Interview with Jen Chaney, Journalist & Critic
Jen Chaney has been a journalist for 20+ years and has written for a variety of outlets, including Washington Post, Esquire, Salon, TV Insider, Huffington Post, Yahoo.com and most recently New York Magazine and The Vulture. Jen is also the author of the book As If! The Oral History of Clueless as told by Amy Heckerling, The Cast and the Crew which was released in 2015. Jen is a self proclaimed Duranie and has a connection to our group because she wrote an article about us for the Washington Post when our effort was just DDTTRH (Duran Duran to the Rock Hall). You can find this article here:
Kirk, DDWW: It's a pleasure to talk with you again Jen. It was 9/28/2011 that you did an article for us with the Washington Post about our Rock Hall Duran Duran awareness effort DDTTRH.
There was a time when this effort went to a bit of the back-burner (the project was minimized) because of what Simon said back in 2015 about the Rock Hall.
How times have changed. How exciting that they were nominated this year. I'd like to think DDTTRH was a small part of that. And, fans like you getting the word out definitely were.
How excited were you when they were nominated this year?
Jen: Hi, great to talk to you again, too. Before I talk about Duran's nomination, I just want to clarify that, while I'm very much a fan of the band, the article I wrote back in 2011
was written from my POV as a journalist. The piece mentioned more than one fan-led effort to get overlooked artists into the Rock Hall
Another artist mentioned: Rush, who got inducted into the Hall in 2013. Which tells you that the efforts made by fans like you have value. There comes a point when the Hall can't ignore certain artists, and we're well past that point with Duran Duran.
So to your question: I think I was more shocked than anything when I saw the news that they were on the short list. I've complained for so many years about Duran not being in the
Hall that I assumed that would never change. I'm happy for them, and certainly happy for all the fans who have been bombarding the fan vote the Rock Hall conducted.
Kirk, DDWW: That certainly is the hope. I've definitely been surprised at the other groups I've come across while doing this effort. And how nice they've been to me. Make the Rock Hall Weird and the Induct Janet Jackson group for example. In the case of the Janet Jackson, we had voiced our support last year for them and they have returned the kindness this year by being supportive of Duran Duran.
Did you enjoy Duran Duran's new album, Future Past? I personally have connected to several of the songs and I am in awe by the collaborations they did this time and the unique and also familiar sound of this album. If I had to pick a favorite song on the album, it would be Hammerhead. For me, it was the most personal that speaks directly to a struggle I have had with my inner voice most of my life (and a lifelong anxiety disorder I've had)...and Ivorian Doll is incredible in it. What is your favorite song on the album?
Jen: I like Hammerhead but Anniversary was the one that hooked me most quickly. A lot of their most recent work has felt contemporary but still reflective of classic Duran Duran — as you said, unique and also familiar — but I think Future Past (hence the name of the album) does it more purposefully and noticeably. It's impressive for a band that's been around so long to be able to fuse the modern with their original sound.
Kirk, DDWW: This is a fun question...then I'll ask a more serious one. I'm curious when you are getting an exclusive with Anya Taylor-Joy to ask her about playing Simon LeBon in a Duran Duran biopic?
Who would you cast as members of the band in a movie about them?
Jen: I don't think I am getting an exclusive with Anya Taylor-Joy anytime soon, but I actually love the idea of casting women as the band's members, a la the video for Girl Panic! I generally am skeptical of rock biopics in general, because too many of them follow the same formula. I am intrigued by one that's being done as a series for FX: Pistol, which is (obviously) about the Sex Pistols. I like biopics that break the mold as much as possible.
Kirk, DDWW: Here’s a good question actually…I am meeting with a music critic tonight that was highly critical of Duran Duran in a recent article in http://Cleveland.com. Calling them the NSYNC of their time. (Note to readers: This is in reference to my podcast interview with Troy Smith of Cleveland.com)
What would you say to something like this that you believe would help balance the scales on Duran Duran’s lifetime work?
Jen: I saw that piece and comparing them to N Sync is ridiculous. N Sync was a boy band with a Svengali-esque manager, whereas Duran Duran set their own agenda, musically and image-wise.
Their songs are also so much more layered and rich musically — I am sure he's listened to songs like The Chauffeur or Seventh Stranger, which are darker and moodier than a typical pop song. Duran Duran was groundbreaking not because MTV made them but because they recognized the significance of MTV and figured out how to use it to their advantage without compromising the identity they were trying to build for themselves. Madonna did that, too, and no one gives her shit for it. They praise her for it, as they should.
Kirk, DDWW: How have you liked working with New York Magazine/Vulture as compared to the Washington Post? What inspires you about popular media that keeps you writing about it?
Jen: It's truly the dream job for anyone who wants to write about pop culture. I enjoyed my years at the Post and learned a lot, but at Vulture I feel like I am finally getting to do what I always wanted to do. Popular media is inspiring because it's constantly both evolving and revisiting past history. We watch TV much differently than we did even six years ago when I started at Vulture, but Hollywood is still making a lot of reboots, sequels and period pieces about the 80s and 90s, which was also happening six years ago and seems likely to continue for infinity. Pop culture is entertainment but it also can speak to our times and I find that forever fascinating.
Kirk, DDWW: I read also about your Clueless book and read some excerpts from it…your writing actually inspired me to watch the film and I really enjoyed it. What was your favorite part about writing that book and please tell us about any fun interactions you had with members of the cast and crew. (I became a fan of Alicia Silverstone btw with the Batman movie when she played Batgirl).
Oh - and did you buy a plaid suit or do you own a plaid suit because of the movie?
Jen: I do not own a plaid Cher suit, though I do have a dress with yellow, black and white in it that I wore during my book tour.
I think my favorite part of writing the book was talking to some of the lesser known people who had below-the-line roles on that movie. Talking to actors and obviously Amy Heckerling was fun, too, but the people behind the scenes often remember certain details more vividly and tell stories that haven't been told before. That being said, talking to Paul Rudd was very fun. He took time out of his schedule on a Saturday, called me directly, and spent a while reminiscing for me. It was very generous of him and his contributions made the book so much better.
Other articles by Jen Chaney about Duran Duran (or with mentions of Duran Duran):
https://duranduran.com/2008/still-hungry-like-the-wolf-2/
https://www.tampabay.com/archive/2010/09/19/essays-walk-gen-x-down-memory-lane/
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