Can any one band sum up the 805? If so, could it possibly be DURAN DURAN? From New Romantic roots to a supermodel wife, Simon Le Bon has had it all. And, at the end of the 905, he still
wants more. ‘.‘.'o"t:s: Fiona Shepherd
HANDS UP, ALL YOU TOP OF THE POPS 2 addicts in the audience. (io on. admit it come Saturday afternoon. there‘s a lot oi you out there poised with the remote control l‘licking hetween the linal scores and yet more Toolage of Willard doing ‘I Wish It (‘ould Be (‘hristmas liyerfi Day”.
What is it you’re really hoping to see'.’ (‘hances are it s not the uhiquitous grainy l‘ootage ol‘ the [ire-Jurassic Rolling Stones. nor those nice lads Showaddywaddy. You're looking l‘or a chance to reyel in/snigger knowingly at tnusie from those Slls salad days. You want Sol‘t ('ell doing ’Say' Hello. \Vaye (ioodhye‘. \.>ti want one oi those sophisticated Adam And The Ants \‘itlc‘tis. You want Duran Duran.
Any Duran era will do. There‘s the trendy early New Romantic phase. when the Brummie quintet were just out ol‘ art college and into their sisters‘ make—up collections, This was followed hy the Bacardi adyert period when Rio catapttlted them to international hon yiyeur status. with priyate yachts and champagne cocktails to go. Then there was the oyerwrought ‘\\'ild Boys‘ and the ol'l'shoot projects The Power Station and Arcadia. ahout which the less said the hettcr. Not all of it was class. hut the hits kept rolling and Nick RllUth s~ hair colour kept changing.
Duran Duran were the last group to straddle the teclty‘hop/‘real hand‘ chasm. Alter their heyday. it was all Bros dross and Take That regimes. But Duran Duran appealed to droyes of young girls AX!) actually played
their instruments ANI) sold hucketloads oT
singles and alhums. With their shiny suits. tropical yideos and model girll’riends. they liyed the glamorous lite you wished you had. 'l‘hatcher’s Britain in motion. And all of this achieyed with a hass player who wore a headhand. Read it and weep. .\lark Knopl’ler.
Although it is tempting to only refer to the group in the past tense. Duran Duran haye always heen yery much present tense. All the Taylors .lohn. Andy and wee Roger. need you ask haye long gone. hut Simon Le Bon and Nick Rhodes hayc ney'er split the group and continue with American guitarist Warren (‘uccurullo Their only signilicant Ulls success has heen the huge hit ‘()rdinary \Vorld‘. an achiey'ement which Simon Le Bon rates as the highlight ol‘ his career to date.
‘\\‘e‘\'e had a couple of alhums that haye heen a hit tough for us.' he says. hringing the story th—to-date. "limit/t You. the coyers alhum wasn't receiy'ed yery well. hut we think it's great. although I shouldn’t haye let .lolm talk the into singing "Ball ()l' (‘onl'usion".’ While the rest ol‘ the world would happily hayc talked him otit ol‘ attempting I’uhlic linemy‘s “)ll is A Joke.
Simon Le Bon
‘We've had a couple of albums that have been a bit tough for us. I shouldn't have let John talk me into singing "Ball Of Confusion
This month Duran Duran nostalgia will he at a peak with the release ol‘ a greatest hits compilation and an accompanying arena tour to crystallise long—dormant Durannie fact: The group Visit the Sli(‘(' a l‘ew days alter the similarly conceiy'ed (‘ulture (‘Iuh/lluman l.eague/.-\B(' panstick ’n’ wedges heano. llow
natural does |.e Bon think this latest hout ol’
Slls reyiy‘alism actually is'.’
‘\\'hen people actually start saying the words “Slis rey'iyal”. it is contriy'etlf he says. ‘These things are usually generated within the indttstry. and so much of the industry now is ahout recycling anyway. I think it‘s heeome part ol‘ the accepted norm ol‘ the art form really. People like l’ul‘l Daddy and The liugees haye made an incredihly stlc‘c‘c‘ssltll career out Ul‘t‘c‘c‘yc‘lllig‘.‘
Tell Us heleaguered Radio 1 listeners ahottt it. Simcs. 11' we huy those records. our liyes will he hlander.
