Post by Taylorholic78 on Jul 17, 2005 20:04:46 GMT -5
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A reunited Duran Duran is finding satisfaction the second time around
BY NICOLE KEIPER
Staff Writer
The original lineup of Duran Duran fractured in 1985, the members playing their last concert together at one of Bob Geldof's first humanitarian mega-concerts — the Philadelphia arm of Live Aid.
Two weeks ago, though, those same five musicians took the stage together again for another one of Geldof's events, this time Live 8 in Rome
"We were joking actually, because we had a show later that night. We played in Rome at 3 and then we flew to Scandinavia and played up there," says bassist John Taylor.
"There was no way the same thing's gonna happen — we already got the shows booked, you know? We had to make it this time."
Back in '85, guitarist Andy Taylor and drummer Roger Taylor dropped out of the band soon after their
Live Aid performance. The band's reunion tour comes to Starwood Amphitheatre tonight.
Duran Duran's reunion doesn't follow your standard definition: The longstanding English synth-pop group never actually disbanded. Singer Simon Le Bon and keyboardist Nick Rhodes carried on with replacements even after John split in 1996, recording several successful records and mounting a cache of successful tours over two decades.
While the original five re-teamed four years ago, it wasn't until last year that the group released Astronaut, the first full-length disc they'd made together since 1984's Seven and the Ragged Tiger.
We caught up with bassist Taylor on the eve of the band's summer U.S. run and learned just how good reuniting feels for a crew of '80s pop pioneers.
Considering what happened after Live Aid, did playing Live 8 feel like a sort of band redemption for the five of you?
It did feel like that was of immense significance for us. I think a lot of what drives this reunion is a feeling of making up for lost time and perhaps sort of getting right this time what we blew last time. We fell apart after Live Aid. . . . We were barely held together as it was. And you know, we got to do it again.
It's interesting, though, that the band still didn't completely fall apart.
I think when the band split up the first time, Simon, Nick and I, we just kept blindly marching on. We were completely in denial that we'd lost almost half of the band — 'We must keep going, against all odds.' And actually, you lose a couple of guys and your resolve becomes so much stronger.
What was the feeling when you finally brought everyone back together?
You could feel the power really, because, you know, you've got a lot of highly developed egos. And there was a very can-do feeling that if we were all on the same page and we were all going after the same thing, that we could do well.
Did it fall into place easily?
Well, on one hand you think, 'OK, we made the decision, once you've made the decision, it's in the bag.' But it wasn't like that at all. We've had to fight for everything we've got since we've gotten back together. At first we thought that we'd go straight to the industry, let them know that we were back together and back in business. But there was a lot of skepticism there, and the music business was in a pretty ropy state five years ago — record companies were only interested in teenage girls, so we were hitting walls everywhere we went. We had to take it to the stage. Once we did that, the people showed their excitement and interest. And then the labels started coming 'round.
Astronaut feels like a really different-sounding album for Duran Duran. Where'd the dance-heavy sound come from?
There's been times when I wanted to play anything, but the style that made me famous. And I think we all sort of felt that we've all gone through crises over the last 20 years. Roger and I started talking about Ibiza dance music, and four years ago that scene was still really strong. We were listening to compilations of the (dance) records that were popular that summer, and we were hearing our sound. And we just felt, we don't need to reinvent ourselves, we mustn't try to be the Red Hot Chili Peppers, we mustn't try to be Nirvana, we've got to be ourselves.
It's great timing that the five of you are back together, and '80s-pop-sounding music — a sound Duran Duran pioneered — has become popular again.
Who would have known that music was going to take that direction? I suppose it makes sense. I don't like to generalize, but it did seem to me that the end of the '90s was signified by really producer-controlled music, whether it was rap or pop. So (now) you have this underground movement of kids claiming the energy back again. I think most of the energy came from Britain, as it usually does — The Libertines, Franz Ferdinand. . . . I guess the upshot of it is music is much healthier right now, at least my idea of music, than it was five years ago.
Any idea what direction the next album is going to take?
Some guys are talking about it, but I don't think it's something you can talk about. I think you just have to do it. Particularly the way that we write; we have this very democratic way of working where everybody shows up and we just set up equipment and start to jam. That's really how our best material's been written. So I have no idea where it's gonna go. I just try to show up with an open mind.
What did it feel like the first time the five of you stepped on stage together again?
