Pick A Group, Any Group, and I'll Tell You a Story about 'em: Duran Duran

One of my favorite hubbers advised me that this would make a good hub and since I have already written the text myself...why not? By popular demand, here they are the greatest hits of my collected biographical works on the Entertainment Forum thread PICK A GROUP ANY GROUP.

That's right hubbers! I don't know if this is allowed but I will tell you a story about anyone you want to know about. AND I can tell you the songs that are worth your while from that artist.

Who are you into? or thinking or getting into and just want a DJs opinion on?

and my first request was.....ugh...DURAN DURAN. Silly me I thought people would ask about Funk or Hip-Hop. Okay, gotta make a good first impression...

SweetiePie wrote:

What are you opinions about Duran Duran? Just curious because I have always liked some of their songs.

My Response was...

My opinion is that like all new wavers of their day, they wanted to be The Clash in the early days but when they found out what their strengths were and how to make money, they weren't interested in being them anymore.

Duran Duran who gets their name from the villain character in the Jane Fonda space adventure Barbarella, had a few strengths.

Here they are...the strengths and weird facts about DURAN DURAN off the top of my head at 2am..

1. They had a lead singer who could sing, a bass player who could play and they both had faces that were meant for MTV's teenage girl audience.

John Taylor and Simon LeBon were to girls what David Lee Roth and Eddie Van Halen were to boys. Someone to hang on your wall with big glossy poster. VH Logo on the Notebook was standard.

2. They wrote very good pop songs!

Hungry Like The Wolf, Girls On Film, Save a Prayer, The Reflex & Ordinary World

3. When they wrote bad ones, they covered it well with terrific videos!

The Wild Boys, Union of the Snake, New Moon on Monday, A View To A Kill

4. None of the three guys named Taylor were at all related. John (Bass) Andy (Guitar) & Roger (Drums) and Nick Rhodes' last name is really Bates. I remember this totally true factoid ONLY because I used to imagine him in England as a boy being called in for tea, "Oh Master Bates...." <giggle>

5. Some of the side projects the band did were okay, too I guess. Side projects are notoriously self-indulgent and forgettable, these weren't much different.

Andy & John Taylor joined up with Robert Palmer & CHIC drummer Tony Thompson to form supergroup The Power Station who scored 2 Fat Hits in the US. They were "Some Like It Hot" & their hard rock rendition of T. Rex's 'Bang a Gong' which they re-titled "Get It On".

Meanwhile, Simon, Nick & Roger were forming ARCADIA who had one hit with the blah single, "Election Day". But it doesn't stop there. Andy Taylor also did some writing for former Go-Go Belinda Carlisle's solo debut including a solo on her first single, "Mad About You".

6. John & Andy Taylor were also active in the hollywood soundtrack game. John Taylor did the theme song to what classic 80s skin flick??? Mickey Rourke...Kim Basinger.....You got it. "I Do What I Do" was the theme to 9 & 1/2 Weeks! Meanwhile, Andy Taylor did the theme song to the pathetic 80s gymnastics movie AMERICAN ANTHEM called "Take It Easy".

John's single reached #23 and Andy's went to #24. (That I did look up!)

Andy's follow-up single in '86 was called "When The Rain Comes Down" and was featured on the Miami Vice II Soundtrack. (Apparently TV Shows had sequels too?)

7. They give respect. They did an album of covers in order to honor the people who inspired them when they started. The single from this album was a version of "White Lines (Don't Do It)" and it was just awful. They even got Grandmaster Melle Mel to do some rapping on it but it didn't help. Nice thought though.

It's 2:45 and i am done.

Yeah right! Done? That's a laugh. I went on to write...

Fatboy Slim - and all aliases of Norman Cook (Req: funride)

Jethro Tull (Req. Paraglider)

Van Halen vs. Van Hagar, etc. (Req. TiffanyDow)

The Ink Spots (William F. Torpey)

Herman Brood and his Wild Romance (Mark Knowles)

Them w/ Van Morrison (rmr)

Genesis vs. Phil Collins / Mike & The Mechanics (firetown)

Creedence Clearwater Revival (kerryg)

R.E.M (Astralbex)

Adam & The Ants / Adam Ant (Astralbex)

VOICE OF THE BEEHIVE (Quotations)

and a dozen more but all of these groups will recieve a hub of their own with enhanced commentary and as you can see, photos and videos too.