0:00:03 > 0:00:06This programme contains some strong language.
0:00:06 > 0:00:08# Can you hear me? #
0:00:08 > 0:00:11We've been through changes.
0:00:11 > 0:00:14It took 17 years to get rid of the three Taylors.
0:00:14 > 0:00:17HIGH-PITCHED VOICE: Welcome to our show!
0:00:17 > 0:00:22John Taylor was the bomb - the one all the girlies wanted.
0:00:24 > 0:00:28We were like a gang, a gang of princes!
0:00:33 > 0:00:36I saw myself as a bit of an Errol Flynn -
0:00:36 > 0:00:38a bit of swash and buckle.
0:00:43 > 0:00:46It was the blueprint for new pop bands.
0:00:49 > 0:00:51# I tell you somebody's fooling around... #
0:00:51 > 0:00:54They were really good-looking
0:00:54 > 0:00:58and they were dressed in a glamorous and cool new way.
0:01:03 > 0:01:07They were the Beatles of the '80s, a classic pop band.
0:01:12 > 0:01:17They can make records, write the music and perform it live.
0:01:17 > 0:01:20It's not a lip-synch affair. It's the real thing.
0:01:24 > 0:01:27The life and times of Duranasty.
0:01:27 > 0:01:29Yes.
0:01:40 > 0:01:43Summer 2000. On tour in the USA,
0:01:43 > 0:01:47a gang of pop princes are celebrating their 20th anniversary.
0:01:49 > 0:01:51# Mesmerised
0:01:56 > 0:01:59# It's in your eyes... #
0:02:01 > 0:02:06They're not a teenybop band from the '80s. They've transcended that.
0:02:06 > 0:02:11Line-up 2000 features originals Simon Le Bon and Nick Rhodes
0:02:11 > 0:02:15along with American guitarist Warren Cuccurullo.
0:02:15 > 0:02:21Simon has his own personality. Nick has a fashion flair that I'm in awe of.
0:02:21 > 0:02:25- And... I don't know. - Warren's the muscle man!
0:02:25 > 0:02:30Having sold over 60 million records worldwide,
0:02:30 > 0:02:34Duran Duran lived the '80s dream of wealth, women and wild living.
0:02:34 > 0:02:40This is their story from Planet Earth to pop trash.
0:02:46 > 0:02:49It all began in '70s Birmingham,
0:02:49 > 0:02:53when Nick Rhodes, John Taylor and Stephen Duffy formed an art-school band.
0:02:53 > 0:03:00Birmingham was this nether world between London and the north.
0:03:00 > 0:03:06Birmingham needed something of its own. It didn't have a punk band.
0:03:06 > 0:03:11You know, Manchester had the Buzzcocks.
0:03:11 > 0:03:14Neither of us played a thing,
0:03:14 > 0:03:17but we just knew we had to learn. That was just an obstacle
0:03:17 > 0:03:20to us being in a band.
0:03:20 > 0:03:27We were inspired by Low and Heroes, so Bowie was still important
0:03:27 > 0:03:29but punk had just begun.
0:03:29 > 0:03:33# We're so pretty, oh, so pretty
0:03:34 > 0:03:36# We're vacant... #
0:03:36 > 0:03:41The Sex Pistols literally pointed at me and said, "You're all right.
0:03:41 > 0:03:45"You're 17 and you've got nothing else in your life, so come on."
0:03:45 > 0:03:48They took the name Duran Duran
0:03:48 > 0:03:51from a character in the sexy sci-fi film Barbarella.
0:03:51 > 0:03:55Four gigs later, they looked set to be what Birmingham needed.
0:04:01 > 0:04:05# We're so pretty, oh, so pretty... #
0:04:05 > 0:04:12I thought things were going really well. About a week later, Stephen decided to leave.
0:04:12 > 0:04:16They were the most ambitious people I'd met.
0:04:16 > 0:04:22I never doubted that they were going to be superstars.
0:04:22 > 0:04:27As Stephen Duffy launched his cultish solo career,
0:04:27 > 0:04:30new romantics made an impact on pop culture.
0:04:30 > 0:04:36Even Birmingham's top night spot embraced the fashionable movement.
0:04:38 > 0:04:46The Rum Runner club was a beacon for adventurous musical directions.
0:04:46 > 0:04:52It took its inspiration from Roxy Music and David Bowie.
0:04:52 > 0:04:54Most significant day in our history -
0:04:54 > 0:04:58Nick and I showed up at the Rum Runner with a demo tape, asking if we could play a gig.
0:04:58 > 0:05:04Paul and Michael Berrow wanted to become involved.
0:05:04 > 0:05:06They said, "Yeah, you can play here,
0:05:06 > 0:05:08"but do you have a manager?"
0:05:08 > 0:05:10And we said, "No."
0:05:10 > 0:05:16Somehow the fact that they had this nightclub that we could play at
0:05:16 > 0:05:22and rehearse at seemed to be a really good deal.
0:05:22 > 0:05:25With regular gigs guaranteed,
0:05:25 > 0:05:29they recruited two more unrelated Taylors -
0:05:29 > 0:05:32drummer Roger and guitarist Andy.
0:05:32 > 0:05:36But they still desperately needed a decent singer.
0:05:41 > 0:05:44# Slow down, you're moving too fast
0:05:44 > 0:05:48# You gotta make the morning last... #
0:05:48 > 0:05:52The answer to their prayers
0:05:52 > 0:05:57would be former chip-loving child-star-turned-thespian, Simon Le Bon.
0:05:59 > 0:06:05I put my best pair of pants on and a pair of Chelsea boots
0:06:05 > 0:06:08and got on a number 8 bus
0:06:08 > 0:06:10and took a ride to the Rum Runner.
0:06:10 > 0:06:18NICK RHODES: When Simon walked in, I thought he looked like one of us, which really worked.
0:06:18 > 0:06:22I thought he was one of our tribe. I just hoped he could sing.
0:06:22 > 0:06:27I had my book of lyrics with about 20 songs in there.
