We present: The Hardworking Committee Behind Durandemonium 2013!

Our committee is comprised of five hard working Duranies, in addition to Amanda and myself.  All of the committee members have jobs outside of planning the convention, and so they are giving some of their little precious free time to the convention, which Amanda and I wholeheartedly appreciate.  Planning a full-blown convention is a lot of work, and we know that none of us are getting paid for this gig…so thank you!!

Julie Malloy:  Julie is from Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and she is 42 years old.  Julie has seen 41 live shows, and is looking to get more so that she’s consistently caught up with her age to show ratio!

Julie is an apparent “collector” and has several things in her attic (that she is brazen enough to share with readers here on the blog) that make her friends afraid of her.  A partial list:  Water bottle from JT’s solo show in Philadelphia that is lovingly kept in a plastic Ziploc bag, Andy’s cigarette butt from a show in Portland Oregon, the set list from a New York City show in support of RCM, another set list from the show in Durham North Carolina in 2012 (Rhonda is slightly jealous over that one!!), and multiple sweaty towels from shows that she has attended over the years.

Like nearly every fan, Julie has some favorite songs, and this list includes: Anyone Out There, Too Bad You’re So Beautiful, Last Man Standing, and Late Bar.

So why on earth did Julie agree to this craziness of convention planning??  So that she could meet new Duranie friends and have a fabulous weekend for herself (a “me” weekend!) to recharge her batteries.  We think she’ll be in great company!

Laura Duker:  Laura lives in Gurnee, Illinois with her amazing husband and two challenging but very lovable boys, ages 9 and 12.

Like many of us, she has been a fan since the summer of 1982 when she turned on MTV for the first time and saw Simon’s bare chest striding through the jungle in “Hungry Like the Wolf”.  She used to say that Simon was her favorite band member, but after meeting all original five in 2003, there was no way to pick a favorite any longer. Each of the bring their own dynamic to the overall whole and she adores them all (and now Dom too!) for their unique qualities.

Laura hasn’t traveled much to see the band, mostly due having young children to juggle, but she has been from coast to coast: NYC to see the Red Carpet Massacre shows and to Seattle to see Durandy’s amazing warehouse collection.

One of the things Laura loves most about this band is how much of a family we’ve all become because of them. Yes, we fans have the competitive and argumentative nature that flows throughout our ranks from time to time, but when push comes to shove, no one will ever “get us” like we do!  She has met so many wonderful people over the years of going to shows and being on boards, and every time we all get together in a crowded concert hall, it is like home.  That is why she’s chosen to help with this convention, to be with her “family”. To laugh over the one-liners we all know so well, share stories of our “firsts”, and of COURSE, enjoy the fantastic music that moves us all and has written the soundtrack to our lives. She hopes to see you in Chicago this October!

Kimberley Lowrey: Kim is originally from (and still lives) in Chattanooga Tennessee. In addition to Duran Duran, Kim loves college football. (Go Vols!) She has been a DD fan for as long as she can remember…once again, that Hungry Like the Wolf video knocked her off her feet and she was hooked (apparently this video did AMAZING things for the DD fanbase in America!!)

Kim is currently engaged and will be married this year. Her fiancé is not a DD fan, but she’s hoping this will change, but even if he’s not a fan himself, he is very supportive of Kim’s addiction…and as a true enabler he bought Kim her tickets to the Atlanta show and was freaking out that no one would go with Kim and he’d be stuck attending with her. Funny story: while he was worrying that no one would go with Kim to the show, he told her that if he had to go, he was going to stand there with double “bird fingers” for Simon to see because he had it coming for making high school so tough for him.  Apparently all the girls liked Simon and not him. Kim is pretty thankful that didn’t happen, because she’d be single now otherwise. She also has a basset hound named Rikki Dee that she adores.

Kim wanted to get involved with the convention because she wanted to help out. She went to the Atlanta and Durham meet ups last year and had a fabulous time. She loved meeting so many people and felt like she was part of something. Kim wants to share that feeling with other people and repay the favor that Amanda and Rhonda did for her. (Rhonda adds that we really did nothing except provide the opportunity for people to meet, it’s people like Kimberley that make being a fan worthwhile!)

Kim is going to be working in the registration area, and she’s going to be helping out where ever we need her because she has an infectious smile, wonderful personality and is the type of person that is going to make everyone feel welcome! She is really looking forward to the banquet on Saturday night because she feels this is the time when everyone will know each other a little and will have some fun. The relationships she has made so far through the band have been wonderful, and it really is the music between us.

