The Man, The Myth, The Legend ;)

If you were alive and conscious between 1982 - 1987, then you surely remember Duran Duran. While they are currently still together and releasing CDs, these were the years of their "heyday", when teenagers (mostly female) known collectively as "Durannies" totally and absolutely went nuts for Simon, Nick, John, Andy and Roger. I was one of those smitten Durannies, who bought everything I could find relating to this band, including a purse, a board game, video tapes, etc. (Yes, you read that right: a purse and a board game.) I think I have every 12 inch dance and regular (remember vinyl?) single there is of theirs, including: the original pressing of their debut album that includes "To the Shore" instead of "Is There Something I Should Know?" and a copy that has neither of those songs, "The Reflex" maxi-single with the cover version of Cockney Rebel's "Come Up and See Me (Make Me Smile)", and the Canadian released single of "Skin Trade", which included a tasteful photo of a woman's bare rear end (though, apparently not tasteful enough to make it to the USA).

As Ace Ventura would say, and I'm not wont to quote him, "Obsessed much?"

Nick Rhodes was always my favourite of the 5 original band members. I couldn't really say why then, though now as an adult I have a few guesses (no, I'm not going to elaborate here ;) ). And look at that hair (front and side views)! My friends and I paid good money to go to The Safari Room and have our locks snipped and styled to look like his (believe me, it was a lot of work and a lot of hairspray and teasing), even streaking our hair with temporary-colour gel (blue and silver, of course, for reasons obvious to any Durannie at the time).

The aforementioned purse and board game... Photo taken Oct. 1996. Click to see a larger version in a new browser window.

We loved his frequent change in hair colours and styles, his overdone (or understated) makeup, that pale pale pink lipstick (I was able to find that exact shade — it wasn't easy. And it was the creamiest lipstick I ever owned). We screamed in fury when he married a woman my friends and I would say rather unkind things about. :) We hung on every word he said during frequent interviews (most of which I got on tape). I had photo album after photo album (you know, those "magnetic" ones that cling) stuffed to the gills with photos and two sentence clippings — anything I could find with the words "Duran Duran" in it got snipped and slapped in there. I nearly wept when I located a copy of his book of photography, "Interference", in a record/bookstore in New York City (no, I don't remember which one; yes, it was an import; yes, I could provide you with an ISBN but I doubt it's still available). My friends and I made up a fake band called Interference, and took names, and band positions — I was keyboardist (I can barely play, can't at all read music, but that didn't mean too much to me). I believe I still have the fake band member card somewhere in my possession. I wrote stories placing them in various and sundry adventures (all of them borne of the innocent mind of a 15 year old girl). I still have those somewhere too. I'd written a 5-ring-notebook (the gauge of greatness in junior high school) story of their history, too; I hope that didn't go out with the trash. :(

Sure, I was paralyzed with fear when I learned Simon's Drum went belly up. Always wanted one of those tiger baby necklaces (and still do, it's neat). Wanted like hell to work at Assorted Images. Had one of those John Taylor "Save a Prayer" fedoras. But Nick was always my favourite.

In concert, August 1987. Click to see a larger version in a new browser window.

(Fellas, if you happen to be reading this, I hope this doesn't scare the hell out of you. I'm mostly harmless. :) )

I was devastated when Andy and Roger left, but I embraced "Notorious" enhusiastically. I actually got to see them in concert in 1987 just outside of Rochester, NY (Canandaigua), and had the time of my young life. But I began to lose interest somewhere around "Liberty", though a single that was released in '95, "Come Undone", was pretty cool. Nothing they've released quite does it for me like the album "Rio", though.

PS. Take a look on my home page. If you are a truly die-hard, old school Durannie, the Shakespeare quote that pops up in the random quote generator should mean something to you.

If you want to get ahead, you got to get a hat.

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