A Look at a Thriller: Duran Duran fans are finally having their day as the band is inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

“We were perfect,” Duran Duran’s John Taylor told me in 2013, “and very few bands come out of the bag perfectly formed. A lot of other bands – and I hesitate to say U2, Radiohead – it took three albums to find their thing.”

Taylor didn’t brag. Okay, he probably was. But then the quintet arrived in the US from Birmingham, England in February 1984 – on the anniversary of the Beatles’ first arrival at JFK, of course! — Duran swam in like they owned the place. Armed with hits like “Hungry Like The Wolf,” “Rio,” and “Is There Something I Should Know,” not to mention their cinematic music videos, sexiness, swagger, and ebullient ambition, the group has had one already spurred on -sold out arena tour. Locked and loaded, Duran Duran were ready to take their place as the Rolling Stones of the ’80s.

This was intentional. In the late ’70s, co-founders Taylor (bassist) and Nick Rhodes (keyboards) created the tonal blueprint and career checklist before they even joined members Roger Taylor (drums), Andy Taylor (guitar) and Simon Le Bon (vocals). recruited ). Inspired by the Sex Pistols’ DIY ethic, Duran left behind the filth and fury of punk legends but took on the raw power of Steve Jones’ incendiary guitar. To this they would add a funky rhythm section like Chic’s, the glamor of Roxy Music and a quest for world domination à la their greatest hero, David Bowie.

When I first found Duran Duran (or rather they found me) I was 11 years old listening to Air Supply and the Grease soundtrack. But I soon morphed into a new wave Carrie Ann, the little girl in “Poltergeist,” spending hours staring at MTV and waiting for Duran’s exotic, escapist videos.

Up to this point I had shared my taste in music with my parents, but it was all mine. I had found a new religion. From then on everything I thought and felt was in the name of John, Nick, Simon, Roger and Andy. I traveled to their concerts and waited in front of their hotels and recording studios. I ran an international Duran fanzine before pursuing a career in entertainment journalism to get paid to be around her. I married a Brit named Simon only to divorce him for a hotter man named John. In fact, this week my husband and I are celebrating the 15th anniversary of our meeting at a Duran-Duran concert… by going to a Duran-Duran concert!

It’s still hard to believe that three days later I’ll be there as my favorite band (winners of this year’s Fan Vote) are inducted into the Rock Hall – at their first nomination. Over the years, I’ve attended countless induction ceremonies as an avid fan, a top magazine editor, a SiriusXM host, all the while wondering if—and when—her day would come.

Now that it’s here, it’s the exclamation mark of 40 years in a career that has ranked the last 12 months among the most eventful of all time. Following the release of their acclaimed 15th studio album Future Past in 2021, 2022 brought a new part documentary, part performance film, A Hollywood High; a sold-out tour with Madison Square Garden and three shows at the Hollywood Bowl; and to be among an elite lineup of performers performing at the Queen Elizabeth Platinum Jubilee Party at the Palace.

Over the years, “we’ve learned to accept a lot of things,” Le Bon told me a few years ago: “One of them is that we accept who we are. And I think other people also accept who Duran Duran is. Our positivity and joy in our creativity have outlasted the haters.”

Now one of the few challenges that remains is to outlast the Rolling Stones.

Lori Majewski can be heard on SiriusXM’s volume.

This essay is part of a series – in collaboration with on-air talent SiriusXM – to pay tribute to the artists inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on November 5th in Los Angeles. Watch the full 2022 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony on HBO November 19 at 8:00 p.m. ET, along with a simulcast on SiriusXM’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Radio (Channel 310). SiriusXM listeners can also catch live, backstage coverage and commentary on Volume on the SXM App and on Faction Talk (Channel 103).