By C.K. Shortell
Mondays suck. I think we can all agree on that. I think of January and February as the Monday of the year – cold weather, short days, no (American) football. We are now in the “Monday” of Duran downtime, which I would define as that period of time from the end of the last show until we hear the first snippets of what is to come next. Admittedly, it’s close to midnight – they are in the studio and we’ve heard good things are happening – but let’s be realistic: all that follows Monday is Tuesday. We’ve got a long way to go until touring/album details come out…
So, to help us all get through the dark interregnum between Duran albums, here are some fun ways to pass the time:
Search Ask Katy: I don’t know if people realize that the “Ask Katy” feature goes back about as far as the website does, i.e. to 1997-98 or so. And while I happily bought Will Someone Please Explain a few years back, I can tell you that it only scratched the surface. There is a TON of info in the Ask Katy archives. All you have to do is search for it. If you’re in the mood to learn about anything related to, say, “Big Thing”, it will pull up all sorts of tidbits. I’ve lost hours of time doing that. I was about to send in a question about Proposition and decided, on a whim, to see if it had been asked before (I was convinced it had not – and I’ve been reading Ask Katy regularly for the last 15 years.) Lo and behold…there was a page full of questions and answers that were about or least referenced “Proposition”. Try it…you won’t be disappointed.
Make a Mix…CD: A little back story is necessary on this one: My car is seven years old and does not have a way to hook up my iPod or iPhone into the stereo. I’ve tried some of the other methods (e.g. the one that plugs into the cigarette lighter) and they all sound crappy, so I’ve pretty much given up and continued to burn CDs (I do have a six CD changer). While the rest of the world has moved into the digital age, I’m convinced that I’ve been single-handedly keeping the blank CD industry afloat. I probably burn 1-2 CDs a week depending on my mood. (And not just Duran but my other bands…well, okay, mostly Duran.)
Sometimes it’s easy – last month I wanted my favorite studio and live tracks from Pop Trash on one disc – other times it’s bizarre, like the time I felt like hearing a mix of just RCM and Big Thing songs. It is almost always frustrating because I will inevitably end up with more songs that will fit on one disc (I try to burn the CD before I get the alert that it won’t fit on one disc. Maybe there is a better/easier way – if so please tell me! And yes, I suppose I could just add up the song times and figure out if I’m over the allotted 80 minutes. I stink at math. I was an English major. Not happening). Nothing is as painful as deciding what you want, creating a playlist, getting it in the proper order, and getting the “will not fit on one CD message.” I think have to channel my inner Nick and cut something…for a while, it always seemed to revolve around that long Air Studios Tel Aviv demo that I kept including and then realizing how much space it would save if I cut it.
Sometimes, these mix CDs end up in the rotation for a few weeks then are discarded…but ever now and then I hit upon just the right playlist. This happened a few years back when I decided I wanted a “DD slow” mix. It came out amazingly good – far better than I would have thought (since I generally like to mix the fast and slow stuff).
Anyway – you can accomplish all of this just by making a playlist, obviously, but there is something to be said for the time/space constraints of a CD, that force you to limit your choices.
Use the power of Google: The first place I go for news online is Google News. There’s an app for it as well…it is by far the most comprehensive source of news. What makes it even better is customizing it (you need to set up a free account). You can then customize the news page so it will bring in stories based not only on broad topical preferences (e.g. maybe I care more about science news than entertainment) but also specific keywords (e.g. “Duran Duran”! But you need to use the quotes, otherwise it will bring in stories with people whose last name is “Duran”.)
Another way to harness Google is to set up an alert through Gmail. It uses the same principle – you pick the keyword and it will bring in any news stories from the web that include it – and you also set the frequency of these emails, so they can come daily, monthly, etc.
Using Google can help you keep up with the band (or any other special interest you have) and bring in articles or info that you might not have found on your own. No, I don’t work for Google or own stock – but I can say that I’ve seen news and articles on Google before it has shown up on other mainstream sites (or even on DD.com).
