So for those who don’t know you as the DD supportive tweeter that you are, tell us a bit about yourself.
I’m a journalist and author, based in Little Rock, Ark. I cover politics and culture for many publications and my work has appeared in numerous publications including The Economist, The Washington Post and Town & Country. I’m the author of “Sex in the South: Unbuckling the Bible Belt”, “1000 Best Bartender’s Recipes” and "Echo Ellis : Adventures of a Girl Reporter". Oh, and I love music.
As a writer, are there any Duran Duran lyrics that stand out to you?
Oh, so many, especially all the songs on the first album and the early B-sides. I think “To The Shore” is a beautiful piece of poetry that I often tried to replicate in high school creative writing classes. I’ve always wondered what a “sanhedralite” is, but whatever it is, it is a lovely word. “Only came outside to watch the night fall with the rain” from “Planet Earth” is a favorite line of mine. Then again, I love “one last glimpse into the night” from “Girls on Film.” The Rio album also has amazing lyrics and word choices such as “cherry ice cream smile” in “Rio” and the entirety of “Hungry Like The Wolf” is a brilliant poem. But I also love so many of the lyrics on the Arcadia album and also “Notorious” has some fantastic lyrics. “Come Undone” is a stunning love letter. On the “All You Need Is Now” album, “Girl Panic” is a fantastic poem of seduction like so many Duran Duran songs.
You have a great rapport with DD fans on Twitter. Why do you tweet about the band so often?
I think tweeting about Duran Duran makes Duranies smile. It may drive some of my followers crazy, and I have lost some because they can’t handle even one tweet about the band. I think throwing in some Duran Duran tweets in my feed breaks up the politics and news. I now have people who follow me on Twitter tell me that when they hear a Duran Duran song. That makes me smile.
What are your impressions of the band members?
It’s hard to get an impression in less than five minutes especially when my mom was with me. She loves Nick and she cracked him up, laughing. That’s my mom. Nick wanted a second picture with her. “You mean I have to do this again?” she asked. The whole band laughed. My nanosecond impressions: John was incredibly gracious, reaching out and welcoming each fan as they approached the meet-and-greet line; Simon remembered the story I wrote about Duran Duran; Nick thanked me for the story as did Roger.
Would you ever want to write a book about Duran Duran?
Yes, yes, yes. That would be a dream project.
"Echo Ellis : Adventures of a Girl Reporter" is out now.
