First Word: John Taylor, Bassist with Duran Duran, Discusses Porridge, Speeding and The Axis of Awesome

Press
All press / news

The bassist with New Romantic heartbreakers Duran Duran is currently on a world tour, but stops to chat porridge, breaking the speed limit and … that time he had a crush on a relative.

First record you ever bought
‘Thunderbirds Are Go!’

Last extravagant purchase you made
A made-to-measure suit.

First film you saw that really moved you
Reach for the Sky. It’s about a WW2 fighter pilot. It was a double bill with The Dam Busters.

Last lie you told
You look really good in that.

First movie you ever went on a date to
Stardust with David Essex.

Last time you cried
Yesterday. It was a silent cry.

First thing you do when you’ve got time off work
Shop for books.

Last great meal you cooked
I make a mean porridge. With fruit.

First crush
Julie McCoy, from my school. Her, or my Auntie Marjory. At least I didn’t say my mum.

Last book you read
A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan.

First great piece of advice you were given
‘Don’t ever give up.’ It was Bernard Edward, the bassist from Chic, who told me that.

Last time you were star struck
I came offstage at Coachella in the middle of our set, to change my guitar. Clint Eastwood was standing backstage watching the show. I said ‘Wow!’ and ‘Hello’, and then I ran back onstage.

First song you’ll sing at karaoke
I don’t do karaoke, baby.

Last time you exploited your position to get something
Friday night, in a restaurant in San Francisco called Quince. They said they had no tables, I said, ‘Tell them I’m in Duran Duran’.

First time you realised you were famous
When a very large, long black Daimler limousine pulled up in front of my parents’ house to take me to do a BBC interview. All the neighbours were watching.

First three words your friends would use to describe you
Honest, sensitive, idealistic.

First concert you ever attended
Mick Ronson, in Birmingham, April 1974. He was basically David Bowie’s sideman.

Last time you bought someone flowers
[Very long pause] Why don’t we just say my wife’s birthday?

Last funny thing you saw online
The Axis of Awesome – this Australian trio doing a skit of about sixty songs in five minutes, based on only four chords (see below).

First job
Car washing.

Last person in the world you’d sleep with
Any of the band members?

Last crime you committed
I break the speed limit all the time.

First person you’d thank in an award acceptance speech
My manager, Wendy.

Last thing you recommended to someone
The Jennifer Egan book, on Twitter.

First thing you think of when you wake up in the morning
Sex.

Last thing you think of before you go to sleep
Where did I leave the TV remote control…

Duran Duran play the SECC, Glasgow, Thu 19 May.

Courtesy The List (Glasgow)
http://www.list.co.uk/article/34023-first-word-john-taylor-bassist-with-duran-duran-discusses-porridge-speeding-and-the-axis-of-awesome/