It was amazing. The first shows that we did together were in Japan, and I don't think any of us could believe the depth of appreciation that was coming to us from the crowd. People had flown in from all over the world. It was the most amazing feeling that I think any of us have had. And very much made you feel like you were doing the right thing. •
A reunited Duran Duran is finding satisfaction the second time around
BY NICOLE KEIPER
Staff Writer
The original lineup of Duran Duran fractured in 1985, the members playing their last concert together at one of Bob Geldof's first humanitarian mega-concerts — the Philadelphia arm of Live Aid.
Two weeks ago, though, those same five musicians took the stage together again for another one of Geldof's events, this time Live 8 in Rome
"We were joking actually, because we had a show later that night. We played in Rome at 3 and then we flew to Scandinavia and played up there," says bassist John Taylor.
"There was no way the same thing's gonna happen — we already got the shows booked, you know? We had to make it this time."
Back in '85, guitarist Andy Taylor and drummer Roger Taylor dropped out of the band soon after their
Live Aid performance. The band's reunion tour comes to Starwood Amphitheatre tonight.
Duran Duran's reunion doesn't follow your standard definition: The longstanding English synth-pop group never actually disbanded. Singer Simon Le Bon and keyboardist Nick Rhodes carried on with replacements even after John split in 1996, recording several successful records and mounting a cache of successful tours over two decades.
While the original five re-teamed four years ago, it wasn't until last year that the group released Astronaut, the first full-length disc they'd made together since 1984's Seven and the Ragged Tiger.
We caught up with bassist Taylor on the eve of the band's summer U.S. run and learned just how good reuniting feels for a crew of '80s pop pioneers.
Considering what happened after Live Aid, did playing Live 8 feel like a sort of band redemption for the five of you?
It did feel like that was of immense significance for us. I think a lot of what drives this reunion is a feeling of making up for lost time and perhaps sort of getting right this time what we blew last time. We fell apart after Live Aid. . . . We were barely held together as it was. And you know, we got to do it again.
It's interesting, though, that the band still didn't completely fall apart.
I think when the band split up the first time, Simon, Nick and I, we just kept blindly marching on. We were completely in denial that we'd lost almost half of the band — 'We must keep going, against all odds.' And actually, you lose a couple of guys and your resolve becomes so much stronger.
What was the feeling when you finally brought everyone back together?
You could feel the power really, because, you know, you've got a lot of highly developed egos. And there was a very can-do feeling that if we were all on the same page and we were all going after the same thing, that we could do well.
Did it fall into place easily?
Well, on one hand you think, 'OK, we made the decision, once you've made the decision, it's in the bag.' But it wasn't like that at all. We've had to fight for everything we've got since we've gotten back together. At first we thought that we'd go straight to the industry, let them know that we were back together and back in business. But there was a lot of skepticism there, and the music business was in a pretty ropy state five years ago — record companies were only interested in teenage girls, so we were hitting walls everywhere we went. We had to take it to the stage. Once we did that, the people showed their excitement and interest. And then the labels started coming 'round.
Astronaut feels like a really different-sounding album for Duran Duran. Where'd the dance-heavy sound come from?
There's been times when I wanted to play anything, but the style that made me famous. And I think we all sort of felt that we've all gone through crises over the last 20 years. Roger and I started talking about Ibiza dance music, and four years ago that scene was still really strong. We were listening to compilations of the (dance) records that were popular that summer, and we were hearing our sound. And we just felt, we don't need to reinvent ourselves, we mustn't try to be the Red Hot Chili Peppers, we mustn't try to be Nirvana, we've got to be ourselves.
It's great timing that the five of you are back together, and '80s-pop-sounding music — a sound Duran Duran pioneered — has become popular again.
Who would have known that music was going to take that direction? I suppose it makes sense. I don't like to generalize, but it did seem to me that the end of the '90s was signified by really producer-controlled music, whether it was rap or pop. So (now) you have this underground movement of kids claiming the energy back again. I think most of the energy came from Britain, as it usually does — The Libertines, Franz Ferdinand. . . . I guess the upshot of it is music is much healthier right now, at least my idea of music, than it was five years ago.
Any idea what direction the next album is going to take?
Some guys are talking about it, but I don't think it's something you can talk about. I think you just have to do it. Particularly the way that we write; we have this very democratic way of working where everybody shows up and we just set up equipment and start to jam. That's really how our best material's been written. So I have no idea where it's gonna go. I just try to show up with an open mind.
What did it feel like the first time the five of you stepped on stage together again?
It was amazing. The first shows that we did together were in Japan, and I don't think any of us could believe the depth of appreciation that was coming to us from the crowd. People had flown in from all over the world. It was the most amazing feeling that I think any of us have had. And very much made you feel like you were doing the right thing. •
