50 Fun Facts About Duran Duran

In which English city was Duran Duran formed in 1978?

Keyboardist Nick Rhodes and John Taylor started it with art-school friend Stephen Duffy, later of The Lilac Time.

Duran Duran took their name from a villain in which 1968 science-fiction film?

Milo O'Shea played Dr. Durand Durand; the band named themselves the day after the BBC broadcast the film.

Which nightclub in the band's home city made Duran Duran its resident band in 1980, its owners becoming their managers?

The Berrow brothers paid the band to work as doormen, DJs and barmen when they weren't rehearsing.

How did Simon Le Bon come to audition for Duran Duran in May 1980?

Le Bon was a drama student; the first song completed with him was 'Sound of Thunder'.

How many members of Duran Duran's classic line-up share the surname Taylor?

John, Andy and Roger Taylor are unrelated; Andy answered a Melody Maker ad from Newcastle.

What was Duran Duran's first hit single, which peaked at number 12 in early 1981?

Its video was directed by Russell Mulcahy, who would go on to shoot most of their most famous clips.

Which directing duo shot the controversial 'Girls on Film' video in August 1981?

It was filmed just two weeks after MTV launched and was intended for nightclubs; MTV had to heavily edit it.

Which record label signed Duran Duran in December 1980 after a bidding war?

The band admitted 'a certain patriotism' toward the label of the Beatles swung the decision.

Which May 1982 Duran Duran album produced 'Hungry Like the Wolf', 'Save a Prayer' and its title track?

John Taylor came up with the title, and the band never appear on the cover, a Patrick Nagel painting instead.

Which artist painted the woman on the cover of Rio?

Malcolm Garrett designed the sleeve; the band felt their photos and videos were enough without a group shot.

In which country was the 'Hungry Like the Wolf' video filmed?

Director Russell Mulcahy had just visited; Andy Taylor was hospitalised after drinking lagoon water on the shoot.

'Hungry Like the Wolf' won the first ever Grammy in which category in 1984?

The band also took the inaugural Long Form award for their 1983 video album.

On which Caribbean island was the 'Rio' video, with the band on a yacht, filmed?

Six of Rio's nine tracks got videos; 'The Chauffeur' was shot in London.

Which member of the royal family publicly declared Duran Duran her favourite band?

The British press dubbed them 'the Fab Five', a nod to the Beatles' Fab Four.

What was Duran Duran's first UK number one single, which entered the chart at the top in 1983?

It was added to the US reissue of their debut album to feed America's demand for more music.

Which Duran Duran album is their only UK number one album?

Recorded as tax exiles in France, Montserrat and Sydney, it took over six months amid what Rhodes called 'barely controlled hysteria'.

Which Chic guitarist remixed 'The Reflex' into Duran Duran's first US number one?

On the Billboard chart it was one of two songs, with Prince's 'When Doves Cry', that kept Springsteen's 'Dancing in the Dark' off the top.

Which Bruce Springsteen single did 'The Reflex' block from reaching number one on the Billboard Hot 100?

Prince's 'When Doves Cry' did the same shortly after, leaving Springsteen stuck at number two.

'The Wild Boys' was inspired by a plan to film a novel by which Beat writer?

Russell Mulcahy wanted the band to score his film; the video alone cost over a million pounds at Pinewood's 007 Stage.

'A View to a Kill' holds what distinction among James Bond theme songs?

John Taylor, a lifelong Bond fan, drunkenly asked producer Cubby Broccoli at a party if he could write a theme for a fiver.

Which composer co-wrote 'A View to a Kill' with Duran Duran and recorded it with a 60-piece orchestra?

The pair were nominated for a Golden Globe; the band saluted Barry at Coachella in 2011 after his death.

Which single kept 'A View to a Kill' at number two in the UK for three weeks?

It was the last track the classic five recorded together until their 2001 reunion.

At which venue did Duran Duran play Live Aid on 13 July 1985?

Le Bon's cracked falsetto in 'A View to a Kill' was dubbed 'the bum note heard round the world'; the five didn't play together again until 2003.

Which singer fronted The Power Station, the 1985 side project of John and Andy Taylor?

It began as a favour to model Bebe Buell, who wanted to cover T. Rex's 'Get It On'; Chic's Tony Thompson drummed.

Le Bon and Rhodes' 1985 side project Arcadia released which single from So Red the Rose as a top-ten hit?

So Red the Rose featured Sting, Herbie Hancock and David Gilmour; Rhodes called both side projects 'commercial suicide'.

