Duran Duran was one of the most successful bands of the 1980s. The English synthpop group may not be as relevant as they once were, but they are still making music and going on tour. Despite the fact that most of their career has been made public, there are still some things that many people do not know about them. With that in mind, here we present our list of 15 things you probably didn’t know about Duran Duran. Check out part one below, and stay tuned for part two, coming soon!
Number Fifteen: They Have a Shelved Album You’ve Never Heard. Before guitarist Andy Taylor left Duran Duran in 2006, the group recorded an album called Reportage. Many of the songs were angry and political (more than usual), and it was not well-received by Sony, so it was shelved.
Number Fourteen: MTV Censored Them. Though Duran Duran were almost synonymous with MTV for some time, MTV ended up censoring them for their video of “Electric Barbarella.” The video is extremely racy and shows a sexy female robot.
Number Thirteen: There Is a Song About Simon Le Bon’s Trip to the Dentist. Simon Le Bon took a trip to the dentist where he was administered the drug Midazolam. After he returned from the dentist, he was still in a strange state, and one of the other members reportedly said, “You’re still in Medazzaland, buddy.” This inspired the song that features spoken word by Nick Rhodes on the album Medazzaland.
Number Twelve: They Had Their Own Board Game. In the 1980s, Milton Bradley released Arena, which was called so because of Duran Duran’s live album. The objective of the game was to collect cards and accumulate points, and the game can still be found on eBay.
Number Eleven: Only One Member Has His Own Documentary. And that member is Roger Taylor. The documentary is called Searching for Roger Taylor, and it was released in 2000.
Number Ten: Nick Rhodes Was a Substitute Teacher. When Rhodes was in school, his chemistry teacher would often leave to go bet on horses. His teacher left Rhodes in charge when he was gone.
Number Nine: Simon Le Bon Started His Career on Screen. Before he was a famous musician, Le Bon could be seen in Persil soap commercials! He was also involved in theater.