Nick Interview by Aidin Vaziri
(special thanks to Kayla for sending the article)


>>>>>>>>Q: What's the reasoning behind an American tour right now?
When we first started booking it, we thought it would be fun to play summer in America and to play to whatever audience wants to see us. We also wanted to preview some new stuff, which, at the time, we figured we would probably have out around October. So it made some kind of sense. It's the most exciting tour we've done in a long time. We're doing five shows a week, which is more than we've done before.

>>>>Q: You must be enjoying yourselves nonetheless.
I think it's the most exciting show we've done in years, certainly from the audience reaction. We've gotten better feedback than we have the last few shows. I think the set is very well-balanced between new stuff, old stuff and unusual things. What we always try and do is please our diehard audience who want something unusual, please ourselves by testing out anything new, and obviously please the audience that wants to hear the singles. It's a fine balance to try to keep everyone happy as much of the time as you can. We've been having a lot of fun playing a lot of the things we haven't played in a few years. Before Christmas last year, we had a tour in England that was predominantly greatest hits. So it was interesting because we pulled out a lot of things we hadn't done. Now, what we've done, we've got a whole menu to choose from.

>>>>Q: I heard you pulled out Secret Oktober.
That one has become a classic moment in the set for us because it's so peaceful and different.

>>>>Q: So Nick, when is Duran Duran going to put out a proper b-sides album?
Whilst I'd like to say otherwise, EMI are the people who have control over those songs. I would happily put out a b-sides record because they probably don't even know what they've got. The double 12-inch record that they just put out I thought they made a real mess of, particularly the packaging was a disgrace. Hopefully, we will find somebody at EMI who we can work closely with to put out a great package. Each time we put out something unusual, we want to make sure it's all noted properly and put in some pictures from the period. We actually put out a 12-inch thing in America that I was very pleased with the package, Essentials. That, to me, was how to put out a record. If you're putting something out that's historical, the package ought to make sense. I think it would be good to make a b-sides thing available at some stage. I just hope we can get involved with them.

>>>>Q: I have to ask you this, were you gutted when Medazzaland bombed?
I stand by Medazzaland. I was very proud of that album. We will release that eventually in a slightly different format after this album.  It's a pity that more people haven't heard it because there are a few songs on there that are as good as anything we've ever done. But, this one, I think we've moved further ahead again.

>>>>Q: What can you tell me about Pop Trash?
We're doing four songs from it in the set. I'd like to go with "Something" up for the first single. I'm very pleased with it. I'm so sick of hearing records that have got fillers on them. You hear a song, you think it's interesting, you get the CD and then there's only two tracks you can play on it. We've always tried to avoid that, which is why we've released less albums than somebody that will just stick a couple songs together.  Financially, that might be great, but artistically it's a disaster if you don't have the quality control. This record I really believe in the strength of the songs. They really are quite refined. That's what we have to strive
for each time we put out something, to make it better than whatever we believe the best thing is.



Interview by  Aidin Vaziri 8/17/99 - CDNOW Allstar News

This article first appeared on The Lizard King Site on  08.23.99


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