February 22: Nate Danja Hills talks openly on rhapsody.com's blog about the latest collaborations [including Duran Duran of course]. He might sound a bit pretentious to some of you, anyway, i think it's worth reading his interview posted here 'cos there are some interesting Duran Duran mentions. Some of them are reported below: Rhapsody: *** You have previously spoken about the desire to do a full project by yourself. How was it producing most of Duran Duran’s new album, Red Carpet Massacre? Danja: I’ve learned that you hit a wall trying to do the whole project yourself unless you're working with a team of people. That’s why me and Tim were able to do a whole album, because it was two brains working at the same time. The good thing is, if you hit that wall, it’ll trigger you into going somewhere else. But it may not be for this particular album. During the Duran Duran project, toward the very end, I started feeling like, "Ah, what can we do?" But by that time, we already had so many songs, we didn’t have to keep going back in to create something new. *** How did the collaboration with Simple Plan come about? I was in London working with Duran Duran. [Atlantic Records] hit me about who was on their roster and who I’d want to work with. I picked Simple Plan. We was all on the phone; they just told me what they wanted to do. We finally got in the studio in Miami and fully collaborated. I’m doing beats and they playing on the beats. At that time, I wanted to venture out and challenge myself. I was working with Duran Duran, but it wasn’t so much rock. Simple Plan was similar to Duran Duran because we would come up with the basic idea, and then they would take it and record on their own with the drums, guitars and vocals. But the basic bed was laid down. *** Has all the drama overshadowing Britney’s project and Duran Duran's lackluster sales had any affect on you? It definitely weighed on me. At one particular point last year, I felt like, "Man, I did all this work, and it ain’t pop like it’s supposed to pop." I was down for a little bit. It wasn’t that I wasn’t proud of my work. It’s just things with the business that sometimes happen that affect your music. You could put your all into the music, and it’s some executive decision that ruined it. I don’t count it as a failure. It’s just a lesson learned. In the Britney case, every producer, songwriter or arranger on that record did their thing. The record label did their thing. That was just something uncontrollable on her part. Duran Duran [is] an old group, [and] a lot of people are not familiar with them. Not saying that it’s over for them. It’s just a matter of reintroducing them.

February 22: A new fantastic glossy coffee table book titled "Le Leggende del Rock" [Legends of Rock] by Ernesto Assante has just been published in Italy by WhiteStar editions [size: 25,5x29,5cm, 464 pages - hardback cover]. The book is about 50 years of faces, instruments, miths and History of music. The great thing about the book is that Duran Duran, among many others music legends, are on it! The Chapter about the band it's 10 pages long with some beautifull full pages pictures. It's a great item to add to any Duran Duran collection and a precious book for any music lover. If you want to order a copy write to Edizioni White Star at info@whitestar.it, you can also call them at 0039-0161-29.42.03 or just get the book on their online bookshop at www.whitestar.it [just type the title Le Leggende del Rock into the "cerca/search" box] and don't forget to tell them you got the info from duranasty.com, they'll help you if you are foreign.

February 22: there's a nice interview to Dom Brown on orlandoweekly.com, it's good to hear what the good guy has to say on the eve of his second album release. You can order 'Between The Lines' on his website www.dombrown.com Here is a edited version of the article: *** British guitarist Dom Brown, who releases his second ax-grinding record Between the Lines this month, didn’t set out to become a session man, but then, who does? “Initially, I had people asking me if I’d come play in their band on demos or records. It just seemed kind of silly to say no,” he says. “I have to say that a few years before I first started, I was very one-track-minded and did turn down some potentially quite interesting session things. I was quite young then, and more naive, and thought, ‘You’re fully committed to your own project.’” All that changed in the early 2000s. Brown started working up an impressive curriculum vitae including live shows and recordings with Liam Gallagher, Emma Bunton and Paolo Nutini, and a spate of promo television gigs with Elton John, Rod Stewart, Hilary Duff, Reba McEntire and Donny Osmond (“Nothing intensive,” he jokes). *** Does it feel at all like prostitution? “To be honest, it does,” he says, “but I can sort of compartmentalize it quite well. I just treat the two things as totally different aspects to the musical career.” Duran Duran drummer Roger Taylor and bassist John Taylor return the favor on Between the Lines, appearing on two tracks. But they’re not the only fortuitous bits of an on-call life to buoy the set. Van Morrison’s horn players are there, as is Faithless drummer Andy Treacey (a friend of 15 years), and members of Primal Scream and Jethro Tull. They’re all friends and working musicians, and did their work for free. The result is a timeless, slow-burning round of chunky bar-blues, swirling psychedelia and British blue-eyed soul: a man’s man’s record, if that man were Paul Weller. Don’t expect any thankless troubadour drudgery from Brown, though, not after touring from Four Seasons to Four Seasons with Duran Duran. “Everyone’s done that now,” he laughs. *** “No one wants to go back to [dive bars] once you’ve done years and years of it.” [photo courtesy of dombrown.com]

