Chapter Twelve
R: Live Aid. I don’t know how many fans had any kind of a notion that this performance would the the last for the original five band members until 2003, but that tidbit of knowledge in hindsight changes everything for me personally. Live Aid was a epic event, certainly. It is a memory that for those of us who were in or nearing our teens, really kind of sums up the 80’s. I’ll bet for many, it very nearly carries on the same sort of ideals as other life-altering events. It is a subject that is spoken of with regularity on message boards, Twitter and Facebook – and nearly every time it comes up, people remember where they were, what they were doing, and if they watched. Live Aid is synonymous with the band, and while sure – we remember how Simon sounded, when I think back – I just try to remember what the band looked like that day (I have very little memory of it without watching YouTube). Did they engage with one another on stage? Were there really signs of fracture? This is indeed the event that Andy chooses to open the book with, and now we’ve come full circle.
There is a general theme with this section of the book, and that is Andy is trying to find a way out. It would seem that Andy desperately wanted to leave Duran Duran, but in order to walk away properly – he needed to feel as though there were something waiting for him on the other side. He speaks of Power Station in this regard. “The Power Station was still going to be my bridge out of the madness, with or without Robert. One thing I was determined to do was to make a clean break from the Berrows, who I remained unhappy with over the large slice of our earnings that they were entitled to under the terms of our contract with them.” (Page 210) What is curious to me is that by his own writing, it seems that Andy doesn’t think the madness would follow him. I am not a rock star and I don’t know what it is like to be in a successful rock band, but I would imagine that many of the problems Andy continues to see would exist no matter where he was or whom he was playing with, and I think that becomes increasingly apparent as we head towards the end of this book.
A: I, too, took notice about Andy’s desire to get out. I thought his reasoning to want to get out from underneath the Berrows was interesting. He mentioned how the managers had too big of a cut and, more than that, they were pushing too many shows, appearances, interviews, and videos. I can’t, obviously, comment on whether or not this is true since I wasn’t there but I did want to point out how much managers matter when it comes to the day-to-day decisions regarding the band and their activities. Also, interesting to me, was that John supposedly supported this idea but didn’t seek legal assistance to break the contract when Andy did. We know that the rest of the band did eventually separate from the Berrows. I’m curious as to what led to that.
R: One point on Live Aid that I find incredibly poignant and telling is that Andy talks about going to the show that day in the limo as though they were headed to a funeral – it was that quiet between the five of them, yet there was a party atmosphere taking place around them. Andy brings up Simon’s voice again, which I suppose that yes – you can’t think about Live Aid without really thinking about Simon – it was one hell of a note to go out on, I guess, but it just adds to the negative mood at the end of the book.
Andy does speak about Drum. I must admit, I have little memory of hearing about the incident on the news, although I remember reading the article in People magazine. I can’t imagine what it must have been like to hear about such a thing as a band member. Andy recalls being convinced it was just another sign that they couldn’t continue. “In a funny sort of way the Drum incident was just another example of how the lifestyle threatened to destroy all of us.” (Page 217) As much as I understand where Andy is coming from, I think it’s fair to say that it could have happened to anyone – you don’t need to be in a rock band to capsize a sail boat, and having money has nothing to do with it. People die from risks or even from just trying to drive to work every day whether they are rich, poor, into excess or otherwise. I really believe this was a sign of Andy’s own well-being (lack thereof) as anything else.
I know that there were many, many legal issues revolving Andy leaving the band. We’ve all heard about them over the years, and so I really don’t want to waste time and space going over them here. However, I want to call attention to the final sentences in this chapter. “Our dissolution wasn’t caused by people. It was caused by the circumstances that we found ourselves in.” (Page 220) Without getting preachy here, I daresay that it was also caused by a complete lack of communication from day one…and THAT is what is so incredibly sad. People who made their lives every bit of what it is today by communicating and connecting with perfect strangers through their music couldn’t find a way to communicate with one another. It’s heartbreaking.
A: This lack of communication is clear when Andy met with Simon, John and Nick in London before the recording of Notorious. At that time, he admitted that he gave them the impression that he would be returning in order to avoid confrontation. I certainly can understand wanting to avoid that but a band that was able to communicate wouldn’t have had this happen and I can’t imagine that it helped.
