Duran Devotion

I have been a MAJOR DURAN DURAN fan since 1984. Thats 28 years of DURAN DEVOTION. I will be the first to admit that my DURAN LOVE has wavered at times (lets just forget about that POP TRASH album, shall we). They will commence the Australian leg of the All You Need is Now Tour tonight in Brisbane! I am seeing Duran Duran at the Hunter Valley on 31 March 2012 and am highly excited about hearing the songs from the fantastic ALL YOU NEED IS NOW album being played live. Its a great album with some of their best songs in recent times. I am hoping to hear GIRL PANIC, THE MAN WHO STOLE THE LEOPARD, MEDITERRANEA and ALL YOU NEED IS NOW. So this post is a little bit of my history with the boys from BRUM. Brace yourself for a mega-post (as one vinylluver reader put it on a previously long post) and make yourself a green tea!

 

1. I have met the band ONCE and that was in 2004 at a HMV record signing for SUNRISE in London. I left work early to get in queue as I knew it was going to be crazy. I was one of the lucky ones to get in. I managed to get my RIO tour program and SUNRISE CD single signed. John ignored me when I made a comment about his hair in the RIO tour program but other than that it was an amazing moment.

Autographed Rio Tour Program.

2. I once was involved with running an Australian fanzine called OUR BIG THING (it was circa 1991 and the album BIG THING had been released a few years earlier). It was created with a number of other Duranies in Australia but fortunately only lasted 2 issues. I was responsible for the Merchandise page (ie the best places to buy Duran merchandise) and the Buy Swap Sell page (where fans can write in to off load their unwanted Andy Taylor records (should they want to). We gave it our all for those 2 issues! GOOD TIMES!

Our Big Thing - Issue 2. I love a fanzine!

3. I was present at the Sydney Hard Rock Cafe when Duran performed their famous concert "This is No Ordinary World Tour" which was performed in LA at Tower Records and beamed to Hard Rock Cafes around the world on 15 May 1993 in support of the WEDDING ALBUM. I caught a bus from Adelaide to Sydney, thats 24 hours on a bus to be there, to see them on a video screen! I met up with some other fans who had travelled from Melbourne. I was in Sydney for 1.5 days and then caught the bus back to Adelaide. It was totally crazy but great fun, things you do as a crazy Duranie. I got chosen to ask the band a question as part of the Q/A at the end of the concert but unfortunately some other cow actually asked a question from Sydney. There were a bunch of us who were chosen and I think Richard Wilkins from the Today show was there as the media person, if memory serves me correct.

Stolen Press Release from the Hard Rock Cafe. 

4. My favourite member will always be NICK RHODES. He is funny, witty, intelligent, talented and the most adorable man in POP. He loves lists, has never worn jeans and wears lipstick. See my From Nick Rhodes With Love post for further reason of my love of this man.

 

5. When I moved to London in 1999, I moved earlier than I had originally planned to because Duran Duran were playing Earls Court that December and I had to see them! It was the first time I had seen them live as they had not toured Australia since 1983! See Number 9 for further details of my Duran live experiences.

6. I once wrote to Maynard at Triple J (Australian national radio station) to play COME UNDONE, 2nd single from the WEDDING ALBUM (as my role as Duran's unofficial PR in Australia)! Well, he rang me at 5.30am in the morning one Saturday to speak to me about it while ON AIR. OK so no-one was listening at 5.30am but I was being interviewed ON AIR by Maynard. Thanks to the 30 minute time difference between Sydney and Adelaide, I was able to tape it and I still have it on cassette to this day. It was another amazing Duran moment!

7. When Duran splintered in 1985 into POWER STATION and ARCADIA, I preferred Arcadia. Where Nick goes I follow! The SO RED THE ROSE project was quite amazing. It is one of the most underrated albums of the 1980's. Some great musicians and singers contributed to the album including Grace Jones, Sting, Herbie Hancock and Carlos Alomar to name a few! Linda Evangelista is in the video for ELECTION DAY!  THE PROMISE is one of my all time favourite songs by Duran Duran.

 

8. I used to collect crazily and obsessively on Duran Duran, particularly from 1986 to 1996. I mean I had to have every picture, every record, every CD, just EVERYTHING (please see numbers 1, 2, 3, 5 & 6 for obsessive fan behaviour related to this) To this day I still have 6 copies of A VIEW TO A KILL on 7inch because each one is different because it was pressed in a different country. I am no longer a major collector and I don't begrudge those that still are. I would rather focus my energy on other areas of my life such as this blog and home decorating. I still have my scrapbooks though (haven't been able to part with them) but have sold large parts of my collection on ebay. If anyone is looking for a copy of NEW MOON ON MONDAY on 7inch from the Netherlands, you know who to contact!

9. I have seen Duran Duran LIVE 6 times, mostly when I was living in London (1999-2007).

• 8 December 1999 Let it Flow  Tour - Earls Court Arena - It was the first time I saw Duran and it was magical if only for the experience.
• 11 December 2000 - Pop Trash Tour - Manchester Apollo - My sister was visiting me from Oz and we were travelling all over the place and I was not in London for their concert so we travelled to Manchester to see them!
• 14 October 2003 The Reunion Tour - The Forum - I had to lineup at the Astoria (legendary music venue now closed) early in the morning to get these tickets. This concert was one of the best with the original line-up. They were ON FIRE!
• 13 April 2004 The Reunion Tour - Wembley Arena - We were like in the 2nd to back row and I swear we could touch the ceiling of Wembley. I remember being very HOT throughout the whole concert. 
• 13 January 2005 BBC Radio 2 concert - Hammersmith Palais (another music venue in London which has now closed) - I won tickets for this concert from BBC Radio 2. It was a small intimate gig and we were at the side not really bothered about getting close in front of the stage. Yasmin and the other Duran wives/girlfriends/children were dancing behind us! I was too in awe of being close to a supermodel to even turn sideways!  
• 28 March 2008 Red Carpet Massacre Tour - Sydney Entertainment Centre - This was the first time I saw Duran in Australia. Writing this now it feels slightly strange that after all these years of being a fan, this was the first time I saw the band in Australia.

OK so thats some of my history with Duran Duran. If you have similar stories please let me know, I'd love to hear them. I think this may be my longest post yet on vinylluver and now I need a lie down! I am finishing  this post with my favourite track on ALL YOU NEED IS NOW which is THE MAN WHO STOLE THE LEOPARD. Enjoy.