[ An archive of Duran Duran "D-Blasts," which are sent out via email monthly. If you're interested, sign up here to receive them ]
MARCH, 2017
Welcome to your March Duran Duran D-Blast!
The Paper Gods tour returns to North America this month. Duran Duran will be coming back to the States for a few shows, before heading to South America for Lollapalooza (3 dates) and one headline show of their own in Brazil before returning to the US again to close out the run. Check out the latest dates here.
We had an extra special Collector’s Corner this month in which the band participated. DD.com did audio interviews with Simon, Nick and Roger – and video with John – where they described their favorite piece of Duran Duran memorabilia. Listen if you missed it!
The Weekend Sailor is now available for Download! A terrific tale about sailing and beating the odds, narrated by Simon, The Weekend Sailor tells the story of Ramon Carlín, his son Enrique, and a crew of novice Mexican sailors who represented their country in the Whitbread Round the World Yacht Race in 1973. You can download
the film:
Weekend Sailor Vimeo
Weekend Sailor iTunes
Weekend Sailor Amazon
Weekend Sailor Xbox
Weekend Sailor Google Play
The guys are still answering “Ask Katy” Qs each month, so if you have a burning question for one of the band members, you can email askkaty@duranduran.com. Catch up on the latest AK’s here
Lastly, don’t forget, the new fan community 2017 GOLD level package is now available which grants access to pre-sale tickets, exclusive content, the forum, exclusive merchandise and more. Sign up at duranduranmusic.com. Members who renew at the GOLD level will have their membership extended a year from the date of their current expiration date.
FEBRUARY, 2017
Welcome to your February Duran Duran D-Blast!
The Paper Gods tour continues! The band has recently added a handful of dates in North America; in addition to the four shows they’re already doing in this same period in South America. Read about the upcoming dates and ticketing info in the latest press release from Warner Brothers.
Speaking of live shows, we were lucky enough to get some great photos from the band’s two-night stint at the MGM National Harbor in Maryland over New Year's. We now have a 2017 photo gallery posted on the website, some great photos from the end of 2016, and a new photo album we posted on Facebook!
At the beginning of the month, Simon was a surprise guest at the “Celebrating David Bowie” concert at the O2 Academy Brixton in London. Celebrating what would have been David’s 70th birthday, watch Simon’s performance of the classic song, “Let’s Dance.” The (London) Guardian opined “Simon Le Bon struts and poses in tribute not just to Let’s Dance, but the era it defined.”
As we have mentioned in a previous D-Blast, John and Roger collaborated with youth from the NYC-based charity Road Recovery to produce, mix and record an original song, “No Rewind." The track is still available through a download-for-donation campaign at www.crowdrise.com/NoRewindForCharity. In addition, John spoke to Richard Blade about the project on Sirius XM's New Sensation show. Listen here.
The feedback on the new, collectible PAPER GODS vinyl box set has been fantastic! The packaging, and all the added ‘bonuses’ that come with it, have blown fans away. Working with the Vinyl Factory, this special set includes:
• Custom-made magnetized clamshell box with artwork by acclaimed artist Alex Israel
• Seventeen kiss cut magnets printed four colours
• Four 12" white vinyl records housed in bespoke sleeves
• Four art prints screen printed on Rainbow mirri board
• Thirty-six page booklet printed on 150gsm silk paper stock
• Individually numbered certificate, hand signed by DD & Alex Israel
• This is the only product gathering the complete set of songs recorded for the Paper Gods sessions, including exclusive versions of 'Pressure Off' and previously unreleased track 'As Seen From A Distance'
• Limited to 350 copies worldwide
Click here to find out more!
And lastly, don't forget, the new fan community 2016/2017 GOLD level package is now available containing:
• Brand new fan community exclusive gold foil Duran Duran logo’d T-shirt
• Exclusive Duran Duran logo’d beanie/winter hat
• Exclusive black ceramic coffee mug with gold Duran Duran “Paper Gods” logo
• Classic DD logo’d Micro sticky note pad
• Custom designed “Paper Gods” artwork and photograph postcard set
• Exclusive custom designed “Paper Gods” album artwork stone drink coaster set
• Welcome letter from John Taylor (reproduction)
Members who renew at the GOLD level will have their membership extended a year from the date of their current expiration date. If your membership has lapsed, or you have never been a member of the official fan community, sign up at www.duranduranmusic.com.
In December we did FOUR weeks of "Giving" on the fan community website, with members winning everything from signed photos to calendars to free memberships! From interviews with the band - January features Nick in the Kafe and December had ALL the band members – to written Q&As, monthly giveaways and pre-sale ticketing opportunities, it's a great time to be part of the VIP Fan Community!
DECEMBER, 2016
Welcome to the December D-Blast!
John and Roger collaborated with youth from the NYC charity Road Recovery to produce, mix and record an original song, “No Rewind," which debuted on RollingStone.com last month. It is available, along with some Duran Duran related-prizes, through a download-for-donation fundraising campaign at www.crowdrise.com/NoRewindForCharity.
Duran Duran was honoured with the ASCAP Golden Note Award on November 10th in London. Said ASCAP’s President and Chairman Paul Williams "Duran Duran revolutionized popular music. They are the pioneers of the synth pop and new wave movement and have reached a stratospheric level of success, which is rarely seen in the industry." Listen to the band on the red carpet talk about how excited they were to receive this accolade here.
The band has once again partnered with the Vinyl Factory on the incredible “Paper Gods” box set, available for pre-order here.
This collectible set includes:
• Custom-made magnetised clamshell box with artwork by acclaimed artist Alex Israel
• Seventeen kiss cut magnets printed four colours
• Four 12" white vinyl records housed in bespoke sleeves
• Four art prints screen printed on Rainbow mirri board
• Thirty-six page booklet printed on 150gsm silk paper stock
• Individually numbered certificate, hand signed by DD & Alex Israel
• This is the only product gathering the complete set of songs recorded for the Paper Gods sessions, including exclusive versions of 'Pressure Off' and previously unreleased track 'As Seen From A Distance'
• A bonus download card allowing you exclusive access to four unreleased 'Last Night in the City' remixes
• Limited to 350 copies worldwide
There are also some great new items in the Duran Duran Web Store if you're looking for the PERFECT holiday gift for your favourite DD fan, including a 2017 Calendar, Paper Gods themed Christmas Baubles, Paper Gods mug set, Paper Gods Varsity Jacket and more!
And don’t forget, end of year concert dates: Duran Duran at the Moon Palace Arena in Cancun Mexico on December 29th and two dates at the MGM National Harbor in Maryland on New Year's Eve & New Year's Day!!!
The new fan community 2016/2017 GOLD level package is available!!!!
• Brand new fan community exclusive gold foil Duran Duran logo’d T-shirt
• Exclusive Duran Duran logo’d beanie/winter hat
• Exclusive black ceramic coffee mug with gold Duran Duran “Paper Gods” logo
• The classic DD logo’d Micro sticky note pad
• Custom designed “Paper Gods” artwork & photograph postcard set
• Exclusive custom designed “Paper Gods” album artwork stone drink coaster set
• A welcome letter from John Taylor (reproduction)
Members who renew at the GOLD level will have their membership extended a year from the date of their current expiration date. If your membership has lapsed, or you have never been a member of the official fan community, sign up at www.duranduranmusic.com. From interviews with the band, written Q&As, monthly giveaway and pre-sale ticketing opportunities, it's a great time to be part of the Fan Community! In addition, as they do every December, the fan community website is giving away something special once a week in December to thank you for being a member!
We want to take this opportunity to say how grateful we are to you for spending this past year supporting Duran Duran. We couldn't do any of this without you, and if you don't believe us, watch Simon's ‘thank you' video that we posted in September. We look forward to seeing you in 2017!!
NOVEMBER, 2016
Welcome to the November D-Blast!
We are super-excited to announce the new fan community 2016/2017 GOLD level package is now available:
• Brand new fan community exclusive gold foil Duran Duran logo’d t-shirt
• Exclusive Duran Duran logo’d beanie/winter hat
• Exclusive black ceramic coffee mug with gold Duran Duran “Paper Gods” logo
• The classic DD logo’d Micro sticky note pad
• Custom designed Paper Gods artwork & photograph postcard set
• Exclusive custom designed Paper Gods album artwork stone drink coaster set
• A welcome letter from John Taylor (reproduction)
Members who renew at the GOLD level will have their membership extended a year from the date of their current expiration date. If your membership has lapsed, or you have never been a member of the official fan community, sign up at www.duranduranmusic.com. From interviews with the band (Simon took over October), written Q&As, monthly giveaway and pre-sale ticketing opportunities, it's a great time to be part of the Fan Community!
It was just announced that on November 10th, Duran Duran will be receiving ASCAP's prestigious GOLDEN NOTE award given to songwriters, composers and artists who have "achieved extraordinary career milestones." Said ASCAP president Paul Williams, "Duran Duran revolutionized popular music. They are the pioneers of the synth pop and new wave movement and have reached a stratospheric level of success, which is rarely seen in the industry."
The band received another honor at the end of September with their MTV EMA nomination for Best World Stage performance! You can vote for Duran Duran (as many times as you'd like!) until November 4th by clicking here. Let’s see them take this one home!
John and Roger collaborated with youth from the NYC charity Road Recovery to produce, mix and record an original dance-rock song, “No Rewind," which is available, along with other Duran Duran related-prizes, through a download-for-donation fundraising campaign at www.crowdrise.com/NoRewindForCharity. Make sure you check it out!
Between Nile Rodgers & Chic, Tokimonsta and the amazing MNDR, the band had as much fun as they've ever had on the September leg of the Paper Gods tour, and they're excited to get back out. Simon gave a special thank you, and if you didn't catch the video, you can watch it here.
A few more dates to look forward to (and more on the way in 2017!) - Duran Duran at the Moon Palace Arena in Cancun Mexico on December 29th and just announced dates at the MGM National Harbor in Maryland on New Year's Eve & New Year's Day!!!
AUGUST, 2016
Welcome to your August D-Blast
Given the fact that the band have been on the road in North America since the beginning of July, and are planning to come back for some more dates at the end of August through to September, we thought we’d share some of the amazing reviews the Paper Gods Tour is getting across the board!
"The pairing of Chic with Duran Duran has made for one of the most exuberant tours in years." - ConcertBlogger.com
"For a band that’s been committed to their craft for decades, it’s an appropriate and reassuring message that they’re still pushing ahead. Many others would take a safe approach to their 14th album, but Duran Duran still innovates while staying in touch with their fan base.” - The Philadelphia Key
“Playing behind 2015’s Paper Gods, Duran Duran took a jam-packed crowd on an impressive time-machine ride into the past - with some modern flourishes thrown in for good measure.” - Philly Voice
"Throughout the two hours Duran Duran was on stage, the band felt modern and fresh no matter the age of the song” - Orange Country Register
"Duran Duran treated the overwhelmingly female audience to a multimedia show highlighting the best of its arena past and revitalized present.” - AXS.com
"(Duran Duran's) shimmering pop songs - and ‘80s-defining music videos - evoke images of beaches, sun-drenched escapades, and effortless style suited for any occasion” - St. Paul City Pages
“Duran Duran sure did kick up a surprising amount of funk at Xcel Energy Center on Saturday night.” - MN Star Tribune
"Still, the hottest tour of the summer is actually … Duran Duran with opening act Chic featuring Nile Rodgers." - Salon.com
For a list of the remaining tour dates, and where to buy tickets, click here! And don’t forget to check out the band’s website and social media on August 10th for some Duran Duran Appreciation Day surprises!
JULY, 2016
Welcome to your July D Blast!
Duran Duran is just about to kick off the second leg of their North American tour!! Since our last D-Blast, they’ve added in three more dates: an additional date in Durant, OK on Sept 10th, an additional date in San Antonio, TX on September 7th and an already-sold-out date at the Apollo Theater in New York City on July 19th. If you want to make sure you’re not missing out on a show (with featured guest Nile Rodgers & Chic and opening act Tokimonsta), please visit our tour page and see what show you can add to your calendar!