Listen to other music: Um, well….you know, apparently there are some other people out there who’ve made music, if the rumors are true…I don’t know, I guess this is an option too.
Check out John’s solo work: Nah, don’t listen to other music; keep it in the family! I don’t know to what extent the current fan base is aware of John’s solo work, since much of it was composed and released during the mid-to-late 90s, when many weren’t following the band that closely. Admittedly, I get confused because some of the songs appear on multiple albums, and there are some that were just released in Japan vs. the US, etc. Ultimately, I think I have most of his solo work – and on the whole, it’s very good. I think the two CD’s to start with are his first release, 1995’s Feelings are Good (and other lies) and his self-titled John Taylor LP from 1998. Feelings are Good is a high energy and raw album that is the product of John working through his divorce. His self-titled CD is more introspective and electronic. Both are excellent.
(Full disclosure – I haven’t read In the Pleasure Groove yet – I know, I know, I’ll be seeing Rhonda and Amanda in the principal’s office later thanks to this admission – but John’s lyrics, while not the most poetic, are very open and honest and probably an excellent compliment to his autobiography.)
That’s it…I’m out of ideas. Do we have tour dates yet? Is the album done? Is it spring yet?
C.K. Shortell is a lifelong Duran Duran fan who lives in the northeast with his wife and two sons, both of whom love watching concert footage of the band. When he’s not struggling to explain to a three year old why the guitarist always looks different or just exactly what Nick is doing, C.K. is constantly reminding co-workers and friends that the band never broke up.
Mondays suck. I think we can all agree on that. I think of January and February as the Monday of the year – cold weather, short days, no (American) football. We are now in the “Monday” of Duran downtime, which I would define as that period of time from the end of the last show until we hear the first snippets of what is to come next. Admittedly, it’s close to midnight – they are in the studio and we’ve heard good things are happening – but let’s be realistic: all that follows Monday is Tuesday. We’ve got a long way to go until touring/album details come out…
So, to help us all get through the dark interregnum between Duran albums, here are some fun ways to pass the time:
Search Ask Katy: I don’t know if people realize that the “Ask Katy” feature goes back about as far as the website does, i.e. to 1997-98 or so. And while I happily bought Will Someone Please Explain a few years back, I can tell you that it only scratched the surface. There is a TON of info in the Ask Katy archives. All you have to do is search for it. If you’re in the mood to learn about anything related to, say, “Big Thing”, it will pull up all sorts of tidbits. I’ve lost hours of time doing that. I was about to send in a question about Proposition and decided, on a whim, to see if it had been asked before (I was convinced it had not – and I’ve been reading Ask Katy regularly for the last 15 years.) Lo and behold…there was a page full of questions and answers that were about or least referenced “Proposition”. Try it…you won’t be disappointed.
Make a Mix…CD: A little back story is necessary on this one: My car is seven years old and does not have a way to hook up my iPod or iPhone into the stereo. I’ve tried some of the other methods (e.g. the one that plugs into the cigarette lighter) and they all sound crappy, so I’ve pretty much given up and continued to burn CDs (I do have a six CD changer). While the rest of the world has moved into the digital age, I’m convinced that I’ve been single-handedly keeping the blank CD industry afloat. I probably burn 1-2 CDs a week depending on my mood. (And not just Duran but my other bands…well, okay, mostly Duran.)
Sometimes it’s easy – last month I wanted my favorite studio and live tracks from Pop Trash on one disc – other times it’s bizarre, like the time I felt like hearing a mix of just RCM and Big Thing songs. It is almost always frustrating because I will inevitably end up with more songs that will fit on one disc (I try to burn the CD before I get the alert that it won’t fit on one disc. Maybe there is a better/easier way – if so please tell me! And yes, I suppose I could just add up the song times and figure out if I’m over the allotted 80 minutes. I stink at math. I was an English major. Not happening). Nothing is as painful as deciding what you want, creating a playlist, getting it in the proper order, and getting the “will not fit on one CD message.” I think have to channel my inner Nick and cut something…for a while, it always seemed to revolve around that long Air Studios Tel Aviv demo that I kept including and then realizing how much space it would save if I cut it.
