I read Amanda’s blog post yesterday. This really shouldn’t surprise anybody. I typically make a point to read what she and Jason write, but something about what she’d written yesterday continues to play on my mind today.
Purpose
I think that since we first started blogging – and remember, we didn’t start the blog here on WordPress, it was just a page on Blogger(!) – I’ve given about 5000 reasons why I wanted to write, or wanted to do a blog. I’ve listed everything from wanting to journal my experiences, to creating a community. I suppose my reasons change based on the day, or my mood, or both. Daily Duranie has served different purposes for me over the years, to be certain.
I guess I am a blogger because I look for validation. I want to be liked. I want to be valued. Doesn’t everyone? Additionally, I had a lot I wanted to say about (and directly to…) this band. Some writers have stories floating in their head. I had thoughts I desperately wanted this band to read.
Validation
This is a short clip from YouTube of a CNN Music interview that Simon and John did back in 2012. While at first they both speak of videos they’d like to return to do again, the clip finishes with talk of their American audience. It is this part of the interview that I still think about, a lot, while I’m writing. I am one of those people Simon is talking about, even if perhaps he didn’t necessarily mean me specifically (but I sometimes wonder).
The thing is, it isn’t all just about the band, although sometimes I think it would be far simpler if it were. If I only cared about the music and said fuck-all to everything else, maybe that would have been safer. That’s just not how I operate, of course. I am an all-in person if I’ve ever met one. It’s that community-thing that Amanda mentioned yesterday that keeps cropping up in my mind.
Community
Amanda likes to organize people. That much is clear. I’m not exactly sure what I like to do, really. I might be one of those people who wants to be an extravert, but is far more comfortable being behind the scenes making things come together. I am just not sure, probably because I never quite figured out what I wanted to be when I grew up. I’m turning 50 in a few months. I’m still a mom writing blogs, and pretending they matter to someone other than just me. This does not bode well, does it? Alas…
I never sat back and said “Listen Amanda, you can be the organizer. My job is going to be _____________”. I just kind of did what had to be done. I don’t know that I had a defined role, unless you count keeping the site running. Let me be clear: This is not my talent. Thank goodness for YouTube. I can’t come up with much else than to say the reason why I wanted to do whatever I could to bring people together is simple – I knew how much fun it could be. Music and fandom, specifically being a Duranie, is so fun as is, but if you have friends along for the ride, that journey is far sweeter.
The only thing I can say is that Amanda and I met because of Duran Duran. My good friend Jessica met her best friend Mac because of Duran Duran. We wanted to help replicate that experience for other people who were open and willing to meeting new people but maybe just didn’t know how, or were intimidated of just wandering up to a group congregating before or after a show. As Amanda mentioned yesterday, we know people who found new friends at parties we’ve organized. There isn’t much that I’ve done in my life that makes me prouder or feel more fulfilled than that.
Justification
The last few times I’ve seen the band, not surprisingly at The Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas, Amanda and I have had one hell of a time getting to our seats on time. We were typically running in, landing in our spots just as the house lights dimmed with enough time to dash off some silly tweet to @duranduran about how we were finally in our seats ready for the show.
Now some of this is because we lost track of time at the bar (is anyone surprised?), but some of it is also because on the way into the theater, we have been stopped several times by people who know us from this blog. Nothing I have ever done in my entire life has ever been like this, nor could I possibly be less prepared. I am not someone who gets stopped in the hall. I never was. I’m that girl that blends into the woodwork, clarinet in hand, glasses on face. Every time we’d get stopped in titled marquee entryway of The Chelsea though, the sense of pride in my heart, and the grin on my face, made each of the other times I sat here until 2:00 in the afternoon, trying to think of what to write, seem worth it. (Like today)
Progression
Here we are though, ten years into Daily Duranie. Amanda and I are having a meeting tomorrow to discuss this blog. As most know, I’ve been considering whether or not I’m ready to let it go, for a myriad of reasons, none of which have anything to do with Duran Duran. The music is the easiest part of the equation for me. I still love it all. (Yes, even you, Hungry Like the Wolf. Even you.) I constantly ask myself if this site and blog still have a purpose. Have I said everything I’ve needed to say? Is there more that could be done? If so, what and how? Could I reimagine this site, or the function of Daily Duranie to suit life in 2020? Okay, maybe not 2020…. This year has been a train wreck. How about 2021 and beyond?
No one need remind me that 2021 will likely bring a new Duran Duran album. I haven’t forgotten, although I doubt I’m the only one saying that I’ll believe it when I see it. That remark also has nothing to do with the band – it is a reflection and commentary of the world we currently live in. Who knows what is going to happen tomorrow. That is written as a statement on purpose. I wouldn’t even dare guess. I’ve been told several times that things – like our readership and traffic – will pick back up when there’s new music. My response is the same, the music is the easiest part.
As I go into tomorrow’s meetings with no fewer than ZERO ideas of how to move forward, I think about the community piece of this equation. During a time where there is very little interaction taking place beyond the computer screen, and there is no solid hope of shows for at least the next six months or more, does the community still matter? I would hope. Maybe that is indeed the starting place for what is to come next.
-R