We have some great live photos in the Duran Duran Tour Gallery from the band's recent tour of Italy and stand-alone dates at the UnAIDS event in Basel, Switzerland and the NorthSide Festival in Denmark. Make sure you take a look at the Paper Gods 2016 Gallery.
We've had a few fun features on the website this month, including a Q&A except with DJ Mad Marj, a Q&A excerpt with Bernie Guerra (John's guitar tech) and a brand new Collector's Corner on Duran Duran tee shirts that happens to be a recent favourite of Nick's! There was also a great piece on the guys from Amoeba Records as they play "What's in my Bag?" If you missed it, make sure to watch it here.
If you are a paid member of the fan community, we have had a lot of cool stuff going on! There was a pre-sale for the Apollo Theater show, a Q&A with Halo Circus (who have an amazing cover of DD's "Do You Believe in Shame") and a John Taylor Birthday VIDEO Kafe!
We are currently working on a brand new GOLD membership package which we hope to announce soon the DD Fan Community website. In the meantime, members who renew at the SILVER level, and would like the GOLD package when it comes out, can email customer service and you will be provided with a special-priced upgrade link once it is available.
We look forward to seeing you on the road!
JUNE, 2016
Welcome to your June D Blast!
By the time you read this D Blast, the band will have two UK festivals under their belt and be about to play a third!
Duran Duran headlined Common People Oxford and Common People Southampton the last weekend of May and both performances were met with raves. You can read what people were saying about the dual headlining weekend in the PRESS section of the website here.
This coming Friday, June 3, the band is headlining an incredible BBC Music Day event in Cornwall at Eden Project. The guys will be performing in the rainforest biome, and the one-of-a-kind show will be simulcast on the radio, with a special airing on BBC television on Sunday night. You can read up on how to catch of the band’s BBC Music Day performance across radio, TV and online, here . From there, the band head to Italy for their Paper Gods Italia tour, then over to Denmark where they are headlining the Northside Festival on June 19. A brief break follows before they come back to North America on July 6 for their first show in Nashville, where Nile Rodgers & Chic will once again join them as special guest. Make sure to take a look here for a list of ALL the upcoming dates.
Duran Duran did a bit of promo in the last few weeks you may have missed:
Watch the band talk to Jenna Bush Hager on this great segment from TODAY show.
Learn why the band feels rejuvenated on tour this time around via Reuters TV.
Listen to Simon and John on BBC’s Steve Wright Show.
If you are a paid member of the fan community, we have had a lot of fun stuff going on! We had a Q&A with both celebrity DJ Mad Marj (giving away some DD vinyl pieces) and John’s bass guitar tech Bernie Guerra (gave away John’s guitar picks!). Nick was our Kafe guest for May, and not only did we pre-celebrate his birthday, but he dropped a few scoops our way. Most importantly, we were able to give away tickets to see the band at both Common People Oxford and Southampton, which our members loved!
We are currently working on a brand new GOLD membership package which we hope to announce within a month or so on the DD Fan Community website. In the meantime, members who renew at the SILVER level and would like the GOLD package when it comes out should simply email customer service and you will be provided with a special-priced upgrade link once it is available.
MAY, 2016
When this D Blast hits your in box, Duran Duran will be on a short but well deserved break, before hitting the road again for some shows in Europe! The band will be headlining three festival shows in England, one in Denmark and five of their own gigs in Italy. Then they swing back to North America in July all the way until the beginning of September. Get all the latest tour information here.
The reviews from the past leg of the tour have been really good, with The New York Times saying "Duran Duran has a surprisingly strong affinity for funk, one thing that has made its songs durable.” and the Atlanta Journal Constitution commenting, "(the show was) a well-balanced blend of hits spanning their admirable 30-plus year career and new songs from their strikingly fresh current album, “Paper Gods.” Read more of the great notices in the press section of the website.
We just announced Duran Duran will be on The Today Show with correspondent Jenna Bush Hager on May 24. We have some fun, behind-the-scenes photos from the soon-to-air interview here.
Speaking of photos, we have lots of great live shots from the band's recent shows! Make sure you take a look at the Paper Gods 2016 Gallery.
Have you renewed your membership with the Duran Duran Fan Community? You definitely want to be able to continue to access packages and pre-sale tickets for any upcoming dates... and if you are a paid member, we're doing a cool giveaway for five pairs of tickets to Common People Oxford or Southampton (winner's choice)! Make sure you enter - directions are on the fan site. We just ran a great Q&A with John's guitar tech Bernie, who gave us some guitar picks to give away, and of course, Roger was our (birthday) Kafe for April. If you missed his website birthday message, click here!
APRIL, 2016
Welcome to your April D Blast!
The band is back in North America for another leg of the Paper Gods tour and the reviews are great! The Atlanta Journal Constitution said: “The band’s U.S. tour kickoff Monday night at the lovely, intimate Durham Performing Arts Center offered a well-balanced blend of hits spanning their admirable 30-plus year career and new songs from their strikingly fresh current album, ‘Paper Gods.” and the Miami New Times said “Friday night at Bayfront Park, Miami was spoiled rotten by headliners Duran Duran, who played damned near all of its hits.” CHIC featuring Nile Rodgers will be the guest at most of the shows, and new artist Shamir is on a handful of dates as well.
The band have recently added more shows to the summer leg, so make sure to take a look here for a list of ALL the upcoming dates and VIP packages available for Community members! Remember, in most markets on the North American tour, your ticket purchase comes with a copy of the "Paper Gods" CD!
And ITALY! Duran Duran is thrilled to be coming back to Italy in June for the Paper Gods tour. Click here to see if you will be able to catch a show!
Along with reading some of the great show reviews, the band has also been doing a lot of interviews with regional papers. You can read the pieces that have run in the press section of the website. We’ve also been keeping track of some of the radio interviews that have run. You can listen here.
Each month, members of the Fan Community are privy to a fun, exclusive Q&A with a person who is involved with the band in one-way or another. After the features run for a month, we put an excerpt on duranduran.com and they frequently contain some interesting nuggets from our interviewees. Read up on the Q&As you may have missed.
We’ve also been doing some fun ‘Week in Review’ videos on the band’s YouTube page. Make sure you follow us there and set up a notification so you can get an email every time we post a new video! Watch them here.
If you are a paid member of the fan community, we have had a lot of fun stuff going on! We had a Q&A with author Maya Gottfried, who worked with Simon on last year’s Animal Asia “Let A Bear Sh!t in the Woods” campaign. Maya loved a signed photo she received from the band, so we will be giving away three signed photos to three lucky Community members! Simon was our Kafe guest for March, and not only did he give us a little scoop, but he was quite entertaining (we’d expect nothing less!).
Check out the amazing VIP packages available for most of the shows and make sure you’ve renewed your membership with the Duran Duran Fan Community to access those packages and pre-sale tickets for any upcoming dates!
MARCH, 2016
Welcome to your March D Blast!
By the very end of this month, the band will be back in North America for another leg of the Paper Gods tour, bringing their amazing new UK stage production set (as well as an incredible set list) with them. Once again, Nile Rodgers feat. Chic will be joining Duran Duran, and Shamir will be on eight of the dates. There have been a few new shows (including Ottawa Bluesfest and Sunfest in Florida) added since the last Blast, so check here for a list of ALL the upcoming dates and VIP packages available for Community members! In most markets your ticket purchase comes with a copy of the "Paper Gods" CD!
The band is also doing some press for the upcoming shows. You can read the pieces that have run and also see what is coming up by visiting the press section of the website.
Simon was a presenter at last month’s BRITs, handing out Best British Single to Adele for the song “Hello.” He had such a fun time he did an impromptu Kafe for everyone to hear. You can listen to it here.
Our Collector’s Corner Monthly feature on the site has become so popular that it now has its own page on the site! If you’ve missed any, or just want to scroll through them in one place, here is your chance!
We also recently posted the album trailer for PAPER GODs on our YouTube page. If you haven’t had a chance to watch it, grab a quiet spot and six minutes, and see what went on behind the scenes.
If you are a paid member of the fan community, we have recently had a lot of very interesting features running! We had a Q&A with singer Tessa Niles, who worked with the band for many years, about her amazing new book, BACKTRACK (and she gave away three signed copies!) and a February spotlight on Marnie Dunstan, who works with Mr Hudson. John did a great visual Kafe in January on the passing of HIS idol, David Bowie, and, of course, February brought the annual Oscar Kafe with Nick and Katy. New dates (and member pre-sales) have continued to be added, so make sure you’ve renewed your membership with Duran Duran Fan Community !
FEBRUARY, 2016
Welcome to your first D Blast of 2016!
We had a lot of fun celebrating 2015, with the release of "Paper Gods," but now we’re fully focused on 2016! If you missed the band's year-in-review lists posted at the end of December, you can still check out their thoughts on their busy year here.
After an incredible UK tour, ending in Liverpool with special guest Seal joining the band on stage to sing "Save a Prayer," the band is taking a well-deserved break before hitting the road again (with CHIC featuring Nile Rodgers, and Shamir on eight of the shows) at the end of March for the first leg of a North American tour. Leg 2 will commence this summer. Click here for a list of the upcoming dates and VIP packages available for Community members! Also, don't forget that in most markets your ticket purchase comes with a copy of the "Paper Gods" CD!
Shamir was so excited about the tour, he put out a cover of Duran Duran's "Hungry like the Wolf" to celebrate the upcoming run!
The band were also announced as headliners for three summer festivals in Europe: on May 28 at Oxford's South Park for Common People, May 29th at the Southampton Common for Common People , and June 19th for Northside in Aarhus, Denmark.
Hope you’ve been enjoying the "Week in Review" on YouTube as much as we've enjoyed putting them together; you can catch up on them via the Duran Duran YouTube channel here.
February brings the Oscars - and Nick & Katy's Oscar Kafe. In the meantime, we're loving this familiar track heard on THIS commercial promoting the telecast!
If you are a paid member of the fan community, you must have loved December! As a thank you to fans, we did five weeks of giveaways, one every week , with some really great stuff! We also had a "Year End" Kafe with each band member and a Q&A with artist Alex Israel, where HE gave away signed glasses to members! Don't forget to check out the amazing VIP packages (seats in the first five rows) available for most of the North American shows and make sure you’ve renewed your membership with Duran Duran Fan Community to access those packages and pre-sale tickets for all the upcoming dates!
DECEMBER, 2015
Welcome to your Monthly Duran Duran D-Blast!
Not sure how we got to the last D-Blast of the year, but here we are! It has been a really amazing 12 months and we have you to thank for that!
You must know that Duran Duran is on the road! The band kicked off their UK tour in Manchester on November 27th and will end in Liverpool on December 12th. SEAL will be the Special Guest for eight dates along with The Bloom Twins who will be opening on the whole tour. To learn more click here.
ALL the UK VIP packages are sold out, but make sure you’ve renewed your membership with the Duran Duran Fan Community because there will be 2016 dates announced soon. In addition, we’re giving away two items a week during the whole of December to lucky fan community members as a “thank you”!
Before leaving for the tour, the band did a lot of great television appearances, and hands down, their performance of “What Are the Chances” on The Graham Norton Show was hailed as one of their best ever by fans. Catch the interview portion with the band here.
If you’re in the UK [perhaps for the current tour?] check out the Duran Duran Pop Up Shop at the Sanderson Hotel in London. They will be selling copies of Denis O’Regan’s CARELESS MEMORIES book, and select prints, until December 12.
duranduran.com has lots of great behind-the-scenes photos in the latest Gallery, and you can catch up on the what the media are saying about the band Press on the website as well. And if you haven’t watched the video for “Pressure Off,” take four minutes and check out the great clip, featuring Duran Duran, Nile Rodgers & Janelle Monáe!
Hard to believe the holidays are upon us, but if you’re looking for some terrific stocking stuffers, there’s lots of new merch items – and some pretty incredible PAPER GODS limited edition, hand made, Holiday baubles – in the webshop. Take a look here.
