Duran Duran

21 Days in Soho

1970s, album covers, Duran Duran, Inspirational Images, interesting record sleeves, Mick Rock, Noelle, Richard Myhill, The Last Resort
21

Richard Myhill – 21 Days in Soho (1975)

With a cover like that, and songs such as “Lazy Lady” (Never operational til the sun has left the sky) and “Backstage Judy” (You look hot but you’re cucumber cool), how could I resist?

Sleeve design, photography etc by Mick Rock. Styling by Sheila. Legs by Noelle. Shot at The Last Resort restaurant, Fulham Road, London. Thanks to Sue Machin for making the kimono with amazing speed.

Scanned by Miss Peelpants.

It Takes Two To Tango (1978) was Myhill’s biggest UK hit, and he later worked with my beloved Durans on some of my favourite songs (including Tel Aviv and My Own Way)

Too bad you’re so beautiful…

Duran Duran
Real bassists sweat

Two years ago, I doubted I would ever actually want to see Duran Duran live again. Not because they were any kind of disappointment, quite the opposite. I simply doubted that I would ever see them so ‘up close’ again, and I’m no fan of the stadium rock gig. Then Simon Le Bon came down with a very scary-sounding throat infection this summer. It postponed all of their UK gigs, but luckily for me it meant that they decided to ease themselves back into gigging with a handful of small, intimate gigs in some slightly obscure venues.

My ladies Senti and Charley were my trusty companions for the third, and penultimate, gig at the Trinity Centre in Bristol; a venue so unassuming it was almost unbelievable. I can safely say that I NEVER thought I would EVER see Duran Duran in a tiny, grubby, sweaty little venue in a dodgy part of Bristol. Sweaty, seriously sweaty. As Le Bon himself said when he came blinking onto a tiny stage, which was once the altar of this former church, they haven’t played gigs like this since 1981!

He tries to hide, but I finally managed to get a photo of Roger!

As a largely fan-orientated and populated gig, it was also an almost unique experience of people actually wanting to hear the band’s new music. Of course you could almost sense people wetting themselves at the performance of obscurities like Tiger Tiger, Shadows Are on Your Side, Secret Oktober and [the less obscure but I’d never heard it live…] Union of the Snake, but everyone seemed to know and love their new album, All You Need is Now, which is a definite return to form under the producership of Mr Mark Ronson.
Despite standing still most of the time, this was the only non-blurry Nick shot I got. I apologise. He has also attempted to blend completely with the background. Perhaps to avoid being attacked with badges and shoes…

As much as I wished to coo over my third favourite man in the world, John Taylor, I was also aware that the poor guy has some seriously scary fans and I feared for the safety of my hair and my eyes. So I opted to stick with my girls over on the right hand side of the stage. We decided that it was right and proper that Nick Rhodes had three stylish girls to look out at (although Charley and I were still talking about attacking him with badges and shoes as revenge for our whole Lovebox experience) and we ended up being right at the front, bags and coats on the stage. No barriers? At a Duran gig? Are you serious?

Rowr. Etc….
Actual view without zoom and without flash.
Proximity to Duran equipment and slight Bowie-fangirl moment…

It was definitely one of the best gigs I’ve ever been to and I’m praying that they decide small warm-ups are worth continuing with. I feel very fortunate.

Sweaty Le Betty

Miss Peelpants does a video

cherry gillespie, Duran Duran, geekiness, haute naffness, pan's people, ruby flipper

No, not a tutorial. There’s enough of that kind of thing out there already. Nobody needs/wants to know my methods of applying eyeliner, curling my hair or picking my nose (or whatever else people do them for…). When I get a case of the blues, which I have had rather lately, I end up doing stupidly geeky things. The end result this time is a ‘fan vid’ for Cherry Gillespie (Pan’s People, Ruby Flipper, general goddess…) and her hair. To the strains of Duran Duran’s ever-so-perfect Big Thing. If it’s your kind of thing, do enjoy. Otherwise, see you tomorrow for something else. Hopefully better. Although how it could possibly be so, is something I can’t quite imagine…