Kim’s favorite songs are Seventh Stranger and Pretty Ones, but her moods change and she finds herself being pulled toward different songs based on her mood. She also feels that Simon’s lyrics have multiple meanings for her personally (which we believe to be part of his genius!) Kim is also a John girl and always has been. She knows the exact moment she fell for him – at the beginning of Rio when he is bouncing the ball. She used to hit pause on her VCR and just stare at him (we wonder how many of us will admit to that?!?) She always thought she would grow up and marry John. (he would have had many, many wives….) She’s quick to say that of course that didn’t happen, but that she’s sure he’s still looking for her.

Kimberley is new to the shows, going to three so far on this past tour: Atlanta, Atlanta again, and then Durham.  We will help to increase that number on the next tour!! Durham is the farthest she’s traveled for the band so far, but that will be changing! She’s always been a little shy about going to concerts, and now that she has Duranie friends that she can meet up with – there’s no reason to go to shows alone!

Kimberley is one of those people we talk about all the time on the blog: meeting friends has really made being a fan so much more fun for her. She says that she feels like she’s made a million Duranie friends. She has made some really good friendships in the past couple of years, even though she doesn’t see them often – they have made plans to meet up soon, both before and after the convention. Kim is also involved on DDM and has made friends from there, as well as many friends she met at the meetups they attended. One common interest has the strength to create really strong friendships… and the examples she gives explain why we’re committed to making Durandemonium 2013 happen.

Lori Hamill: Lori’s story begins in Santa Maria, California. For those of you who are unfamiliar, it’s located between Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo on the central coast. That is where Lori was born, raised and is currently living. Since graduating from college, she has only worked in the wine industry – it’s a really rough job, right?? Parties, beautiful scenery, lots of fun. She works at a job she loves, with lots of perks (drinks at work.  Wait…drinks at work? Rhonda and Amanda need that job!!). Lori is single and has four nieces that she tirelessly spoils. She loves flea markets, going to 80s concerts and eating out. She has been an DD fan since 1983 – typical obsessed fan stuff with a lot of Teen Beat magazines, posters all over her walls, concerts, screaming at the TV when the band would appear, etc. General mayhem, she says. Lori is extremely lucky because she met her best friend through the band back in high school. Their lockers were next to one another and were covered with DD stuff.  To this day, she is still Lori’s partner in crime at all of the shows.

Lori’s favorite member has always been Simon – she is constantly amazed by his skilled dance moves (as are we, Lori…as are we.) Her favorite song is New Religion, although like most fans, that tends to fluctuate. She feels very fortunate that she has been able to travel over the years to see the band play in such places as Birmingham, London, New York City (many, many times she says), Virginia, Connecticut, New Jersey, Las Vegas and up and down all of California. It’s her fun and keeps her sane (though that is up for debate – and those are HER words, not ours!) This past summer was the first time she ventured out on her own for some shows back east. She met some amazing people she is still in contact with, and is the main reason she decided to help with the convention. It is a unique opportunity to hang out with her “people” for the weekend and have some fun. Her main job at the convention will be planning and helping out with the banquet dinner festivities on Saturday night, and she can’t wait for October!

Kevin Groenewald: Kevin became a Duran Duran fan in 1982 after he heard Hungry Like the Wolf on the radio (Ok, Rhonda thinks they put crack in that song and somehow it was dispersed when the video was viewed or the song was heard on the radio….) Kevin lives in the Midwest with his wife, son and daughter. In his spare time he enjoys mountain biking and watching sports.

But, back to Duran Duran…Kevin’s very first DD concert was in Chicago, in 1993.  Apparently Kevin was lucky enough to see them before they canceled their tour that year! His very favorite song is Ordinary World, and Amanda tries to be understanding about that. Thankfully there is room for all of us on this committee!  His favorite B-side though is Faster than Light, and Kevin even has a favorite DD demo: Salt in the Rainbow (we have to ask – WHY didn’t the band include this gem somewhere??)

The reason Kevin wanted to help with the convention is because he wanted to give back to the band for all of the enjoyment they’ve given him since 1982. He is very excited and can’t wait to meet and make new friends at Durandemonium. We are very thankful to have a male “voice of reason” on this committee…Kevin has been excellent at reminding us (and believe me, sometimes we need reminding!) about what is most important, and while he is truly a man of few words, we truly appreciate his input!