I have a confession to make. Every once in awhile when I am feeling particularly blah, unmotivated or uninspired, I start doing some online shopping. I have to admit that a lot of times I will reach for the standards to give myself a little pick me up, a little something to look forward to. Very often, that standard is Duran Duran. Lately, though, there has not been as much to find. (This, of course, is probably a sign that I have dried up the well and bought most of what is out there.) When that happens, I find myself flipping over to sites like eBay. Maybe there isn’t anything new but…maybe I can find something I missed out on when I was younger.
So, what have I found on eBay searches lately? Of course, there are always vinyl records and CDs to buy, which I scroll past pretty quickly. I did notice a heck of a lot of posters from the 1980s, including the one below.
Each and every time, I see a poster from the 1980s, I’m immediately brought right back to my childhood and a silly grin stretches across my face. It happens without me even thinking about it. Like so many Duranies of the 1980s, I had my walls plastered with images of the Fab Five. So do I buy these posters? I have to admit that I have bought many but haven’t lately. It isn’t because I won’t be up posters in my house as my office is all things Duran. The old ones that I do have are in pretty brittle shape due to the age and lack of care.
Plus, I don’t look at my fandom or the members of Duran Duran in the same way as I did as a kid. Then, it was about their pretty boy, good looks, incredible fashion sense and this aura of cool that blew me away. They did not seem real but untouchable idols. Those old posters capture that. Now, I am way more focused on the music, which is why I have album covers up. Likewise, I don’t see them as just celebrities but I see them as human with their flaws as well as their positives. It is much less about the worship of idols and now more about appreciation, not only of Duran Duran but of my involvement in the fan community. Much of what I display has memories connected to the various places, people, events and experiences. Now, it is much more about me and my life and less about a fantasy I have.
What about the rest of you? Do you have posters or other Duran memorabilia displayed? Is it like posters as a kid or different?
-A
I used to have posters up at our old house, but they were confined to my walk-in closet. Here though, I don’t have anything up. Just framed photos that you’ve given me over the years! 😀 I wish I had more room to display my things, and eventually I will, once the boy moves out of the house and I take over that room……-R
A few years ago I threw away several of my big posters because they were more ripped than a poster at that point. I do have that one poster from 2005 I ordered from Time Out Magazine and that one I have on my bedroom door. It was funny, recently I had a Zoom interview and the woman said “oh you like Duran Duran”. I have a U2 poster I also got from 2005 underneath it so in 2005 I was buying posters. I do have an older poster though, one from the Cure in 1992 I bought for my dorm room but most of my posters are newer. I have several posters from movies as well and love posters.
What I do have from my teen years are scrapbooks of their pinup posters. Remember those full page mini poster the magazines had in the 80’s? I have scrapbooks full of those. I rarely look at them though but just like to save to think of my younger years.
I totally do remember those mini-posters! Every magazine was such a gift with all of those mini-posters! -A
I haven’t bought much new DD fan stuff, really. A few t-shirts here and there, and some jewelry. I totally have a thing for “subtle” geek jewelry. I have a couple of old posters framed at home for nostalgia/because I still appreciate the artful posing and fashion of them, and a handful of my 1980s buttons on the wall of my desk at work. Everything else is in scrapbooks/on bookshelves. I could have more up if I liked, as my husband is also a big fan of DD, but it is far more about the music for me these days. Well, that and more intangible stuff, like listening to their interviews. I like hearing from them as people, rather than pop idols.
Yeah, I can relate to this. It is like fandom evolves. -A
Well, since I’m a case of arrested development who owns her own home, I have a framed photo of Duran proudly displayed alongside my other heroes. Lone Ranger, ( autographed!) Green Hornet, Data, and my parents. It’s not a fancy photo, I saw it online and a friend copied it. I liked that the band were all wearing the same t-shirt, the word green in different languages, and that Nick’s arms were bare. Yeah, I’m 55 and still sometimes still a gleeful little fan. Besides, that man is usually annoyingly clothed. I think I’m the modern day equivalent of a Victorian male hyperventilating over a bare ankle .I think my Duran calendar kinda qualifies as a mini poster, new every month.
I love that you openly display your fandom! 🙂 -A