Thank you all so much for making PAPER GODS such a huge success. In case you forgot Simon's sentiments back in September, take a look here.
Wishing you all a happy holiday and a healthy and joyous New Year. See you in 2016 on the road!
NOVEMBER, 2015
Welcome to your November Duran Duran D-Blast!
We can hardly believe it has been 6 weeks since PAPER GODS was released - a lot has happened:
* Duran Duran was profiled with a fantastic interview on CBS SUNDAY MORNING.
* The band performed for a standing room only crowd in NYC for The Michael Kors #FlashYourGold Fashion Week Event.
* Duran Duran was on THE TODAY SHOW, with singer Kiesza joining them to perform "Last Night in the City."
* Billboard announced Duran Duran's PAPER GODS has cracked the Billboard Top Ten on their Top 200 chart, which is the first time the band has done that in 22 years. The album reaches #5 on the UK charts, #2 in Italy and #4 in the Netherlands.
* Duran Duran performed "Pressure Off" on ELLEN, joined onstage by Nile Rodgers & Janelle Monae.
* Duran Duran is presented with the Q Magazine ICON Award by Charli XCX at The Grovesnor House in London on October 19.
*The band premiered their “ “Pressure Off “ video online. The well-received clip was directed by Nick Egan and features Nile Rodgers & Janelle Monáe.
*Duran Duran were presented with the very first MTV Video Visionary Award at the MTV EMA’s in Milan.
* The band performed on Later With ....Jools Holland on October 20 & 23rd and TFI Friday on October 30.
....and a lot more! If you’ve missed anything at all, make sure you follow the NEWS, PRESS & TIMELINE sections on duranduran.com. And if for some reason you don't have YOUR copy of Paper Gods you can buy it here.
******
After a brief touring break, Duran Duran will be doing a pre-Christmas UK tour. ALL the UK VIP packages (seats in the first 5 rows) are sold out! Make sure you’ve renewed your membership with the Duran Duran Fan Community to access 2016 pre-sale tickets!!
SEPTEMBER, 2015
PAPER GODS IS ALMOST HERE!
What else could we possibly talk about in the September D-Blast??!! At least 24 D- Blasts have been leading up to this moment, so let’s re-cap…
Duran Duran’s PAPER GODS will be released in-stores and online September 11, 2015. Thank you all so much for your patience, support, encouragement and excitement leading up to this moment. As Simon said in a previous Katy’s Kafe, this is YOUR record. There would be no Duran Duran without the backing of the fans, and the band couldn’t be more proud to deliver this album to you.
If you still haven’t pre-ordered the record, you can do so online here. There are various different formats available to choose from. First there is the regular CD (which comes in both a standard and deluxe edition – the latter having three extra tracks on it and different packaging), then there’s the Deluxe Fan Edition CD (which includes a 16 page booklet, an exclusive Paper Gods Fortune Teller, a 16 sticker pack (so you can create your own version of the artwork), and a special cover PLUS the 3 bonus tracks), and last but not least, there is also a bundle that includes the Deluxe Fan Edition + T-shirt or a vinyl version of the album + T-shirt. And for those of you who love vinyl the standard 12-track album will also be out on for turntable lovers everywhere!
At this point, we hope you’ve heard, and are enjoying, the tracks below. The response so far has been amazing, and the band is very excited for you to hear the whole thing! We love that you are spreading the word – so in the lead up to the release, let’s make as much noise as we can about the new record!
Keep your eye out – the band has a lot of television appearance in the pipeline both in the US and overseas. So far, what we can announce are:
CBS Sunday Morning, airing on September 13
The Ellen DeGeneres Show, airing on September 23
Duran Duran will also be doing a few more live dates in the US before taking a break and then hitting the stage in the UK at the end of the year. Click here for the rest of their 2015 shows, and stay tuned for the 2016 tour announcements!
If you are a paid member, there are still amazing VIP packages (seats in the first 5 rows) available for several of the UK concerts. Make sure you’ve renewed your membership with Duran Duran Fan Community to access those packages and pre-sale tickets for all the upcoming dates!
AUGUST, 2015
Welcome to your August D-Blast!
By the time you get this, the band will have already played one (or two) of the shows on this short U.S. run. They’re really looking forward to these dates and are excited for a larger tour in 2016!
If you’ve been ultra busy this summer you might have missed:
Duran Duran’s forthcoming album PAPER GODS now has a worldwide release date of September 11th! You can pre-order the album online on iTunes and immediately get a download of the first single, “Pressure Off” featuring Janelle Monáe and Nile Rodgers
You can also listen to the track on the band's YouTube channel and we’ve added a cool behind-the-scenes “Making Of” featuring the band, Nile Rodgers and Mark Ronson. Not only that, but we were able to capture live footage of the band while they performed at a special private event in London at the US Ambassador’s home on July 2nd. Watch Duran Duran’s “Pressure Off” Live now!
We have some GREAT new shots in the Duran Duran PAPER GODS Photo Gallery, and will be adding in more pictures from the U.S. run as we get them – click here and see if you can catch a show!
The band did some cool video interviews with Billboard Magazine during their cover photo shoot that everyone really enjoyed. You can make sure you don’t miss any of the guys’ latest press by bookmarking the PRESS page on DD.com here!
War Child UK, which the band continues to support, released a very moving video last month on the success of the PASSPORT: BACK TO THE BARS campaign that Duran Duran participated in. If you didn’t get a chance, you can watch the video here.
The DD Fan Community has been busy with terrific pre-sale packages and VIP experiences for almost every show on this leg of the tour. If you ordered pre-sale tickets and/or VIP packages on the fan community website (via our ticketing partner Crowdsurge), you can expect to receive them 2-4 weeks before your show with VIP reception info will be emailed 3-6 days before the show.
Members also have exclusive access to content to Katy’s Kafe (including an amazing one this month with John), Q&As and contesting!
If you currently belong to the fan community and want the new GOLD membership, simply click RENEW under your username and you will receive the new GOLD merchandise and we will add 12 months of membership beyond your current expiration date. Visit the Duran Duran Fan Community and click JOIN or RENEW.
JULY, 2015
Welcome to your July D-Blast!
Well….
We’ve been busy!
If you haven’t been online at all since our last D-Blast you may have missed that:
Duran Duran’s forthcoming album is called PAPER GODS and you can pre-order it on the Warner Brothers online store, iTunes and/or Amazon! Paper Gods will be out on September 18th in the US and September 11th in Europe and the rest of the world.
Duran Duran’s first single, PRESSURE OFF, featuring Janelle Monáe and Nile Rodgers, is available in the US from your favourite digital retail store – and if you pre-order the album, you get the download automatically. It will be hitting iTunes UK on July 24th – and don’t forget, you can also listen to it on the band's YouTube channel.
The single has been getting all kinds of great reviews, which you can read about on the PRESS page. We also have photos from Duran's recent performance in Barcelona at the SONAR Festival, which was an incredible "first" show for the band, together with shots from the Dutch ‘Night at the Park’ festival last weekend!
Speaking of shows...Duran Duran will be on tour in the US and UK in addition to the already announced Festival dates! Click here for all the dates (and if they're not coming to your city this time, they will be back in 2016).
And in other VERY exciting fan community news, we have terrific pre-sale packages for almost every show on this leg of the tour, not to mention a brand new GOLD membership package available. The package features a variety of special, exclusive items you won’t find anywhere else. This is a great time to join or renew a lapsed membership, as not only will you have access to pre-sale tickets but you will also get this great new package. Not to mention member exclusive Katy's Kafes, Q&As and contesting!
Don’t worry if you are a current member - if you would like the brand new GOLD package simply click RENEW under your username and you will receive the new GOLD merchandise and we will add 12 months of membership beyond your current expiration date. Visit the Duran Duran Fan Community and click JOIN or RENEW.
JUNE, 2015
Welcome to your June D-Blast!
Two big Duran Duran birthdays are in June - and maybe some special surprises? June 8th we celebrate Nick and June 20th, JT. Keep your eyes peeled on Duran Duran's website and social media for some pretty exciting album and tour related announcements!
In other big news this month - Duran Duran added more dates to their pre-album tour schedule: The Gibraltar Music Festival on September 5th and the Life is Beautiful Festival in Las Vegas June 25-27th. (NOTE: MORE 2015 DATES ARE COMING!! Please keep an eye on your inbox over the next week or so as you will be the first to get the details!) See all of the band’s upcoming shows here.
Roger revisited "A View to a Kill" for us! In honour of the song's anniversary, Roger wrote a blog about his memories of recording the single. Read what he had to say here!
Another anniversary took place last month - Katy clocked twenty years with Duran Duran! She did four separate Katy's Kafe's with the band members on the Fan Community website and then put together a special "highlight" audio reel for everyone to hear!
We were able to get some great photos from Corthay and put together a terrific Gallery of shots from Simon's Tour Auto Rally through France. You can see the photos here and read what he wrote about his journey here.
The latest Collector's Corner features all the different versions of RIO. You can read about them here and see which ones are in your collection! And speaking of RIO, Warner Bros is re-issuing the 2009 RIO re-master!
The fan community gave away a pair of tickets to some of the band's Festival dates to lucky VIP members. . Congratulations to our winners, we expect to hear back from you after the shows!
And in other VERY exciting fan community news, we are happy to announce that we have a brand new GOLD membership package available. The package features a variety of special, exclusive items you won’t find anywhere else. This is a great time to join or renew (if your membership has lapsed) as not only will you have access to pre-sale tickets for the upcoming tour but you will also get this amazing new package. Don’t worry if you are a current member and don’t expire for months. If you would like the brand new GOLD package simply click RENEW under your username and you will receive the new GOLD merchandise and we will add 12 months of membership beyond your current expiration date. Visit the Duran Duran Fan Community and click JOIN or RENEW.
Don't forget to Bookmark:
The Duran Duran VIP Fan Community
AND the band's BRAND NEW Tumblr page! Duran Duran on Tumblr
MAY, 2015
Welcome to your May D-Blast!
Things are heating up for the band, and it looks like they will have a summer single. Keep your ears peeled for "Pressure Off," featuring Janelle Monáe and Nile Rodgers. We are hoping to have a clip of the song, ahead of the release, for you soon!
In case you missed the news, the upcoming Duran Duran album will be coming out on Warner Brothers Records! The band seems on track for a September album launch.
They are re-convening in the Studio on May 6th, but the guys will soon be totally focused on promotion and performances. Both Simon and Nick used their recent "free time" for some cool 'side jobs'!
Nick was invited by Hermès to curate a "raucous ramble" through his old stomping ground of Soho in London. To celebrate Hermès’ annual theme of ‘Flâneur forever,’ twenty-five invited guests discovered rock art history, Bowie iconography, Tin Pan alley folklore and the world of new electronica thanks to Nick. Read more here.
Simon participated in two sports events. To start, he was part of the Tour Auto Rally 2015, which took place from April 20th through April 25th. The 24th edition of the Tour de France Automobile saw 225 cars compete against one another. Simon was the co-driver of “P,” a Jaguar XK120, the oldest car in the Rally. Simon co-drove with Francois Pourcher in their Maison Corthay and Cifonelli sponsored car. You can see and read more about his adventures here.
The other event he lent his support to, but couldn't participate in, was the Bike4Life Festival. Of the annual fundraiser, Simon said, "Two of my biggest passions in life, next to music, have long been sailing and motorbikes, so I am thrilled to be able to support this year’s Bike4Life event, alongside “Foggy”, Richard Hammond and Mike Tindall and help raise valuable funds for the Midlands Air Ambulance Charity. The life-saving work that all of the UK’s air ambulance services do, alongside the RAF/Royal Navy SAR helicopters teams, is vital – and like so many bike enthusiasts, I know the value of emergency medical care only too well. I am honoured to have been invited to get involved in this year’s campaign and lend my support."
The end of April also brought Roger's birthday. He was so thrilled with all the tweets, Facebook posts and emails helping him celebrate. Read this year's birthday message from RT here.