0:06:27 > 0:06:33And that's what, I think, attracted them to me.
0:06:33 > 0:06:38NICK RHODES: Using the energy of the punk movement,
0:06:38 > 0:06:45the style of the glam movement, the groove of disco music,
0:06:45 > 0:06:50and some German electronic music thrown in on top,
0:06:50 > 0:06:54is really what created the Duran Duran sound
0:06:54 > 0:06:56that we launched in 1980.
0:06:57 > 0:07:03# It's easy to disturb with a thought when you whisper
0:07:04 > 0:07:07# With a careless memory
0:07:07 > 0:07:09# With a careless memory
0:07:09 > 0:07:12# With a careless memory
0:07:12 > 0:07:15# With a careless memory... #
0:07:15 > 0:07:21I walked on stage to play in the first Duran Duran show of my life
0:07:21 > 0:07:26and I couldn't think of anything to say. People were staring at me.
0:07:26 > 0:07:32I stood there and I went, "This is our party. This is your party!"
0:07:32 > 0:07:36# Where are you now Cos I don't want to meet you?
0:07:37 > 0:07:41# I think I'd die I think I'd laugh at you
0:07:41 > 0:07:43# I know I'd cry What am I supposed to do? #
0:07:45 > 0:07:48Paul and Michael decided
0:07:48 > 0:07:50that we needed to expose ourselves
0:07:50 > 0:07:53on a national level.
0:07:53 > 0:07:58The best way would be to buy ourselves on to a tour.
0:07:58 > 0:08:02# On the third week at Greenham blew bye-bye
0:08:02 > 0:08:05# On the fourth we sent rockets to the sky... #
0:08:05 > 0:08:10In late 1980, Duran supported punk princess Hazel O'Connor
0:08:10 > 0:08:12on their first tour of the UK.
0:08:12 > 0:08:15The Berrow brothers were very clever.
0:08:15 > 0:08:20And I think it was a masterful stroke
0:08:20 > 0:08:24to have Duran Duran opening for me at that time in my career.
0:08:24 > 0:08:27# ..and he said behold... #
0:08:27 > 0:08:33We did this thing in the Dominion in London, last gig of the tour.
0:08:33 > 0:08:36We were singing Suffragette City, all of us together.
0:08:36 > 0:08:38We just all got along really well.
0:08:38 > 0:08:42# Oh, don't lean on me, man cos you can't afford the ticket
0:08:42 > 0:08:44# I'm back in suffragette city
0:08:44 > 0:08:49# Don't lean on me, man cos you can't afford the ticket... #
0:08:49 > 0:08:53They had great songs, brilliant songs.
0:08:53 > 0:08:57We'd run to the back of the auditorium and watch them.
0:08:57 > 0:09:03Duran Duran caught the eye of the man who signed the Sex Pistols.
0:09:05 > 0:09:11Looking at the lead singer, I thought Simon was an absolute star.
0:09:11 > 0:09:14Then you looked at the rest of the band, and they all looked fantastic.
0:09:14 > 0:09:17I thought, "This is going to be massive."
0:09:20 > 0:09:26# Only came outside to watch the nightfall with the rain. #
0:09:28 > 0:09:32We really thought we'd arrived. This was something we'd grown up watching.
0:09:32 > 0:09:40# Like some new romantic looking for the TV sound... #
0:09:40 > 0:09:48They were such new romantics. When they did that, they had the crimped hair, the ruffles.
0:09:48 > 0:09:55They looked ridiculous, but they matured very quickly.
0:09:55 > 0:09:59# Can you hear me now?
0:09:59 > 0:10:04# Oh, this is Planet Earth. #
0:10:04 > 0:10:11The look was androgynous. It wasn't a sexual thing, it was ethereal.
0:10:11 > 0:10:14# This is Planet Earth. #
0:10:19 > 0:10:22Nick Rhodes was fantastic.
0:10:22 > 0:10:26The blonde hair swept over to one side, the make-up...
0:10:26 > 0:10:28And straight as well.
0:10:28 > 0:10:32It wasn't a gay thing necessarily.
0:10:32 > 0:10:36It was just about men looking beautiful.
0:10:36 > 0:10:42When Bolan and Bowie and Roxy Music wore make-up, it suited them.
0:10:42 > 0:10:43The problem with Duran Duran
0:10:43 > 0:10:46was that they were not very beautiful.
0:10:46 > 0:10:51We had a lot of criticism from the serious rock press
0:10:51 > 0:10:55who thought you shouldn't care about things like that.
0:10:55 > 0:11:00You should go on stage with your grubby jeans and your axe.
0:11:00 > 0:11:04I thought the whole thing was a filthy business.
0:11:04 > 0:11:08Duran Duran was about having energy, style and a sense of humour.
0:11:08 > 0:11:12Their first single, Planet Earth,
0:11:12 > 0:11:15broke the UK charts in 1981
0:11:15 > 0:11:20but it would be Godley and Creme's video for Girls On Film
0:11:20 > 0:11:22that really got them noticed.
0:11:22 > 0:11:28PAUL BERROW: Girls On Film, there were these two interesting video directors.
0:11:28 > 0:11:33They were always doing slightly quirky, unusual videos.
0:11:33 > 0:11:36They were right for Girls On Film.
0:11:39 > 0:11:42The only brief that we were given, as I recall,
0:11:42 > 0:11:46was that it should be daring, it should feature the band,
0:11:46 > 0:11:49and it should have an undercurrent,
0:11:49 > 0:11:52or indeed an overcurrent, if there is such a word, of sex.
0:11:53 > 0:11:58The video market in the USA was becoming important.
0:11:58 > 0:12:01A chain of clubs had video screens.
0:12:01 > 0:12:05We thought we'd make an X-rated video.
0:12:13 > 0:12:15It could have been sexier actually.
0:12:15 > 0:12:20It was too porno and not sexy enough.
0:12:27 > 0:12:34It worked in clubs. We could show it there. No-one else was going to show it. It was a "restricted", I believe.
