BBC2 Teletext Interview by Joanna Wilson 


Duran Duran...Remember them?  Well, actually, they never split up! Admittedly, 
there have been a few changes in the band's line-up over the years, but they're 
still going strong.  Last month they released a Greatest Hits album, they've 
just finished a whistle-stop tour of the UK and a new single and album will be 
out soon.  We caught up with Nick Rhodes recently for a chat about the 80's, the 
90's - and the band's plans for the future... 
Q: 
It's 3 years since your last album "Thank You" was out over here... 
A: 
I know, people think "Where have they been?" -- well, actually we've been all 
the way around the world!  We made an album called "Medazzaland" in '97, 
although it hasn't come out here yet. 
Q: 
Why? 
A: 
Legal wrangles with the record company, but now it's all sorted out. However, 
"Medazzaland" probably won't be our next album out.  We're currently in the 
studio working on a thing called "Hallucinating Elvis".  "Medazzaland" will 
probably come out after that. 
Q: 
When will "Hallucinating Elvis" by out? 
A: 
We're aiming for May, I certainly hope we get it out by then, plus we've got a 
lot of odd bits that we haven't put together that will make a 3rd album very 
quickly.  You're going to be seeing a lot more material coming out over the next 
18 months or so than there has been in the past few years.  We've got a bit of 
time to make up for! 
Q: 
John Taylor's no longer with you... 
A: 
Yes, John left in March '97, we were sad to see him go, but at the same time 
we've never been frightened of change. 
Q: 
Why did John leave? 
A: 
Well, John's living in L.A..  It was mainly geographical.  He's got his family 
there -- his daughter in particular.  She goes to school there. He likes it in 
L.A. -- and we're very much a London based band.  It was getting very difficult 
commuting backwards and forwards the whole time. 
Q: 
And, splitting up after he left was never an option? 
A: 
No, he's doing his own thing and he seems very happy.  We've got a bass player 
called Wes, who's been with us for 2 years.  He's great, so we're really happy. 
Q: 
Do you think there will be a chance of a reunion? 
A: 
I can't see him joining us at the moment because we've moved somewhere 
completely different.  To be honest, John wasn't around much after '92, so we're 
kind of used to him not being there.  I do miss him -- I've known him since I 
was very young, but fortunately it hasn't affected our writing very much. 
Q: 
Did you part on good terms? 
A: 
Oh yeah -- absolutely.  We wish him well with everything he does! 
Q: 
You've been around for nearly 20 years.  What keeps you going? 
A: 
Soul-creating things...playing shows, we enjoy what we do.  I feel very lucky 
that we do something we like for a living.  Plus, I think we've got a long way 
to go yet! 
Q: 
Is each album a progression from the last one? 
A: 
Sometimes, but I think the "Medazzaland" album is more relative to the 1st one 
or "Rio" than the later stuff.  It's as if it has come round in a circle -- but 
we try to push tracks in different directions.  I don't ever think our albums 
are just one style. 
Q: 
How has the band developed during the 80's and '90s? 
A: 
I think the 80's were very chaotic for us.  It wasn't until '86 or '87 that we 
really managed to learn to go in different directions a lot more. In the 
'90s...while there haven't been as many albums, I think we've developed a very 
different sound now, particularly with the "Medazzaland" album and the new one.  
It's carrying out a different sort of area, but it's still Duran Duran -- I 
think Simon's voice very much identifies that. 
Q: 
Does it annoy you that people often just associate you with the '80s? 
A: 
Yeah, it's slightly irritating because the biggest hit we've had around the 
world was in the '90s.  "Ordinary World" off "The Wedding Album" wasn't No. 1 in 
the UK, but it was No. 1 in most of the world, including the U.S..  In fact, 
"The Wedding Album" is our most successful studio album to date.  The '80s 
revival thing obviously isn't helping, but people are bound to mention us, 
because we released so many records then! 
Q: 
"Ordinary World" is probably my favorite Duran track, what about you? 
A: 
Oh yeah, it's way up there with my favorites of everything we've done. We knew 
when we'd written it that it was a special song.  It was just one of those great 
moments when everything (music and lyrics) matched perfectly.  There's a very 
beautiful ballad on the new album called "Someone Else, Not Me" which I suppose 
is in the vein of "Ordinary World".  It's the 1st song we've written since then 
that's got those overtones. 
Q: 
And the Fans? 
A: 
We're lucky in that not only do we have a lot of loyal people from earlier on, 
but people have gone away and come back to us.  We've also added a new audience 
around the world -- I guess with "The Wedding Album". 
Q: 
Finally, what about your plans for '99 
A: 
Well, the single "Electric Barbarella" is out on January 11th and we'll see what 
happens with that...and then as I said, hopefully the new album will be out in 
May, and if all goes well, we'd like to tour the new album. 
KEY POINTS: 
--"Electric Barbarella" - UK release: 11th January 1999 
--"Hallucinating Elvis" - provisionally May 1999 
--Track off new album: "Someone Else, Not Me" 
--Possible tour with "Hallucinating Elvis"