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I found a bizarre little French video of some raw Duran footage interspersed with the Mona Lisa for reasons I don't quite understand. So of course, I need to share it:



This is not to be confused with the more polished footage from Duran's performance at The Louvre. I'm glad I already did a spotlight on John's wife Gela, so you wouldn't think she was some sort of fancy peacock!

A little Idol for the weekend...

It's not the rarest vid on YouTube, especially since hometown (for me) fella David Cook ultimately won the top title, but this American Idol clip of "Hungry Like the Wolf" is fun anyway. And when this guy hits town, it's like Durandamonium circa 1983 all over again. You can't fight the power of hair gel and guyliner!

It's been awhile since I've spotlighted a significant other, and it seems proper to finally give some airtime to John's wife Gela Nash-Taylor. I remember back in the late 90's when she was out and about supporting JT's solo projects. Now, with the huge success of the brand she co-founded, you're more likely to see John at her side as the support player. I got nothin' snarky to say about the girl. She's a kickass biz woman, AND she has her own Barbie doll, which makes her my personal hero.

Save a Prayer, big band style...

...well, it's not a jazz group, but it might as well be. Either it's a mirror trick, or it somehow takes about 30 members to perform "Save a Prayer" now. :::waves hands in the air:::

Part 5 - His own way?

Here's the last installment in our little John Taylor mini-series.

Feelings: Good.

Learn more about the Noooorotic Outsiders and John's other solo stuff in the '90's. "Jerk" video included (may not be safe for work--depending on where you work!). I really want the reporter to pep up.

He Does What He Does...Part Tres

Here's Part III in the series, though I have to admit, I'm a little disappointed that it's basically "I Do What I Do--The Director's Cut".

Sport shirts and hair stripes - Part Deux

Ah, 90's era John...enjoy part II!

Party Like it's John Taylor's Birthday!

It's Friday, it's John Taylor's 48th birthday, and feelings are good (der...), so I've got a treat for you guys today! It's part one in, count 'em, FIVE parts of a great interview with John from a show called Music Madness in '98. John Taylor...Past, Present, Future (sort of)...enjoy!

Phase One Nostalgia.

Here's a little gem from '93. I overcame my distraction from John's oven mitt-like gloves and big jacket collar (which made him look a little like Neal from The Young Ones too me. Bad jacket!!), and ended up a little wistful at the band's "success on a different level" attitude. I really loved the era of Warren's home studio, but I really don't miss the big span of time between albums (yeah--cuz it's SO much better now. ;) ). Enjoy!

You go, boy!

Here's another bass showcase, this time from a lanky young lad performing "Shadows are on Your Side". I've been a musician longer than I've been a Duranie (which is saying a lot; in dog years, I'm way, way dead), and even I didn't really how much that bass line moved. You go, John Taylor of the past, and to whoever you are, young man, bravo!

How to make Iceland a little hotter.

When I was in first grade, I had a huge crush on my Icelandic deskmate, whose name I now can't recall. One day his dad came to school and played guitar for us all. That sealed the deal!

That relationship obviously didn't work out, but at least this clip jogged my memory a bit. Enjoy a little Duran boat action (be careful, Simon!), with "Chains" from Astronaut as the soundtrack.

Duran Duran...a band for young people...with a lot of energy...

...well they used to be, anyway. I think most of us now may not be old, but we could probably use a vacation, Simon.

Here's a really great interview with Simon from before Rio. It also features a ton of great behind-the-scene footage and live shots. An all around winner!

Simon lebon - apparently everyone's daddy.

This one's in the spirit of Father's Day here in the U.S. today. Simon drops the "f-bomb", so it's not necessarily safe for work, but it is kind of amusing.

See, this is why I do what I do.

I will take Amazon.com gift cards and/or cash as a thank you for finding this gem (trust me, you'll be glad). Here's Mark Alexander's haunting rendition of "A View to a Kill" at the Troubadour sometime last year. Seriously, you all know how I love my cover songs, and this one may be the best I've ever heard.



In contrast, here's Shirley Bassey doing the same song (sorry, I can't embed it). It's great in its own way, though that way is very different than Mark's.

It's a little bit of magic!

Indeed, this is a magic interview with Nick, Roger, Andy, and John in '84. I love Nick's Kubrick statement about the video not mattering unless the song is there...but then it's ironically followed up with "New Moon on Monday", a song with the vaguest meaning since, well..."Union of the Snake". This also houses the prettiest mullets since my six grade yearbook. Love it!

11:49 Sun...cuz it's not quite midnight.

I love YouTube. And I find this acoustic version of "Midnight Sun" endearing. I just keep waiting for the phone to do something!

Unapologetic Booty Talk.

I was cleaning out a bunch of old papers from junior high school yesterday, and came across my Duran poster collection from my old locker. Now, even though the guys have aged pretty gracefully (after a short period of kind of scaring us that they wouldn't!), it made me want to indulge in a little, OMG-I-Can't-Believe-How-Gorgeous-They-Are-era Duran. So here's a little Notorious live stuff ("Vertigo", to be exact), demonstrating just that. I can't remember the last time we got to see Nick in a short enough jacket to display booty. It's almost Prince-esque. If he suddenly did the splits, I wouldn't complain. Shake it like it's your birthday, Nick (because :::checks calendar::: it IS!). Don't even get me started on Simon in this one...

Enjoy!

Da Na Na Na...

Woohoo!! Here's a little clip from April's V Festival in Melbourne. I'm in 'live' mode because MY band (Post Orgasmic Trauma) is playing live tonight! I plan on singing as least as well as Simon in this clip (not bad, Charlie!!).