0:12:38 > 0:12:42To escape the stir caused by Girls On Film,
0:12:42 > 0:12:44the five boys fled to Sri Lanka
0:12:44 > 0:12:49to film the first of their "pop stars in paradise" videos.
0:12:49 > 0:12:54There was the music and the visuals.
0:12:54 > 0:13:00It was one of the first bands that married visuals and music together.
0:13:00 > 0:13:04People looked forward to the next Duran video.
0:13:04 > 0:13:08# Don't say a prayer for me now
0:13:08 > 0:13:13# Save it till the morning after
0:13:13 > 0:13:17# No, don't say a prayer for me now... #
0:13:17 > 0:13:24- MICHAEL BERROW:- We recorded an elephant trumpeting. It was a male calling a female.
0:13:24 > 0:13:27Then we played it back to them,
0:13:27 > 0:13:32so this elephant that had been talking to a female elephant
0:13:32 > 0:13:36was now hearing itself talking to an elephant on the speakers.
0:13:36 > 0:13:40Roger was on the female elephant, wasn't he?
0:13:40 > 0:13:45The elephant just took off down stream!
0:13:45 > 0:13:49The managers just saw their drummer going off down the river.
0:13:49 > 0:13:52They just went white.
0:13:52 > 0:13:58This bull elephant wasn't going to come back. It had the drummer on its back.
0:13:58 > 0:14:04From shooting the videos in Sri Lanka, we went to Australia,
0:14:04 > 0:14:08played there and then went back to America.
0:14:08 > 0:14:13It was amazing, because in the space of four or five months
0:14:13 > 0:14:17we had become massive, a really big outfit.
0:14:17 > 0:14:22New York's Broadway saw some extraordinary scenes
0:14:22 > 0:14:26when Duran Duran went to sign autographs in a video store.
0:14:26 > 0:14:33It turned out to be reminiscent of the days when the Beatles took the USA by storm.
0:14:33 > 0:14:35Love them. They're great.
0:14:35 > 0:14:37GIRLS SCREAMING
0:14:37 > 0:14:41NEWS FOOTAGE: Within minutes of their arrival, police were called in.
0:14:41 > 0:14:43Like animals out here!
0:14:43 > 0:14:46Eager fans scrambled for vantage points
0:14:46 > 0:14:53and were unceremoniously removed by police, who said they'd seen nothing like it for years.
0:14:53 > 0:14:59There's tons of people here. There's 2,000, 3,000, four million!
0:15:05 > 0:15:11America embraced Duran because of their style, their fashion sense
0:15:11 > 0:15:16and the way that they integrate that in with their music
0:15:16 > 0:15:20and their sensibility about who they want to be.
0:15:20 > 0:15:22# I smell like I sound
0:15:22 > 0:15:25# I'm lost and I'm found
0:15:25 > 0:15:29# And I'm hungry like the wolf
0:15:29 > 0:15:31# Straddle the line in discord and rhyme... #
0:15:31 > 0:15:37With Raiders Of The Lost Ark imagery and Simon swashbuckling,
0:15:37 > 0:15:42the video for Hungry Like The Wolf was a favourite with MTV.
0:15:42 > 0:15:47In a Beatles-esque tradition, we all took a vacation together.
0:15:47 > 0:15:52We all went to Antigua except Andy, who'd just got married.
0:15:52 > 0:15:58I think he went to Wolverhampton for a holiday - a busman's holiday.
0:15:58 > 0:16:02We rented apartments at English Harbour.
0:16:02 > 0:16:07We were all with our girlfriends and we'd all lock up at night.
0:16:07 > 0:16:13In the morning, we'd come out with our towels and our swimming trunks.
0:16:13 > 0:16:17"Hey! Morning!" We'd go swimming.
0:16:17 > 0:16:19It was like being in MI5.
0:16:19 > 0:16:23We were just about to leave and Paul called and said,
0:16:23 > 0:16:26"Don't leave. Andy and me are coming over
0:16:26 > 0:16:30"and the film crew are coming over to do some videos."
0:16:30 > 0:16:35# Her name is Rio and she dances on the sand... #
0:16:37 > 0:16:42NICK: Russell had the idea of doing it on this boat,
0:16:42 > 0:16:48which seemed like a good idea at the time and cinematically it was a good idea.
0:16:48 > 0:16:54To me it was a complete nightmare because I loathe boats.
0:16:54 > 0:16:58I think they're fine when they're tied up
0:16:58 > 0:17:03and you have a little cocktail with a few friends when the sun's setting.
0:17:03 > 0:17:08But once they get out and they start going like that...
0:17:08 > 0:17:11I don't like that so much.
0:17:11 > 0:17:16There we are, wearing these bright silk Anthony Price suits,
0:17:16 > 0:17:18clinging for dear life.
0:17:18 > 0:17:22# ..down to the Rio Grande. #
0:17:22 > 0:17:27When I throw Andy off the boat, he didn't know I was going to do it.
0:17:27 > 0:17:30He was very upset about it.
0:17:30 > 0:17:32It wasn't planned.
0:17:32 > 0:17:36It was just a moment of spontaneous meanness!
0:17:38 > 0:17:43PAUL MORLEY: I remember when Le Bon wore that yellow suit.
0:17:43 > 0:17:49He just looked like a lump you'd find in your custard.
0:17:49 > 0:17:52There was nothing beautiful about it.
0:17:52 > 0:17:56All that mattered was the image. That's what people got.
0:17:56 > 0:17:59People got this amazing sort of...
0:18:02 > 0:18:07..incredibly glamorous feeling from the whole thing.
0:18:07 > 0:18:11That's what people wanted at the time.
0:18:11 > 0:18:16At this election, we have the chance to banish for ever
0:18:16 > 0:18:21the dark, divisive clouds of extreme left-wing socialism.
0:18:21 > 0:18:27Margaret Thatcher and Milton Friedman came along
0:18:27 > 0:18:31and offered us a new vision of right-wing thinking -
0:18:31 > 0:18:34every man for himself and let's make lots of money.
