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PEOPLE & ARTSThursday 24 March 2016
Bassist John Taylor spills Duran Duran secrets ahead of tour
SANDY COHEN In this Feb. 9, 2016 photo, John Taylor from the band Duran Du- the blessing and the curse Gods.’ I was like, ‘This is why
AP Entertainment Writer ran poses for a portrait at Warner Bros. Records in Burbank, Ca- of being in Duran, which I’m doing it.’ None of the
BURBANK, Calif. (AP) — lif., to promote the band’s upcoming “Paper Gods Tour,” kicking is a band whose blueprint rest of the band could care
John Taylor is an only child, off March 25. was really based on being less, but it was driving me.”
but if he’s ever experi- modern. We weren’t like — He regrets that the In-
enced anything like a fam- Associated Press the Stones, who are really ternet has made music so
ily road trip, it’s been while rooted in R&B. We just had easy to “burn through”:
on tour with Duran Duran. compared to how it was, when it started taking off. this thing, and it’s essen- “All art, whether it’s music or
The British rockers are about they’re probably thinking We weren’t really — well I tially kind of a good thing, painting or cinema, it’s got
to get that old family feel- of the ‘80s, the crazy ‘80s wasn’t really ready for it. because it allows us to a shelf life. It doesn’t matter
ing again as they head — particularly the early It’s like being given your first change and morph.” how good you like it, you’re
out for a North American ‘80s, where the band sort car — and it’s a Ferrari. So — The band never knew going to burn through it.
tour with dates scheduled of cruised at a very high now we’re in a Buick. It’s what lead singer Simon Le- And there’s something
through summer. The “Pa- altitude for a couple of a very sedate Buick, but Bon was talking about in about delayed gratifica-
per Gods Tour,” which kicks years. Well, I wouldn’t want it gets around into all the some of their early songs: tion. And certainly to me,
off Friday, is split into two to work like that again... I sightseeing trips. It’s good.” “In the ‘80s, Simon had very some of my favorite music,
monthlong legs: the first think when fame hits you — Duran Duran reinvents specific way of writing lyrics it took me a long time to
covers the east coast from — we were quite young, itself with every album: “It’s — which was amazing — get hold of it and when I
Canada’s Niagara Falls to we’d only been in the busi- like a restyling excercise and half the time I had no got it, it was precious.
San Juan, Puerto Rico; the ness for like two years really always. And I think that’s idea what he was singing I knew every note, every
second launches July 6 in about. And none of us re- beat of those songs. And
Nashville, Tennessee, and ally did. But it didn’t matter, now, music’s almost too
wraps in Glendale, Arizona. because the pictures he accessible.
Sitting in a sunny room at was making were extraor-
Warner Bros. Records re- dinary.” It’s too easy to get a hold
cently, Taylor, 55, shared a — Taylor was disappoint- of... Now I almost want
few secrets about himself ed the “Paper Gods” al- music to be harder to get.
and the musical family he bum didn’t get a Grammy I want the experience to
calls Duran. nod: “That was just some- be a little bit harder. I need
— Touring now is not like thing that was driving me to appreciate it. I need to
it was in the 1980s: “When through the second year work for it. And that way I
people say how’s it like now of the making of ‘Paper will appreciate it more.”q
