Wow. I have not written a blog post in forever. There are a lot of reasons for that, but that is not the purpose of this particular post. Instead, this one is an acknowledgement of an anniversary, a monumental moment, a significant marker.
As most of you know, in April of 1984, Duran Duran’s song, The Reflex, hit the top of the charts in the U.S. At that time, I was a kid, about to turn nine. I was living in the Chicago suburbs, spending as much time as I could with my best friend. While we did not go to the same school, our parents would often drive one of us to the other’s house. When we hung out, we did what a lot of kids did in the 1980s. We rode our bikes, spent time on my swing, and played with her adorable, fun-loving dog. In addition to those usual activities, we also were glued to B96, the Top 40 radio station or in our TV rooms watching that 24 hour music channel that we all know and used to love. Somehow, we both found ourselves loving Duran Duran. I could not tell you what song hooked us or even if it was a song. It might have been a video. While I do have memories of seeing the video for Hungry Like the Wolf and singing the chorus of Save a Prayer over and over and over, I can definitively say that The Reflex pushed us into being full-fledged Duranies.
No clue what it was about the song that really grabbed us but it did. Maybe it was the video. After all, both my best friend and I found ourselves “squeeing” at every shot of John Taylor, declaring that he was our favorite and always would be. We were so addicted to the video that we would call each other every time we saw it air. I’m sure that our families found us over the top but we didn’t care. The best way to describe it is that we were in love, as much as any elementary school kids could be!
From then on, it was Duran Duran all day, everyday. We breathed, ate, thought, talked about Duran as much as we possibly could. My merger allowance was used to buy as much Duran Duran related products as I could. I bought teen magazines, posters, buttons, t-shirts, and more like they were bottles of water in the middle of a hot, desert. My room soon had completely covered walls in Duran pictures and posters. All of my hopes and dreams consisted of seeing the band live in concert, in hopes of breathing the same air as the Fab Five.
Forty years later, I’m still a Duranie. I look back at that part of my childhood with such fondness. Those were great memories and I was lucky to have such a cool childhood best friend.
So how is my fandom now? In some ways, things haven’t changed all that much. My love for Duran’s music has not changed. I have a room in my house with Duran posters hanging up. Of course, they are not the same as the ones I had in 1984, nor are they completely covering the walls. While I have seen the band live a bunch, I still get overly excited by going to shows. Even now, there are moments that I pinch myself when I think about all of the things I have done and have gotten to do in the name of fandom. I think about being in the same space as these guys that I adored as a kid and part of me can’t believe it’s real.
Other things have changed, though. Fandom isn’t a 24/7 thing anymore. It can’t be, really. I have other thoughts, concerns, interests, and responsibilities. Some might say that I have a better balance. Of course, for years, even as an adult, I spent hours upon hours on my Duran fandom. I don’t regret any of that time or energy. I have a lot of good memories from all of that. All of that being said, I’m not sure what the future holds for my Duran fandom. I know that I’ll always love the music and the band. I know that I’ll jump at the chance to see the band live. But will I keep this blog open? Will I continue to post on the blog’s social media? I’m not sure. Again, this isn’t because I don’t love the band. Part of me thinks I might be in a different phase of life. Part of me knows that I have to be vigilant at preserving my time, energy and peace. Part of me thinks it might have run its course. I don’t know.
While I continue to think about it, I will acknowledge and celebrate the 40th anniversary of a song that pushed me from being a casual fan to a full-fledged, lifelong Duranie. My world, my life would have been a lot duller and a lot less fun without it. Happy Birthday/Anniversary to The Reflex.
