Duran Duran keyboardist Nick Rhodes has certainly been one of the architects of the group's sound during the past two decades, but he generally left the lyric-writing to frontman Simon Le Bon. But when Le Bon "hit a brick wall" during the making of the new album "Pop Trash" (Hollywood), Rhodes found himself putting words in Le Bon's mouth.

According to Rhodes, "(Le Bon) said to me Nick, I just don't feel that I'm in the right head space to be writing lyrics right now. They're not coming from where I want them to. You seem to be on a roll. Why don't you continue?' I mean, the guy's been writing lyrics for the last 20 years, after all.

"It's a real challenge to get your head around that. It made me appreciate Simon's finer lyrics a lot more."

Before making "Pop Trash," Rhodes and guitarist Warren Cuccurullo had come up with two songs, including "Pop Trash Movie," that was intended for Blondie's comeback album last year. It never made it to that record, but was quickly reclaimed for Duran Duran when Le Bon listened to it.

"He loved Pop Trash Movie' and always thought it should be a Duran Duran song," Rhodes reports. "He was delighted when Blondie didn't take it. He said, Could we have a go at it?' So we re-recorded it, changed the key a little bit and that's how it ended up on our album."

GRAPHIC: PHOTO BY: NO CREDIT; Duran Duran puts out "Pop Trash" today.

LOAD-DATE: June 15, 2000

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