Does anyone else remember those days back in the 1980s when the guys got married for the first time and they began to have children? I remember fans being so upset when Nick got married, for example. I also recall how everyone thought that Andy’s oldest was an adorable baby. Back in the day when we were kids, these events seemed HUGE! We used to sit around and discuss every aspect we could about their family lives. Was Giovanna good enough for Roger? Who is this Yasmin person? Will John ever marry Renee? I do remember being glad that John was my favorite because he seemed so determined to NOT get married. I was also so relieved to hear or read when he madee statements about not getting married because I just knew that I would be devastated if he ever got married, or so I thought. The truth is that he did get married and I survived. All of the Roger girls survived, too. So did the Nick, Simon and Andy girls. We lived. When we were kids, we might have grieved a little over what we thought was the end of our chance to grow up and be what? Their girlfriends? Their wives? Writing that now seems silly. So, what is the big deal now? While it seems to me that most of us responded to the news very differently than we did when we were kids, there were some people who reacted with some emotion. Is it because we become kids again when we think about this band? Is it because we think of the band members in a certain way and can’t deal with any changes with them? Why? Even when there wasn’t much emotion given in the post, I was still struck by the fact that this was the discussion topic of the moment.
Roger included this announcement about becoming a father again in one sentence of a blog. The rest of this particular blog talked about how powerful it was when he met people in the organization, Walking for the Wounded, who had risked their lives fighting for a cause. Yet, I didn’t see or hear much discussion about this organization or about soldiers in the fan community. Obviously, the current state of the world is one of much strife. Yet, for the most part, we don’t allow those world problems to enter our state of fandom. In this case, we don’t even bring them in when the band talks about them. Why is that? Is it easier to talk about a band member’s personal life than it is to talk about the destruction that war causes? I’m sure that’s true. For many of us, fandom and Duran Duran, in particular, give us the escape from reality, from problems. It certainly does for me and I’m forever grateful for that because otherwise I think I would be a basket case (no comments are needed! LOL). Yet, I wonder why Roger felt it necessary to blog about this particular event and organization. Of course, he could have just wanted to write about something that moved him, emotionally. That’s possible. It also seems like maybe he wanted to raise awareness to an issue. Perhaps, he wanted us fans to know about this and support this. What do we do? We talk about his wife’s pregnancy instead. Is that the easier thing to do? Yes. Absolutely. The best thing we could have done? Maybe not.
-A
I keep wondering how Roger will be present for the baby's birth and first year, given the touring schedule. He's off touring now as his wife enters the 3rd trimester. How enjoyable can that be for her? She might be able to travel for now, but not much longer. I hope he's hired some help for her, because being up all night and day with an infant is no picnic.
Amanda
Hard to say for sure since I don't know Roger personally, but I am sure that Gisella must be in a good place and is comfortably enjoying her pregnancy. Roger doesn't strike me as the type of person who would leave his wife otherwise – but yes, he does have a job to do. My husband left me at home several times during my 3rd trimester with my third baby, and that was a high risk pregnancy at that. He had a job to do – and that required travel. It didn't change after each one of our three children was born, and while he didn't typically travel for as long as Roger will need to do so for touring, I would bet he'll be getting home as often as possible. The timing isn't always perfect, but we all make do and I'm sure Roger and Gisella are no different. 🙂 – R
I just want them to do well! I also have a hubby who was working/sleeping most of my kids' lives. Throw in a fussy baby and it is not a good mix. Did the high risk pregnancy thing too. Got a 33 weeker and a 36 weeker (and we were lucky to get that!) I think Roger must be a great dad. He exudes kindness and calmness every time I see him!
Amanda