Andy Taylor: Wild Boy

As a youngster, I worshipped Duran Duran. By age 9, this English pop group had captivated my attention. I had one entire bedroom wall dedicated to the band and I would carry pictures of Simon Le Bon to the hairstylist, asking for the same cut.

Andy Taylor was always my favorite. I am not sure why. I think it might have been to do with him generally being the unpopular member. Picking John woulda been too easy. It might also have been my ability to pick up on him seemingly being more of a rocker than the other guys.

Andy just published an autobiography, Wild Boy. He is the 1st member of Duran Duran to publish his memoirs. I leapt at the chance to read about the band I idolized as a little kid. All in all, I quite enjoyed the book. It tracked Andy's whole life and was an easy read.

It was surprising to learn that 6 months after forming, the band already had an album out with hit singles. The band loved their cocaine (except Nick Rhodes) but weren't into groupies at the height of their popularity. Andy quit the band early on (1986) after realizing it just wasn't fun. When the original line up reformed around 2001, it took them 3 years to even put their album together. Nick seemed to be a controlling asshole. Andy again left when it became unproductive and not fun. His analysis of Duran Duran's work post-reforming was very interesting. He seems to share the same thoughts I had- Timbaland? Timberlake?!

It is very interesting to gain some insight as an adult into a band I worshipped as a naive kid in 1984.