‘I don't know. it‘s a funny masic scene at the moment] moses the man who currently rates (‘atatonia and Space. "There’s no strong moyement. There’s strong scenes like the R & B thing and dance music. hut a lot of hands seem to he stumhling as they start tip. I hecame inyolyed at the end iii a cottage industry really. Now it‘s heeome a yery seriously run thing with a lot ol~ money
inyolyed and a lot ol~ research done. A lot ol~
the anomalies haye just disamieared.‘ Regardless of the current climate. it is likely that a good numher ol‘ Duran Duran standards will haye stood the test ol' time. What ahout ‘lltmgry like The Wolf“? 1 can’t
he the only twcntysomething in the country to know all the lyrics hy heart. 'You feel my heat. I’m just a moment hchind‘. indeed. And there‘s hound to he some serious lighter-in— the—air action l‘or ‘Saye A l’t‘tt} ct“.
"There’s some that I'm more excited ahout playing than others.‘ says Le Bon. ‘l‘m a lot more e\cited ahout playing stulT oil the lirst alhuin than I am ahout playing “l'nion ()l'The Snake” l'or e\amp|c. hut "l'nion ()l‘ The Snake" goes down really w ell.‘
l’roying that titnc really does heal all wounds. and perhaps .St'i't'n And '/'/1(' Rugged 'liet'r wasn't such a had record alter all. And it you'yc got a prohlcm with that. saye it l‘or the morning alter.
Duran Duran play Clyde Auditorium, Glasgow, on Mon 14 Dec.
l'ltlt
Possibly the most iconic of all 805 pop stars, BOY GEORGE inspired love, loathing, countless gossip column inches and thousands of recorded instances of parents spluttering ’Is that a boy or a girl?'. The Culture Club singer answers the questions that matter.
What, if anything, do you regret most about the 805?
Not keen on t i()(;(‘1l‘(‘t‘ttttlsihiiiy, et'.‘()t-()r‘.aL?y and so," tuaiiy
What's your most treasured item of clothing from that period?
My ii‘atk hat have a ways (onstlered it a '.z( ky ( harn‘
What do you wish you'd never worn? \‘Jl‘ te, sy'oti‘etx (lreatl'ot ks and "ytra shorts
Limhal’s haircut: why?
\"Jhy not It \.'. as a granttty-Gefy.no
soet tat le
Are you more Fatal Attraction or Nine And A Half Weeks?
Fatal Attr‘at tron
Complete the phrase: Frankie says...
"ememher you’re a v.0mhle
What was the most outrageous thing someone left in your cloakroom at Blitz? Noth no outrageous, hut they would very foolishly leave tne'r haedhaos \.‘.’lll( h. l
" i'eo through
What's the most fun you've ever had with a Rubik's cube?
Ho‘s. (an you “at. e fun ‘.'.|il‘ a Rubik's Cane“
Do you still get an ’oooh' from Typhoo? Tea is (e'tainly more re? ahle than rnen What exactly is a karma chameleon? Kanna, Vtei‘ally translated 'neans attto", and a (l‘ameleoo s a (feature that keeps (liti!l(;4"(; is (o oar" A oerfett 'YteEaphoi ‘o' Jo't ixloss, \‘J‘o 'toy'. (a? loan Mo st If you could travel back to the 805, what one thing would you change?
ixla'oaret l'ltatt "e" “.‘ut'n Ne, K l"‘()( k Were you a Dallas or a Dynasty person, and why?
[)\,~‘ast§.; ot (()..‘!S(‘, tie<at1se of loan
( o ‘.".s
Krystal Carrington or Alexis Colby: which was the better role model for young ladies in the 805?
Joa" t olios We \.‘.as (low; tf'o' ail the "()tlS(“.'.i'\.t‘S11510"(itlUt‘t‘“ ahosetl (ll/{tilt’ ( loo, iii/Hui," I eagne and AIR
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i ' ‘ 2‘0. 7098 THELIST 17