DDWW complete answers to 10/27 Cleveland.com article

This news article was released on 10/27/22 by msn.com from Cleveland.com... https://www.msn.com/en-us/music/news/duran-duran-deserves-to-be-the-main-event-at-the-roll-hall-ceremony/ar-AA13qYSA 

After its release, I expressed my disappointment to Tracey that her answers were not included. Many of my answers were also omitted. Since many of you who read the article didn't get to see all our answers I at least wanted to get them out there... 

 Interviewer - Let’s talk fandom. By far, Duran Duran has the most devoted and enthusiastic fan base of this years inductees. What drives that passion of the fans? 

Kirk: Through the DDTTRH and Duran Duran Worldwide efforts, I have been impressed at not only the variety of fans, from all over the world (Argentina, Brazil, Australia, Japan, Portugal, Italy, United States, Canada all stand out), but also how Duran Duran has inspired certain fans in their professional work. Let me provide some interesting examples of fans I have met and/or associated with: 

 Andy Golub: From Seattle, Washington. He is known in the fan community for being an archivist of the band. He has an entire storage locker filled with Duran Duran memorabilia that he shares with fans when they come to visit (or online through a stream). He has also written several books that the band themselves have also praised. 

 Annie Zeleski: An award winning, Cleveland Ohio based music journalist that recently released a book called Rio 33 1/3 which discuss Rio and how influential the album was. You might enjoy this interview I had with her: https://duranduranworldwide1.blogspot.com/2021/06/ddww-interview-annie-zaleski-discusses.html 

 Jen Chaney: Music Critic & Journalist for New York Magazine/The Vulture. Has written about Duran Duran for years, including in the Washington Post. 

 David Moltz and Kavi Ahuja of DS & Durga: They are from New York and collaborated with the band to create a line of perfumes inspired by them. 

Elisa Lorello, Bestselling author of several books from Maine that has been featured in several magazines. 

 Suzi Parker, award winning journalist and author from Arkansas. 

 Sharmila Tredger: Has worked in film and did reporting for the Examiner. Is the CEO of a media company Rockpaperscissor Media, and also a personal trainer. You may enjoy this interview we did with her back in 2013… http://ddrockhall.blogspot.com/2013/12/interview-with-sharmila-tredger.html 

Also included in the unedited version...

M. Douglas Silverstein:  He created a documentary called Something You Should Know, a Duran Duran fan documentary.

 Nuno 45 from Portugal:  He is a graphic designer from Portugal that has created unofficial art for album covers and announcements for Duran Duran events.  He also did a couple of our logos.

Morgan Richter:  A writer from Spokane Washington that wrote a book called 'Duranalysis:  Essays on the Duran Duran Experience'.

 Martin McGregor:  A Horror writer from the UK.  You can check out his books on Goodreads...

https://www.goodreads.com/author/list/1577435.Martin_McGregor

Luigi Caneiro:  Music Producer, Singer, Song Writer.  Currently in the states, originally from Brazil.

Stefan Leclair:  Also a singer, songwriter, composer, musician, producer.  He has done mixes of some of the band’s songs and received recognition from the band (and others associated with them) for them.

Vanessa Solis, Vade Photography:  A freelance photographer from California.  Has done work for several big-name clients, including Duran Duran.

Nathan Stack:  Musician, songwriter, music producer.  Created the band Autohypnosis, has done direct work for many of the band’s online properties.

There many more I could tell you about, however I think this gives you a good sampling. There’s a saying in the fan community, which is also a line from a Duran Duran song…’the music’s between us’. Fans I have met and talked with are mostly passionate about Duran Duran’s music. It is so unique and has been so interesting to follow and listen to over the years as the band has experimented, collaborated, taken advantage of new technologies, and tried new sounds. Their music not only is fun to listen to, but is intelligent and inspiring and has inspired many in their writing, portrayal of media, culture, and style, music and visual art. 

  Interviewer - One thing I think that gets underrated is Duran Duran’s longevity. Do you agree and can you talk about how they’ve endured over so many decades? 

