We already brought you part one of our list of 15 things you probably did not know about Duran Duran, and now we’re back with part two! Check out eight more fascinating facts about the iconic synthpop band that you definitely (probably) did not know below. You might be surprised by what you find out!
Number Eight: John Taylor Is Very, Very Prolific. Did you know that Duran Duran member John Taylor has been involved in nine studio albums that have nothing to do with Duran Duran? Taylor was part of the group The Power Station, and he has also released several solo albums.
Number Seven: TV Mania Took 16 Years to Be Released. Nick Rhodes and Warren Cuccurullo worked on a project called TV Mania that was a sort of predecessor to reality television. However, the project did not actually get released until 2013.
Number Six: Simon Le Bon Almost Drowned Twice. Le Bon loves to sail, but he has gotten himself in trouble in the water a few times before. His yacht capsized in 1985, but he was able to survive. The year before that, Le Bon was attached to a rotating windmill that stopped working when he was underwater, and he had to be saved by divers.
Number Five: They Got Their Name From a Movie Character. There is a character in the 1968 Jane Fonda sci-fi flick Barbarella named Dr. Durand Durand. This is where the group got their name.
Number Four: None of the Taylors Are Related. This one is almost unbelievable, but it’s true! Andy John Taylor, Andy Taylor, and Roger Taylor are completely unrelated.
Number Three: The “Girls on Film” Controversy. Because of the sexual undertones and nudity in the music video, “Girls on Film” was banned from the BBC and very heavily edited on MTV.
Number Two: Andy Taylor Got Hurt Filming a Music Video. While filming the music video for “Save a Prayer,” Andy Taylor fell out of a tree when he was playing air guitar. He ended up falling face first into a lagoon, and he was hospitalized for an entire week thanks to a tropical virus.
Number One: They Partied With Their Enemies. Duran Duran’s notorious rival was Spandau Ballet, and while they were in Germany together for Bob Geldof’s Band Aid collaboration, they partied together! They recorded “Do They Know It’s Christmas” the next day.