0:18:34 > 0:18:38# I made a break I run out yesterday
0:18:38 > 0:18:42# Tried to find my mountain hideaway
0:18:42 > 0:18:44# Maybe next year... #
0:18:44 > 0:18:50Duran Duran and Spandau, those two bands, suggested a celebration of,
0:18:50 > 0:18:56you know, let's go out and get it, let's go and enjoy it and who cares?
0:18:56 > 0:18:59# Please, please tell me now
0:18:59 > 0:19:03# Is there something I should know?
0:19:03 > 0:19:07# Is there something I should say
0:19:07 > 0:19:11# That'll make you come my way? #
0:19:11 > 0:19:16Duran Duran were, like, number one. That was the life, right there.
0:19:23 > 0:19:28I'm desperate to know what it's like to be a pop star.
0:19:28 > 0:19:31Really? What do you imagine it's like?
0:19:31 > 0:19:38- I'm still hoping. - Do you think it's all fast cars, fast women, fast living?
0:19:38 > 0:19:40- That's probably part of it.- It is!
0:19:42 > 0:19:48We were still at school. We found out where Simon's dad lived in Pinner.
0:19:48 > 0:19:54I'd made him a cake. He'd mentioned on Saturday Superstore
0:19:54 > 0:19:59that he liked orange Smarties, so we decorated it with orange Smarties.
0:19:59 > 0:20:05We gave it to his dad. An hour later, Simon came out with the cake.
0:20:05 > 0:20:09It was cut into pieces and we all tucked in.
0:20:09 > 0:20:13He signed autographs and posed for pictures.
0:20:13 > 0:20:15He was just so fantastic.
0:20:15 > 0:20:21I phoned my mum and said, "I've just met Simon." She said, "Simon who?"
0:20:26 > 0:20:31# ..Please, please tell me now... # They were winning everything.
0:20:31 > 0:20:34John Taylor was always Best-Looking Male.
0:20:34 > 0:20:37Simon was The Best Dressed.
0:20:37 > 0:20:42They were the best-loved group of the '80s, above Spandau and Wham.
0:20:44 > 0:20:45The winner...
0:20:45 > 0:20:49- It's a good year for Birmingham. Duran Duran.- Simon Le Bon.
0:20:49 > 0:20:51- Rio by Duran Duran.- Duran Duran.
0:20:51 > 0:20:55And the winner is Duran Duran.
0:20:55 > 0:21:00We had our own chart. It was T-shirt sales.
0:21:00 > 0:21:05John topped the T-shirt sales year after year after year.
0:21:05 > 0:21:11John Taylor was the handsome one, a bit more laid back.
0:21:11 > 0:21:14He knew he was good looking,
0:21:14 > 0:21:17and took advantage of it.
0:21:17 > 0:21:20You're going to all these places,
0:21:20 > 0:21:25and you're meeting great people and getting all this attention.
0:21:25 > 0:21:29# ..And the wind doesn't have a name
0:21:29 > 0:21:34# So call it what you want to call it
0:21:34 > 0:21:37# Still blows down the lane... #
0:21:37 > 0:21:42I wrote the song Hold Back The Rain about John
0:21:42 > 0:21:46because it was saying to John, "Hey, careful, man.
0:21:46 > 0:21:52"Don't lose yourself." I thought he was going off the rails a bit.
0:21:52 > 0:21:57Nobody had ever warned me about the pitfalls.
0:21:57 > 0:22:02It seemed like, "Drugs. That's what The Beatles did,
0:22:02 > 0:22:07"that's what the Rolling Stones do. Why wouldn't I want to?"
0:22:07 > 0:22:10John was staying up too late,
0:22:10 > 0:22:16taking drugs, drinking too much, going home with the wrong people.
0:22:16 > 0:22:18"Why don't you want to have sex?
0:22:18 > 0:22:22"If someone's pretty and they want to have sex with you?"
0:22:22 > 0:22:26The night I wrote it, I slipped a copy of it under his door.
0:22:26 > 0:22:29He's never mentioned it to me. Never.
0:22:29 > 0:22:33Sometimes you need to take yourself to the edge
0:22:33 > 0:22:37to realise this is not the right place.
0:22:37 > 0:22:43The demands on the band increased as Duran-mania intensified.
0:22:43 > 0:22:46By the mid-80s, they'd already sold ten million records
0:22:46 > 0:22:49and performed to one million Duranies.
0:22:49 > 0:22:53# ..Fear hangs a plane of gunsmoke
0:22:53 > 0:22:57# Drifting in our room... #
0:22:57 > 0:23:02We got used to the excitement that that screaming gives you.
0:23:02 > 0:23:07Whenever it died down, one of us would go up and shake a little bit.
0:23:07 > 0:23:11That would pick it right up again.
0:23:11 > 0:23:14# ..Drifting in our room... #
0:23:14 > 0:23:18Oh, my God! Oh, my God!
0:23:18 > 0:23:23# ..I just try to forget y-o-u... #
0:23:23 > 0:23:27ALL: I love you. I love you. John!
0:23:30 > 0:23:35Being stuck at the front and being so squashed -
0:23:35 > 0:23:4015,000 fans trying to get you to move out of the way.
0:23:40 > 0:23:46It was so unbelievable, so crushed that you think, "I'm never going to get out."
0:23:46 > 0:23:49You do. And you go back the next night.
0:23:49 > 0:23:52# ..So easy to disturb with a thought
0:23:52 > 0:23:55# With a whisper
0:23:55 > 0:23:58# With a careless memory
0:23:58 > 0:24:01# With a careless memory
0:24:01 > 0:24:04# With a careless memory
0:24:04 > 0:24:06# With a careless memory. #
0:24:09 > 0:24:14I remember leaving a venue before they put the house lights up,
0:24:14 > 0:24:19you wanted to leave attracting as little attention as possible.