Tracey: Duran Duran has a long and illustrious career as they have been electrifying and entertaining the world for 40+ years. DD has always been a band with a proactive approach to remaining innovative and viable by taking risks while experimenting and exploring pathways that bring out the best in them. Expression is a significant component of songwriting and musicianship. DD has an unwavering ability to transmit emotions, atmosphere, story, and heart into their songs which has allowed audiences to connect beyond the notes, harmonies, and melodies to “feel” the music. Duran Duran is a band whose creativity and mastery of music can not be ignored. One thing that stands out to me is how much fun the band has performing live. 

I saw them in Chicago and Columbus (and videos from other recent shows), and you can tell the members genuinely enjoy playing and performing for the crowds. When you go to a DD concert, you can meet new friends and come out of your shell. Also, at the recent shows I saw kids in the crowd. Although some parents may have been there to relive their 80s/90s fandom, their children may have been empowered to want to get on stage in front of an audience, learn to play an instrument, compose a song, and other opportunities to hone their creative abilities. That type of connection makes a DD live experience an activity that everyone (from die-hard fans to casual listeners) can appreciate then, now, and into the future. 

Interviewer - This induction seems to matter a lot to both the band and it’s fans. Why? It’s interesting that you’re asking me this question, because with DDTTRH and Duran Duran Worldwide I have seen the evolution of how fans and the band have felt about induction…you could say I lived through it. The honest answer is that raising awareness for induction of Duran Duran to the Rock Hall was an uphill battle at first. It needs to be understood as well that there was management at the Rock Hall that didn’t want Duran Duran in…calling them a ‘mascara band’; this rubbed many of the fans the wrong way. 

Certainly many fans were initially excited about the idea of them being inducted and wanted this for the band. They definitely felt like they deserved it. That is evident from early interviews we did and on the thousands of signatures we have on our petition. 

There came a time however when I believe the band took notice of the momentum of the Rock Hall awareness and basically pushed back on it. 

I refer to two specific instances where the band expressed distaste for the Rock Hall: 

2010: Answer to my direct question about it in an iHeart Radio interview: https://ddrockhall.blogspot.com/2011/02/ddttrh-to-recent-duran-duran-comments.html 

2014: In answer to an article with Yahoo news: https://www.yahoo.com/music/the-pressures-off-duran-duran-dont-need-the-153052592.html 

The theme is the same for this push back. The band saw the Rock Hall as an institution, as pompous, as wrong, not something they ‘must have’. 

The 2010 answer to my direct question about them and Rock Hall induction did have an effect on my Rock Hall awareness effort. I particularly noticed a shift in some of the mood of some fans. I remember trying hard to remain positive for the next year or so. I did though start to notice an angst when it came to the topic of Duran Duran and the Rock Hall. In 2011, for example, I remember going to the All You Need is Now concert at the State Theater in Columbus. I recall the fans that were so excited to help me pass out fliers for the petition in front of the theater. I also remember the fans that pointed fingers at me and talked about me in a negative way. 

It was after this concert (around October 2011) that I had an epiphany about the band, the fans and DDTTRH…here’s a meaningful excerpt from that: 

 “The Rock Hall may not really deserve Duran Duran and its not really necessary that Duran Duran be there. They are legends already, they have made music history already and no honor, induction, and award will make a difference. I got to see the amazing and beautiful community of Duranies at this concert and I was overwhelmed by the love they had for Duran Duran and the love Duran Duran had for them. 

Something Simon said during the concert resonated with me. He said something like 'I see a bunch of happy people!'. Thats what its about, what its always been about for them...making people happy. In life its not about the rewards you get or the 'recognition'...its about the people whose lives you touch, the love you show them, and the happiness you give them. Duran Duran has certainly showed this to their fans. The lyric from All You Need is Now comes to mind..."Everybody's gunning for the VIP section...but you're better off in running in the other direction". 

The focus will no longer be on 'getting Duran Duran into the Rock Hall', but of promoting the band...getting people talking about them again...raising awareneness to them and how they've left an indelible impressions on music history and on the hearts and minds of their fans everywhere.” 

