DURAN X DURAN

DURAN X DURAN

THE FAB FIVE IN THEEIR OWN WORDS (WELL, KINDA...)

RICK JOHNSON

Everybody's talkin' 'bout Duran Duran these days. LITTLE GIRLS UNDERSTAND! screams Rolling Slone. DURANMANIA: IS IT LIVE OR IS IT MEMORY?, demands the LA. Times. DURAN DURAN LINKED TO OLYMPICS! reveals Billboard. HUNGRY LIKE THE WHAT? asks CREEM.

Yup, everybodyI But is anyone listening? Not us! We're too busy asking the questions and perfecting the crowd control diet plan. That's one of the things that bugs the guys the most: nobody hears anything except the smell of the scream cakes and the snore of the crowd. All things considered, it's remarkable that only one member of the band is an admitted press hater.

Doesn't that 'bout break your cottonpickin' little hearts? Ours too, and we understand. After all, nobody listens to us either. Just wait. People are gonna read this story and go mental. Like where it says the other Duranoids jokingly (?) refer to Simon as "Lardo." We're gonna get two thousand letters that all say, "How dare you call Simon Le Bon fat!" Or where Nick explains how easy it is in his profession to "act like a prima donna." We can see the "How dare you...wah, wah...prima donna (sniff)!" telegrams now. Enraged fans outside, peppering our windows with jellybeanshot. Gunboat helicopters. Anti-terrorist squads. Suicide attacks. Hmm, that last one doesn't sound so bad!

SO! What're we gonna do about it? What else? We're gonna lei them suckers talk! (How dare you call Du ran Duran suckers!—S.W., Epoxy, MS) Give 'em enough rope!(How dare you give Duran Duran rope!—I.L. Lebanon, IN) Give 'em a chance to put their own feet in their mouths! (How dare you say Duran Duran have feet!—F.N. Googooville, AK) If we may remind you (How dare you remind us!—P.U. Kalamazoo, Ml) one last last time: the quotes are for real, Popeil! Can you say that?

NICK RHODES

REAL NAME:

Nicholas James Bates NICKNAME:

Icky Nicky

BIRTHDAY:

June 8, 1962

BIRTHPLACE:

Mosely, U.K.

ASTROLOGICAL SIGN:

Gemini

SIGNIFICANCE OF ASTRO SIGN:

Improper interest in other Geminis.

MOM:

"Happy" housewife

DAD:

Mechanical engineer

Photos by Chris Walter/Phototeatures

KEY TO PERSONAL APPEARANCE:

Cosmetic graveyard

LIKES LEAST ABOUT SRI LANKA:

"Elephants behind you."

DISPOSITION:

Jaunty, bubbly, but dedicated.

GOTTA HAVE:

"Excitement—it's more essential than anything else."

IDEA OF GOOD TIME:

Thinking about wearing masks.

ROLE IN BAND:

"Band jokester."

BEST EXPERIENCE:

Ignoring school.

WORST EXPERIENCE:

Rushed edit job on "Hold Back The Rain" that he's "never forgiven" himself for.

LEFT SCHOOL BECAUSE:

"I really didn't feel that I needed to know what sodium bicarbonate and sulphuric acid makes."

WHAT SODIUM BICARBONATE AND SULPHURIC ACID MAKES:

Explodinq Turns.

LIKES:

His cat, Sebastian, art, "happy people," strawberries, steak.

DISLIKES:

Narrow-minded people, harm coming to animals (not counting cattle).

THINKS HE'LL BE "MAD" BEFORE:

Age 20

PREVIOUS OCCUPATION(S):

Occasional club DJ, cattle prod sharpener.

LIKES TO SAY:

"Video is to us what stereo was to Pink Floyd."

AMBITION:

Eat steak without hurting it.

THOUGHT WHOLE PUNK THING WAS:

"So unpleasant."

INFLUENCES:

Chic, Clash, Sex Pistols

ADMITS WAS NOT WILD ABOUT:

Those frilly shirts.

MAKES HIM HAPPY:

The studio, the mirror.

STOOPID LIE:

"So what if we lose money?"

HOME:

Hollywood, U.K.

IT'S SO E-Z:

"To act like a prima donna in this profession."

RECENT ACCOMPLISHMENT:

"Discovered" Kajaqooqoo

TRAGEDY:

"People who put money before art."

LIFESTYLE:

Attending to "immense detail."

NEVER BEEN TO:

Rio

ABOUT THE GROUP:

"We're not looking for pity, we're looking for hit sonqs!"

QUOTE:

"What are we supposed to do? Stop living because the world might or might not be obliterated?"

SIMON LE BON

REAL NAME:

Simon John Charles Le Bon (we're so sure!)

NICKNAME:

The guys call him "Lardo" or "Charly."

BIRTHDAY:

October 27, 1958

BIRTHPLACE:

Watford, U.K.

