50 Fun Facts About Duran Duran

In which English city was Duran Duran formed in 1978?

Birmingham is where Nick Rhodes and John Taylor formed the band in 1978 with Stephen Duffy, later of The Lilac Time, as their first singer.

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

Barbarella, the 1968 Jane Fonda space romp, features Milo O'Shea as the villain Durand Durand, whose name the band borrowed.

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

The Rum Runner gave the band a rehearsal space and jobs as doormen, DJs and barmen; its owners, Paul and Michael Berrow, became their managers.

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

An ex-girlfriend who worked at the club recommended him: barmaid Fiona Kemp sent the drama student along, and he turned up for the audition in pink leopard-print trousers.

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

Three Taylors, John, Andy and Roger, were unrelated; Andy, from Newcastle, joined by answering a Melody Maker ad.

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

Planet Earth, released in February 1981, reached number 12 in the UK; its video was directed by Russell Mulcahy, who shot many of their later clips.

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

Godley & Creme, the ex-10cc pair, shot the uncensored version for nightclub screens; it was banned by the BBC and heavily edited for MTV.

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

EMI won the bidding war in December 1980, helped by the band's fondness for the label of the Beatles; their debut album followed in June 1981.

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

Rio was released in May 1982 and became the band's breakthrough, eventually reaching number six on the US Billboard 200 in 1983.

Which artist painted the woman on the cover of the band's 1982 second album?

Patrick Nagel, the American illustrator known for his Playboy work, painted the woman on the cover; Malcolm Garrett designed the sleeve around it.

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

Sri Lanka hosted the 1982 shoot, which also produced the 'Save a Prayer' video; Andy Taylor fell badly ill with a tropical virus there.

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

Best Short Form Music Video went to 'Hungry Like the Wolf' at the 1984 Grammys, the first year the award existed; the band also took the inaugural Long Form prize.

On which Caribbean island did the band film their famous yacht video in 1982?

Antigua is where Russell Mulcahy shot the band aboard a yacht for the video in 1982; the boat was the Eilean, a 1936 ketch built by William Fife.

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

Diana, Princess of Wales, named them her favourite band and attended their July 1983 Prince's Trust concert at London's Dominion Theatre.

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

Is There Something I Should Know? entered the UK chart at number one in March 1983, and was then added to the US reissue of their debut album.

Which 1983 album gave Duran Duran their first UK number one album?

Seven and the Ragged Tiger, recorded as tax exiles in France, Montserrat and Sydney, topped the UK album chart in December 1983.

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

Nile Rodgers of Chic reworked 'The Reflex' into a single that topped the Billboard Hot 100 in June 1984 and also went to number one in the UK.

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

Dancing in the Dark stalled at number two in June 1984 behind 'The Reflex', and Prince's 'When Doves Cry' then kept it there.

'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' was the first James Bond theme song to do what?

Top the US Hot 100 is what it did in July 1985, the first Bond theme to reach number one there; it peaked at number two in the UK.

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

John Barry, the veteran Bond composer, co-wrote and arranged it with the band, and the song was nominated for the Golden Globe for Best Original Song.

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

Paul Hardcastle's '19', the Vietnam-sampling hit, held the UK top spot for over a month in May and June 1985, blocking the Bond theme at number two.

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

JFK Stadium, Philadelphia, hosted the US half of Live Aid; Le Bon's cracked high note in 'A View to a Kill' there was dubbed 'the bum note heard round the world'.

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

Robert Palmer sang on the 1985 Power Station album, which covered T. Rex's 'Get It On' with Chic's Tony Thompson and Bernard Edwards on board.

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

Election Day, with a spoken cameo by Grace Jones, reached the top ten on both sides of the Atlantic; the album's guests also included Sting, Herbie Hancock and David Gilmour.

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

Drum lost her keel and capsized in the 1985 Fastnet Race, trapping Le Bon under the hull until Royal Navy helicopter divers freed him.

