Seeing which ones we feel are good enough to go out. There's a lot to be said about this issue, but you can get too anal about it,too. As a performer, you're aware of not giving them double chin and fat belly, which makes for more effort and detracts from your rapport with the audience.
Warren: How do you suck in your belly and your double chin? Even for the first three songs that's quite a task.
Simon: I fully agree 'Cuz {photographers} make you self-conscious. You're constantly worrying, "Do I look good for the cameras?" You're selling the audience short by doing that.
Smug: Is there one photo that you liked alot?
Simon: Yeah, I saw it in your magazine actually. {To Nick} Do you remember the woman who did us down at the Bowery? That was a great shot. THAT was Duran Duran.

Technology

Duran Duran equates its trademark synth sound with the early underpinnings of a variety of genres, including techno. Conversely Duran's Sound, first fiddled with in late '79/early '80, can be viewed as an extension of disco. But the New Romantics era, most commonly linked to Duran Duran took danceable pop beats to the next level. Concentrating on technological advances in sound, Duran thereby exposed an unsuspecting world to music's technical side.

Smug: Who pushed the technical Aspect of the synthesized sound in the beginning and throughout your career?
Simon: John was the guy who talked Nick into getting a synthesizer, Then Nick really took off with it.
Warren: You have to remember that the new-wave bands of the '80's were really influenced by stuff that Brian Eno, Kraftwerk and Roxy Music did. The synthesizer was trying to become what the guitar was in the '60's and '70's, So it was a natural step that some young musicians wanted to play the synthesizer. It was there, and it was making all these interesting noises.
Smug: Nick,you were the man behind the keyboards. Did you make a conscious effort to keep up on the technology?
Nick: Yeah, towards the end of the '80's when all the digital technology was happening, I was the first to rush ahead by getting the most up-to-date things. I actually sort of discarded a lot of the earlier analog gear. In fact, I only..in the last few years, come back around and started to realize how great the analog stuff really was. The sound of a lot of the digital stuff that superseded certain technologies is still nowhere as good as the original analog.

Fashion

Smug: Are we expecting an '80's comeback?
Nick: I don't believe in comebacks.
Simon: I don't believe in it ever going away.
Nick: Exactly. Styles come around, certain elements come back, but it's always different. The things that people made when there was that '60's thing a few years ago, they weren't REALLY like the '60's wear, they were just elements that nodded toward the fashion of those times.
Warren: And the '60's came from something else.
Simon: People were talking about the return of the '70's from about 1983 onwards. It's not about a linear progression through time; styles don't start, stop, finish and that's it. It's like layers of a building up on each other, and what you're seeing now is the nearest layer on top of all the old layers. You're getting this great depth of style that's part of today's look.
Nick: If you look back at pictures of the New Romantic era synonymous with the early '80's a lot of the things were really more like Dangerous Liaisons. You're talking about going back to Louis the fourteenth or something. It all comes from somewhere. I don't like the way people sometimes put fashion in a box and praise its originality.
Simon: They do that because it makes them feel good. It makes them seem like they know what's going on. The fashion industry, and certainly the fashion media, is based on people who say,"I know what's going on, and if you want to know what's going on,ask me!" And they get money for it,as well. That's what its all about, that's what fashion businesses do-they play off peoples insecurities.
Warren: The perfect example of that was grunge fashion. How pretentious can you get? It was like, "This music is happening, lets make a fashion that goes with the music 'cuz this music is really popular!" It was really embarrassing I have to say.
Simon: That was a really low point in the fashion industry.
Nick: It was a pretty low point in the MUSIC industry.

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