Duran Duran Biography

Without music videos it's likely that the band's pop-funk - described by the group as the Sex Pistols meets Chic - would never have made them international pop stars. While Duran Duran did have sharper pop sensibilities than their new romantic contemporaries like Spandau Ballet and Ultravox none of their peers exploited MTV and music video like the Birmingham-based quintet. Each video the group made was distinctive incorporating a number of cinematic styles to showcase the band as either part of the jet-setting elite (Rio) or as worldly adventurers (Hungry Like the Wolf). While early videos like Girls on Film and The Chauffeur sparked controversy in England over their sexual content their best-known clips were often based on hit contemporary movies. Hungry Like the Wolf uncannily recalled Raiders of the Lost Ark while Union of the Snake and The Wild Boys brought to mind The Road Warrior. The clever videos helped make Duran Duran's rise to popularity remarkably swift. Between 1982 and 1984 they rocketed from underground British post-punk sensations to teen idols. But their fall from grace was equally fast. By the late '80s the group's lineup had fragmented and the remaining members had trouble landing hit singles. Nevertheless the group pulled off a surprising if short-lived comeback in the early '90s as a sophisticated soft rock trio.
Inspired by David Bowie and Roxy Music as well as post-punk and disco schoolmates Nick Rhodes (keyboards) and John Taylor (guitar) formed Duran Duran in 1978 with their friends Simon Colley (bass clarinet) and Stephen Duffy (vocals). Taking their name from a character in Roger Vadim's psychedelic sci-fi film Barbarella the group began playing gigs in the Birmingham club Barbarella supported by a drum machine. Within a year Duffy and Colley both left the group - Duffy would later form the Lilac Time - and were replaced by former TV Eye vocalist Andy Wickett and drummer Roger Taylor. After recording a demo John Taylor switched to bass and guitarist John Curtis joined the band only to leave within a matter of months. The group placed an ad in Melody Maker which drew the attention of Andy Taylor who became their guitarist. However Duran Duran were still having trouble finding a vocalist. Following Wickett's departure in 1979 a pair of singers passed through the group before Simon LeBon a former member of the punk band Dog Days and a drama student at Birmingham University joined in early 1980.

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