Chapter Thirteen
R: As this chapter opens, Andy is in Malibu with Tracey and little Andrew. He has bought a home and settles into life as a solo artist. He makes a statement that I fear is telling for not only the time in which he is referring, but for later on as well. “I’ve always believed that if you are good enough it comes to you, and you don’t need to run around like a headless chicken chasing hits, doing dodgy promo tours or any of that ‘where they are now’ stuff.” (Page 229) I guess my comment would simply be that while his album did fine – selling 300,000 copies, I’m not sure where his statement is coming from. Did he feel that Duran was in fact “chasing hits” and if so – why?
A: Besides, the discussion surrounding Andy’s new life in Malibu, including his friends like Steve Jones and Don Johnson, he also discussed a public fight with Simon. According to this, Simon did an interview that criticized Andy for getting lawyers involved. He also said that Simon stated that Andy was bored with being in Duran and wanted to be more of the center of attention. Andy took responsibility here by admitting that he responded and shouldn’t. I have vague memories of seeing articles like this in those frequently-purchased teen magazines. What I realized by reading this is just how human all the members are. They do say and do things that they might not be proud of. They also have horrible moments like this, which we all do. We have all had falling outs with other people and do and say things that are ugly. I appreciated Andy’s admitting this.
Chapter Fourteen
R: Out of the entire book, this chapter is by far the saddest for me to read and absorb. It’s quite daunting when you sit back and take stock in just how many people that Duran Duran worked with that are no longer with us. Overwhelming, really…and yes, like everyone else I feel very, very lucky that each one of the original members are still here. It’s very, very clear that Andy was very frightened that unless they changed their ways, one or more of the band members would die. He mentions this several times throughout the book, enough to make me wary. It’s funny how as fans we simply choose to ignore the obvious, to ignore the signs of aging, of poor health, or even of poor life choices. We see what we want to see, and I am as guilty of that as the next fan. I simply refuse to believe that any of them could possibly die. I am aware that is a dangerous pattern of thought, but the alternative is something I just cannot reconcile at present.
The list is lengthy, and to his credit – Andy spends time talking about each person and what they may have meant to him personally. He spends a great deal of time discussing Robert Palmer, and I suspect that for Andy, this may have been the greatest blow to date, and likely the one he was least expecting. As I, and I’m sure many others amongst us have learned – this is typically the case. You just never know.
On the back end of the chapter, Andy discusses his own idols. He writes of those who paved the way for him, as well as those that connected the band together. As he says, “we connected through our idols and influences.” (Page 251) He talks a bit about his own evolution as a guitar player, and I found it striking just how similar his own interests are to say…the band’s current guitar player. They are very different as players if you can catch the subtleties, but there’s a reason why THIS fan loves both of them best. I loved the sentence “We wrote with guitar and keyboards – and that was a fundamental part of our success.” (Page 253) It was a fundamental reason why so many of us learned to love Duran Duran, and we must thank Andy Taylor for his contribution to that. It was, and still IS…essential.
A: One of the people that Andy discusses is the late Colin Thurston who produced Duran’s first 2 albums. Clearly, one thing that he really did for the band was ensure that they write all their own chords, lyrics and melodies. As a fan, this is one thing that I truly admire! It is something that they should be proud of!
On Monday, we will conclude the discussion from Andy’s book by taking a close look at chapters fifteen through the epilogue. Study hard!
-A & R
I found the end of his book very difficult to read, not only for the loss of his colleagues, but for his bitterness. In some ways, I don't think the truth is fully told, and there is of course, more to the story. Why was there no room to renegotiate with the managers? (and what do I know about this… nothing). In some ways I think Andy was interested in a harder sound, which was not a direction all members of the band wanted to take. Stylistically and creatively it would be hard to remain in a band, where you could not play where the muse was taking you… (and you can see those influences In Power Station and in his solo work)
I don't feel that he had much closure with DD either. I don't know why I was necessarily looking for it. I have a feeling that I am going to get a much different vibe when I get to read John's bio — IN THREE DAYS!!
Anyway… I get a more “bitter pill” sense when I read Andy's. I was one of those fans who liked both the fine wine, caviar, beer and steak all at once 😀 I miss the edge.
In fact, Notorious was a big disappointment for me. I was ready for a heavier sound myself, as opposed to the funk influence. (My tale as a fan as as complicated as a band member LOL)