|
Duran Duran will most likely go down in musical
history as the first MTV superstars. A perfect
example of the right band at the right time, the
Birmingham, England quintet wisely took full advantage
of the video medium and the advent of MTV with
exotic clips that exploited their pretty-boy looks
and with-it fashion sense. As an unfortunate result,
their hairstyles, mascara and leather trousers
received more attention than did their music,
and they were maliciously reviled by critics.
But that was typical of the video age; Duran Duran
were a video group first (the only Grammy they
have ever won was for Best Long-Form Video) and
a musical group second. Still, for better or worse,
they helped cement the star-making power of MTV,
and their influence on the style of music video
is undeniable. Duran Duran is a pop music group.
They were part of the New Wave music explosion
in the early 1980s, as well as a leading band
in the Second British Invasion. They are still
often identified as an Eighties band despite continuous
recording and evolution over the past twenty-five
years. The band was formed in Birmingham, England
by Nick Rhodes (keyboards) and John Taylor (bass
guitar), with the later addition of Roger Taylor
(drums), Andy Taylor (guitar), and Simon Le Bon
(lead vocals); it is worth noting that none of
the Taylors are related. (Guitarist Warren Cuccurullo
was also a member of the band from 1989 to 2001,
and drummer Sterling Campbell was a member from
1989 to 1991.) Inspired by one of their favorite
Birmingham clubs, Barbarella's, the band took
their name from the evil character Dr. Durand-Durand,
played by Milo O'Shea in Roger Vadim's sexy science-fiction
cult film Barbarella. John Taylor and Nick Rhodes
created the band in 1978, envisioning a group
with the raw do-it-yourself energy of the Sex
Pistols, the dance grooves of Chic, and the elegant
style of David Bowie and Roxy Music. They experimented
with several different lineups; their original
singer was Stephen Duffy, (who went on to lead
TinTin and The Lilac Time). Duffy left Duran Duran
early in 1979, shortly before the other two Taylors
and Le Bon fell into place, finalizing the lineup.
Artist Biography - Duran Duran Duran Duran recorded
two demo tapes and performed tirelessly in clubs
around Birmingham and London, especially at the
Rum Runner nightclub owned by their managers,
brothers Paul and Michael Berrow. They were considered
part of the New Romantic scene, along with other
style-and-dance bands like Spandau Ballet. Touring
in 1980 with Hazel O'Connor, the band attracted
critical attention that escalated into a bidding
war between the major record labels. "A certain
patriotism" toward the label of the Beatles led
them to sign with EMI. (Nick Rhodes has since
said, in a 1998 interview with Deluxe magazine,
that the band was "appallingly ripped off".) The
band's first album, Duran Duran, was released
in 1981. The first single, "Planet Earth", reached
the United Kingdom's Top 20 at number 3. The second,
"Careless Memories", made the chart but faded
away quickly; it was the third single, "Girls
On Film", that garnered them the most attention.
The song went to #5 in the UK in July, before
the notorious video was even filmed. That video
(featuring topless women mud wrestling and other
not-very-stylized depictions of sexual fetishes),
was made with directors Kevin Godley and Lol Creme
(formerly of the band 10cc), and was filmed in
August just two weeks after MTV was launched in
the United States, before anyone knew what an
impact the music channel would have on the industry.
The band expected the "Girls On Film" video to
be played in the newer nightclubs that had video
screens, or on pay-TV channels like the Playboy
Channel. Needless to say, the raunchy video created
an uproar (it was consequently banned by the BBC
and a heavily edited "day version" was aired on
MTV), and needless to say, the band enjoyed and
capitalized on that uproar. Later in 1981, the
band went on their first United States tour, where
they performed in venues such as The Roxy Theatre
nightclub in Los Angeles, The Ritz Hotel, and
The Peppermint Lounge in New York, followed by
more dates in Germany and the UK. Thanks to the
videos, the band also became a major success in
Australia without doing any touring or promotion
there -- the "Planet Earth" single went to #1
on the Australian charts, and the album performed
respectably as well. Like Depeche Mode, Duran
Duran were among the earliest bands to work on
their own remixes. Before the days of digital
synthesizers and audio sampling, they created
complex, multilayered arrangements of their singles,
often recording entirely different extended performances
of the songs in studio. (These "night versions"
were generally available only on vinyl, as b-sides
to 45 rpm singles or on 12-inch club singles,
until the release of the Night Versions: The Essential
Duran Duran compilation in 1998.) From the very
beginning, the band had a keen sense of style,
and worked with stylist Perry Haines and fashion
designers like Kahn & Bell and Antony Price to
build a hip, cutting-edge image, soon growing
beyond the ruffles and sashes of the pirate-flavored
New Romantic look. In addition, they retained
creative control of the band's visual presentation,
and worked closely with graphic designers like
Malcolm Garrett to create album covers and tour
programs. Teen magazines and music magazines in
the UK latched onto their good looks quickly,
and the US soon followed; it was a rare month
in the early eighties when there was not at least
one picture of the band members in teen magazines
like Smash Hits or Tiger Beat, even if the sugary
coverage was at odds with the band's titillating
videos and sometimes dark lyrics. It helped that
each member had a distinctive look and personality.
John Taylor once remarked that the band was "like
a box of Quality Street [chocolates]; everyone
is somebody's favorite," -- an effect that is
now strategically planned in more recent boy bands.
Duran Duran would later come to regret this early
pin-up exposure, but at the time it helped gain
them the national attention they sought. Duran
Duran began to achieve worldwide recognition in
1982. In May, they released their second album,
Rio, which scored three UK top twenties with "Hungry
Like the Wolf", "Save A Prayer", and the title
song. A headlining tour of Australia, Japan, and
the US was followed by a stint supporting Blondie
during that band's final American tour.
|
