John Taylor was sitting in a bar in some student union when he heard a song that changed his life. But before Taylor could digest the enormity of the tune, the Duran Duran bassist heard another song. It also changed his life.
“I remember a Sex Pistols song coming on the jukebox, and then a Chic song coming on the jukebox,” Taylor told the Herald ahead of Duran Duran’s Wednesday TD Garden concert with Chic and Bastille. “I was like, ‘I love both of these songs, I love them equally, but I can’t tell anybody.’ ”
Taylor laughs at the memory. Back in late ’70s punks and disco kids were like Jets and Sharks. Nobody could find an overlap between the two scenes and sounds. Well, nobody except Duran Duran.
“Punk had generated this incredible energy, it had printed and pressed thousands of young, barely-able-to-play musicians who just wanted to be part of this movement,” Taylor said. “As it got broader it morphed into what we call new wave, and new wave had a beat.”
On Duran Duran’s 1981 self-titled debut LP, the band made something that had punk’s sneer, new wave’s hypnotic and electronic beat, disco’s bass and drum thump, pop’s sharp hooks, and art rock’s weirdness (go listen to “The Night Boat” to hear it all at once on maybe the world’s most underrated song). Duran Duran hasn’t stopped since.
In 2021, four decades in, the core four of John, singer Simon LeBon, synth wizard Nick Rhodes, and drummer Roger Taylor, made an album true to Duran Duran’s original mission statement. New LP “Future Past” feels utterly contemporary (in part thanks to a guest list that includes Swedish pop star Tove Lo, English hip hop champ Ivorian Doll, Japanese oddball indie act Chai), yet always sounds like Duran Duran.
John Taylor says the band has an overarching principle that guides the band through creating enduring art and memorable pop year after year.
“The key ingredient is respect,” he said. “It’s not just friendship, it’s not just sibling rivalry, it’s not just a business partnership. It’s all of these things… (But) respect is what is most important. And how could you not respect these guys? They’ve been showing up for this thing we do for 40 years.”
“I’ll often look across at one of my bandmates and go, ‘I really don’t like you but (expletive), man, do I respect you,’” he added with a big laugh. “And I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that. I’m sure they look at me the same way some days.”
Duran Duran is the rare band where every member matters — ask any fan who their favorite member is and you’ll get five different answers with a few electing to name original guitarist Andy Taylor. The group depends on each guy to bring their unique talent to the table then have enough ego to assert his self but enough humility to know when to let someone else take the lead.
“The most important thing we’ve done collectively is (create) this band,” John Taylor said. “Pride is a dangerous feeling to have. But again, you can respect what we have achieved together and appreciate how unusual it is.”
John and the boys have earned the right to be proud. And as for unusual, the proof of that can be heard on “Duran Duran,” “Future Past,” and everything in between.
For tickets and details, visit duranduran.com