Have you caught the latest Collector's Corner on duranduran.com? We post them every month, and this past one, about early magazine covers, was particularly fun. Check it out here.
Keep your eye out for Simon's “Let a Bear Sh*t in the Woods” campaign in mid May. The pictorial supports a highly visible movement to stop excruciating bear bile extraction from thousands of moon bears currently in captivity in Asia.
Lastly, mark your calendar for the handful of festival shows the band is playing this summer - and the fan community is giving away a pair of tickets to members for each date!
June 20: Sonar Festival, Barcelona, Spain
June 27: Night at the Park, The Hague, Netherlands
June 28: Killarney Festival, Kerry, Ireland
September 11: Bestival, Isle of Wight, UK
For ticket links, please visit the band's tour page at duranduran.com.
If you’re a Member of the Duran Duran Fan Community, we hope you’ve been enjoying the exclusive content we’ve been able to bring you recently, including a birthday Kafe with Roger, a special Kafe with Katy for her anniversary with the band, a new Q&A with Duran backing singer Anna Ross - who has her own album coming out via a Pledge music campaign plus cool giveaways each month (if you're a member, check your email!!) AND - we thank you for your patience as the band develops a BRAND NEW gold level package to be released early this summer!
APRIL, 2015
Welcome to your April D-Blast!
A lot has happened since our last blast, with the incredible news that Duran Duran has signed a global recording contract with Warner Brothers Records.
As such, the band has been really busy!
At the end of March the band put the finishing touches on #DD14, handing it over to Spike Stent to complete mixing. The band then flew to San Francisco where they participated in Live At The Vineyard - a radio event at the James Cole Winery "In The Vineyard" event for their new label, where they met with key programmers and music supervisors. From here, on Sunday morning they traveled to Los Angeles for a "meet & greet' with staffers at the Warner offices on Monday afternoon. At both events, the band played their upcoming single, “Pressure Off,” featuring Janelle Monáe, produced by Nile Rodgers and Mark Ronson, with additional vocal production by Mr Hudson and Josh Blair.
Mid-week the band spent time rehearsing, and then performing, at the Theatre at the Ace Hotel for the David Lynch Foundation. Celebrating its 10th anniversary, the event was a fundraiser to benefit the nonprofit foundation, which brings transcendental meditation to raise performance in at-risk populations and help heal toxic stress, including PTSD.
Lastly, Simon found time to squeeze in a quick photo shoot for AnimalsAsia “Let a Bear Sh*t in the Woods” campaign. The pictorial supports a highly visible movement to stop excruciating bear bile extraction from thousands of moon bears currently in captivity in Asia.
Don't forget the band are playing a bunch of festival shows this summer - and the fan community is giving away a pair of tickets to members for each date.
June 20: Sonar Festival, Barcelona, Spain
June 27: Night at the Park, The Hague, Netherlands
June 28: Killarney Festival, Kerry, Ireland
September 11: Bestival, Isle of Wight, UK
For ticket links, please visit the band's tour page at duranduran.com. There may be more added, so keep an eye on DD.com!
If you’re a Member of the Duran Duran Fan Community, we hope you’ve been enjoying the exclusive content we’ve been able to bring you recently, including a brand new Kafe with Simon, a new Q&A with author Suzi Parker, giveaways each month and a BRAND NEW gold level package on the horizon!
MARCH, 2015
Welcome to your March D-Blast - let's jump right in.!
February brought the announcement of more Festival dates for the band! The confirmed shows thus far are:
June 20: Sonar Festival, Barcelona, Spain
June 27: Night at the Park, The Hague, Netherlands
June 28: Killarney Festival, Kerry, Ireland
September 12: Bestival, Isle of Wight, UK
For ticket links, please visit the band's tour page at duranduran.com. There may be more added, so keep an eye on DD.com!
In addition to the festival shows, the band will also be participating in a fundraiser for the David Lynch Foundation on April 1 by performing one Lynch-related song and one Duran Duran song at the event. Celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Foundation, the Los Angeles based event will benefit the nonprofit foundation, which brings transcendental meditation to at-risk populations suffering from PTSD. There is still some incredible VIP tickets left, which includes a pre-show event with David Lynch, cocktails, hors-d'oeuvres and a Shepard Fairey designed poster. Lend your support to a great cause here.
Speaking of live shows, the band's recent concert at Wilton’s Music Hall for War Child UK was a cracker! Starting with a DJ set from Mr Hudson and ending with the standing-room-only crowd going crazy for "Rio," it was an incredible evening from start to finish.
You can see a set of live photos from the show here
and read some of the terrific reviews here.
Nick did his annual Oscar podcast with Katy for members of the fan community the last week of February. A written portion was made available on DD.com. Did his choices match yours??
If you’re a Member of the Duran Duran Fan Community, we hope you’ve been enjoying the exclusive content we’ve been able to bring you recently, including Nick's aforementioned (over an hour long!) annual Oscar Kafe, great new Q&As with Joshua Blair and Mr Hudson, giveaways each month and a BRAND NEW gold level package on the horizon!
In addition, the Duran Duran Fan Community is thrilled to be giving away a pair of tickets to each of the festival shows announced in this DBLAST (Sonar, Night at the Park, Killarney and Bestival)!
If you are a member in good standing please email DDVIP@magusentertainment.com with “FESTIVAL” in the subject line and indicate which festival you would like to attend. Winners will be chosen randomly until we have one fan community winner for each of the four festival dates below. The winners will be notified at least two weeks before each date. If you are chosen as a winner, you will then have 24 hours to accept the tickets before we move on to another randomly selected Fan Community member. Please note these contest prizes are for a pair of TICKETS ONLY (for the fan community member and their guest) and do not include meet and greets, travel or accommodation, so please enter ONLY if you are able to get yourself to the festival sites on the dates below. Here they are:
This is a fantastic opportunity to see DD at some of the coolest festivals out there! If you are able to ATTEND, and want a chance at winning a pair of tickets, please email DDVIP@magusentertainment.com with “FESTIVAL” in the subject line and indicate which show you can attend. Good luck!
FEBRUARY, 2015
Welcome to the first D-Blast of 2015 – there is a lot going on since our last one of 2014!
If you missed it, the band ended the year with four separate Katy’s Kafe chats for the VIP Fan Community, reviewing their favourites of 2014. They also left holiday messages on their SoundCloud page.
To read their faves click here.
To hear the holiday messages listen here.
Another sign of a New Year? A new Simon's Reader! Last year it was Donna Tartt’s “The Goldfinch,” this year Simon did an audio Reader for “The Strange Affair of Spring Heeled Jack,” which you can listen to here!
We’ve had several good Collector’s Corners as of late, so in case you've missed some, here’s a recap of December and January. How many of these items are in your collection?
However, the most EXCITING news we’ve had of late is the announcement of some live dates on the horizon!
Duran Duran will be performing for War Child UK, raising money for children in war-torn countries via donations that provide an opportunity to be included in a ticket lottery for the band’s intimate concert at the Wilton Music Hall in London on February 19. To learn all about this amazing event, read more here!
The band is also performing at this year’s Sonar Festival in Spain and at Night At the Park in the Netherlands. Read all about these great summer Fests now!
If you’re a Member of the Duran Duran Fan Community, we hope you’ve been enjoying the exclusive content we’ve been able to bring you recently, including FOUR exclusive, member only Katy’s Kafes, FIVE weeks of holiday gift giving from the band and a recent 2015 Kafe with John where he talked about the upcoming album and his thoughts on the process of putting out new music in 2015. Finally, look for a BRAND NEW gold level package this Spring!
DECEMBER, 2014
Welcome to your Monthly Duran Duran D-Blast!
Wow! The end of the year! Doesn’t it feel like it came around quickly again?
No new Duran Duran music for you yet (hint hint) but to keep you satiated, the song “Kingdom” by Charli XCX featuring Simon was released on November 17th on The Hunger Games/Mockingjay Part 1 Soundtrack, to rave reviews. You can hear this terrific track here.
The band had an amazing time in Austin, performing at the Grand Prix and the Dell World party, as well as the Teenage Cancer Fund charity surprise appearance. We've put a lot of new photos in the Gallery for you to look at until the band finally get back on the road next year!
There were many “Duraniversaries” last month – Band Aid, Seven & the Ragged Tiger, Arena and the release of the single “The Wild Boys.” JT took some time out of his studio schedule to share his memories with us in this terrific video.
Speaking of anniversaries, Dom traveled down memory lane since he just celebrated 10 years with Duran Duran. Read his great blog here.
Lastly, if you’re looking for a terrific stocking stuffer, there’s the NEW 2015 Duran Duran calendar available in the band’s web shop! Click here for the calendar and other great goodies! Several items have been packaged together this year – more bang for your holiday buck (or pound, or lire…you get the picture!)
The Duran Duran VIP Fan Community website is living large in December with FOUR year end Kafes and FOUR weeks of giveaways! Did we mention that a Fan Community membership is a pretty terrific gift to yourself or a friend?? Don’t miss out on keeping your membership and information up-to-date since the band will surely go on tour next year to support DD#14! And oh yea, if you heard Nick’s November Kafe - there was a new song title in there!!
NOVEMBER, 2014
Welcome to your Monthly Duran Duran D-Blast!
October past by so quickly as Duran Duran spent their month (for the most part) in the studio finishing up DD14!
To keep us satiated until the album comes out next year, UNSTAGED is slowly making its debut around the world: The movie has been shown at many film festivals in different countries, the DVD is out in Australia, the film played in the US in September, and now it’s available for download in the UK and the US on iTunes.
We had some more big news when it was announced that Simon would be on the upcoming Lorde-curated "Hunger Games/Mockingjay Part 1" soundtrack, which is coming out November 17th. Simon sings with Charli XCX on a song called "Kingdom", that he co-wrote with her and recorded with Rostam Batmanglij from Vampire Weekend when he was in New York for Fashion Rocks. We cannot wait to hear it – and judging from the great press it’s garnered, neither can anyone else!
In mid-October, Roger took some time to revisit the release of ASTRONAUT for the tenth anniversary of the album’s release. If you missed his great Blog, you can read it here.
Both John and Nick went to events surrounding Frieze Masters Art Fair, London, but only Nick curated a collection! Check out DD.com if you missed the news!
And we can't say "goodbye" to October without mentioning the birthday boy, Simon, who shared his 2014 Birthday message with us on October 27th!
By the time you read this Blast, we should also have some GREAT photos of the band from their recent Austin trip for the Grand Prix COTA event! We will be adding new shots to the Gallery all the time - like these terrific behind-the-scenes rehearsal photos! - that were taken in London while they were preparing for the event - so keep checking!
The Duran Duran VIP Fan Community website has been giving away some pretty cool items to members! Several lucky fan community members who purchased tickets to the show in Austin have been rewarded with a Meet & Greet with the band before the show. Other recent giveaways include a copy of Denis O’Regan’s CARELESS MEMORIES book, tickets to Fashion Rocks, a singles box set from Manimal Vinyl and more! We also had a great birthday Kafe with Simon this month as well as an a-m-a-z-i-n-g Q&A with Joe Vizvary from IMAGES IN VOGUE, who opened for Duran Duran on their 1984 tour! Please make sure all your membership details are up to date and that your email address is current. If you win something and we can’t reach you we’ll have to move on to someone else!
OCTOBER, 2014
Welcome to your Monthly Duran Duran D-Blast!
Lots has happened this month, so if you missed some of it on the website or social media, we’re here with the review!
The band played a great set for the unveiling of the new 2016 Mazda Miata on September 3rd. It was a secret show at a top-secret location (an airport hangar in Monterey, CA) and we were able to send a few fan community members to catch the performance! Part of their set was broadcast live on Mazda’s YouTube channel, so if you missed it, you can watch it here.
A few days later the band were in New York for Fashion Rocks. Not only did the guys do a three-song-medley and get shout outs from Afrojack and Nico & Vinz, but viewers who Shazam’ed the show were able to download a free exclusive live track of Duran Duran’s “Girl Panic!” If you didn’t catch the show, which aired live on CBS, you can watch Duran’s performance here. We also have a lot of great new photos from the event in the Gallery on DD.com.
