DD Appreciation Day - August 10

[Klingoncelt]

As explained by Roger Taylor...

Duran Duran Appreciation Day, 2013
August 10th, 2013

It's here once again...Duran Duran Appreciation Day, in the year 2013! Incredible that a band formed in 1978 still has a day dedicated to it... I guess it's a time for reflection: where we have been, where we are now, and where we are heading. All questions that are open to debate, depending on which perspective you are coming from, be it fan, a critic or a member of the band; but one thing this band has always done (as the title of our last album triumphantly declared) is to live and function in the moment, never looking over our shoulder for too long, never over-dwelling on which direction we are heading, but focusing on where we are right now. And where are we at as I write this? Pretty well right in the middle of our 14th album, working a day at a time towards what we all feel will be a great record, very unlike the last and probably totally unlike the next, but one which will perfectly capture a moment in time that is located approximately 35 years after the formation of Duran Duran. And of course, what we must always remember is that the band would not be here, in any shape or form, without our loyal legion of 'Duranies' that still continue to inhabit Planet Earth.

So... thank you and here's to another DD Appreciation Day!

Roger x


www.duranduran.com/wordpress/2013/duran-duran-appreciation-day-2013/

[duranietillrcm]

If he would just wise up to embrace the past, and realize that the music that made them great in the 80's can make them great again if they'd just update that type of sound.

I hope that this album isn't anything like RCM....

[Klingoncelt]

I doubt anything could suck that bad. However, I'm worried that it won't be a GREAT album. That's what they need, and I'm pretty sure it'll fall short.

[duranietillrcm]

Unless Andy would get involved, of course it won't be great. Astronaut was great, he was a huge part of that.

BTW, when I was listening to Sirius XM First Wave channel yesterday, they had this commercial about their service. The line was "sometimes it's guitar, sometimes it's synth", and guess what song they were playing when it came to the "guitar" portion?

Hungry Like The Wolf!


GET THE HINT DURAN DURAN???

[Klingoncelt]

I hate that song.

DD mixed out or muffled the guitar too much on the Andy albums. Astronaut would have been a lot better with more guitar.

Speaking of muffled, it's strange that the band are so quiet about the album, and everything in general, 5 months after they went in the studio.

Do they have the biggest, greatest surprise ever coming up, or are they out of money and stalled?

[duranietillrcm]

I think since they don't have a huge corporation behind them, they can't get the publicity they would like to, that's why they do stupid shit like these moronic places they show up in.

I still find it strange that Andy is so quiet for so long.

[Klingoncelt]

They don't seem to be getting a lot of corporate gigs, now that you mention it, but regular publicity isn't what I mean. They aren't saying anything about anything on any of their sites. That's very weird. No rumors, no blogs, no art shows, nada.

I'm guessing Andy has retired for good as a guitar player. Not a single word in what - 2 years?

[duranietillrcm]

I've seen that he's working with other artists, but not his own music, which is strange. That song he did with Cold Blank is the last new material I know about. That's dated 2012.

What's the strangest thing is why he doesn't just say "I'm working with other artists, producing and mixing their music, I'll get back to my own stuff when I'm done helping them", or something to that effect. Just being silent isn't good for his fan base.

[Klingoncelt]

Exactly.

He could have a Youtube page where he post songs from bands he's working with. He did that with Myspace and Soundcloud, which was nice, but most people prefer to have a player on the thread post than an offsite link. I almost never click on links, sometimes they don't work, sometimes they do, sometimes they're virused.

But with no word at all his fanbase has drifted off. If he does come back they'll all be gone. Hell, I haven't been to the BT board in a while, maybe I'll go later this week to see if anyone else has been there this month.

[duranietillrcm]

I keep looking around, hoping someone has heard SOMETHING for heaven's sake.

[Klingoncelt]

John's doing a book thing in Edinburgh tomorrow:



John Taylor: My family values

Duran Duran's bass player talks about his parents' devotion, his blended family and being sober when his mother died

Giulia Rhodes

The Guardian, Friday 16 August 2013 08.00 EDT

John Taylor: 'You never stop missing your parents.'

Being an only child was both blissful and frustrating. I still don't share my toys very well. Growing up in a triangle with two loving parents was a tremendous privilege, but I didn't develop that tough skin you get from having to fight for attention. There were a lot of rude awakenings. On my first day at school, they parked the craziest kids next to me – I was stunned.


My father was of a generation whose wartime experiences left them with untreated post-traumatic stress disorder. He didn't talk about it until he was in his 80s, but it was always present. He was a prisoner of war for three years. Then, at the end of the war, he was put on a 500-mile forced march. Hundreds died. Finally, they ran into the advancing allies and it was over. He was 25. All he would say was that he had it easy compared to Uncle George, who was a prisoner in Japan.


Dad was tightly buckled up, not expressive with his feelings, but he was such a sweet guy. He showed love by making himself useful. He could line curtains, put up shelves – he loved a project. As a child, interests often come out of the desire to be close to a parent, and we spent hours bonding over Airfix kits. When I got my first electric guitar, I wasn't happy with the look of it, so he found me some ermine white [paint], left over from his second beloved Ford Cortina, and helped me spray it.


Mum was a music fan. There was never a sense it was something we could do – no instruments or lessons – but she loved to put the radio on and sing along. After my parents died, I found a beautiful little notebook from the late 40s in which she had painstakingly handwritten the words to about 50 popular songs.


