You
might have missed one or two of their comebacks. In fact, you maybe just assumed
they always stayed on top. Regardless, they remain the archetypal, decade-defining
band of the 1980’s. Their five vintage band-members tell their story in Zoe
Dobson’s BBC-produced Duran Duran: There’s Something You Should Know,
which is now available on Showtime.
The
timing was perfect for Duran Duran. They burst onto the British scene just as
the so-called New Romantic thing was going mainstream. They broke out first in
the UK, but their look was tailored-made for MTV. Indeed, it is nice to see Russell
Mulcahy (director of Razorback and Highlander) get credit for directing
the “Hungry Like A Wolf” and “Rio” videos that were so instrumental in
solidifying the band’s image and putting them in teenagers’ homes on a daily
basis.
Throughout
Dobson’s profile, we hear extensively from the “classic period” band-mates:
Simon Le Bon, Nick Rhodes, John Taylor, Roger Taylor, and Andy Taylor. Coincidently,
they had three Taylors, none of whom were related. They also had their one or
two of their own Stuart Sutcliffes, but we don’t hear about them. Weirdly,
Dobson and the band also skip over their James Bond theme song, “A View to a
Kill,” which was a pretty big hit, even though it was written for the worst
bond film ever.
Still,
the Duraners are pretty forthright about their struggles with drugs, alcohol,
depression, and the rest of the usual Behind the Music stuff. They also
aged pretty well and come across as surprisingly likeable blokes. Frankly,
watching Something You Should Know makes it pretty easy to understand
their enduring popularity. There is a whole lot of the band unfiltered, with
very little background noise from other talking heads, aside from their contemporary,
Boy George, and their close collaborator Nile Rodgers, whose presence most fans
would not begrudge.
The
hour-long running time moves along at a brisk clip, but it definitely feels abbreviated.
Nevertheless, it provides a comforting serving of pop culture nostalgia for Gen-X
children of the 80’s. The truth is it makes us miss MTV, from its music video
prime. Recommended more as a nostalgia trip than as a film or TV production, Duran
Duran: There is Something You Should Know is now available on Showtime.