What was Simon Le Bon's maxi yacht, which capsized in the 1985 Fastnet Race, called?

He was trapped under the hull before rescue; twenty years later he raced the same boat in the Fastnet again.

Which two members left Duran Duran in 1986, before the recording of their fourth album?

Roger retired to the countryside with exhaustion; Andy signed a solo deal with MCA and had to be pursued legally to finish his parts.

Which ex-Missing Persons and Zappa guitarist joined Duran Duran in 1986 and stayed until 2001?

He was hired as a session player for Notorious and became a full member by 1989.

Which rapper famously sampled Duran Duran's 1986 title-track single from their fourth album?

Nick Rhodes had earlier produced Kajagoogoo's number one 'Too Shy'.

Why is Duran Duran's 1993 self-titled album known by a nickname referring to a ceremony?

It revived the band with the worldwide top-ten hits 'Ordinary World' and 'Come Undone'.

Which opera singer performed 'Ordinary World' with Simon Le Bon at a War Child benefit?

The ballad reached number three on the Hot 100 and remains one of the band's most-streamed songs.

Which former member returned to drum on Duran Duran's 1995 covers album Thank You?

Lou Reed and Melle Mel supplied backing vocals on the covers of their own songs.

Which Duran Duran track was used as the theme for the 1997 film The Saint?

It came from Medazzaland, the album John Taylor quit during, announcing his exit at the DuranCon fan convention.

The 2004 reunion album Astronaut produced which lead single, a number one on the US Dance chart?

It reached number five in the UK, the band's highest placing since 'A View to a Kill'.

Which producer helmed the 2010 album All You Need Is Now, initially released only on iTunes?

It hit number one on download charts in 15 countries; David Lynch later directed a live-streamed show for the tour.

With 2021's Future Past, Duran Duran had UK top-5 albums in how many consecutive decades?

It entered at number three, their best since Astronaut, with Graham Coxon and Giorgio Moroder among the collaborators.

Which actor inducted Duran Duran into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in November 2022?

They had topped the fan vote with over a million preferences; Le Bon read a letter from an absent Andy Taylor revealing his cancer diagnosis.

What is the theme of Duran Duran's 2023 album Danse Macabre?

It mixed new songs, reworked old material and covers, with contributions from ex-members Andy Taylor and Warren Cuccurullo.

What was Nick Rhodes's birth surname before he chose his stage name?

His parents owned a Birmingham toy shop; he is the only member present for the band's entire history.

At age six, Simon Le Bon appeared in a TV advert for which product?

He sang in a church choir and trained as an actor before joining Duran Duran as a drama student.

According to Billboard, roughly how many records have Duran Duran sold?

They notched 30 UK top-40 singles and 21 in the US, and won two Brit Awards and two Grammys.

Which 2015 5 Seconds of Summer song gave Duran Duran a writing credit for borrowing from 'Hungry Like the Wolf'?

The original was written in a single Saturday in EMI's London basement studio in spring 1982.

Which former Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist worked with the band on the 2015 album Paper Gods?

The album debuted at number 10 on the Billboard 200, the band's highest US debut in 22 years, and reached number two in Italy.

Nick Rhodes lent his production skills to which band's 1983 debut and its number one single 'Too Shy'?

Two decades later he also produced the Dandy Warhols' Welcome to the Monkey House.

Which pop star presented Duran Duran with the Outstanding Contribution award at the 2004 Brit Awards?

He later recorded the download single 'Falling Down' with the band for their Timbaland-assisted 2007 album Red Carpet Massacre.

In June 2008 Duran Duran became the first rock act to play a concert inside which Paris museum?

The fundraiser in the I.M. Pei pyramid helped restore a Louis XV drawing room; the museum had never before allowed a rock concert on its grounds.

Which 1997 single, one of the first ever sold online, was the only true US single from Medazzaland?

Its video of a robot plaything had to be censored for MTV, and the album itself was never released in the UK.

Which album title did the band scrap after Andy Taylor's second departure in 2006?

Around fifteen tracks were reportedly near complete; the band instead wrote Red Carpet Massacre with Timbaland tracks and guitarist Dom Brown.

Which artist stood in for Nick Rhodes on part of the 2016 US Paper Gods tour?

Rhodes said he was leaving band and fans 'in great hands' before returning to the UK.

Which publisher won the 2016 High Court case over the US copyright of the band's first three albums?

The company was part of EMI Music Publishing; Rhodes said they had signed 'as unsuspecting teenagers' three decades earlier.