February 22: Read on news.com.au what Roger has to say about walking away from Duran Duran in 1985 and making analogies to Britney Spears' case. He also recalls the early years when Duran Duran first toured Australia: "Australia was one of the first places we broke internationally and because of that we had to fly there to play and appear on Countdown and things," Roger said. "The one thing I remember about Countdown was Molly's hat. Then it was economy flights, sharing hotel rooms and six-hour stopovers in Kuala Lumpur. "This time we have our own rooms and business class."

February 18: The next issue of Q, which hits the shelves from Friday 1 February, is a special collector’s issue celebrating 50 years of great British music. To mark the occasion, Q teamed up with HMV to crown the Best Ever British album - as voted by readers. It's great that Rio made the list with a very respectable position: #24. The album in 2008, after 26 years from its release, still gets recognition [thanks to Tin for the link to the article]. We also like to remember that Rio has been picked for Vh1's Classic album series [a documentary that airs on VH1 - taped in Boston in january/see january's news] and there are strong rumors in the music business about the possible re-release of Rio in a special edition package including some extra material/dvd, [the Rio re-release was also mentioned by John Taylor last year during an interview]. The reissue won't be necessarely made trough Emi, in fact there are some other labels - specialized in reissues - that wants to put their hands on the classic Duran Duran's Rio.

here is the full Q&HMV list:

1. Definitely Maybe - Oasis 2. (What's The Story) Morning Glory? - Oasis 3. OK Computer - Radiohead 4. Revolver - The Beatles 5. The Stone Roses - The Stone Roses 6. Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band - The Beatles 7. London Calling - The Clash 8. Under The Iron Sea - Keane 9. Dark Side Of The Moon - Pink Floyd 10. Urban Hymns - The Verve 11. The Bends - Radiohead 12. Abbey Road - The Beatles 13. Hopes And Fears - Keane 14. Don't Believe The Truth - Oasis 15. Violator - Depeche Mode 16. The Queen Is Dead - The Smiths 17. A Night At The Opera - Queen 18. Whatever People Say I Am - Arctic Monkeys 19. The White Album - The Beatles 20. Never Mind The B******s - Sex Pistols 21. Rubber Soul - The Beatles 22. Be Here Now - Oasis 23. Absolution - Muse 24. Rio - Duran Duran 25. Parklife - Blur 26. A Rush Of Blood To The Head - Coldplay 27. The Holy Bible - Manic Street Preachers 28. Origin Of Symmetry - Muse 29. IV - Led Zeppelin 30. The Wall - Pink Floyd 31. Up The Bracket - The Libertines 32. X&Y - Coldplay 33. Who's Next - The Who 34. Black Holes And Revelations - Muse 35. Back To Black - Amy Winehouse 36. Songs Of Faith And Devotion - Depeche Mode 37. Word Gets Around - Stereophonics 38. The Fat Of The Land - Prodigy 39. Different Class - Pulp 40. In Rainbows - Radiohead 41. Hunky Dory - David Bowie 42. Favourite Worst Nightmare - Arctic Monkeys 43. Everything Must Go - Manic Street Preachers 44. Wish You Were Here - Pink Floyd 45. Behaviour - Pet Shop Boys 46. Ziggy Stardust - David Bowie 47. Parachutes - Coldplay 48. Exile On Main Street - Rolling Stones 49. Unknown Pleasures - Joy Division 50. Let It Bleed - Rolling Stones

February 17: We got this news from our friend Christian who recently found out trough a blog report on the web that DD went at an ad agency convention at the Leo Burnett building in Chicago in december 2007 [the building was named after the Leo Burnett advertising agency, which occupied 28 floors of the building at the time of its completion]. He though this was newsworthy and very interesting so since he couldn't find anything anywhere the official sites he asked Katy who said: It wasn’t posted because it was a private appearance. The band met with members of the agency for an informal q&a. The agency wanted to meet with the band in hopes they could sometimes place their music in an advertisement.