0:24:19 > 0:24:24I remember having a private plane which was on a nearby airfield,
0:24:24 > 0:24:30getting the plane up at 11pm and circling over the venue.
0:24:30 > 0:24:32People coming out of the venue...
0:24:32 > 0:24:34That was an image that stuck with me.
0:24:34 > 0:24:37The band had conquered the world.
0:24:37 > 0:24:42Critics that had expected them to fade away had been proved wrong.
0:24:42 > 0:24:47The band hooked up with big-league producer Nile Rodgers of Chic.
0:24:47 > 0:24:52The first work I did with Duran was the famous -
0:24:52 > 0:24:56# Tra-la-la-la, tra-la-la-la Fl-fl-fl-flex. #
0:24:56 > 0:25:00# ..You've gone to far this time
0:25:00 > 0:25:04# But I'm dancing on the Valentine... #
0:25:04 > 0:25:08The record company thought it was an absolute disaster.
0:25:08 > 0:25:13I remember the guys calling me, and they were close to tears,
0:25:13 > 0:25:16especially Nick who was saying,
0:25:16 > 0:25:21"Nile, I can't believe this. They told us it was horrible."
0:25:21 > 0:25:26They asked what they should do. I told them to put the record out.
0:25:26 > 0:25:29They did and you guys know what happened, right?
0:25:29 > 0:25:32Whoosh to the top of the charts. It's their best-selling single.
0:25:32 > 0:25:37# ..W-h-y don't you use it?... #
0:25:37 > 0:25:41Although Number One in the UK and US,
0:25:41 > 0:25:46not everyone was aware of their global following.
0:25:48 > 0:25:53I knew they were well-known. I didn't think they were that huge.
0:25:53 > 0:25:58When we went on our first date, a movie premiere,
0:25:58 > 0:26:03I didn't expect there to be that many screaming fans.
0:26:03 > 0:26:05There were thousands.
0:26:05 > 0:26:11That's when it occurred to me that they were bigger than I thought.
0:26:11 > 0:26:15Duran Duran had it all -
0:26:15 > 0:26:21superstar musicians who dressed flash and had model partners.
0:26:27 > 0:26:31# ..I'm on a ride and I want to get off... #
0:26:31 > 0:26:35The fans have never worried me at all.
0:26:35 > 0:26:40There are a lot of well-known pretty young ladies out there,
0:26:40 > 0:26:44who all go a bit of a flutter when they meet him.
0:26:46 > 0:26:52It's really strange cos he's Simon. It's a very odd thing.
0:26:52 > 0:26:56I went away with Simon and Yasmin on a weekend.
0:26:56 > 0:27:01We had the first dinner and I said to him,
0:27:01 > 0:27:04"I've got something to tell you.
0:27:04 > 0:27:09"When I was 14, I had a poster of you and your group on my wall."
0:27:12 > 0:27:17The most famous Duranie was Diana, Princess of Wales,
0:27:17 > 0:27:21who met the band when they played the Prince's Trust in 1983.
0:27:21 > 0:27:28Across the Atlantic, Duran, like Blondie, were regular guests at the court of Andy Warhol.
0:27:28 > 0:27:32Andy always liked good-looking young men.
0:27:32 > 0:27:38He was attracted to them. They were a picture of pop art come to life.
0:27:47 > 0:27:50# ..You got sirens for a welcome
0:27:50 > 0:27:54# There's bloodstain for your pain... #
0:27:54 > 0:28:00It's the nearest there is to a movie of the William Burroughs book.
0:28:00 > 0:28:07# ..They tried to tame you, looks like they'll try again
0:28:07 > 0:28:09- # Wild boys - Wild boys... #
0:28:09 > 0:28:14Because of the level of aggression and violence in the music,
0:28:14 > 0:28:20I thought it would look good for the band to perform under duress.
0:28:20 > 0:28:27# ..Wild boys always shine... #
0:28:28 > 0:28:31I said, "OK, we'll strap you to the windmill,
0:28:31 > 0:28:33but I want the windmill to go underwater."
0:28:38 > 0:28:41# ..You got sirens for a welcome
0:28:41 > 0:28:45# There's bloodstain for your pain
0:28:45 > 0:28:50# And your telephone's been ringing
0:28:50 > 0:28:55# While you're dancing in the rain... #
0:28:55 > 0:29:00It was my idea for my head to go underwater as well.
0:29:00 > 0:29:03There's a big myth about this.
0:29:03 > 0:29:05I heard that he almost drowned.
0:29:05 > 0:29:09During one of the circles, he was stuck underwater.
0:29:09 > 0:29:13It broke down with him underwater.
0:29:13 > 0:29:18He was underwater for at least 40 seconds to a minute.
0:29:18 > 0:29:23I think I DIDN'T nearly drown. There were two safety divers there,
0:29:23 > 0:29:26and there were people around me.
0:29:26 > 0:29:33If I had been stuck underwater, I'd have been dragged out quickly.
0:29:33 > 0:29:34Fantastic.
0:29:45 > 0:29:50If Duran Duran ever walked down a punk-rock street,
0:29:50 > 0:29:53that was the closest they could get.
0:29:53 > 0:29:57I could have done Wild Boys with The Clash.
0:29:57 > 0:30:01People will say, "NO! Fucking hell, man!"
0:30:01 > 0:30:06If The Clash had done Wild Boys, the vocals wouldn't be the same,
0:30:06 > 0:30:09but vibe-wise it would make sense.
0:30:09 > 0:30:14# ..Wild boys never lose it... #
0:30:14 > 0:30:18Their videos were so indulgent.
0:30:18 > 0:30:20That bugged a lot of people.
0:30:20 > 0:30:26# ..Wild boys never close your eyes Wild boys always... #
0:30:26 > 0:30:31They acted like they'd won the pools. That's what pop groups do.
0:30:31 > 0:30:36There was something about them that showed off a little too much.
0:30:36 > 0:30:39Wild Boys would be the peak
0:30:39 > 0:30:45of their international punk/rock-meets-teenybop fame.