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

Andy Taylor and Roger Taylor both left in 1986: Roger retired to the countryside exhausted, while Andy pursued a solo deal with MCA during sessions for the fourth album.

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

Warren Cuccurullo first played on the band's fourth album as a hired hand in 1986 and was made a full member in 1989, staying until the classic line-up reunited in 2001.

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

The Notorious B.I.G.'s posthumous 1999 track 'Notorious B.I.G.', with Lil' Kim and Puff Daddy, is built on the 'Notorious' riff.

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

Its cover shows the members' parents' wedding photos, hence 'The Wedding Album'; it revived the band with the hits 'Ordinary World' and 'Come Undone'.

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

Luciano Pavarotti sang 'Ordinary World' with Le Bon at his 1995 Pavarotti & Friends concert in Modena for War Child; the ballad had reached No. 3 on the Hot 100.

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

Roger Taylor, a founding member, returned to play on part of Thank You; Grandmaster Flash and Melle Mel guested on its cover of 'White Lines'.

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

Out of My Mind, from the 1997 album Medazzaland, featured in Val Kilmer's The Saint and was released as a single in the UK that year.

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

(Reach Up for The) Sunrise peaked at No. 5 in the UK in 2004, the band's highest placing since 'A View to a Kill', and topped the US dance chart.

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

Mark Ronson produced it as a deliberate throwback to the band's early-1980s sound; David Lynch later directed the band's live-streamed 'Unstaged' concert in 2011.

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

Five consecutive decades, the 1980s through the 2020s, each had a Duran Duran album in the UK top five once Future Past entered at No. 3 in 2021.

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

Robert Downey Jr. inducted them on 5 November 2022 in Los Angeles; Le Bon read a letter from the absent Andy Taylor revealing his stage-four prostate cancer.

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

Halloween is the theme: released on 27 October 2023, it mixes new songs, reworked old material and covers such as 'Psycho Killer' and 'Paint It Black'.

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

Bates was his surname at birth, as Nicholas James Bates in 1962; he adopted Rhodes as a stage name before the band's debut, and his parents ran a toy shop.

As a child, Simon Le Bon appeared in a TV advert for which product?

Persil washing powder featured a young Le Bon in a 1960s television advert, his first screen appearance, years before he studied drama at university.

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

Over 100 million is the figure usually cited for the band's record sales; they also won the Outstanding Contribution to Music prize at the 2004 Brit Awards.

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

Hey Everybody! borrows the 'Hungry Like the Wolf' hook, which earned Duran Duran's songwriters a credit on the 5 Seconds of Summer single from the 2015 album Sounds Good Feels Good.

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

John Frusciante, who had left the Chili Peppers in 2009, played guitar on several Paper Gods tracks; the album also featured Janelle Monáe, Kiesza and Mr Hudson.

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

Kajagoogoo's 'Too Shy' topped the UK chart in early 1983, co-produced by Rhodes with Colin Thurston; two decades later he 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?

Justin Timberlake handed over the award in February 2004 and later produced and sang on 'Falling Down' from the band's 2007 album Red Carpet Massacre.

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

The Louvre hosted the band beneath I.M. Pei's glass pyramid in June 2008 for a fundraising concert in aid of the museum's restoration work.

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

Electric Barbarella was offered as a paid download in 1997, one of the first singles sold online by a major label, and Medazzaland itself never got a UK release at the time.

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

Reportage was shelved after the guitarist's second exit in 2006; the band started afresh with Timbaland and new guitarist Dom Brown on 2007's Red Carpet Massacre.

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

MNDR, the electronic artist Amanda Warner, covered keyboards for several 2016 US dates after Rhodes had to return to the UK mid-tour.

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

Gloucester Place Music won in December 2016, blocking the band's attempt to reclaim US copyrights under the 35-year termination rule in American law; Rhodes said they had signed 'as unsuspecting teenagers'.