Many of you in the US went to see Duran Duran Unstaged, which played in movie theaters across America for one night only on September 10th. We put together a Gallery of all the tickets and marquees you shared with us – take a look at it here. Unstaged will be coming to ON DEMAND in the US and Canada on October 14th!
The band is coming to Austin, TX for a special date taking place on November 1st. Duran Duran is headlining the US Grand Prix Formula 1 event as part of COTA’s Fan Fest Weekend! The event is one of highlights of the racing season and there are a few packages to choose from that include possibilities for very VIP food, drink and parties; In addition, the band is participating in two great auctions to win tickets and a M&G at the Austin show, which will benefit two fantastic charities: Gabrielle's Angel Foundation for Cancer Research and Sweet Relief Musician's Fund.
Billboard magazine featured a quick chat with both John and Nile Rodgers about the upcoming album. Looks like DD14 will make its appearance in 2015, so please watch this space!
The Duran Duran VIP Fan Community website has been giving away some amazing things to members! Recent giveaways include tickets to Fashion Rocks, passes to the exclusive Mazda show Monterey, a RIO re-issue album, a singles box set from Manimal Vinyl and a copy of the upcoming Denis O’Regan photo book CARELESS MEMORIES. We’ve also had an exclusive Fashion Rocks photo album, some fantastic Q&As and funny moments on Katy’s Kafe’s, including one live from New York with Roger! Finally, our members were given FIRST access to pre-sale tickets to the Austin show 48 hours before ANYONE else. Make sure all your membership details are up to date!
SEPTEMBER, 2014
Welcome to your Monthly Duran Duran D-Blast!
We hope you enjoyed Duran Duran Appreciation Day on August 10th as much as we did! The band is excited for next year’s shows and thought posting a live version of David Bowie’s STARMAN, filmed during the ALL YOU NEED IS NOW tour on a concert stop in Greece, would get everyone in the mood! The Patty Palazzo- designed-Bowie-meets-Duran-Duran photos posted in advance were also a great addition. Thanks so much for all the support on the 10th!
By the time you read this, the band will be in California rehearsing for their performance at the launch of the 2016 Mazda Miata MX5. A handful of Fan Community members won passes to this once-in-a-lifetime Duran Duran event in Monterey. If you can’t be there, some of the show will be broadcast live on Mazda’s YouTube channel. Make sure you tune in on September 3rd at 6pm PST!
As soon as that event is over, the band will be preparing for their appearance at FASHION ROCKS, live from the Barclays Center on September 9th. The show will air that night on CBS at 9pm. Make sure to tune in if you won’t be in the audience in Brooklyn! And check out the great ROAD TO FASHION ROCKS videos posted on a Fashion Rocks microsite.
The very next day on September 10th, Duran Duran will be in movie theaters across the USA for one night only with UNSTAGED. If you aren’t sure whether the film is playing near you, make sure you check this link! We also have been unveiling several UNSTAGED videos on the Duran Duran YouTube Channel.
The band has also announced their only ticketed date in the USA, taking place on November 1st at the US Grand Prix Formula 1 event as part of COTA’s Fan Fest Weekend! The guys are so excited to be part of this celebrated event, which is one of the highlights of the racing season. The packages include possibilities for food, drink and parties; we hope to see you there!
Finally, Duran Duran is nearing completion of an album producer Nile Rodgers recently described as “sick” (in a good way!) and they’re all very excited to start sharing tour and release dates with you all soon. Please make sure you check the band’s website and social media pages frequently for the latest news!
And if you aren’t aware, the Duran Duran VIP Fan Community website has been giving away some amazing things to members! From the new RIO vinyl and to tickets to Fashion Rocks, to passes to the exclusive show in Monterey, they’ve been making sure every member has a chance at some GREAT prizes! Given everything that is happening (pre-sales, contests and content), please consider joining or renewing. If you are a current member, please make sure you edit your profile and update all of your contact info.
AUGUST, 2014
Welcome to your Monthly Duran Duran D-Blast!
There’s so much DD-ness happening, we’re not sure where to start!
Mark your calendar – Duran Duran Appreciation Day [started by fans in the late ‘80s] is upon us once again. Make sure you check out duranduran.com and the band’s social media on August 10th while the band celebrates along with you!
July started off with a bang as the band flew to St. Petersburg, Russia for the White Nights Festival. We posted some great photos on the fan community website and also a few cool shots and a video on duranduran.com .
The guys have also been doubling down in the studio and writing with Mark Ronson who will be back in the production seat in mid-August, alongside longtime friend and collaborator, Nile Rodgers. The band resumed work with Mr. Hudson the week of July 21st, and duranduran.com posted a few photos of Simon/Nick/Roger/John and Mr. H together.
Two new vinyl releases are making fans happy: A DIAMOND IN THE MIND double vinyl with diamond-dusted sleeve, and the double vinyl RIO re-issue from Rhino. Check out the US edition and UK edition here!
It was also announced at the end of July that Duran Duran will be returning to the Fashion Rocks stage on September 9th, with a live performance from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn that will air on CBS television in the US! Tickets are on sale as of August 1st, 2014
Oh and if you want some great new songs for your iPod, John created a play list in response to ITN News stating that Redditch was the least musical town in the UK (boo!). Click for John Taylor’s Redditch High County Mixtape .
There has been some great new member only content on the Duran Duran VIP Fan Community website. Simon did a Katy’s Kafe, we posted a photo album from the band’s recent trip to Russia, a few new Q&As, giveaways including “A Diamond in the Mind” vinyl, Reflex T-shirts and photo prints from photographer Barry Fidnick AND a pair of tickets to see the band perform at Fashion Rocks!!! Finally, Fan Community members were granted access to Fashion Rocks tickets before they went on sale to the general public. Soon touring will be back on the docket so make sure you keep your membership, and information, updated!
JULY, 2014
Welcome to your Monthly Duran Duran D-Blast!
The band has been pretty chatty since our last D-Blast, with Simon doing an unexpected “Katy’s Kafe” and Nick, John and Dom celebrating birthdays in June. Let’s review:
Simon was very enthusiastic about helping to surprise Nile Rodgers with the IMS Legends Award in Ibiza in this excerpt from his kafe in May. No one tells a story like Simon!
As for the June babies, Nick’s birthday arrived first on June 8th, with this audio message from him.
Dom did a ‘birthday diary’ on his big day, letting us in on a wedding he attended, complete with photos (you may spot some familiar faces).
Last of our birthday boys, John surprised everyone with a video greeting!
John also took some time out in June to meet with people at DHI (Developing Health & Independence) - talking to care givers and patients about his own journey in recovery. He also spoke to BBC Bristol to help shed light on what people’s every day struggles with staying sober are.
In other news, the incredible A DIAMOND IN THE MIND double vinyl with diamond-dusted sleeve has arrived! Fans have been thrilled with this item and we’ve loved the photos you’re sharing on social media!
The latest Collectors Corners have been posted on DD.com – in May, the focus was on Awards, and in June, sheet music. If you missed them, both are definitely worth a read!
The Duran Duran web shop just added some terrific new items including a mug, rhinestone tee shirt, beach towel and baseball hat, all with the new DD logo! Click here to check them out – they’re doing some great incentives through July!
We hope you’ve been enjoying some of the exclusive content on the Duran Duran VIP Fan Community website. We’ve recently had Kafes from Nick, Simon and John, some amazing giveaways, including copies of A DIAMOND IN THE MIND on vinyl, a one-of-a-kind Q&A with Vinyl Factory art designer Rory McCartney and some new videos as well!
MAY, 2014
Welcome to your Monthly Duran Duran D-Blast!
As you may already know, the guys are currently in the studio in London with producer Mr. Hudson, having an amazing time, working on finishing up #DD14! If you’ve missed the happenings, here’s a recap:
Alongside news of working with Ben (aka Mr. Hudson) (see great studio shot here), over the past week the band members have also been able to confirm that they're trading tracks with ex-Red Hot Chili Pepper guitarist John Frusciante!
In other news, there are lots of great new Duran Duran items coming to market over the next few months, including the incredible A DIAMOND IN THE MIND double vinyl with diamond-dusted sleeve, that’s being produced by The Vinyl Factory. It certainly seems to be on the top of many collectors’ lists as it’s the band’s first live album release in over a decade!
The web store has also put up some new tee’s for the summer, including this fan-favorite “REFLEX” shirt, celebrating the 30th anniversary of the song.
And speaking of The Reflex, the band and Nile Rodgers took time out of their hectic schedules to talk about the making of that career-changing single. It’s a lot of fun to watch them reminisce about the creation of that song
Even though many of you communicate with the band via Twitter & Facebook, we still get great questions for the ASK KATY portion of the website. Ever wonder about the genesis of the Duran Duran song THROB? Wonder no more!
We hope you’ve been enjoying some of the exclusive content on the Duran Duran VIP Fan Community website. We’ve recently had Roger's birthday Kafe, some amazing giveaways including the new "Reflex" tee shirts and signed copies of SEVEN & THE RAGGED TIGER, and two GREAT Q&As - one with "Beautiful Colors" archivist Andrew Golub and one with "Mad World" author Lori Majewski. Both of them put together prize packs for Community members as well!
APRIL, 2014
Welcome to your Monthly Duran Duran D-Blast!
What a busy few months the band has had. Let’s recap!
In February, the band got together with the Voce Chamber Choir & the London Youth Chamber to record some music for their forthcoming album. You can read more about how it all came together here.
Even though the band is busy in the studio working on the album, Roger found some time for a DJ gig! At the beginning of March, Roger DJ’ed for a magazine launch in Zurich. See what he has to say about it here.
John was a featured speaker at the London Bass Guitar Show on March 2nd. He not only participated in a Q&A, but also stayed and signed copies of “In The Pleasure Groove.” The fan community site received a great recap from a member who won tickets to the show through the website. Read her report here!
John was also in New York City at the end of March for the launch of his wife’s new clothing line, Pam & Gela. The new line debuted at Bloomingdales and both John and his daughter, Atlanta, were there to lend support. Check out the Facebook photo album from that night.
Our cameras captured Simon giving a bit of an update on the band’s new album. Never one to miss an opportunity to be cheeky, check out what Simon Says here!
Have you visited the duranduran.com Photo Gallery lately? We’ve recently posted a bunch of new photos, so if you haven’t looked in a while, click here…
We hope you’ve been enjoying some of the exclusive content on the Duran Duran VIP Fan Community website. We’ve had two new Kafes since the last E-Blast - the Oscar Only Kafe with Nick and a March Kafe with Simon. We’ve also done two written Q&As and two more giveaways, including a signed copy of Durandy’s new hardcover book on the posters of Duran Duran, “Beautiful Colors.”
The BRAND NEW Gold level package is also now available, and if your tweets are any indication, the Patty Palazzo designed tee shirt is a HUGE hit! Please visit the Duran Duran VIP Fan Community to learn more!
FEBRUARY, 2014
Happy New Year!
It’s hard to believe that the band is almost at the tail end of finishing DD#14 (no, that’s not the album title, merely the album number they’re up to!).
The guys celebrated the conclusion of 2013 with year-end chats through their VIP Fan Community – with four different Katy’s Kafes, one from each band member – and holiday messages on the band’s SoundCloud page.
If you missed any of the holiday greetings, you can listen here.
There were LOTS of cool items in the web shop this year - including new holiday baubles, coasters and more. Some things are still available, including the great 2014 calendar. You can view all of the
new items here!
Another signal of the New Year? A new Simon's Reader! He recently reviewed the Donna Tartt novel The Goldfinch. He really enjoyed it and promises more Readers soon!
Simon and John stole away from the studio with Dom and Anna a few weeks ago to make good on their promise to play a private set for the highest bidder at the Cannes Film Festival AmfAR event they performed at. You can read more about their mini-concert and travels to the beautiful ski resort of Courchevel here!