Here is the blog post as posted on sportautographs.net: On December 14, 2007 SportAutographs.net went to the Duran Duran interview in the Leo Burnett Building in downtown Chicago. Every once in awhile our company that resides in the Leo Burnett building has a artists come in, some of the past artist include Ne-yo, Jewel, Denis Hazbert. The notice that the "artist in residence" is usually less than 24hrs, typically its posted the day of if its a bigger artist, otherwise the day before. Its always exciting and as you can imagine a few hundred people showed up to hear Duran Duran either play or be interviewed. It was suppose to begin at 3:15pm, but I don't think they actually started 'til 3:30p since they were at the House of Blues doing a sound check for the concert they were performing later in the evening. Duran Duran wasn't able to perform since they had all their instuments at the House of Blues for their sound check, but they were gracious enough to be interviewed. A few people didn't care to see the interview, probably b/c they were expecting Duran Duran to perform a song or two as the other artists have done before them. I stuck around and during the 30 minute interview worked my way up front to where they came in and out of the room, which was the stairwell, how beatles esk. I half paid attention and when I did I found them to be rather enteraining and comical. They told stories of their videos and how those came to be, also some insights on why and who they think will be around 30 years as they've been. I tried taking pictures like everyone else but w/ all the people, speakers, and interviewer screening me from capturing the picture I desired, I had to settle for a mediocre picture. I would say most of the people down there had a beer in one hand w/ a camera or camera phone in the other trying to snap a picture for their myspace or facebook page. You know you have one, admit it, we all do. The interview lasted about 20-30 minutes and as they finished up I got my Duran Duran Decade CD cover and blue sharpie ready. Simon and the others passed by with no regards to my attempt to get them to sign it, but Nick Rhodes was kind enough to stop and fiddle w/ the push top blue sharpie before signing. Actually I had to show him how the sharpie worked, which isn't the first time that's happened, e.g. Matt Suhey. I went down to the main floor lobby in hopes to get the other 3 to sign it before my 4pm meeting. I waited about 5 min and unfortunately had to go, maybe next time I said.

In the pics Wes with Simon and Nick in Russia during the 2001 leg of the Pop Trash tour and on the right with the band [including Warren Cuccurullo and Joe Travers] photographed always in 2001 for Rolling Stones magazine during the Us Close Up tour.

February 15

We just got this email:

To fans of Duran Duran everywhere, Hello all...my name is Bryan Beller, and I'm the producer of a benefit concert series called WesFest. It's organized and promoted by the friends and family of Wes Wehmiller, the incredibly talented former bassist for Duran Duran who died of thyroid cancer in 2005 at the age of 33. To honor Wes' memory, and to ensure that future bassists have the opportunities that Wes had, Wes' family has established the Wes Wehmiller Scholarship at Berklee College Of Music. The scholarship goes to a deserving continuing bass student at Berklee - basically, to a great up-and-coming bassist who one day will likely be a pro. The idea of WesFest was born of a desire to keep Wes' community in touch with an annual gathering, to grow that community, and to raise money for the scholarship with a benefit concert and an annual fundraising drive. This year's show, WesFest 3, is happening at Paladino's, in Tarzana, CA, on Monday, February 25. I'm writing this to invite you to the show, and to support this great cause! Our goal is to raise $10,000 for the Wes Wehmiller Scholarship with this year's fundraising drive. We're getting there, but we have some way to go and we could use your help.Now we know that not everyone reading this lives in the greater Los Angeles area, but may want to support the efforts to honor Wes anyway. To that end, we have the WesFest 2 Concert DVD! It's a professionally produced 75-minute concert video from last year's show, featuring many of Wes' friends [including former Duran Duran drummer Joe Travers] and lots of great music. It also includes special bonus features, like a slideshow tribute to Wes with many never-before-seen still photographs, a pictorial biography set to music, and more. All of the details for both WesFest 3 and the WesFest 2 Concert DVD are below. One thing folks interested in attending WesFest 3 should know is that advance ticket sales for WesFest 3 end on Monday, February 18! Door tickets are available, but at a slightly higher cost. Details are below. To order WesFest 3 tickets right here, right now! And if you know that you can't make it, the WesFest 2 DVD is available for your contribution as well, just click here Thanks so much to the Duran Duran community for taking the time to read this, and I invite you to consider supporting the Wes Wehmiller Scholarship in any way you're inspired to do so. Best wishes to all, Bryan Beller/The WesFest 3 Team.

thanks to Bryan and Marra, duranasty.com is always glad to help a good cause -

February 12: On yesterday's edition of Leggo magazine there's an article about Sanremo Festival, the journalist says that while organizers are still making negociations to get Alicia Keys on the list it's now almost sure that Duran Duran will take part as special guest at this year's Festival. We'll keep you posted as soon as we get more news.

