Super fan and super journalist, Lyndsey Parker has been a fan of Duran Duran since they first hit the scene in the 80s. They certainly inspired her career to be a music journalist and she's just put out one of Rhino's first i-books, Careless Memories of Strange Behavior: My Notorious Life as a Duran Duran Fan. An excerpt of her Written Q&A for the VIP Fan Community can be found below!
What first got you in to Duran Duran?
My first Duran memory is the "Hungry Like The Wolf" video, which I saw not even on MTV but on this rinky-dink cable network called the Z Channel, which was sort of like the poor woman's HBO. I didn't even know what a music video was yet. The Z Channel used to show random music videos as "intermissions" between movies, and one day I saw the Duran Duran video and I seriously thought it was an actual movie, because it had this cinematic, "Raiders Of The Lost Ark" vibe to it. I thought it was the best movie I'd ever seen, and then I was bummed when it ended only three minutes later. That's when I knew I needed to see--and hear--more. Once my cable company finally got MTV, I was a goner. After that, I only left my room to go to school, shower, and use the bathroom. Even all my meals were eaten in front of MTV, waiting for Duran Duran to come on.
Did you like all kinds of music or was Duran Duran your hands down favorite?
Duran Duran were my favorite, but I was generally obsessed with all new wave that came from this magical place called the U.K., where I assumed all the boys wore frilly pirate blouses, lipstick, and really cool haircuts 24/7. The Cure were HUGE for me; I could easily write an entire other E-book on how much Robert Smith changed my life, and maybe one day I will! Adam Ant was another big obsession. Depeche Mode, Echo & The Bunnymen, New Order and Joy Division, Soft Cell, ABC, the Smiths, Eurythmics, Human League, Siouxsie, Bauhaus...I loved it all. Those are my early musical memories. Also, Duran Duran got me into some pretty cool music that no kids at my school knew about; since I basically heeded any recommendations Duran gave, when they namechecked older artists like Kraftwerk, Iggy Pop, David Bowie, T. Rex, Chic, or Roxy Music, I always checked that stuff out.
We think we know the answer, but who was your favorite band member, and why?
John. Duh. I guess I'll be shallow and say I thought he was the cutest. Not just cute, really--I thought he was like the most perfect human specimen I'd ever seen. But there's just something about bass players. I've had celebrity crushes on other bassists (Simon Gallup from the Cure was another big one), and I've dated a few non-famous ones in my adult life. John just seemed....COOL. Coolness just oozed out of his pores. I was simply drawn to him.
Have you ever met the whole band? If so, what was that like for you?
I've met everyone except Andy, and they're all extremely nice. My interviews with them have been some of my career highlights. And one time Nick complimented my outfit---which was huge for me, since I think he's got amazing style! Best compliment ever.
What do you think of their music currently?
I will be honest and say that I wasn't always crazy about all of their '90s and 2000s music, even though each of their albums always had a few good tracks along with some filler...but I will say that Red Carpet Massacre got a bad rap (I really think "Nite Runner" should have been a HUGE hit, and it probably would have been if Justin Timberlake had recorded it), and I think All You Need Is Now is a massive return to form. I really do think AYNIN is the best thing they've done since Rio. Yes, that's right: I think it's even better than Seven & The Ragged Tiger and The Wedding Album. There, I said it.
You can buy Lyndsey's i-book, Careless Memories of Strange Behavior: My Notorious Life as a Duran Duran Fan here