Have you been keeping up with the Duran Duran Monthly Collector's Corner? It's a great new feature on the website and we've had a lot of fun sharing DD collectibles with you. If you missed the latest one, you can read it here!
If you're a Member of the band’s VIP Fan Community, we hope you’ve been enjoying the exclusive content we’ve been able to bring you recently, including FOUR exclusive, member only Katy’s Kafes for the holidays, FOUR weeks of holiday gift giving from the band, with signed calendars and Record Store Day EPs as the giveaway and a recent 2014 Kafe with John where he talked about his "perfect album"!
In exciting news we are about to launch a BRAND NEW Gold level package with some great DD-centric items that are EXCLUSIVE to DD VIP. You can't get these items anywhere else! The new package should be up within a week or two so please keep visiting the Duran Duran VIP Fan Community by clicking here!
DECEMBER, 2013
Talk about ending on a high note!!
This has been an exciting year for Duran Duran, who have spent much of 2013 in the studio working on album #14. Word on the street is that the record is sounding great and we will soon be hearing snippets of what they’ve been up to.
The band’s UNSTAGED concert film, directed by David Lynch, was recently chosen to kick off the Museum of Modern Art’s CONTENDERS film series. This brought the entire band to New York City for an incredible evening that included an American Express sponsored cocktail reception with fans, and two screenings of UNSTAGED at the MOMA, one with an introduction from the band and the other with a post-film Q&A session. The night wrapped up with an after-party at the East Pole attended by the four band members and friends such as Debbie Harry, Diane Birch, Paddy Boom, Larry Mullen from U2 and more.
If you missed any of it, you can watch the opening remarks here and the hilarious Q&A session here.
And if you weren’t in New York for the screening, don’t worry, 2014 promises to be the year that the film will be shown around the world – with distributors working on cinema events that kick off early in the New Year. We will keep you posted.
While the band were together in the Big Apple, they sat down for a short roundtable to talk about the making of the “Seven and the Ragged Tiger” album, which turned 30 years old this November. You can listen to Roger, Simon, John and Nick reminisce here.
On a philanthropic note, once again, John lent his support to Road Recovery, filming a short video where he talks about founder Gene Bowen’s bicycle ride across New York State to raise money for this incredible charity. John donated a 20-minute SKYPE chat to help raise more funds, and it was snapped up immediately. He also attended the Amy Winehouse Foundation dinner at the Dorchester Hotel in London a couple of weeks ago where he auctioned off two Taylor mini guitars signed by Duran Duran, fetching a huge sum for the charity. Good work JT! Meanwhile, on December 3rd, Simon attended the City of London’s single biggest fundraising event – ICAP’s Annual Charity Day – where ICAP, (the world’s largest inter-dealer broker) gives away its revenues and commissions to charity, joined by a host of celebrities. Simon spent time at the company’s London office, on the trading floors with the brokers, having fun, closing a few deals and helping to raise millions of pounds – a portion of which will be donated to the Blue Marine Foundation, for whom he is an Ambassador.
Tis the season! Due to popular demand, the band has added some amazing new items for the holidays in the web-shop, including Christmas Baubles, a 2014 Calendar, wrapping paper, coasters and more. Have a DD holiday – check out what’s in the store by clicking here!
Lastly, the band was part of a cool pop-up exhibition at 15 Foubert’s Place, off Carnaby Street near the old Duran Duran office in central London on December 5th. Photographer Denis O’Regan, who shot the band’s SING BLUE SILVER tour, put together a terrific showcase of these 1984 images of the band. Along with limited edition prints, a coffee table book called CARELESS MEMORIES is also available for purchase. Watch this video providing a snippet of what photos are on display in the book.
If you're a Member of the band’s VIP fan community, we hope you’ve been enjoying the exclusive content we’ve been able to bring you recently, including a terrific Katy’s Kafe with John (thanks for the scoop JT!), a Q&A with assistant tour manager Orla Clarke, and some great giveaways including the VERY RARE Record Store Day vinyl for Black Friday, NO ORDINARY EP!! Not only that, but the band will be doing their Year End Kafe’s this year, so there will be a lot of listening before we reach 2014! Learn more about all the perks of being a member by visiting the VIP Fan Community!
OCTOBER, 2013
October brings : Simon’s birthday, the band re-convening back in to the Studio after a summer break and many posts of the band’s song “Secret Oktober” – and this latest e-blast!
We’ve updated Duran Duran’s YouTube channel with some recent(ish) interviews with Nick as well as a very cool short film set to the song “The Chauffeur.” Check out the latest on the band’s YouTube channel.
JT’s “In The Pleasure Groove” has come out in paperback in North America! He has also been doing a series of Tweet Chats to coincide with Penguin Books choosing ITPG for their monthly book club. Read more here.
Our newest online feature, the Duran Duran Monthly Collector’s Corner, has a few posts under its belt and fans have been giving it great reviews! Read the last two postings here and here. Let us know if there’s a topic you’d be interested in us researching.
The TV Mania franchise is now open for business! If you want to start your own version of TV Mania (and win some very cool prizes), here’s your chance – read the HOW’s here & watch a video explaining even more here .
We have been updating the band’s SoundCloud page with some excerpts from the Fan Community Katy’s Kafe the guys do each month. Check out some sound bites from Simon-Roger-John-Nick on the Duran Duran SoundCloud page.
If you're a Member of the band’s VIP fan community, we hope you’ve been enjoying the exclusive content we’ve been able to bring you recently, including a Katy’s Kafe with Roger, a great Q&A with Paul Maxwell, who does the band’s merchandise and was kind enough to give the community two tee shirts to giveaway and more! Learn more about all the perks of being a member by visiting the VIP Fan Community!
AUGUST, 2013
Could we have reached August already? The summer’s flying by and the band are making the most of their holiday month. Typically, the band is off in August if they’re not on tour, but before going anywhere, they made sure we had a few new photos from the Studio. If you missed them, you can find them here.
Nick has had a few YouTube chats with us, filling us in on the band’s visit to Cannes earlier in the summer, and more recently, Duran Duran’s plans to release UNSTAGED, the film they made with David Lynch. You can watch the videos on the Duran Duran YouTube channel.
John will be making a rare 2013 appearance supporting his best selling book, IN THE PLEASURE GROOVE - which has recently been releasedin paperback in the UK. Scheduled to speak at the prestigious Edinburgh International Book Festival on August 17th, John is excited to be participating in this now-sold-out event. Read more here.
Speaking of John, he recently curated a GREAT play list for 8tracks radio. Grab your earphones and listen up here.
We’ve started a new feature on duranduran.com this summer – the Duran Duran Monthly Collector’s Corner. We’ve featured two different releases so far, if you’ve missed the postings you can catch them here and here.
If you're a Member of the band’s VIP fan community, we hope you’ve been enjoying the exclusive content we’ve been able to bring you recently, including a Katy’s Kafe with Simon, a great Q&A with Roger’s booking agent for his DJ gigs and a terrific contest where three members (plus guest) got to see Roger DJ at an exclusive event in Montauk, New York – where we also got several “member only: photos for the DDFC Gallery!We also have some very exciting things in store for you so keep an eye on the site. Learn more about all the perks of being a member by visiting the VIP Fan Community!
JUNE, 2013
We’ve reached the halfway mark of the year and so far, it has been very productive for the band. We’ve had two studio updates, one from Roger and one from Simon. If you’ve missed them, you can read them here (and we will keep adding to them over the coming weeks!): Click here.
Thanks to all of you, we have received some great new photo updates for the Duran Spotting page – have you seen the latest? You will be surprised where you can “find” Duran Duran! Check out the latest photo gallery here.
And speaking of galleries, we have some great new photos of the guys from their recent visit to Cannes for the amfAR fundraising gala, CINEMA AGAINST AIDS XX. Not only did the band perform four songs as the event’s headliners, but amfAR also auctioned off an “in home” performance from John, Dom and Simon that went for $800,000! You can see the new pix here.
Along with working on lyrics, Simon has been extra busy – not only did he recently participate in the Manchester United Player of the Year Event at the Theatre of Dreams in Manchester, but he was also asked to appear at the “Sound for Change/Chime for Change” concert last Saturday in London, performing “The Reflex” with Timbaland. You can read more about the whole event by clicking here.
In other news, Nick and Warren are getting ready to unveil their TV Mania franchise – keep checking the site for the latest information. In the meantime, you can catch Nick’s video directorial debut (it’s hard to believe he has never done that before!) with the track “Beautiful Clothes.” Watch it by clicking here.
The Duran Duran online community continues to makes us very proud once again. The online magazine Ology had a battle of the bands where eight bands squared off, and were narrowed down to two in the end – Duran Duran vs. Pearl Jam. We weren’t let down – Duran Duran fans rallied and pulled off a big victory!
If you're a Member of the band’s VIP fan community, we hope you’ve been enjoying the exclusive content we’ve been able to bring you recently, including a Katy’s Kafe with John Taylor, live from New York! He and his publisher in the UK gave us a few copies of “In the Pleasure Groove” in paperback for Community Members. We also had a Q&A with John’s co-author, Tom Sykes, who gave us an in-depth look into co-creating John’s book. We also hope you’ve taken advantage of our ongoing membership exclusives, including a discount in the Duran Duran webshop and an early peek at a TV Mania mini documentary for members only! Learn more about all the perks of being a member by visiting the VIP Fan Community!
MAY, 2013
Welcome to your monthly Duran Duran D-Blast!
As you may have already read on duranduran.com, the band members are now recording their 14th studio album, and many of our social media friends have taken up the cause, spending a lot of time chatting online about what has been affectionately dubbed #DD14. While the other band members are currently on a small break, they are re-grouping next week and have sent along more In Studio photos – so check out the latest batch here.
While not in the studio, John, Roger, Simon and Nick have kept themselves busy with many other things!
John went to Copenhagen to do promotion for the hardcover Danish translation release of “In the Pleasure Groove.” You can read and watch some of the media he did by clicking here. The paperback was just release in the UK with a different cover, which you can see here.
Roger came to the US to do some DJ dates, one at Spy bar in Chicago and then a private event at the Standard Hotel in New York City. We snagged some GO TAG YOURSELF CHICAGO photos for Facebook – were you there? Roger did a great interview with Blackbook magazine about his foray in to DJ’ing, which you can read here. He also left a birthday message, which you can read on duranduran.com.
Simon wrote a beautiful poem that was featured on the Volvo Ocean Race website. His friend, and fellow shipmate, Magnus Olsson passed away and Simon’s tribute was very moving. You can read it here.
Nick is always keeping busy, and not just with Duran Duran. He did a recent remix for singer MNDR that was released last month, as well as many media interviews for the TV Mania project. A wonderful piece ran in the UK Magazine “Quietus,” and if you haven’t read it, do yourself a favor and click
here to take a look. Nick also directed (a first for him!) the new TV Mania video, “Beautiful Clothes,” which had its debut on many outlets including “Vogue Italia,” “GQ UK” and Yahoo.com. Watch it here.
And to end on an amazing note, we have the fans to thank for voting Duran Duran in to the ‘mock’ Rock n Roll Hall of Fame Internet poll, put together by the “Contra Costa Times” newspaper in San Francisco. Much like the “Sweet 16” in Basketball, the newspaper picked 16 acts they felt deserved to be in the Rock Hall but hadn’t yet been nominated, and then put them up against each other over the course of 8 weeks of voting. Duran Duran, through online fan promotion and lots of support, won the whole thing, beating the likes of KISS, Depeche Mode and more. Read about it here. Duran Duran Headquarters was very proud!
If you're a Member of the band’s VIP fan community, we hope you’ve been enjoying the exclusive content we’ve been able to bring you recently, including a Katy’s Kafe with this month’s birthday boy, Roger Taylor. He was nice enough to even invite two Fan Community members to his DJ gig at Spy Bar in Chicago! We also featured a Q&A with Jon and Helen, who work in the catalogue department at EMI, and they gave the Fan Community two copies of the “Is There Something I Should Know” blue vinyl made exclusively for Record Store Day as well as a very rare test pressing of the track to give to our members. We also hope you’ve taken advantage of our ongoing membership exclusives, including a discount in the Duran Duran webshop. Learn more about all the perks of being a member by visiting the VIP Fan Community!