*Updated February 13*: Now also confirmed from the official Duran Duran website: Duran Duran are confirmed to perform at the San Remo Music Festival on Tuesday, February 26th.

February 10: thanks to Playboy magazine and Playboy.com we have a huge update full fresh pictures taken by the great photographer Mick Rock and also two nice interviews. As previously announced the march issue of Playboy magazine is the annual music issue... the "Rock the rabbit" issue features Duran Duran among other rockstars who also designed a special tshirt for Playoboy [see picture below]. In a previous interview Simon said he was particularly excited about being shot by rock and roll photographer Mick Rock for the issue. "It's not often you get to work with a photographer who is more of a rock star than you are," LeBon said. Mick Rock has been interviewed by Playboy, read what he says about DD: You've seen these shoots -- it's not an intellectual process, it's all about energy and intuition. The more I throw around my energy the looser people become. Duran Duran started a little slow, but by the end they were galvanized... The Duran Duran boys were the kings of the New Romantics when they came out. You've got to take your hat off to the Durans. Here they are again and they're great -- when they pull it together they still look like the fantasy they projected all those years ago... [ read the full interview here ] Click here if you want to download the above visual in bigger size and use it as desktop theme!

above pictures: on the left Duran with Mick Rock during the photo shoot, on the right Nick's list of favourite albums from the 80s... there are two Duran albums on it!

Here you can also read the online version of Nick and John's interview to Playboy, here some interesting bits: | Is touring as much fun now? Rhodes: Much more fun, because I think we're more organized. The shows are better. Musically, we play better than we did -- we played very well then, but now with technology we have in-ear monitoring so you can hear things very clearly. Sound and lights are so much better than they ever used to be. We didn't used to have mobile phones and Blackberries. E-mail has made things so much easier. | Can you recall any crazy nights you had on tour in the '80s? Taylor: No, they've all been blocked out. Rhodes: Most nights in the 1980s -- I remember them all being a lot of fun. The ones you tend to remember are things like awards ceremonies when you meet a lot of other artists. I remember the first MTV awards ever -- we played. | What's the craziest thing a Duran Duran fan has ever done to try to meet you? Nick Rhodes: I quite like the one who dressed as a medic actually, in a nurse's outfit. Very nice dress and good shoes. She came backstage and got a pass and made it very, very good. Absolutely, the pass. It was actually in England, in our hometown, sometime in the '90s, during the Wedding Album.

above pictures: the band's Playboy T-shirt design and Mick Rock during the photo shoots [DD in the red circle]

Playboy also talked with John Taylor during the shoot for Rock the Rabbit. | How do you do it? How do you continue to expand your musical pallet and bring your audience along with you? J: There's a Peter Pan element to us -- we don't want to get stuck in any one moment in time. We all know trying to copy your old hits doesn't work. We're really an art school band. | And what about the practical elements of it -- staying aware of what's going on at the front edge of music? J : There's something to be said for continuing to try new things. Of course, there's a big learning curve. But when there's learning involved you can't help but feel like a student. You feel young as a result. | You also seem to be able to maintain something uniquely Duran Duran, even as the specifics change. What's the basis of that? J: We're all fans of the glam and punk eras -- an enormous cycle of change when fashion, style and music all met and harmonized. That's what we're into. We got to take this incredible ride on the teen-pop thing, but left to our own devices, we always retreat to art. Art is real life through an aesthetic filter. I guess that aesthetic filter is what allows us to keep making things we're happy with. | And do you still think in terms of your visual presentation? J: We take our presentation seriously. You stay aware, you don't get bogged down in the past. If you're a 40-year-old man, you don't want to dress like your dad. But you don't want to dress like your kid, either. You have to find that middle ground where you can wear your experience but maintain a sense of openness.

February 10: section update Zoom in: Thanks to our friend PadloG we have some more very good and exclusive close up pictures of the guys taken in Argentina at the Press Conference [Hotel Faena on december 22, 2007]. Go to the Zoomin section to see 3 new close up of John, Roger and Simon! Let us know if you want to see more of these!

