{"id":544,"date":"2013-03-13T13:22:01","date_gmt":"2013-03-13T21:22:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/morganrichter.net\/blog\/?p=544"},"modified":"2023-03-07T12:46:27","modified_gmt":"2023-03-07T20:46:27","slug":"duranalysis-duran-duran-three-get-ready","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/morganrichter.net\/blog\/duranalysis-duran-duran-three-get-ready\/","title":{"rendered":"Duranalysis: Three to Get Ready"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Three To Get Ready<\/em>\u00a0is a David Gasperik-directed documentary shot in early 1987 as Duran Duran was promoting their funk-infused\u00a0Notorious<\/em>\u00a0album and gearing up for their Strange Behaviour tour. The title is a reference to the band\u2019s three remaining members\u2014Roger and Andy had parted ways with the others the previous year, leaving Simon, Nick\u00a0and\u00a0John to carry the torch. The documentary captures the boys at an uneasy and uncertain time: After splitting with longtime managers Paul and Michael Berrow, they\u2019ve made the risky decision to manage themselves, and they\u2019re acutely aware of the valuable momentum they\u2019ve lost since the release of their last album. On the spectrum of Duran Duran documentaries, it\u2019s not as raucous and fun as\u00a0Sing Blue Silver<\/em><\/a>, but it\u2019s an interesting watch, and certainly worth Duranalyzing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s what I\u2019m not going to focus on, though: the rehearsal footage, which takes up a good chunk of\u00a0Three To Get Ready<\/em>\u2019s runtime and which, apart from some darling shots of Simon Le Bon shaking his maracas, isn\u2019t all that interesting. At my rough estimate, we hear \u201cSkin Trade\u201d eighty-seven times over the course of eighty minutes or so.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Three<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Simon, John and Nick head to the iconic Capitol Records Tower in Hollywood to discuss the band\u2019s new direction with Joe Smith, Capitol\u2019s brand-new CEO. Smith wines and dines the boys over lunch, which is served in a conference room. This seems: a) kind of odd, and b) like a bit of a power play, like there\u2019s an implication that Duran Duran has lost enough cachet in the industry by 1987 that it\u2019s not worth meeting with them outside the office. Joe Smith is a longtime music-industry pro with an impeccable CV and a distinguished reputation, but just based on the footage here, I want to urge the boys to run in the other direction, because I suspect he has every intention of grinding them up and turning them into mulch to help fertilize the Capitol-EMI conglomerate machine.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Three<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Here are some choice Joe Smith bon mots<\/em> from this meeting:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAt this point, the boss is very positive. That\u2019s me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the lunch (which looks very nice, but which, I remind you, is being served in a conference room. <\/em>It\u2019s Hollywood in 1987, for crying out loud; couldn\u2019t he treat them to some duck-sausage pizza down the road at Spago?): \u201cIs this style? Is this class, you guys?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Tina Turner: \u201cIf I\u2019d said \u2018jump off this tower and you could see some play,\u2019 next thing you know, the window would be open and she\u2019d be gone.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Smith goes on to relate an anecdote about a recent phone call from the head of MCA, who tried to talk him into buying Andy Taylor\u2019s record deal off of him, because Andy was apparently being, ah, problematic (the words \u201casshole\u201d and \u201ccrazy\u201d are used). Simon and John and (especially) Nick can probably speak volumes about Andy\u2019s occasional forays into the realm of crazy-assholishness, but either out of politeness or loyalty or awareness of the documentary filmmaker in the room, they openly bristle at the idea of anyone publicly trash-talking their estranged bandmate.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Three<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Hey, speaking of Andy and crazy assholery, here\u2019s Duran Duran\u2019s lawyer, who meets with the boys to discuss what he describes as \u201cthis week\u2019s Andy Taylor lawsuit.\u201d (Simon: \u201cGreat!\u201d) It is strongly<\/em> implied that this is merely one in an unending series of hostile lobs from Andy. Nick: \u201cIs he suing us at the moment, or is he asking us what\u2019s going on?\u201d No, the lawyer clarifies, he\u2019s definitely suing them: \u201cYou\u2019re dealing with someone who is determined to institute legal proceedings.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Later, John chews out Nick over his legendary chronic lateness: \u201cI mean, it\u2019s a nightmare, it\u2019s a fucking nightmare. I\u2019m sitting around waiting for you until two o\u2019clock, one o\u2019clock sometimes \u2026 And we lose half the damn day.\u201d In the background, Simon chimes in with a halfhearted show of support for John, though he really doesn\u2019t seem to want to get into it with Nick. Smart man, that Simon Le Bon. I get the feeling Nick doesn\u2019t lose many arguments.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Three<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Nick is wholly unapologetic, though he remains calm and reasonable: \u201cWhatever we need to do, at any time, ultimately it gets done, doesn\u2019t it? I mean, if it needs to be eight o\u2019clock in the morning, it can be eight o\u2019clock in the morning. I can be up\u00a0whenever,\u00a0if something is important to be done. If something can be done at eleven o\u2019clock instead of nine o\u2019clock, great, and that\u2019s when it will be done.\u201d This whole exchange pretty much sums up the mental state of each Duran throughout\u00a0Three To Get Ready<\/em>: John is tense and moody, Simon is relaxed and careless, and Nick is\u00a0a killer cyborg sent from the future to destroy humanity<\/s>\u00a0cold and thoughtful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The boys tape a slew of promos for various regional TV stations, which are meant to air throughout the year. They start out strong, but soon get a little\u2026 confused<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

