We Do What We Do (To have them!)

One thing I’ve noticed in doing this challenge is that for the most part, people are far more willing to post what their favorites are as opposed to what their least favorites are…unless we’re talking about management mistakes!  For the past couple of days, we’ve challenged fans to post what they feel was the best and worst videos/songs that John has done (whether that’s solo or with the band).  The participation has weakened slightly, but the favorite video or song that was most mentioned was I Do What I Do.  There were numerous others mentioned that were also close behind – Hey Day, Careless Memories, A-anon and Fields of Eden among them.  Then yesterday we challenged you to post the worst John video or song, and the runaway winner was Do You Believe in Shame.  Other mentions were Violence of Summer, Nasty Ho, There Are Lots and Lots of Ants, and even I Do What I Do.

Interestingly enough, the “best” John challenge really made me think because several people  admitted not knowing any of John’s solo music, therefore going with a Duran Duran song (perfectly fine to do!), and some said that unless he was in Duran Duran, they didn’t like anything he did.  (also perfectly fine to admit!)  I know Amanda was surprised that more fans didn’t really know much of his solo work beyond “I Do What I Do”, and I have to agree.  While I readily admit that I had NO idea what John was doing when he wasn’t in Duran Duran when I joined my first message board back just prior to the reunion, it didn’t take me long to catch up.  While I don’t know every word to every song – I do have most, if not all, of his solo work on my trusty iPod.  Some of it, I genuinely enjoy listening to – Hey Day and 6000 miles being among my favorites, and some of it – I Do What I Do and even Nasty Ho to some extent, I don’t listen to very often.  Overall though, I do like a lot of John’s solo work.

It brings up a very good discussion topic:  how do we really feel about solo work amongst the band?  Is the band only worth following when they’re together, or do you/did you take the time to follow them when it wasn’t about Duran Duran any longer?  Do you turn on the members as they leave, or do you still have love for them regardless of what choices they’ve made professionally?

When Roger left Duran Duran, I mourned the loss…but I continued to be a Duran Duran fan.  I always wondered what happened to him, and I’d heard plenty of rumors about him over the years – but when I heard about Freebass and the single Love is Like Oxygen, I searched all over for a good copy, and I still play it to this day.  I learned to endure through other drummers, going to the extent of not even looking at the drummer when I’d see them live. (this is no joke and my husband continues to torment me about it even now.  It’s annoying!)  I still loved the members who left, and I missed them at Duran Duran shows, but I’d make the effort to see what they were doing otherwise, as if that somehow made it all just a little bit easier.  I don’t know, for me it was as though because Andy and John were still recording, they didn’t completely just disappear off of the planet.  I didn’t make the same concerted effort to follow them as I did Duran Duran, but every now and then I’d try to play catch up.  Even as Andy left the second time, I wished him absolutely no ill-will, and I still read his blogs, listen to his demos, and get excited as I hear of news from him.  All of that said, I still believe that the band collectively as a whole is better than they are as solo acts…but if you can’t have that…I guess hearing their ongoing work is better than nothing.  What about you?

-R