February 9: video-interview on idolator.com "Duran Duran's Nick Rhodes Has Rainbows In His Eyes" And is that eyeliner or is he just sleepy? Idolator roving videographer/ragged tiger Alex Goldberg recently discovered the Duran Duran keyboardist chilling at the bar at the Gramercy Park Hotel being English, and what better time to corner a New Wave legend and ask him his opinions on the future of the music industry than while the afterparty DJ spins Bon Jovi's "Living On A Prayer"? Looking a bit Eddie Izzardish, Mr. Rhodes discusses his admiration for the boys of Radiohead and why you might be ordering the followup to Red Carpet Massacre through the Internets. (Maybe.) That would certainly obviate any graphic design faux pas! Click here to watch!

February 8: On February 1st Simon and Nick were interviwed by TheMax102.3 from Louisville at the local HardRock Cafe. Check out a full gallery of pictures on the radio's website here and watch on the right a very funny clip from MaxTv. Once again Nick confirms that tour starts in Usa in may. Pictures courtesy of TheMax102.3

February 8: New York February 5, Simon and Nick attend the G-Star Fall 2008 fashion show during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Fall 2008 at Gotham Hall. | from news.yahoo.com: Timberlake presented a fall collection of his William Rast line Tuesday night at a cocktail party at New York Fashion Week, expanding beyond his current denim line... The overall look was deconstructed prep-school - the models would have been at home on the set of "Gossip Girl." They stood on risers in a downtown triplex apartment in front of party-goers including Russell Simmons, "Top Chef" host Padma Lakshmi, NASCAR driver Jeff Gordon and Duran Duran's Simon LeBon and Nick Rhodes | from AssociatedPress: Nick Rhodes poked a foot onto the plexiglass floor at a party for Justin Timberlake's William Rast line Tuesday night. "I was just testing my vertigo," he said, peering down at the kitchen and bar below his feet. The Duran Duran keyboardist and singer Simon LeBon were in New York to do publicity for their latest album, "Red Carpet Massacre." The group collaborated with Timberlake on two songs on the album. "Justin's a friend," LeBon said. "It's the best experience I ever had working with another singer." LeBon, after a break to whisper in "Top Chef" host Padma Lakshmi's ear, copped to his famous affinity for models. "I like the girls," he said, "and the boys are pretty good-looking, too." Timberlake was born in 1981, a year after Duran Duran got its start. Might that have made Rhodes, 45, a bit touchy on the subject of the band's longevity? "U2 are older than us by a little bit," he said. Madonna's career started later, he added, but "she's a little older than me."

*Updated February 8*: Check out a funny video by the casual reporter from Metromix. Click here to read what Joshua Woodman has to say and see the video.

February 2: Simon and Nick payed a visit to Tampa's Mix 105.1Fm on january 31th. They got interviewed during the Scott & Erica show. Some lucky contest winners got to meet the guys. During the interview Nick said they would start touring in May and they might be there again in October. [pics courtesy of Mix 105.1]

February 1st: On january 30 Simon and Nick did an hilarious Question and Answer with fans and winners of the WPTE The Point 94.9 contest. Some highlight from the Q&A have been reported by Lorrie on her ddm thread: "the DJ asked who they like/don't like as far as celebrities go. Simon made a joke about David Hasselhoff alwyas walking around with a folder of autographed pictures ready to hand out"..."the DJ goes on to tell them the worst celebrity they [the station] ever had to deal with was Avril Lavigne, Simon joked how she handed then an award once [raised his arm way up in the air cause she's so tiny]"...the DJ also asked: "If you were deserted on an island, what 3 things would you want with you."Nick: "Simon's wife", Simon: "She'd like that, I'd want Nick", Nick: "You're wife would really like that", Simon: "Yeah she would", Then Nick said he'd want a computer along with Simon and Yas, but when the DJ explained there would be no internet connection, Nick said "Well then I want a plane to get off the island"..."The DJ asked about their kids, and if they figured out dad's famous and have they "worked" the angle yet. Nick said Tatjana had, he's her personal ticketmaster. She'll check the show schedules and say dad "so and so his playing Tuesday, can you get me in, oh and look at Friday". Simon said his girls hadn't realized that yet, and Nick said not to worry, next time they were together she'd tell them".. A fan had on her "Simon, Nick, John, Andy, Roger" shirt on, and she had placed black tape across Andy's name. The radio station people liked this, and brought it to Simon and Nick's attention. Simon stated that their lawyers have a relationship with Andy's lawyer..." Below some more pictures from the event, check out Simon funny faces... too many drinks maybe?! Many thanks to johnisstillahottie for the really great pics she sent us and to Lorrie for the flash report on the Q&A. You can see more pics of the radio meet&greet here.

 

*Updated* on february 2: check out this video of the Q&A

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