 By the time the 2014 article came out, and because of some internal challenges we were having as a group, it was decided to make DDTTRH a minor project instead of a full blown effort. We later took the Rock Hall out of our name in 2015 and I gave a general apology to fans (http://ddrockhall.blogspot.com/2015/12/my-apology-to-duran-duran-and-its-fans.html) . 

We became instead Duran Duran to Timeless Rock History – though we did bring the Rock Hall back to our name recently. We did decide to keep the petition open, but we gave more time and effort to promoting their general legacy and raising awareness through the larger effort of Duran Duran Worldwide. It was also my way of indirectly promoting them to awards (like the Rock Hall’s) without further upsetting fans or the band. 

If you asked me what changed about the band and the fans attitude towards induction, there were a couple instances. There was a mock poll done by Mercury News in Spring of 2013. Duran Duran and DDTTRH (as well as many many fans) worked in tandem to get out the vote for this one and Duran Duran won that mock poll. Many people realized I think that while Duran Duran had spurned the Rock Hall in words before…getting behind this poll meant that there were some positive feelings there about being inducted. Here’s a link to a mention of that mock poll that Duran Duran wound up winning: https://www.mercurynews.com/2013/04/02/rock-and-roll-hall-of-fame-duran-duran-kiss-the-cars-depeche-mode-make-the-final-four/ 

The other big moment that I believe changed the attitude of fans and especially Duran Duran was the induction of Roxy Music to the Rock Hall. Simon Lebon and John Taylor got to stand with their idol, Bryan Ferry, and personally speak for him as he was being memorialized and inducted. I still remember the scene where the little girl was sitting in Simon’s lap and the band looked happy to be there. What many people don’t know is that DDTTRH was set to interview Bryan Ferry personally about Duran Duran and their eligibility for Rock Hall induction. It was to be our last big interview for DDTTRH’. 

That interview actually never happened because I was passed a message from Nick Rhodes asking politely that I not do the interview. I also remember it being around the time Nick was working with Warren Cuccurullo on the side project Bored with Prozac and the Internet ((TV Mania - 2013). I was told about a party where Nick and Warren would meet with Bryan and talk to him about it. The impression I got from the whole exchange was that the main reason I was asked not to do the interview was because Duran Duran highly respected Bryan Ferry and they saw him as their idol. This was one of the several instances where I’ve noticed that Duran Duran is very humble about receiving such awards.

So, to answer the question…I think it means a lot to the fans now 1) because of all the fans that supported Duran Duran even when the band didn’t want the honor AND because of the fans that came to love the idea as the band’s attitude towards the Rock Hall more starkly changed. 

Interviewer - Let’s talk about the music of Duran Duran. What do you feel is the band’s impact musically on future artists? And can you talk about their overall artistry? 

Tracey: Duran Duran are a perfect example of a high caliber band who not only write music and play instruments but have also successfully translated their ideas to other artists and musicians in collaborations, features, side projects, and solo works in and outside of music. DD’s sound is apparent in several bands including Horizonte Lied, Deftones, The Killers, Panic! at the Disco, Walk the Moon, and comes through artists such as Billy Corgan of Smashing Pumpkins, Jonathan Davis (Korn), Gwen Stefani and Justin Timberlake. One item of note that bridges the band’s impact and influence on future artists is Simon and Katy Krassner’s podcast, WHOOOSH!. The podcast provides a platform to highlight new music, emerging artists, and some of Simon and Katy’s favorite songs (DD and non-DD) and the history behind them. This gives exposure to performers who may fly under our radar while opening up DD fans to different styles and genres of music. DD has been in the music industry for decades and has invaluable insights that can be shared with generations of future musicians for years to come. When you look at the countless numbers of musical genres around the world, and the ones who have exploded over the past forty years - alternative, Britpop, nu-metal, pop-punk, emo, progressive metal, hip hop - you will find a DD fan. I feel their musical influences will continue to show up in places you would never expect and embraced by people beyond what people assume a DD fan to be. You never know - your next big breakout star could be directly influenced by The Reflex, Ordinary World, or No-No-Notorious!