My parents grew up on the same working-class Birmingham street. Their generation didn't have today's high expectations of relationships and life. Dad knew my mum's brothers and they planned it together. They were a good match. They wanted work, someone to share their life with, their own home and a child. They got that and they were extraordinarily grateful.


Dad adored my mother. He was a good-looking guy and after Mum died in 1988, [my second wife] Gela and I thought we'd be able to set him up with someone. Whenever we brought it up, he would just say he couldn't follow Jean, she was perfection. He taught me a lot about love.


When my daughter [Atlanta, 21] and stepchildren [Travis, 24, and Zoe, 22] were going through school, we got to know teachers, did PTA meetings, soccer coaching. My parents were so different. I wouldn't go to school for days on end and they never heard about it. If there was a letter home, I would forge their signatures. I just wanted to spend all day reading the NME and hanging out in record stores.


My parents took huge pleasure in my career. They had no ambition for themselves but had so much confidence in me. Becoming the biggest Duran Duran fan gave Mum a new lease of life. When we played Madison Square Gardens in 1984, we flew all the band's parents out. They went up the Empire State building and to Disney World and stayed in a five-star hotel. Mum had never left the country. They took those memories to the grave.


Fans were always turning up at the house. My parents loved it. I still have people telling me they went to Simon Road one afternoon in 1983 and Mum gave them tea and biscuits and Dad drove them to the station. One Christmas I went home to find four sacks of fan mail. They were so proud, but I was so off my head and angry and confused that I just lost it. They were bewildered by my behaviour.


Witnessing Atlanta's birth [with first wife Amanda de Cadenet] could not have been more perfect. I loved spending time with her, but once I separated from her mother I knew there was a certain quality of parenting she would never get. As a nuclear unit, you can do so much – good cop, bad cop, interchangeable parenting. I have a lot of friends who have been through breakups. I often think whatever you have to do to stay together, just try.


My wife, my ex-wife and I all do the best we can, but it is uphill. It sounds such a gentle word, but blending families is a huge challenge. It puts demands on all the children. It is still a work in progress. There is never a point in parenting where you think that everything is sorted, but I wouldn't want there to be. I want to interact. I don't want them not to need me anymore.


In my 30s I was struggling to evolve into a responsible adult male. I had a hard time shaking off the hysteria of fans and pop stardom and slotting into family life. I kind of did, but then you don't count on the drugs and the alcohol. I was out of control.


Being sober when my mother passed away was the most profound experience of my life. I wasn't disappearing or sliding down the sofa. I was entirely present and I could be a rock for my father. You never stop missing your parents, but I am so grateful that getting clean gave me perspective on the important relationships and they both knew how much I loved them.

At the time I met Gela [1996], I needed someone who loved me just for me. She didn't know anything about the band. I wasn't the ex-pinup, so the emotions were very clear for us both.


• John Taylor is giving a talk about his book "In the Pleasure Groove: Love Death and Duran Duran" (Sphere, £7.99) on Saturday 17 August at the Edinburgh International Book Festival


Link: www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2013/aug/16/john-taylor-duran-duran-family-values

[Klingoncelt]

Oh, back on topic, there's this:



Duran Duran Appreciation Day 2013 Message from JT
August 10th, 2013

ANOTHER YEAR ANOTHER DD-DAY!

So far... An interesting year for the band- in the studio- working on songs that will make your hair stand on end, make your body dance, make your brain think, 'Wha???".. enable Simon to keep sayin' 'We’re the band to MAKE YOU PARTAY!... .'
It's the fun life, the rock life, and it’s a gift you guys give to us every day. THANK YOU for not making me get a day job! I LOVE MY JOB! How many of us can say that?

So many of you have made an effort this year to celebrate Duran, that I wanted to weigh in with a few words of recognition. I will be in Edinburgh next week, so maybe I'll see some of you there. I hope so!

In the meantime- keep the faith in us and we'll keep the faith in you!

Much Love
-John XXX


www.duranduran.com/wordpress/2013/duran-duran-appreciation-day-2013-message-from-jt/

[duranietillrcm]

BTW, I'm calling bullshit on this phrase in the John post above....


"t the time I met Gela [1996], I needed someone who loved me just for me. She didn't know anything about the band. I wasn't the ex-pinup, so the emotions were very clear for us both."

Come on, you can't tell me Gela didn't know about Duran Duran. Maybe she didn't CARE about the band, or like the music, but she knew. You would have had to live in fucking Afghanistan caves to not know about Duran Duran. I'm glad he has a woman who loves him and supports him both mentally and spiritually though, life is too short to live with people who don't value you as a person. I had to realize that the hard way.

[Klingoncelt]

I have to agree with that, on all points.

I'll call him out on this: "I have a lot of friends who have been through breakups. I often think whatever you have to do to stay together, just try."

If it's not working it's not working. Sure, try to make repairs, but the sad fact is that people marry for the wrong reasons, people present themselves to their fiances as something that they aren't and never will be, and there are those that develop impossible to live with addictions. Try, yes, but don't stay together for the kids, it can do more harm than good.

[duranietillrcm]

He's living in a fantasy world if he thinks every relationship should stay together. If that were the case, I would have been stuck with real assholes and never met my wonderful husband.