ASTROLOGICAL SIGN:

Scorpio

SIGNIFICANCE OF ASTRO SIGN:

Mind always in gutter. >

MOM: O

Music teacher in Florida =

DAD:

Something "hush-hush" for the government

"HUSH-HUSH" MEANS:

Nothing unless your name is Charlotte.

ITEM OF CLOTHING MOST ADMIRED AT HIS AUDITION:

Pink leopardskin pants.

DISPOSTION:

"Extraordinarily defensive," energetic, likeable, "somewhat contrary."

WHAT PEOPLE DO:

"They work and have parties."

IDEA OF GOOD TIME:

"Good films, good wine, and lots of young girls!"

UNCOMFORTABLE TILT TOWARD EUGENICS:

"I believe in genetics and breeding very much."

WORST EXPERIENCE:

Wandered into "a disco on mushrooms."

NEVER WORRIES ABOUT:

Being called a philosopher.

STOOPID LIE:

"I am absoutely normal!"

APPEARED IN TV COMMERCIAL BUT DID NOT ROAST HAIR FOR:

Pepsi

LIKES:

Reading, sailing, tennis, self.

DISLIKES:

Cokeheads, apathy, "basic human stupidity," and "anonymous death threats from jealous boyfriends."

EXAMPLE OF BASIC HUMAN STUPIDITY:

"Cutting down the Amazon rain forests."

PREVIOUS OCCUPATION(S):

Tree surgeon, actor, hospital porter.

HIS PUNK BAND:

Dog Days

AMBITION:

His lyrics considered as poetry.

SURPRISINGLY CANDID ADMISSION:

"It all feels like a big bluff sometimes."

INFLUENCES:

Patti Smith, Jim Morrison, Bowie, Dylan, Sinatra, Sparks, Velvet Underground.

(we're soooooo sure!)

MAKES HIM HAPPY:

Thinking of self as "pop commando."

WENT TO SAME SCHOOL AS:

Elton John

HOME:

Lives with dad and brother in Pinner, Middlesex.

ABOUT THEIR PRODUCER:

"Alex has a nice bite..."

RECENT ACCOMPLISHMENT:

Kept big mouth shut 1 7 consecutive minutes, June 23, 1979.

OUR IMAGE IS:

"What we wear."

LIFESTYLE:

"Laughable!"

NEVER BEEN TO:

Rio

ABOUT THE GROUP:

A way to "get rich, get famous, and get laid!"

INTERESTING STATEMENT CONSIDERING OCCUPATION OF FATHER:

"Sod the government!"

QUOTE:

"I am NOT working class!"

ROGER TAYLOR

REAL NAME:

Roger Taylor

NICKNAME:

The Rock, Bor-ing.

BIRTHDAY:

April 26, 1960.

BIRTHPLACE:

Castle Bromwich, U.K.

ASTROLOGICAL SIGN:

Taurus

SIGNIFICANCE OF ASTRO SIGN:

The dealer passes.

MOM:

Enqland's first meter maid

DAD:

Auto industry

KEY TO PERSONAL APPEARANCE:

Tony Curtis haircut, baseball shirts.

BORN DOWN THE STREET FROM:

Jeff Lynne

DISPOSITION:

Quiet, shy, slightly dimwitted.

TEENAGE GROUPS:

Scent Organs, Crucified Toad

IDEA OF GOOD TIME:

"Laying in bed watching TV."

HAS NONE:

"Private life."

BEST EXPERIENCE:

Power bashing with Crucified Toad.

WORST EXPERIENCE:

Got gang-stomped after show in Munich.

STOOPID LIE:

"You can't buy clothes in Australia."

WORST THING IN WORLD:

"To go around saying to people, 'Do you know who I used to be?'

LIKES:

TV, bed.

DISLIKES:

"Hobbies"

PREVIOUS OCCUPATION(S):

Non-entity

AMBITION:

Never require stitches in head again.

INFLUENCES:

Chic, Cream!?

MAKES HIM HAPPY:

"A good backing track." RECENT ACCOMPLISHMENT:

Invented the Bad Joke method of birth control.

HOME:

Birmingham, U.K.

LIFESTYLE:

Man of Mystery!

ABOUT THE GROUP:

"Our sound is halfway between Kraftwerk and the Monkees."

NEVER BEEN TO:

Rio

QUOTE:

"You can't scratch your bum in public anymore."

ANDY TAYLOR

REAL NAME:

Andrew Taylor

NICKNAME:

Chickie Scott Bobrowich

BIRTHDAY:

Feb. 16, 1961

BIRTHPLACE:

Cullercoats-near-Newcastle, U.K.

ASTROLOGICAL SIGN:

Aquarius

SIGNIFICANCE OF ASTRO SIGN:

Gets wet frequently.

MOM:

Left home when Andy was 1 1!