0:30:45 > 0:30:50Touring became more relentless and the media attention more intense.
0:30:50 > 0:30:54Duran Duran began to pay the price of their success.
0:30:54 > 0:30:58We were arguably the best, not the best, the biggest,
0:30:58 > 0:31:01most successful band on the planet,
0:31:01 > 0:31:05and probably had been for two years.
0:31:05 > 0:31:08We had it all going our own way,
0:31:08 > 0:31:11for some reason, all bands do this,
0:31:11 > 0:31:15when they're really at the top, they fragment.
0:31:15 > 0:31:19Fed up with being branded "teen idols",
0:31:19 > 0:31:23musical differences led to John and Andy Taylor
0:31:23 > 0:31:28taking a sabbatical from Duran Duran to form rock band Power Station with Robert Palmer.
0:31:31 > 0:31:34It was what I needed.
0:31:34 > 0:31:38It showed we could do things outside Duran Duran.
0:31:38 > 0:31:42It wasn't all about the looks and phenomena.
0:31:42 > 0:31:44We could make really great music.
0:31:44 > 0:31:47I thought it was really rockist.
0:31:47 > 0:31:50I wasn't very me at all.
0:31:50 > 0:31:55It was all the things I would avoid -
0:31:55 > 0:31:58really heavy, clompy drum sounds,
0:31:58 > 0:32:02lots of guitar riffs and solos.
0:32:12 > 0:32:16In reaction to Power Station, Nick, Simon and Roger moved to Paris
0:32:16 > 0:32:20to form their satellite pop art band, Arcadia.
0:32:20 > 0:32:24It featured collaborations with Grace Jones and Sting.
0:32:24 > 0:32:29We were living in a hotel in Paris. We had the whole floor.
0:32:29 > 0:32:36We'd open our doors and we could run from one end to another through all the suites.
0:32:36 > 0:32:41It was an extravagant record, but...
0:32:41 > 0:32:44I don't know. What are you gonna spend your money on?
0:32:44 > 0:32:50ANNOUNCER: It's 12 noon in London, 7am in Philadelphia.
0:32:50 > 0:32:53And around the world, it's time for Live Aid.
0:32:56 > 0:32:59Live to Philadelphia for Duran Duran.
0:32:59 > 0:33:02Due to Power Station's US tour,
0:33:02 > 0:33:06Simon, Nick and Roger had to fly to Philadelphia
0:33:06 > 0:33:08to perform at Live Aid USA.
0:33:08 > 0:33:13# Meeting you, with a view to a kill
0:33:15 > 0:33:21# Face to face in secret places, feel the chill... #
0:33:23 > 0:33:26Cracks were beginning to appear in their make-up.
0:33:26 > 0:33:30It was Roger, really.
0:33:30 > 0:33:37After the Live Aid show, he just said, "That's it for me."
0:33:38 > 0:33:44Roger was, I think, very affected by the whole situation,
0:33:44 > 0:33:48particularly what was happening to the band -
0:33:48 > 0:33:51his world was breaking up.
0:33:51 > 0:33:54Also, he hated doing interviews.
0:33:54 > 0:33:57Still does. It stressed him out
0:33:57 > 0:34:02in a way that he wasn't prepared to accept.
0:34:02 > 0:34:05He was on the verge of a nervous breakdown.
0:34:05 > 0:34:08He was a very sensitive guy.
0:34:08 > 0:34:13I think when we stopped a little in '85, to do Arcadia,
0:34:13 > 0:34:17we'd taken the rollercoaster up to the top
0:34:17 > 0:34:22and suddenly he was looking down, as were the rest of us,
0:34:22 > 0:34:24and we went, "Wow!
0:34:24 > 0:34:27"That's a long way down, isn't it?"
0:34:27 > 0:34:32And...that's when he got vertigo.
0:34:32 > 0:34:34He said, "I don't want to do this.
0:34:34 > 0:34:38"I don't like it. I don't want to be public property."
0:34:38 > 0:34:42In 1986, Roger Taylor quit Duran Duran
0:34:42 > 0:34:45and retreated to his country home with his wife.
0:34:45 > 0:34:48He remains out of the spotlight.
0:34:48 > 0:34:52Popstar Simon Le Bon and the crew of his capsized yacht
0:34:52 > 0:34:55have been saved from gale-force seas.
0:34:55 > 0:35:01REPORTER: Simon Le Bon's racer, Drum England,
0:35:01 > 0:35:04capsized in force eight winds.
0:35:04 > 0:35:09Most of the crew scrambled clear, but six, including Le Bon,
0:35:09 > 0:35:13were trapped inside the hull in an air pocket.
0:35:13 > 0:35:16After about 45 minutes,
0:35:16 > 0:35:21we heard a helicopter, ten minutes later, a guy pops his head up.
0:35:21 > 0:35:24An hour later, I'd swam out and up,
0:35:24 > 0:35:29surfaced and started to get winched off back to land.
0:35:29 > 0:35:33Everything went through my mind -
0:35:33 > 0:35:36I wouldn't be seeing Yasmin again,
0:35:36 > 0:35:42I wouldn't see my brother David, my brother Jonathan, my mum, my dad.
0:35:42 > 0:35:48I thought he was really courageous, not cos it's a dangerous race,
0:35:48 > 0:35:50but for following a dream -
0:35:50 > 0:35:53for not being sensible and staying at home,
0:35:53 > 0:35:57writing another album, and doing what people thought he should do,
0:35:57 > 0:36:00he did something that was extraordinary.
0:36:00 > 0:36:04# N-N-Notorious... #
0:36:12 > 0:36:17With Roger gone, the next disgruntled Taylor to jump ship was guitarist Andy.
0:36:17 > 0:36:19He wanted to pursue his solo career.
0:36:22 > 0:36:25When Andy decided to go,
0:36:25 > 0:36:31it was inevitable, really, that our role...
0:36:31 > 0:36:36As far as we were concerned, what we'd been involved in no longer existed.
