I have quite a list of things to get through this week, some of which has been accomplished, but what I’m finding with every phone call or email I send – I end up adding things to the bottom of the list. I’m sure the rest of the world has that same trouble, but I’m also finding that if I really want to get a jump on my day – I need to consider getting out of bed at about 4:30 am and probably staying up until about midnight.
Yeah, that’s probably not going to happen. I love Daily Duranie and I love what we’re doing and our plans to grow, but I really like sleep too. These bags under my eyes thank me for those hours of shut-eye. So, onward and upward, yes?!?
One thing I did complete with flying colors yesterday is the establishment of a PayPal account. I am excited to announce that we will gladly begin taking orders for Daily Duranie wristbands (pictured below). As I have mentioned, we know many of you would like to have one, and these were wristbands that we handed out over the summer US leg of the tour. We have a limited number left over, and so if you’d like one, we need to be able to cover our shipping costs as well as be able to order more when the time comes. Simply send us $3.00 USD via PayPal – our email is dailyduranie@gmail.com. When you see the charge on your banking statements, it will show up as PAYPAL*DISCORDRHYM. We are taking orders from now until December 31st, or until our supply is depleted. Thanks!!
I won’t lie, I haven’t listened to Katy Kafe in months. Feel my shame radiate from the screen of your computer… Once again, I fear Nick Rhodes arriving at my home to request my Duranie card. This will not do. So today I gave it a listen, and it definitely did not disappoint. Nick was the guest in the Kafe this month, and I must say – I was happy to hear that. We haven’t heard much from the band regarding Nick since the tour (aside from the beautifully written letter/blog that Nick wrote upon his return to the UK), and I am sure I’m not the only fan out there who wondered how he was feeling. I am pleased to report that he sounds wonderfully healthy and back to his normal busy self. I took copious notes as I listened (no it’s true – I’ve got two note pad pages worth sitting in front of me!), and I will attempt to condense my ramblings into a few bullet points.
*More from the end-of-tour: I think that Nick still sounds very disenchanted with the way the tour ended. I cannot blame him – in all the times I’ve seen the band and the various tours I’ve watched over the years, I really am not sure they could top what occurred with All You Need is Now, so ending it with his illness must have been difficult. It was difficult as a fan. I’m happy that he seems to be back to normal though, and in the end, that is what is important.
*A few things that he his working on while at home: He has been sorting through his photography archive (please tell me a book is coming…) and…this is big news…he is working with Warren to get TV Mania for release in February/March of 2013. In fact, right after he was finished with the Kafe, he was meeting with Andrew Day to sort out the final artwork for the album. If you’re not familiar with Andrew – take a good look at Medazzaland or Pop Trash, as well as The Devils CD. They are going to be releasing TV Mania on Limited Edition vinyl as well as a download. Now, if you’re keeping track, you’ll realize that Nick is releasing this album in February only to go back into the studio in March to begin the next Duran Duran album. Busy much?? Yes! A very interesting note on the TV Mania project – they could not find the physical master tapes, so one had to be recreated (for remixing purposes) from what they had on computer. Things happen during a seventeen-year rest in a bottom drawer! This album was created during a time when the work on Medazzaland was taking a “bit too long” to complete, and the album is created entirely from samples taken from TV. The “lead vocalist” on the album is in fact the television. Sounds interesting, and we’ll definitely be taking a good listen and look at it for Daily Duranie when it’s out! Nick is also going to be working on doing a remix for MNDR in the coming weeks, so stay tuned!!
*New album: Let’s face it, the band hasn’t even been in the studio yet, so it’s tough to imagine what the album will sound like. Nick did comment a bit on some various things though, and it will be interesting to see how the album unfolds. I doubt very much that they’ll let us in on the inner workings of studio-time, probably preferring to let the final product speak for itself (I don’t blame them for that, even though I readily admit that I will be chomping at the bit for whatever news we can get out of them.), but I love hearing the juicy tidbits from time to time. He says that he’d love to see this album be completed in a shorter timeframe than All You Need is Now. Katy replied that she felt the album didn’t really take that long, but Nick said that they have certainly had albums that have taken longer, but he feels that he can work fairly quickly – finishing an album in three or four months.
(I started chuckling here. I don’t know about the rest of you, but I’ve always thought maybe it was Nick that took the longest to give an album the “OK”. I see Nick as the perfectionist in the group, so I can’t envision finishing anything in that short of time, but that’s just my own perception of the man I lovingly name, “The Controller”. :D)
Before all of you begin making tour plans for next summer, he simply said that he could work in that short of a time frame, not that he will. He quickly followed up with “But of course we’ll have to see how long it really takes!” Nick implied that the lyrics are what takes the longest, and while I definitely felt a bit of a dig at Simon there, I don’t think Nick meant that Simon is at all slow, but rather that there is a big sense of pressure, and it takes a while to come up with a good lyric. He mentioned that perhaps he and John will do some of the writing a little sooner this time. I like that idea. I love Simon and his lyrics, but I also believe he does his best work when he’s not stressed. This, my friends, I understand. Writers block sucks, to be extraordinarily blunt. Nick mentioned that he doesn’t have any idea of what direction the album would take, but hinted that maybe it would be a bit more funky this time around. There was some discussion of a concept album (between he and Katy), and Nick said that he and John have discussed writing a selection of songs based on a particular individual. He said that he hadn’t mentioned the idea to Simon yet (Um, guess what Nick? You just did!), but it was one idea.
From the sound of it, we have plenty to look forward to in the coming year. I’m excited for February AND March!
-R