APRIL, 2013
Welcome to your monthly Duran Duran D-Blast!
First and foremost, Duran Duran is back in the studio! On March 4th, Simon, Roger, John, Nick and Dom reconvened in a studio in South London for the first time since the sessions for ALL YOU NEED IS NOW. You can see some great photos of their first few days here. The guys were joined by Mark Ronson during the second week and are so pleased with how things are coming along.
On March 11th, BORED WITH PROZAC & THE INTERNET was finally released on digital and vinyl, as well as a bunch of remixes through Beatport. Please visit the TV Mania website at http://TVManiaMusic.com for the all the updated information on what’s available, where to buy it and what’s new – including some really great tee shirts and tote bags!
Nick and Warren did a very special Katy’s Kafe that was made available to everyone – not just members of the band’s fan community. Those two have a very special chemistry! Listen here. [Best used on a CHROME browser]
Additionally, Nick and Warren launched the TV MANIA project with an exhibit of Nick’s photographic work. Called BEI INCUBI (“Beautiful Nightmare”), the show debuted on March 7th at the Vinyl Factory in London. You can watch a short film, by Gavin Elder, on the exhibit
here. If you’re in the UK over the next few days, catch the show before it comes down on April 6th.
The whole band was thrilled when their Facebook page received 1 Million LIKES. Nick sent a much deserved thank you to the fans from the band that you can view here.
Record Store Day is coming up on April 20th and EMI will be releasing Duran Duran’s “Is There Something I Should Know?” on blue vinyl for the occasion. Unfortunately, the release will not come out in all territories. You can learn more about where it will be available here.
Duran Duran also received a HUGE honor, with the band’s album RIO coming in at the #3 spot on BBC Radio 2’s TOP 100 ALBUMS of all time poll! Duran fans came out in full force on Twitter and Facebook to support the band, and we were blown away by the results. Thanks to everyone who voted. As Simon said on Twitter, “(…we are all) Absolutely over the moon about this: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01rlpnc/live … It's a huge deal to us, and I know how much we owe to you all for it. Thank you."
We also wanted to make sure you all read the latest blog from John – really fantastic note to fans about Twitter and going back in to the studio. Please, do yourself a favor - read it here.
If you're a Member of the band’s VIP fan community, we hope you’ve been enjoying the exclusive content we’ve been able to bring you recently, including two Katy’s Kafes this month– one with Simon and then one surprise Kafe with TV Mania, and Q&A’s (this month, Sean Bidder from Vinyl Factory). We also hope you’ve taken advantage of our ongoing membership exclusives, including a discount in the Duran Duran webshop and great monthly prizes. Learn more about all the perks of being a member by visiting the VIP Fan Community!
MARCH, 2013
Welcome to your monthly Duran Duran D-Blast!
Lots of exciting things happening in the Duran world this month...
March 11th brings the long-awaited release of Bored with Prozac and the Internet? by TV Mania, aka Nick Rhodes and Warren Cuccurullo. 15-plus years in the making, and a couple of lost DAT tapes later and… welcome to the world of Cathy, Ray, Sassy and Snoop. Visit the TV Mania website to catch up on the latest happenings but if you need a quick refresher:
TV Mania is partnering with Lomography for a very cool contest where the TV Mania song "Beautiful Clothes" could inspire you to some amazing prizes! Sift through your closet and find some style inspiration to show what “Beautiful Clothes” means to you - read up on the rules here and don't forget - no digital photos!
You can buy Bored with Prozac and the Internet? on iTunes as well as through the Vinyl Factory, who are selling a special limited edition box set and gatefold vinyl. In addition to the release of the TV Mania full album, they will be also be releasing a Beatport exclusive Remix EP out on March 11th as well. The EP includes:
'Beautiful Clothes' (Nick Rhodes - Glitter Glam Mix)
'Beautiful Clothes' (Eric Hart and Warren Cuccurullo Remix)
'I Wanna Make Films' DubStep (BUNNY feat. Noah King Remix)
'I Wanna Make Films' (BUNNY feat. Noah King Remix)
'I Wanna Make Films' (MSTMX Remix)
'Euphoria' (Philip Mossman Remix)
'Euphoria' (Monikkr Remix)
Visit Beatport.com on March 11th to buy!
And finally, as if the world of TV Mania wasn't spectacular enough, Nick is launching BEI INCUBI (Beautiful Nightmares), an exhibition of his photographs to celebrate the project. Taking place at the Vinyl Factory in Chelsea, the exhibit debuts with a private affair on March 7th and opens to the public on March 8th.
Unlike Nick, who worked, and Simon and Roger, who mostly relaxed (read Roger's postcard from Punta Del Este here!), John has used this break to become a citizen of the USA! Now the carrier of dual passports, John was interviewed by NBC Nightly News about the experience, which proved to be more meaningful than he had expected.
Also meaningful? JT's big night, as he was honoured with the Experience, Strength and Hope Award by Writer's in Treatment. John was given the award by his friend Robert Downey Jr., and you can read more about the evening by clicking here.
Finally, if you didn't get a chance to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of The Wedding Album with us, don't miss out - take a look at the amazing retrospective the band put together here, and the never-seen-before photo strips from the London photo booth shoot here.
If you're a Member of the band’s VIP fan community, we hope you’ve been enjoying the exclusive content we’ve been able to bring you recently, including an ongoing membership discount in the Duran Duran webshop, the Annual Academy Award Katy's Kafe with Nick and Katy, monthly giveaways and exclusive member-only written interviews (this month: Koiishi & Hush and author Sebastein Batielle). Learn more about all the perks of being a member by visiting the VIP Fan Community!
JANUARY, 2013
Welcome to your Monthly Duran Duran D-Blast!
Happy New Year! We hope you had a wonderful holiday and that 2013 brings terrific things your way!
The band celebrated online with lots of fun messages via the their VIP Fan Community – with four different Katy’s Kafes, one from each band member - Holiday messages on Sound Cloud, a “Best of 2012” List from John, a Year-End “Simon’s Reader” from our favorite literary singer and a holiday video from Roger.
If you missed any of these things, you can see/listen them here:
A Best of 2012 List from John!
A Holiday video from Roger!
A brand new Simon's Reader from Simon!
And the holiday band greetings too!
We hope you enjoyed the new holiday merchandise in the Duran Duran web-shop. There are some things still available, including the beautiful 2013 calendar. You can view all the new items, bundles and more here!
Also, John has partnered with Punk Masters for a line of “In the Pleasure Groove” tee shirts that are really cool. And the best part is a portion of the sales goes to Road Recovery, which helps young adults who are struggling with challenges such as addiction. Read more about the tees here!
The most exciting news of all: The band - Simon, Nick, Roger, John & Dom - are going to go back in to the studio with Mark Ronson sometime in early March, 2013. After a long, and well deserved break, the band members are thrilled to not only be back writing and recording together again, but also that they'll be with Mark. As John mentioned in his Year-End Katy's Kafe on the fan community site, this will be the first time Duran Duran has worked with the same producer twice in a row since they worked with Colin Thurston on DURAN DURAN and RIO. The whole band agree that Mark re-energized them, and since they were unanimously pleased with the results of ALL YOU NEED IS NOW, they can't wait to see what they come up with next!
If you're a Member of the band’s VIP fan community, we hope you’ve been enjoying the exclusive content we’ve been able to bring you recently, including FOUR exclusive, member only Katy’s Kafe for the holidays and FOUR weeks of holiday gift giving from the band, with signed calendars, holiday cards, books and more! The new VIP Gold package is now available and has some great DD-centric items, and you now have the ability to give a gift of membership to a friend, which is really cool. If you want to learn more, visit the Duran Duran VIP Fan Community by clicking here!
NOVEMBER, 2012
Welcome to your Monthly Duran Duran D-Blast!
We hope you had a chance to follow all the cool things we’ve been doing to get the word out about John’s book, “In the Pleasure Groove: Love, Death & Duran Duran.” Excitingly, the book in now an International Best Seller, debuting at #6 on both sides of the Atlantic, on the New York Times and Sunday Times Best Seller lists respectively. It has been a very busy, but thrilling time for John, and an enormous “thank you” to everyone who has been so supportive of this endeavor, and all who were able to come to his book signings, participated in our Twitter contests (there may be more to come) and really got the word out about John’s book. If you haven’t had the chance, read John’s Blog, which is a wonderful ode to why he decided to move forward with an autobiography. The accompanying artwork is definitely worth a look as well.
John had also filmed a bunch of readings for the band’s YouTube channel, so if you couldn’t go to one of the in-stores, at least you got a small taste of JT’s passion for “ITPG.” You can check out the DD YouTube channel, and John’s readings, here.
If you were lucky enough to catch John at one of his signings/readings/Q&A sessions in New York, New Jersey, Toronto, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Austin or Chicago, then you must be checking the Duran Duran Facebook page to see if you’ve been ‘tagged’ in our “Go Tag Yourself” photo albums from the event. You should try and spot yourself here!
We would be, of course, remiss in not mentioning the birthday of our favorite lead singer on October 27th. Simon was quite pleased with all the Twitter tributes and emails, and sent in a typically unique Le Bon birthday message to DD fans, which you can read on DD.com.
We also have lots of fun happenings on the VIP Fan Community page, including a brand new Katy’s Kafe with Simon, contests every other week, a new Q&A and a terrific new Gold member package, which is on sale now at duranduranmusic.com!
ps - if you or a loved one were affected by Hurricane Sandy, we're sending you love and strength.
OCTOBER, 2012
The "In the Pleasure Groove" E-Blast Edition
JOHN TAYLOR’s autobiography: In the Pleasure Groove: Love, Death and Duran Duran
You know all the songs and all the lyrics. You’ve seen them live, you have all the albums.
Now, go behind the scenes with Duran Duran’s JOHN TAYLOR in his autobiography: In the Pleasure Groove: Love, Death and Duran Duran, on-sale Tuesday, Oct 16th in the U.S. and Canada.
John will take you on a wild ride from the eighties through today, writing about the music, the parties, and the MTV videos that made millions swoon. From the dance floor panache of “Planet Earth” right up to the chart-topping “All You Need is Now,” In the Pleasure Groove has it all.
Every edition features both color and black and white photos from John’s personal archives, many of which have never been seen before.
The book is available in hardcover, ebook, downloadable audio, and as limited signed edition CDs.
Order your copy of In the Pleasure Groove today!
THE AUDIOBOOK (LIMITED SIGNED EDITION CDS)
Barnes & Noble
Amazon
The downloadable audiobook is also available on Itunes and Audible.com on Oct 16, 2012
SEPTEMBER, 2012
Welcome to your Monthly Duran Duran D-Blast!
As the fans know, the band members are extremely sad that they had to cancel the last few dates in North America. As this was the last leg of an almost two-year world tour, they were looking forward to a successful conclusion and the abrupt ending, with Nick falling ill, left everyone feeling very disappointed. As John tweeted, “This is not how we want to end this wonderful, amazing tour. “ You can read Nick’s note to the fans by clicking here.
Information on ticket refunds has been posted on both duranduran.com and the VIP Fan Community website.
During the brief run of US shows, we were able to update the photo Gallery with some great live pictures from the tour. If you haven’t had a chance to see them, you can view them here. You can also check for Nick’s nightly audience shots here.
Of course, it wouldn’t be a Duran tour without some postcards from the road. Thanks to Simon LB, Simon W, Dom and Anna for taking the time to write in. You can read them in the WRITING section.
Over the next couple of weeks, John is going to be promoting his soon-to-be-released autobiography IN THE PLEASURE GROOVE: LOVE, DEATH & DURAN DURAN. The book will be out in the UK and Australia on September 13th and in North America on October 16th. You can read more about the book, and some signings John will be doing, here. Please keep checking the site for news on all these promotional appearances, as we are adding things daily.
