Each year, Amanda and I compile some sort of a “Duran Duran” wish list. We pretend of course that we’re writing to Santa as one of us composes the post, and honestly it serves as both apology for whatever we’ve done that year and hope for whatever the band has coming down the pipes for the following year. There’s some sort of saying that goes something like, “It’s better to ask for apology later, than permission beforehand”….yes well….our Letter to “Santa” is all something along those lines, really.
Earlier this week, I saw that Duran Duran announced they would be headlining at Hyde Park in 2021 alongside Chic. This of course is recognizable as the plans they had for the summer of 2020, and once again, if you didn’t get tickets the first time, perhaps this is your opportunity. In the same article, it is mentioned that Simon hopes to perform new music at this concert. Naturally, that last line got my attention, and I’m sure it certainly did the same for others.
New music? What is that?!? Simon promises that the new album is a far cry from Paper Gods. Spoiler alert for those just joining the fandom – Duran Duran just does not do the same album twice. If you’re hoping for more Paper Gods, I’d just put the album on again and call it done. I have no idea what they’ve got up their sleeve for their next (still haven’t heard what they’ve named it) album might be, but I am fairly certain it will bear very little resemblance to anything we’ve heard from them lately. While some lament the lack of continuity, let’s just face it – we also kind of love not knowing what in the hell this band will do next.
Each new piece of music arrives like a gift. You rush to get it, assuming it’s a physical copy (and listen, I’m old enough to admit that I still like having something I can hold in my hand), surgically remove the stickers and shrink wrap that incapsulate the packaging, and, around 20 minutes later (some of us aren’t quite as dexterous as we once were!), we’re ready to hit PLAY. I don’t know about the rest of you, but there’s this micro-second just before I listen to the album that my anxiety is at full-tilt, rushing through my body like the cold metal ball in a pinball machine, bouncing off of the bumper pads. I usually sit there for a second, unsure of whether or not I really want to know what they’ve done. Then, I hit PLAY.
Yes, I know that sounds strange. I can only explain it this way, using a similar explanation to what John has mentioned in the past. When the band enters the studio for the first time – there’s a nervous rush of excitement/anxiety/anticipation, because in that moment, everything and anything is possible. It’s brand new. Well, as a fan, we’ve been talking about what the album might be for months, if not years. Maybe we’ve speculated (admittedly this time we’ve done precious little of that!), perhaps we’ve even hoped and dreamed. Regardless, anything really IS possible until that moment I hit PLAY. Then it all becomes reality after that. Regardless, I tend to believe that anxiousness before opening and hearing the gift of music from this band is at least partially to blame for why I’m still this interested and this much of a fan. They keep me guessing, hoping, and dreaming.
So, that’s what we’re asking you to do. What’s on your wish list, assuming all becomes well with the world? We ask knowing that after the year we’ve had, your wish list now might look incredibly different from one you may have written only one year ago. That’s completely okay. What kind of an album do you want from the band? If you’re one of those people who wants them to play in certain places -where? If you could send a wish list to Santa, what would you say? Post it in the comments, use Facebook or even Twitter to respond!
Happy Holidays!
-R