0:36:36 > 0:36:40John was the first person
0:36:40 > 0:36:44to formally fire the Berrows.
0:36:44 > 0:36:47We felt bitter, actually,
0:36:47 > 0:36:53that only three of the five band had somehow made it through
0:36:53 > 0:36:55to the other side.
0:36:55 > 0:36:58Why? Who were we gonna blame?
0:36:58 > 0:37:02We blamed the only people we could, our managers.
0:37:02 > 0:37:05Everybody had a lawyer.
0:37:05 > 0:37:10- The whole process... - The bureaucracy...
0:37:10 > 0:37:15What they were good at and what we were good at -
0:37:15 > 0:37:18you couldn't do that, sit at a table, any more,
0:37:18 > 0:37:20all of that stopped.
0:37:20 > 0:37:23On the departure of the Berrows,
0:37:23 > 0:37:26Nick, John and Simon took on the role of managing themselves.
0:37:28 > 0:37:32# ..You pay the profits to justify your reasons... #
0:37:32 > 0:37:34With a new album looming,
0:37:34 > 0:37:38the first job was the search for a new guitarist.
0:37:38 > 0:37:42We were in the studios making Notorious
0:37:42 > 0:37:47and we get sent a tape and a photograph
0:37:47 > 0:37:49from this guy called Warren.
0:37:49 > 0:37:54Warren had played in a US band called Missing Persons.
0:37:54 > 0:37:58And back to personalities, we loved Warren.
0:37:58 > 0:38:02John said I was too good to be true.
0:38:02 > 0:38:07He saw some video of a song which I had put in my package.
0:38:07 > 0:38:12John said, "There was a great pout." I thought, "That's it!"
0:38:12 > 0:38:18Despite the addition of Warren, by the late '80s, Duran looked dead.
0:38:18 > 0:38:24The media gleefully decided that these '80s playboys had had their day.
0:38:29 > 0:38:32We reached a point where we said, "We won't lose any more ground.
0:38:32 > 0:38:36"We're going to dig in and fight to the death."
0:38:36 > 0:38:39That's where Warren came in.
0:38:39 > 0:38:42Then things really clicked
0:38:42 > 0:38:45and we were able to write together.
0:38:45 > 0:38:50Every time we played in a room, some spark would happen.
0:38:50 > 0:38:53You can't put any value on that.
0:38:53 > 0:38:58It's great to have them back. It's Duran Duran and Ordinary World.
0:39:01 > 0:39:07# Came in from a rainy Thursday on the avenue
0:39:08 > 0:39:12# Thought I heard you talking softly
0:39:15 > 0:39:21# I turned on the lights the TV and the radio
0:39:22 > 0:39:26# Still I can't escape the ghost of you... #
0:39:26 > 0:39:31When I heard we were going to get a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame,
0:39:31 > 0:39:37I thought they were joking. How do you get one of those things?
0:39:37 > 0:39:39Who decides?
0:39:39 > 0:39:44But at the same time, there's something about it
0:39:44 > 0:39:48that was really quite wonderful.
0:39:48 > 0:39:53Just sort of standing there with the Mayor of Los Angeles,
0:39:53 > 0:39:56on a Saturday morning, getting your star.
0:39:56 > 0:39:59I don't know, it was very surreal.
0:39:59 > 0:40:04# ..make my way to the ordinary world
0:40:04 > 0:40:09# I will learn to survive. #
0:40:09 > 0:40:12We got back on the road, we were selling tickets.
0:40:12 > 0:40:16We were back.
0:40:16 > 0:40:20But once we'd dealt with that problem of being cared about,
0:40:20 > 0:40:24then came the problems of dealing with each other.
0:40:24 > 0:40:28Being on tour during the Wedding album,
0:40:28 > 0:40:33knowing that every city I went in, everybody knew those songs,
0:40:33 > 0:40:36when we played them, everybody.
0:40:36 > 0:40:40It was great. I thought it was always going to be that way.
0:40:40 > 0:40:45- JILL DANDO:- Now a band successful on both sides of the Atlantic.
0:40:45 > 0:40:47Their name is synonymous with the best in British pop
0:40:47 > 0:40:51of the '80s and '90s. They are Duran Duran.
0:40:56 > 0:41:01I wrote a song for Yasmin, and it was Come Undone.
0:41:01 > 0:41:04And in the first verse, it goes,
0:41:04 > 0:41:08"Mine, immaculate dream made breath and skin, I've been waiting for you.
0:41:08 > 0:41:11"Signed with a home tattoo, 'happy birthday to you'...
0:41:11 > 0:41:13"was created for you."
0:41:13 > 0:41:17And I put it in because I wrote it on October 29th, her birthday.
0:41:17 > 0:41:19That was my "Happy birthday to you".
0:41:21 > 0:41:23# Mine
0:41:23 > 0:41:26# Immaculate dream
0:41:26 > 0:41:29# Made breath and skin
0:41:29 > 0:41:32# I've been waiting for you
0:41:32 > 0:41:34# Signed
0:41:34 > 0:41:37# With a home tattoo... #
0:41:37 > 0:41:42YASMIN: Ever since I've known Simon, it's been hard being in this band.
0:41:42 > 0:41:44I have so much respect for them.
0:41:44 > 0:41:49I have so much respect for him. It must eat away at your soul.
0:41:49 > 0:41:55It must be so difficult to stay fresh and innocent and unjaded.
0:41:55 > 0:41:58I don't know how, but he manages it.
0:41:58 > 0:42:03Play all the music live, bust the others with the Furious Five!
0:42:03 > 0:42:06We had a record in '95, a covers album called Thank You.
0:42:06 > 0:42:10- # Freeze! Say rock, y'all!- Rock! - Say freeze, come on! #
0:42:10 > 0:42:15That was one of our commercial suicide bids, I think!
0:42:15 > 0:42:19- # Say rock, come on y'all!- Rock! - Say freeze, come on! #
0:42:19 > 0:42:22We did White Lines with Melle Mel and Grandmaster Flash.