Sherri King was chosen the winner of the Duran Duran VIP Member’s Only Flyaway Contest. Tasked with creating an advertisement for A DIAMOND IN THE MIND, Sherri’s grand prize package included a fly away to a show, great seats and a meet & greet with the band! This past month the VIP Fan Community also has a new Katy’s Kafe with Roger, a Q&A with Qello and some member exclusive photos from the road. Visit the Duran Duran VIP Fan Community to find out more about becoming a member!
Finally, thank you for celebrating Duran Duran Appreciation Day with us on August 10th! Fans were greeted by a video from Nick, a great behind-the-scenes look at the band on the day of their appearance in Hyde Park for the Opening Ceremonies of the Olympics, and a free download of the “The Man Who Stole a Leopard” Gosteffects remix. If you didn’t get a chance to download either, you can still grab them on duranduran.com and watch the greeting from Nick
AUGUST, 2012
Welcome to your Monthly Duran Duran D-Blast!
We're going to dedicate this ENTIRE D-Blast to Duran Duran's performance at the BT London Live Opening Ceremony Celebration Concert, which took place on July 27th, in Hyde Park, England. As Simon told a group of journalists, performing at the event was one of his "highlights" of the past decade.
If you listened to the stream of the band's performance on Absolute Radio, you will agree it was most certainly a highlight of the band's career. We don't want you to have missed any of it, so in honour of such an incredible achievement in Duran Duran's history:
Click here for some of the many news stories about the event
Click here for some of the terrific photos from Hyde Park
Click here to hear the story of how Simon got his Union Jack jacket for the event
Click here to watch John's arrival in to Hyde Park
Click here to watch Duran Duran perform several songs as part of the BT London Live Ceremony
The Olympic gig was the perfect way for the band to end the European leg of their ALL YOU NEED IS NOW tour. They will be heading to North America for some final dates (look for them here), and then taking a break before re-grouping in the studio in 2013.
If you need a DD fix to get you through those months without a tour, pick up the band's new live CD/DVD/Blu-Ray, A DIAMOND IN THE MIND. Click here to see where you can find it in your country.
By the way, we were very excited to make sure that FIVE lucky members, and their guests, of the Duran Duran VIP Fan Community were given tickets to see Duran Duran perform in Hyde Park at this once-in-a-lifetime event - membership has its privileges! The Fan Community has had several exclusive videos and photo albums posted this past month, along with great giveaways, and an in-depth Katy's Kafe with Simon. Visit the Duran Duran VIP Fan Community to find out more about becoming a member!
Don't forget, August 10th is Duran Duran Appreciation Day! Make sure you check the site to see what is in store this year!
JULY, 2012
Welcome to your Monthly Duran Duran D-Blast!
Wow, what a month we’ve had at Duran Duran Headquarters! The final dates of the ALL YOU NEED IS NOW tour have been announced, rounding out America with a few extra shows after completing another run in Europe. To make sure you have all the up-to-date on-sale information, make sure you visit the Duran Duran tour page for the latest information on shows through September!
The band came to New York to do some promotion for the release of the live CD/DVD/Blu Ray, A DIAMOND IN THE MIND (click here here for release dates), stopping by Good Morning America, MTV, VH1, Inside Edition, People.com, CNN and more.
On John’s birthday, Wednesday, June 20th, the band was the SURPRISE guests at DJ Steve Aoki’s show at Terminal 5 in New York City. The Duran Duran VIP Fan Community were lucky enough to give out 250 pair of tickets to members who got to hear the new Duran Duran/Steve Aoki remix of “Hungry Like the Wolf” (The New York Werewolf mix). The event, sponsored by Trident as part of the “See What Unfolds’ Series, was a big success, and afterwards, they made the song available for download to the first 30,000 people to visit the Trident on Facebook. There is more going on with this great promotion, so visit Trident’s page here to See What Unfolds next!!
Also announced this month is the amazing Facebook premiere of A DIAMOND IN THE MIND produced by Qello, taking place on July 8th at 2pm EDT. For just $4.99 you can watch the entire concert film with other fans on Duran Duran’s Facebook page, and participate in a Q&A with the band LIVE from Istanbul, Turkey. There is tons of information on the band’s Facebook, and you can also click here to read more.
Speaking of the band’s Facebook page, make sure you LIKE the page, because if you make one of the THREE A DIAMOND IN THE MIND Photos we provided as your profile pic, you could win one of the ADITM CDs we’re giving out each day through July 8th! You can take a look at the photos here.
And do not forget - Duran Duran will be performing in Hyde Park on July 27th as part of the Olympic Ceremonies in London. Stay tuned to duranduran.com for up to the minute information on everything surrounding this historic occasion!
Members of the band’s VIP fan community were privy to a lot of great member-only content this month – with both John and Nick’s birthdays, birthday giveaways for them both, photos from the NY Promo week, a video greeting from Nick, written interviews and more, it was a busy month! We have announced more exciting events – the Winner of the Create an A DIAMOND IN THE MIND advertisement contest, who will get to fly away to see a show and meet the band and an amazing giveaway to get to see the band at the Olympic Opening Ceremony! Visit the Duran Duran VIP Fan Community to find out more about becoming a member!
JUNE, 2012
Welcome to your June Duran Duran D-Blast!
The band are about to go back on the road after an enormously successful stint in South America, where, as John commented in a recent Katy's Kafe, he was in danger of his tour manager calling this the "hyperbole tour" since every show on the run was "the best one yet" ! There has been so much love for the band on the road this year, and they are really appreciative of it.
Duran Duran are starting up again in Poland on June 25th and will be playing a month's worth of shows across Europe before hitting Hyde Park, London for the BT London Live Olympic Opening Ceremony on July 27th. For a full list of the band's tour dates, please click here.
As mentioned, the guys were really feeling the love on the last leg of the tour - so much so, we got a few new postcards from Simon, John, Simon Willescroft and Anna. Make sure you have a look at them by clicking here.
While we didn't get a recent postcard from Nick (he's usually too busy sending in audience photos from each show - make sure you check the Gallery to see if he captured you!). He did, however, write a lovely tribute on the passing of Disco icon Donna Summer. In case you missed it, read it here.
Another outstanding idea by Nick has been our new "Duran Spotting" Gallery, which has caught fire over the last month. If you see a photo of something Duran inspired, send it in to askkaty@duranduran.com and it may make its way into the online photo album. Have a look at the latest shots here.
Lastly, we must thank Derek Supryka, Tom McClintock, Katy, the band and ALL the fans who have helped put together what we think is one of the most comprehensive listings of Duran Duran tour dates ever. To see it all laid out is fairly remarkable, if we say so ourselves. If you have anything to add, please feel free! Click here for the impressive stats!
Members of the band's VIP fan community recently got to enjoy John back in the Kafe for the first time in a while. He was bubbling with things to share, not the least of which was news on his upcoming book, In the Pleasure Groove: Love, Death, and Duran Duran, which will hit stores in September. Dom did this month's Written Q&A and gave two VIP Community members great gifts via our Giveaways - inviting one to his album release party in London and sending another a signed copy of his new CD BLUE TO BROWN. There have also been a a few new US pre-sales announced, and an amazing contest for members to enter for a chance to win passes to a very special New York City performance the band is doing on June 20th, so make sure you visit The Duran Duran VIP Fan Community to find out more!
PS - Don't forget, Duran Duran will be performing LIVE on GOOD MORNING AMERICA on June 18th!
MAY, 2012
The most exciting thing in this Blast - and perhaps even in recent memory - is the inclusion of Duran Duran in this summer's Olympics festivities in London! The band will be part of the BT LONDON LIVE OPENING CEREMONY CELEBRATION CONCERT in Hyde Park on July 27th. Commented Simon, "Performing to so many people on the most exciting day in sport for Great Britain will be one of the highlights of the last decade for us. We have been invited to represent England for this Team GB show, and we couldn't be more proud. Seeing the torch being lit on the big screens before hitting the stage in this iconic location will be a great experience... We simply can't wait."
Before the Olympics, the band will have a month of European dates that will take them across the Continent for the second time on this album cycle, from Poland to Istanbul and back!
The Australasia tour resulted in some of the best reviews of their career - you can read some of them here - and the first few nights in South America have been just as amazing! Head over to the photo Gallery on DD.com for the latest pictures from the tour or just click here .
If you weren't aware, before going to South America, Simon, Nick and Roger went to Antigua where they were special guests on the boat Eilean, which you may remember from the video "Rio"! It was the first time in 25 years any of them had ever been back on the iconic boat, which has now been fully restored. Simon also participated in the Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta where he helmed Eilean as part of the race. We were lucky enough to get some great photos from the trip that you can see by clicking here. He also wrote a blog about the experience which you can read here .
The band continue to announce summer dates, so please visit the Duran Duran tour page for the latest information on shows through September!
Want to learn more on the band's upcoming A DIAMOND IN THE MIND CD/DVD ? In case you missed the latest announcement, you can see it here. The set is due in stores on July 2nd.
Speaking of unveilings, the name of John's upcoming autobiography is...(drum roll...uh...bass roll?) "In the Pleasure Groove: Love, Death and Duran Duran" It is due for release in September/October 2012.
Lastly, our favorite guitarist, Dom Brown, has a new album coming out! BLUE TO BROWN will be out on May 30th, and it features Dom Brown and his father. The album showcases some other great musicians as well, including Primal Scream's drummer Darrin Mooney. According to a release on DomBrown.com"The album produced by Dom is broadly speaking a blues album but its strengths lie in the eclectic, dynamic and varied feel of the songs.” Keep checking his site for information on purchase and pre-sale!
Members of the band's VIP fan community got to enjoy April's Birthday Boy Roger Taylor in the latest Kafe, as well as a great birthday Giveaway from Roger. We had a terrific Q&A with Nina Hossain, the voice of the newscaster on "The Man Who Stole a Leopard" - not to mention several member pre-sales and VIP packages for many of the upcoming shows! Visit the Duran Duran VIP Fan Community to find out more about becoming a member!
APRIL, 2012
Welcome to your Monthly Duran Duran D-Blast!
Duran Duran have just completed a very successful run of dates, commencing with two standout dates in Sydney and Hunter Valley, Australia. The guys had a wonderful time on this leg of the AYNIN tour, and have sent a few virtual postcards since they arrived in Dubai on March 8th. If you haven't had a chance, check out the WRITING section of DD.com to read the latest: Click here for Postcards!
The band has also announced some summer dates and though we aren't able to provide venues for every date, we have been able to list city and state info so fans can plan accordingly. Chile, Argentina, Brazil, Italy, Poland, Czech Republic, Hungary, Germany, Greece, USA and more will be getting a taste of the ALL YOU NEED IS NOW tour! Click here for a news item with cities the band will be hitting this summer OR here Click here for the Duran Duran tour page, which includes ticket and venue info for the already announced shows!
If you HAVE been going to some of the shows, have you checked the photos Nick takes each night of the audience from his perch on the stage? See if you can spot yourself or a friend in the first few rows in "Nick's Audience Pix" on DD.com. Click here to take a look!
Are you having a "Girl Panic!"? Well now you can have one all the time since the video is now available in the iTunes Music Store! Directed by award-winner Jonas Åkerlund, "Girl Panic!," reunites five of the world's top supermodels: Naomi Campbell, Cindy Crawford, Eva Herzigova, Helena Christensen and Yasmin Le Bon with the members of Duran Duran in a short film that was shot in London, in and around The Savoy Hotel. Click here for the "Girl Panic!" video in iTunes.
Also, don't forget that A DIAMOND IN THE MIND, a live Duran Duran DVD and CD recorded in Manchester, UK in December 2011, is set to be released in the Summer of 2012. Keep checking duranduran.com for the latest info.
If you're a Member of the band's VIP fan community, we hope you enjoyed Nick's latest Kafe (all the way from Perth, Australia), as well as our cool giveaways, exclusive photos from the band's visit to Australia and a new written Q&A - not to mention several member pre-sales for the upcoming shows ! Visit the Duran Duran VIP Fan Community to find out about becoming a member!