Last week, Duran Duran was nominated to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Simon Le Bon, John Taylor, Nick Rhodes, and Roger Taylor issued a statement as a band, but what about Andy Taylor, the fifth original member who left the band for a second and final time in 2006? The guitarist responded to the nomination over the weekend.
I thought it cool to give this a few days, to wait for the dust to settle – it’s a big one, big & most unexpected – I have to say that without a shred of doubt the guys deserve an enormous amount of respect for keeping the band going & very much alive. It’s true – we love survivors & it’s also true that until something like this happens in life, you don’t really know how you’re going to feel. So yes, I’ve definitely got some skin in this game, tingly skin & was choked when I saw my name among the nominations! Award shows add a passing sparkle, but being nominated to TR&RHOF is so much more than a TV moment. As a musician you look at the company you’re now revelling in, both thrilling & humbling but undoubtedly in Duran’s case extremely well deserving, in fact some might say “a tad overdue”… However, it’s the unwavering support from an army of fans, followers & dare I say Duranies whom despite the media’s relentless cheap shots & sheer bloody ignorance towards the band at times, have supported each & all of us, bonkers to think of really… some 45 years later. So Thank You massively from the bottom of my heart, it’s an incredible piece of legacy to be gifted & I’m one very proud fella. ATX
Andy Taylor has led a pretty private life since he departed from the band, so you didn’t know what to expect. But he handled it with class.
A lot of bands who broke up or lost members reunite when they get inducted into the Hall of Fame, like The Police and Journey. So good things can come from it. Maybe Andy will be willing to give D2 a third shot? After all, the third time is the charm. And he wrote a charming letter about the nomination.
That letter was all class and humbleness. It shows he has matured and deserves to be there alongside the four men with whom he played with for decades. I seriously can’t get over his letter because it was so well-written and from the heart.
When it comes to if they should get inducted, the answer is hell yes. They helped to launch MTV with their groundbreaking and controversial videos for Girls on Film, The Chauffer, Rio, and so on. Along with still going strong for almost 45 years, and they are not slowing down.
It is a tough year because Dolly Parton deserves it for being Dolly Parton. Pat Benetar showed us that women can Rock better than a man. Eminem for what he has done for Rap. Dionne Warwick for opening the door for other Black female artists. Lionel Richie sold a lot of albums in the ’80s and proved he is just as strong of a musician as a solo artist. Carly Simon taught us we can all be vain. And The New York Dolls showed us that men can be dolled up in women’s clothing and Rock!
Sorry, but I think Eurythmics, A Tribe Called Quest, Judas Preist, Devo, Kate Bush, Beck, and Rage Against the Machine can wait for another year.
Hillary Clinton and Louise Penny are doing press for their thriller State of Terror, and they got a thrill. The ladies ran into Duran Duran’s Simon Le Bon and John Taylor, who are promoting their album Future Past.
I can tell the First Lady is a fan because she has the same expression on her face as I did when I met them for the first time.
Oh, and you can tell the bandmates are just as excited to meet her. I mean, look at the singer’s face; he can barely contain himself. When it comes to the bassist, he is too cool to show it. That is why we love him.
Duran Duran was on Watch What Happens Live yesterday, and Andy Cohen was wondering if there is something he should know about their good ole days when they were wild boys with a view to a kill. They gave some details, but they did not share too much information with him.
What did they share? Things like Simon Le Bon revealing that he has peed in pants when he’s been on stage. And it sounds like that has happened more than once.
John Taylor is the only one who is a member of the mile-high club, and he also destroyed at least one hotel room.
Only one bandmate has gotten into a fight with a member from another band, and it is the quiet Roger Taylor.
And I saved the best for last. When it comes to whose union of the snake saw the most new moons on Monday, it is Nick Rhodes. Hey, he was my favorite until I met them for the first time. Then I was and am all about John. Too bad he has a Juicy marriage going on.
Now we know why their videos were banished until the sun went down on MTV. They were hungry like the wolf living the no-no-notorious Rock star lives!
I don’t know about you, but I love to hear stories about how people got their big breaks. I especially enjoy hearing when another famous person believes in the future celebrity so much that they help them get their start.
Today, Limahl wished Duran Duran’s Nick Rhodes a happy 59th birthday. In his post, he shared how the keyboardist changed his life.
“A BIG Happy birthday to NICK (Rhodes) today – I can’t believe it’s almost 40 years since I served you that drink at THE EMBASSY CLUB on London’s Old Bond Street where I worked as a waiter,” The singer wrote, “I enthused to you about my band KAJAGOOGOO. Amazingly you asked me to send you our demos and the rest as they say…you went on to co-produce (with Colin Thurston) our worldwide hit ‘TOO SHY’ 🥂🥂🥂”
To all you future musicians, who are working a day job wishing for your big break, you never where and when you will find it.
It is also nice to know that someone in a band, who just got their big break, was willing to help a stranger have the same opportunity. That is why Nick Rhodes was my favorite member of the band. I knew he had a huge heart to go with his huge you know what!!!
Duran Duran’s John Taylor revealed today that he tested positive for Coronavirus three weeks ago.
DEAR FRIENDS OF MINE after giving some thought to this, I have decided to share with you that I tested positive with the Corona Virus almost three weeks ago.
Perhaps I am a particularly robust 59 year old – I like to think I am – or was blessed with getting only a mild case of Covid 19 – but after a week or so of what I would describe as a ‘Turbo-charged Flu’, I came out of it feeling okay- although I must admit I didn’t mind the quarantine as it gave me the chance to really recover.
I am speaking out in answer to the enormous amount of fear being generated by the pandemic, some of it entirely justified, and my heart goes out to everyone who has had to deal with real loss and pain. But I want to let you know that it isn’t always a killer, and we can and will beat this thing.
Sending LOVE to all my Homies and Fans, in Italy 🇮🇹 particularly, the UK 🇬🇧 and the US 🇺🇸 and everywhere in the world I have been lucky enough to visit on my travels with DURAN DURAN.
Cannot wait to be back onstage again, sharing new music, love and joy. Stay safe, stay connected and get creative! Love John 🖤
Thankfully, he is through the worst of it.
Now, that is out of the woods, can we talk about how amazing he looks for a 59-year-old man? He looks even better now than he did when D2 started out in the early ’80s.