Every week, during the Top of the Pops 1976 repeats on BBC4, Mr Brownwindsor has to put up with me sitting there blathering on about Cherry’s hair. This is why:

Live Aid

bryan ferry, david bowie, Duran Duran, live aid, nik kershaw, queen, simon le bon, the who, ultravox

Painful as it might be to realise, Live Aid happened 25 years ago today. Even more painful, I imagine, for those who remember it more vividly than I do. I was certainly aware of it, and I remember attending some bring-and-buy sale possibly on the same day, but I wasn’t really old enough to properly appreciate the talent (both musical and totty) on show that day.







It also means that it’s 25 years since Simon Le Bon made the biggest cock-up of his life, in front of a worldwide audience of millions. Ouch. People still use it against him but I can assure you that he has always hit that note when I’ve seen them live. So there.

Reasons to own a time machine: The Rum Runner

Duran Duran, Eighties Fashion, jane kahn, new romantic, reasons to own a time machine, the rum runner

Yes, yes, of course I’d like to go back to the Blitz Club. But, me being me, I would make sure my first stop was The Rum Runner in Birmingham. The mirrorplex walls, neon lights, zebra print upholstery….and those five gorgeous boys who became the house band. Amongst other things: Nick Rhodes was a DJ, John Taylor was on the door, Andy Taylor flipped burgers and Roger Taylor collected glasses. Do we detect a somewhat cushier job for Mr Rhodes there?

The Berrow brothers (later managers of Duran Duran) relaunched the club in the late Seventies, inspired by Studio 54 in New York, and it became the New Romantic heart of Birmingham (via the Roxy and Bowie nights, mirroring the genesis of Steve Strange’s Blitz club). Martin Degville, the Durans, John Mulligan, iconic designers Jane Kahn and Patti Bell….hell, even Pete Townshend and Boy George paid them a visit.

Rhodes and Taylor created an amazing compilation album, Only After Dark, from their favourite tracks of the time. I’m horrified to see it’s now selling, second hand, for £90-odd on Amazon. Keep an eye out on eBay, or just download what you don’t already have from this amazing playlist they created as well. That is the kind of music which makes me want to cry with its fabulousness. Both Ends Burning? Adolescent Sex? Just mop me up…

“The Rum Runner menagerie was typically English, small, innovative and eccentric, filled with drama and humour. It was warm and friendly with a big personality.” Nick Rhodes

Sounds like my kind of place. Sadly, it was torn down in 1987. Now where IS that time machine?










Duran Duran – Planet Earth – shots from their days at the club.

The Beat – Mirror in the Bathroom – filmed at the Rum Runner.

Seeing stripes….

brian jones, david bowie, Duran Duran, george harrison, John Taylor, keith moon, marc bolan, stripeyness, the who

I have a confession to make; I’m afraid I go weak at the knees for guys in stripes. Not any old stripey thing, I hasten to add, but nicely tailored Sixties or Seventies numbers (and a bit of early Eighties stripey shirt action, Duran-style). I’m not sure where it came from, or why it has such a strange effect on me, but I’m not sure I really care. I’m just enjoying the view…..




(sensory overload….Pattie in Ossie! George in stripes!! Where to look, where to look….)



Some time on a trip to Uranus: Hunting Venus

Duran Duran, gary numan, new romantic, spandau ballet, synth

Several years ago, when I was in the first throws of my New Romantic love affair, a friend told me about something she’d seen on ITV a few years prior, called Hunting Venus. It starred Martin Clunes as the floppy-shirted bassist and Neil Morrissey as the flamboyant lead singer of a New-Rom group called The Venus Hunters, who are kidnapped and blackmailed into reforming the group. Danny Webb appears to be doing a mighty fine impression of Andy Taylor, I’m not quite sure which drummer Ben Miller was inspired by but I’m fairly certain Mark Williams is only channeling Nick Rhodes sartorially. Either that or he’s seen some interview I missed out on….