0:42:22 > 0:42:25- # Freeze! Say rock, y'all!- Rock...- #
0:42:25 > 0:42:29Nobody wanted to play it.
0:42:29 > 0:42:33Alternative radio said, "There's black people on it. We can't do it.
0:42:33 > 0:42:36"Can you do it without the rapping?"
0:42:36 > 0:42:40I was very disappointed with Thank You.
0:42:40 > 0:42:43I felt Thank You was an easy ride.
0:42:43 > 0:42:49My choices for the album were things that were important to me.
0:42:49 > 0:42:52Songs like Lou Reed's Perfect Day.
0:42:52 > 0:42:55It's one reason I wanted to be in a band.
0:42:55 > 0:42:58# Just a perfect day
0:42:59 > 0:43:03# Drink sangria in the park
0:43:04 > 0:43:08# Later, when it gets dark
0:43:08 > 0:43:10# We go home... #
0:43:12 > 0:43:16I think Duran Duran's version of Perfect Day is...
0:43:16 > 0:43:22possibly the best re-recording of a song of mine that I've heard.
0:43:22 > 0:43:24I was absolutely wild about it.
0:43:24 > 0:43:27# Then later, a movie too
0:43:27 > 0:43:29# Then home... #
0:43:29 > 0:43:35To cover it was an imaginative thing to do, but I can't give any credit.
0:43:35 > 0:43:40# It's such a perfect day
0:43:40 > 0:43:45# I'm glad I spent it with you
0:43:47 > 0:43:49# Such a perfect day
0:43:49 > 0:43:54# You just keep me hanging on. #
0:43:54 > 0:43:57It ended up becoming a complicated album.
0:43:57 > 0:44:03By the time it got finished and released, it was already a disaster.
0:44:03 > 0:44:06Then I just thought, after that...
0:44:06 > 0:44:08I was kinda done.
0:44:08 > 0:44:13# Don't you worry Time's the healer... #
0:44:13 > 0:44:19We did feel at that stage that John was becoming increasingly distant.
0:44:19 > 0:44:25I think his private life was very different, he had some problems.
0:44:25 > 0:44:30And he was spending a lot of time in California, basically commuting,
0:44:30 > 0:44:33which doesn't really work in a band.
0:44:33 > 0:44:38My ambition for the band just came to an end.
0:44:38 > 0:44:43I thought, "Well, we can do it all again, maybe.
0:44:43 > 0:44:46"But it won't be as much fun."
0:44:46 > 0:44:52It shocked us, it really did. We just didn't see it coming.
0:44:52 > 0:44:57He'd started the band with Nick, it was a big part of him.
0:44:57 > 0:45:03It was worse when John left. Roger and Andy didn't have as many fans.
0:45:03 > 0:45:10The three favourites were still in, but when John left it was quite sad.
0:45:10 > 0:45:14# We're heading for meltdown If you don't mind, I'll disappear
0:45:14 > 0:45:19# I've no desire to hang around and use its grim fear... #
0:45:19 > 0:45:24The journey I've been on since I left has been no less hectic,
0:45:24 > 0:45:27but it's helped me redefine myself
0:45:27 > 0:45:31as somebody other than, you know, the bass player with Duran Duran.
0:45:31 > 0:45:38Duran Duran - a group of warm, wonderful
0:45:38 > 0:45:44and civilised human beings working in today's music industry.
0:45:44 > 0:45:49Since John's departure, Duran Duran have left EMI Records
0:45:49 > 0:45:53and signed to hip American label, Hollywood Records.
0:45:53 > 0:45:59For me, they were the equivalent of Roxy Music and David Bowie.
0:45:59 > 0:46:02They were the coolest thing.
0:46:02 > 0:46:05The climate for Duran Duran here in the US
0:46:05 > 0:46:08is high because everyone's listening to,
0:46:08 > 0:46:10you know, classic stuff.
0:46:10 > 0:46:1420 years on, the band a targeting a new generation of Duranies.
0:46:20 > 0:46:22# Electric bomb! #
0:46:22 > 0:46:25# Every little thing the reflex does
0:46:25 > 0:46:28# Leaves the answer with a question mark! #
0:46:28 > 0:46:33# Wild boys! Never lose it
0:46:33 > 0:46:34# Wild boys!
0:46:34 > 0:46:37# Never chose this way
0:46:37 > 0:46:38# Wild boys!
0:46:38 > 0:46:41# Never close your eyes
0:46:41 > 0:46:45# Wild boys always...!
0:46:47 > 0:46:50# Shine! #
0:46:50 > 0:46:56There was a selfish part of me that would have liked it to finish,
0:46:56 > 0:47:00but that was a choice that I made.
0:47:00 > 0:47:04And now I'm glad that they... that it's still...
0:47:04 > 0:47:06that it still exists, you know.
0:47:06 > 0:47:11I don't miss there being five of us at all.
0:47:11 > 0:47:15It's less problems for me to deal with, less people to argue with.
0:47:18 > 0:47:21# They tried to tame you
0:47:21 > 0:47:23# Looks like they'll try again... #
0:47:23 > 0:47:26They're a part of rock history.
0:47:26 > 0:47:31They've shaped so much musically and visually, they can sustain it.
0:47:31 > 0:47:37As long as Nick and Simon stay together, they'll be Duran Duran.
0:47:38 > 0:47:45# Wild boys always shine! #
0:47:46 > 0:47:52Our entire existence is focused on making something
0:47:52 > 0:47:55which, if you're lucky,
0:47:55 > 0:47:59becomes part of the wallpaper of other people's lives.
0:47:59 > 0:48:02# Never close your eyes
0:48:02 > 0:48:06# Wild boys always
0:48:06 > 0:48:11# Shi-i-ine!
0:48:14 > 0:48:16# Wild boys!
0:48:22 > 0:48:24# Wild boys! #
0:48:28 > 0:48:31The Life and Times of Duranasty. Yes.