DAD:

Fisherman-turned-caroenter

KEY TO PERSONAL APPEARANCE:

Only Durranie to admit he owns—much less wears—denim trousers.

ANSWERED AD FOR:

"Live-wire guitarist."

DISPOSITION:

The "rock 'n' roll heart" of the group.

ALMOST SHOT BY:

Luxembourg cops in dispute over unpaid club fees.

IDEA OF GOOD TIME:

"I like dressing up and I love wearinq makeup."

WIFE:

Tracie, the band's ex-hairdresser.

BEST EXPERIENCE:

"Earning money and playing together."

WORST EXPERIENCE:

Suffered severe attack of pyrexia after drinking water spiked with elephant pee in Sri Lanka.

WHAT THE HELL IS PYREXIA:

Beats us, but it sounds like he became a beaker. J

STOOPID LIE:

"It's been said that we could probably | go up onstage and fart and it wouldn't make any difference." u

UKES:

"Sitting here with my dog, watching TV." §

DISLIKES: -

"Arty-farty conversations."

DOESN'T USE GUITAR AS:

"A lead instrument at all."

DOES USE GUITAR AS:

Enormous spatula.

PREVIOUS OCCUPATION(S):

Musician

APPARENTLY OBSESSED BY:

Metaphors involving flatulence.

INFLUENCES:

Glass jars, pelicans.

MAKES HIM HAPPY:

Memories of playing the Euro strip circuit while still a teen.

HOME:

15th Century cottage in Shropshire, U.K.

COLLAPSED BACKSTAGE IN:

Australia

RECENT ACCOMPLISHMENT:

Bought a Birmingham restaurant and renamed it Rio.

NEVER BEEN TO:

The "real" Rio

LIFESTYLE:

"Almost" vegetarian.

CLAIMS TO HAVE MODERATED:

Errant ways.

ABOUT THE GROUP:

"A hobby gone mad!"

BEST IDEA OF 1980:

"We've noticed there's a gap for teen heroes in England, the U.S., and Japan and we've already been thinking about those markets."

QUOTE:

"They were quite blatant. They said, 'We're poseurs. We want a goodlooking poseur band.' "—on his audition for the group.

JOHN TAYLOR

REAL NAME:

Nigel John Taylor

NICKNAME:

Mr. Nighttime P.R.

BIRTHDAY:

June 20, 1960

BIRTHPLACE:

Hollywood, U.K.

ASTROLOGICAL SIGN:

Gemini

SIGNIFICANCE OF ASTRO SIGN:

Two mince in one.

MOM:

Yes

DAD:

White collar auto industry

KEY TO PERSONAL APPEARANCE:

Threw out all his trenchcoats last year.

OPINION RESPECTED MUCH MORE THAN THAT OF PRESS:

"Me mum."

DISPOSITION:

Calm, determined, "cheerful-if-paranoid."

FINAL PROJECT FOR ART SCHOOL:

Duran Duran's demo tape.

LAUGHED OUT OF:

Art school.

IDEA OF GOOD TIME:

To be "seen sneezing with Jerry Hall."

THE PRESS MAKES HIM:

"Scream!"

HE MAKES THE PRESS:

Puke.

BEST EXPERIENCE:

Walking into Studio 54 arm-in-arm with Andy Warhol. The doorman stopped the rest of the band until John said, "It's OK, they're with us."

WORST EXPERIENCE:

"Being surrounded by hundreds of girls and then going out and not be able to get laid."

LIKELY STORY:

"Being surrounded by hundreds of girls and then going out and not be qble to get laid."

STOOPID LIE:

"We've never recorded anything as banal as 'Karma Chameleon' or 'True.'

LAST THING HE'D DO:

"Sing about bad times."

NEXT TO LAST THING HE'D DO:

Sinq about bad press.

LIKES:

James Bond videos, chocolate

DISLIKES:

The Press (...and it hurts us like heckl)

LIKES TO SAY:

"Get off the chair and do it!"

PREVIOUS OCCUPATION(S)-

Art student

NUMBER SIX ON HIS WORRY PARADE:

"Underlying paranoia."

AMBITION:

To own a different car for each day of the week.

CONSPICUOUS CONSUMPTION:

Purchased a James Bond-style gold Aston Martin.

INFLUENCES:

Chic, Aerosmithl?

NEVER BEEN TO:

Rio

MAKES HIM HAPPY:

Being liked not just as a member of the group, but as a "personality."

MOST OBNOXIOUS RECENT REMARK:

"We've realized that we are pop stars, so whatever we say is the right thing for pop stars to say."

HOME:

Infrequently

RECENT ACCOMPLISHMENT:

Caused innumerable young boys to dye their hair the color of soft drink cans.

THINKS HE'S HOT SHIT BECAUSE:

"We're five highly marketable chaps."

ABOUT THE GROUP:

"We're all boppers at heart."

QUOTE:

"What is art, man?" •