Sometimes, these mix CDs end up in the rotation for a few weeks then are discarded…but ever now and then I hit upon just the right playlist. This happened a few years back when I decided I wanted a “DD slow” mix. It came out amazingly good – far better than I would have thought (since I generally like to mix the fast and slow stuff).
Anyway – you can accomplish all of this just by making a playlist, obviously, but there is something to be said for the time/space constraints of a CD, that force you to limit your choices.
Use the power of Google: The first place I go for news online is Google News. There’s an app for it as well…it is by far the most comprehensive source of news. What makes it even better is customizing it (you need to set up a free account). You can then customize the news page so it will bring in stories based not only on broad topical preferences (e.g. maybe I care more about science news than entertainment) but also specific keywords (e.g. “Duran Duran”! But you need to use the quotes, otherwise it will bring in stories with people whose last name is “Duran”.)
Another way to harness Google is to set up an alert through Gmail. It uses the same principle – you pick the keyword and it will bring in any news stories from the web that include it – and you also set the frequency of these emails, so they can come daily, monthly, etc.
Using Google can help you keep up with the band (or any other special interest you have) and bring in articles or info that you might not have found on your own. No, I don’t work for Google or own stock – but I can say that I’ve seen news and articles on Google before it has shown up on other mainstream sites (or even on DD.com).
Listen to other music: Um, well….you know, apparently there are some other people out there who’ve made music, if the rumors are true…I don’t know, I guess this is an option too.
Check out John’s solo work: Nah, don’t listen to other music; keep it in the family! I don’t know to what extent the current fan base is aware of John’s solo work, since much of it was composed and released during the mid-to-late 90s, when many weren’t following the band that closely. Admittedly, I get confused because some of the songs appear on multiple albums, and there are some that were just released in Japan vs. the US, etc. Ultimately, I think I have most of his solo work – and on the whole, it’s very good. I think the two CD’s to start with are his first release, 1995’s Feelings are Good (and other lies) and his self-titled John Taylor LP from 1998. Feelings are Good is a high energy and raw album that is the product of John working through his divorce. His self-titled CD is more introspective and electronic. Both are excellent.
(Full disclosure – I haven’t read In the Pleasure Groove yet – I know, I know, I’ll be seeing Rhonda and Amanda in the principal’s office later thanks to this admission – but John’s lyrics, while not the most poetic, are very open and honest and probably an excellent compliment to his autobiography.)
That’s it…I’m out of ideas. Do we have tour dates yet? Is the album done? Is it spring yet?
C.K. Shortell is a lifelong Duran Duran fan who lives in the northeast with his wife and two sons, both of whom love watching concert footage of the band. When he’s not struggling to explain to a three year old why the guitarist always looks different or just exactly what Nick is doing, C.K. is constantly reminding co-workers and friends that the band never broke up.
Hello C.K. (+ Rhonda and Amanda, of course…)funny, awesome blog post.
In the downtime I listen to their kids' work (basically Youth Kills), I keep voting, when it is allowed to, in the polls,I keep up-to-date my features on RW in the VIP Fan Comm.y Forum (proud to be near to the 1,000 views!!), I keep searching for DD-related e-books (lucky to find most of them and to have some time off free to read them.)
I'm enjoying my activites in the DD gaps, but can't wait for the release of the new albums.
Forgot to say this yesterday: Chris? The principal will see you now….
You are SO grounded. 😀
-R
how about collecting stuff on DD via ebay?go to the record store/used record store & buy whatever is missing from the discography?re-organising the collection?spend hours on youtube going through all thoses rare live footage/tv interviews/fan videos ???? theses are a few of the things I do on D2 down-time.
Joel