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THEIR
waistlines are expanding and their wrinkles starting to show: another
generation of rock dinosaurs is heading back into the mainstream.
Twenty years after they produced their last album, the "boys" from
Duran Duran have landed a new record deal and recalibrated their
image for an upmarket photo-shoot by David Bailey.
The triumphant comeback of the "New Romantics" - whose posters once
graced the walls of thousands of teenagers - was crowned this week
when they received the "Outstanding Contribution to Music" award
at the Brits.
Now, the original line-up of Duran Duran, whom Diana, Princess of
Wales named as one of her all-time favourite bands, are about to
embark on a 17-date British tour that includes five at Wembley.
The original four gigs have sold out and the fifth, added after
the Brits award, sold 5,500 tickets in the first hour.
Their first album since Seven and the Ragged Tiger (1984) - which
contained their first American No 1, The Reflex - is expected to
be released this summer.
Between them, they have fathered 12 children and have a combined
age of 217.
But although the bouffant hair, jumpsuits and make-up that stamped
them as New Romantics have been replaced by artfully highlighted
crops and designer suits, there is no mistaking the original members:
Simon Le Bon, Nick Rhodes, John Taylor, Roger Taylor and Andy Taylor
(no relation).
To celebrate their Brits award and their updated 2004 image, they
visited David Bailey for a photographic session earlier this week.
The studio was crammed with at least 50 suits - by designers including
Burberry, Balenciaga and Yves Saint Laurent - and there was much
good-natured banter as the band members settled on their new "look".
Le Bon came in for most ribbing for trying to nick the shirts or
jackets someone else had already bagged. Not unnaturally, the smell
of hairspray hung heavy in the air. "We all dye our hair," said
Le Bon. "It's part of being in a band. We've always been and always
will be a `hair band'."
Roger Taylor laughed and said: "If we were bald, we probably wouldn't
have got back together."
When he looks back at the jump-suits, blousons and frilly shirts
the band wore in the Eighties, Le Bon often cringes. "I'd never
wear them now. The dress style lasted as long as we were prepared
to wear frilly shirts and jodphurs.
"The moment we saw Adam Ant dressed as Prince Charming, we
knew the New Romantic look was all over."
Rhodes recalled: "When EMI gave us our first clothes budget, we
went straight to designer Anthony Price and blew it on suits. In
those days, they cost pounds 300, which was a lot, but I think we
got the `cute young band' discount."
Duran Duran were formed in Birmingham in 1978 by Rhodes and John
Taylor. They were the first pop-rock band to release a 12-inch dance
mix commercially and the first to release an extended video - subsequently
banned because of its explicit sexual nature.
Hungry Like the Wolf, which won them their first Ivor Novello songwriting
award in 1983, was recently named MTV's 15th most played video of
all time and has been added to VH1's "100 Greatest Songs List".
They have sold more than 70 million records.
Duran Duran - whose name came from a character in the sci-fi movie
Barbarella - split up after playing at Live Aid in 1985. But, said
Le Bon: "We broke up with the music business because we felt we'd
turned into a machine."
Roger Taylor added: "Our fame in the Eighties was such a fleeting
thing that, in a sense, I think we all felt there was unfinished
business."
COPYRIGHT 2004 Daily Telegraph
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