She loved it so much that she bought the soundtrack and recently gifted it to me in a clear-out. By now I’ve got most of the tracks on there anyway, but it’s still a nice thing to have. I never did see it at the time, and I still can’t find any evidence of it having been released on DVD. I desperately want to see it now, of course, especially after finding it on YouTube. In poor quality and with the soundtrack disabled for several parts, I’m not sure I want that to be the first time I get to see it.

Anyway, because the title track (Starburst; co-written by Jools Holland no less) has been stuck in my head ALL day and making me laugh like a drain every time (yes, I have a childish sense of humour) I thought I would inflict share a clip with you. Watch out for Simon Le Bon, Tony Hadley AND Gary Numan making cameo appearances. Why has this not been released? Why??

There’s something about those Eighties bassists…

bassists, david sylvian, Duran Duran, Eighties Fashion, japan, John Taylor, martin kemp, mick karn, spandau ballet, synth

Okay, maybe I can only summon three to mind whilst writing this [will add more if I can think of them] but still…they do seem to be ageing rather well, don’t they? Recent concert photos of Mr Martin Kemp got me thinking about how dishy he and Mr Nigel Taylor still are – and then I remembered that Mick Karn isn’t doing too badly either. I’m more of a Sylvian kinda girl, but Karn comes a close second with interesting hair and make-up….


If it’s good enough for The Bass God….

Duran Duran, John Taylor, vivienne westwood

…then it’s good enough for me. Fabulous Vivienne Westwood squiggle top I just spotted on eBay, and Mr Nigel Taylor had the same one in blue!

Hold Back The Rain (and, indeed, they did)

Duran Duran

In summary:-

Duran Duran have still got ‘it’.

I do not like N.E.R.D. Or their fans.

Duran Duran can control the weather with their music. Hold Back The Rain actually did the trick both times. They are Gods.

When you are being nearly crushed to death, keeping your shoes on becomes disproportionately important.

If you stand in the middle of a swelling crowd of festival-type people whilst wearing a Sixties dress and shout at them, in a posh accent, for being stupid then people will look at you a bit funny. It’s inevitable.

Nick Rhodes owes me the amazing vintage Adam Ant badge I lost in the mêlée. It’s his fault we were in a crowd of idiots. He said this was a festival which ladies could wear nice shoes to, because it was in a park. Real world, meet Nick. Nick, meet the real world.

"Oh, so THAT'S the real world over yonder is it? Oh dear..."


Contrary to some reviews, a 50-year-old man shouting ‘freebase’ and gyrating on stage is not sad…it’s delightful and endearing. Well, when it’s Simon Le Bon anyway.

My girls may have been getting more excited about Simon’s top hat [and, later on, tuxedo] and Nick’s cravat and cane, but John Taylor is an expert at doing a Miss Peelpants-orientated strip tease. Sharp suit. Jacket off, leaving white shirt and waistcoat. Then waistcoat off, leaving slightly crumpled white shirt and braces. Top marks!


Well, I’m now back from my Duran ‘Odyssey’ and I’m almost at a loss to process the weird old week I’ve had. I’ve been all the way up to Edinburgh and back, have seen the boys twice in one week (both times from very near the front by sheer luck and steely determination respectively), have walked into a service station with rollers in my hair, have sat eating pineapple wedges and glace cherries from behind the bar of the Hard Rock Cafe because they were no longer serving food (many thanks to the kindly bar staff), have cursed Nick Rhodes quite a lot (a man like that should understand that open air gigs and nice hair, make-up and clothes DO NOT MIX), nearly drowned attempting to get to Edinburgh Castle in torrential rain, nearly died in an N.E.R.D crowd whilst waiting for the Duran set, have laughed so hard I started bawling (still can’t work out if it was because it was all so funny or utterly horrifying)…oh and I even ate a Pot Noodle. Which is possibly the most alarming aspect to the entire week.

So now I can get back to work, I’m sure you’ll all be pleased to hear!