A Duran Duran Cruise!?

Today was day two of our month long game of, “Would You Rather?”  In this game, we give two options related to the band and ask people to make a choice and explain it.  Today’s question was, “Would you rather be on a cruise with the band or in a band’s video?”  Over the course of the day, many people shared their varied opinions and reasons.  From what I could see, the options were fairly evenly split, which isn’t terribly interesting.  What is interesting is that a number of people brought up the fact that the band wouldn’t do a cruise.  Some pointed out that Nick doesn’t like boats, which is something he has stated a number of times in interviews.  Anyway, while the game is supposed to be just for fun, a means of living in a fantasy for a moment, it did get me thinking.  (Always dangerous, I know…)

Other bands have done cruises where the band members go on an exclusive cruise with their fans.  One band that I know of, for sure, is New Kids on the Block.  How come that band is willing and able to do a cruise like that and Duran isn’t?  Is it because of management?  A matter of scheduling?  The kinds of fans?  Personal preference for the members?  Let’s tackle the possibilities one at a time.

Could Duran’s management be the one stopping Duran from doing a cruise with the fans?  Obviously, I do not know their manager or anyone working with their manager.  Thus, I wouldn’t really have any idea.  The only thing I could do would be to analyze the role and purpose of the manager.  From what I know, which isn’t very much, a manager should be looking after the band’s current and future success.  For a band, I would assume that the focus is on money and popularity, which is a result or cause of money.  Would a Duran cruise help with their money and/or popularity?  As for the money, I honestly don’t know.  I wouldn’t have a clue about how much something like that would be to arrange.  Would they be able to sell enough tickets that they would earn a profit?  As for the next question, would it help their popularity, I honestly don’t know that it would.  While there are a lot of diehard fans, many of us have been around for a loooooooooooooooong time.  We still will stick around without something like that.  Would it bring new fans into the fold?  I doubt it.  Now, would it be a nice way to say thank you to the loyal fans?  I think it would. 

The second possible reason that Duran doesn’t do fan cruises is due to scheduling.  This seems possible to me.  They obviously couldn’t squeeze it in during a tour or in the middle of writing and recording an album.  This would leave those downtimes, much like we are in at the moment.  It seems to me that Duran likes to take their time off to vacation, to spend time with family, and to work on other projects.  They wouldn’t have as much time if they throw in a fan cruise once every few years or so.  This leads right into personal preferences of the band members.  Perhaps, some of the band members would be interested or okay with doing a fan cruise.  Maybe, some members don’t want as much time with family as others.  Maybe, some are more focused on pleasing loyal, diehard fans.  Maybe some hate boats like it appears Nick Rhodes does.  Maybe there is an alternative that Nick would do instead.  Maybe more band members hates cruises over the ones who like them?!

Of course, most people assume that the reason Duran doesn’t or won’t do fan cruises is because of the fans.  I assume that the concern here is that the fans would either act inappropriate around the band or each other.  I have to ask, though.  Are fans of New Kids really that different than Duranies?  I, seriously, don’t know.  On paper, they don’t seem that much different.  Both bands were really popular and really popular with young people, especially young girls.  The young girls often fancied one or more band members.  Both band seemed to have a dedicated fanbase that could and did create quite the scenes back in the day.  So, how are they now?  Are New Kids fans able to handle being in the same place as the band and Duranies aren’t?  Yes, obviously, I’m generalizing.  Is it that New Kids think that their fans could handle it and Duran doesn’t?!  Perhaps, the concern has more to do with how fans interact with each other.  Maybe there isn’t as much drama in that other fandom.  Duran’s presence might make more drama or more intense drama.  They do on tour.  That said, if the fans can’t handle it, does staying away from them help or does it make the problem worse?  I have always thought that part of the problem with Duranies is that we are all fighting for a very small amount of attention.  The supply of Duran Duran, so to speak, is very low.  Thus, they are always in demand.  Sometimes, the demand is so great and the supply so small that people behave in ways that they wouldn’t normally.  Maybe the desire to have a moment of recognition, of validation for fans becomes so great that they have to release it somehow and, too often, it is released in a way that is not productive or healthy for themselves, for other fans, and for the fanbase as a whole.  Therefore, if the band made themselves more approachable, some of these other issues would lessen by amount or degree.  They could try to do this slowly, as it feels like they have begun to do with social networking, and increase it over time until one day, they will be ready for their own cruise. 

What do you think the reason is that there are no Duran cruises with fans and no plans for one?  Is it an issue with the fans?  Their management?  Their preference?  Something else entirely?

-A