John: \u201cThis is Duran Duran, wishing everybody a Merry Christmas. Which isn\u2019t easy to do when it\u2019s May. Or June. Where are we?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nick: \u201cMarch. Or\u2026 it\u2019s February still, isn\u2019t it?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

John: \u201cIt\u2019s February!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They are not joking.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Three<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Interviews! John calls \u201cSkin Trade,\u201d currently stuck in the middle of the charts, \u201can infinitely better song than \u2018Wild Boys<\/a>\u2019.\u201d Whoa there! Full stop!\u00a0Them\u2019s\u00a0fighting words, Mr. Taylor! He goes on to say, \u201cI would rather be at number twenty-five with \u2018Skin Trade\u2019 than number one with \u2018Wild Boys.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Duran<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

This is crazy talk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The boys are invited to perform on The Late Show Starring Joan Rivers<\/em>. John is vehemently opposed (\u201cI mean, I think Joan Rivers<\/em> is the kind of thing we should not do\u201d), but Nick is willing to consider it. He calls up Walter Lee, Capitol\u2019s then-head of promotion, to get his opinion on Joan\u2019s show. \u201cYou think it\u2019s hip?\u201d Nick says in shock on the phone.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Three<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

(Speaking of Walter Lee, here\u2019s a fun tidbit from\u00a0a 1987 L.A.Times article<\/a>:\u00a0\u201cBillboard magazine reported that Capitol Records vice president Walter Lee was named in a suit by promotion exec Bill Bartlett, who claimed Lee \u201cabused him\u201d with a three-foot-long cattle prod, poked him repeatedly in the forearm and told him: \u201cYou\u2019re dog meat. Go back to your stall.\u201d\u00a0<\/em>Wow.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Just gaze upon that preceding screenshot of Nick for a moment. He\u2019s carved from ivory! On a recent Duran Duran-themed episode of Ricky Gervais\u2019s new series Derek<\/em>, a character observes that Nick is \u201cgenerally considered to be one of the world\u2019s most beautiful men.\u201d Yes. Yes, indeed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So eventually the guys agree to perform a couple songs for Joan, provided they won\u2019t have to sit down for an interview. Suckers! After their performance, they\u2019re shepherded over to the couch, where Joan immediately starts assaulting them with a battery of questions about the recent changes to their lineup. Well played, Joan.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Duran<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

There\u2019s a minor crisis as the guys hear the news that one of their back-up singers has quit, thus necessitating a mad scramble to replace her. \u201cI mean, do we want another one?\u201d John asks. In a chorus, Simon, Nick and Warren reply, \u201cYeah.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Duran<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Yep, that\u2019s Warren Cuccurullo there, though he\u2019s never identified by name, and apart from the occasional glimpse of that crazy mane of hair, he doesn\u2019t get much screen time. Hi, Warren!<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Duran<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

There\u2019s a lengthy sequence about holding auditions for a new\u00a0back-up\u00a0singer. I\u2019m going to blast right past it, because the entire process is not all that scintillating, though I do want to quickly draw your attention to Simon\u2019s awesome nerd glasses, which he apparently swiped from the wardrobe department of\u00a0Arcadia\u2019s \u201cFlame\u201d video<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Three<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Nick\u2019s then-wife Julie Anne drops by with their baby daughter Tatjana in tow. Nick and John both coo and fuss and gurgle over the baby, which is adorable as all hell, but then I was suddenly struck with the realization that Tatjana, at 26, is now two years older than her father was in this documentary, and the resulting temporal shift and awareness of the inexorable stampeding crush of Time made me want to hide under the covers and weep.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Three<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Duran fitness! John and Simon splash around in a pool while singing the Airborne Ranger cadence, then do a bunch of sit-ups on a lawn. A couple of unidentifiable guys join them in their fitness endeavors, though it seems pretty clear the languid and ethereal Nick Rhodes is not amongst them.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Duran<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Ah, there\u2019s Our Nick: In lieu of doing sit-ups, he\u2019s reclining on a sofa, his makeup flawless, looking as crisp and glacial as Grace Kelly while yammering on the phone: \u201cYou have to keep yourself pretty fit, really, because it\u2019s going to be six and a half to seven months on tour, and it\u2019s quite exhausting.\u201d I swear, at times it seems like Nick is permanently auditioning to join the cast of AbFab<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Three<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Next, the guys take over the phones at Capitol Records to do a slew of radio interviews. They\u2019re all charming and fun, willingly giving shout-outs and fulfilling personal requests as applicable (Nick: \u201cI don\u2019t think my voice is up to singing today, but I\u2019ll mumble a little\u201d). John on the phone: \u201cOh, god, I thought was going to get a chance to have a bite of my tuna sandwich there, but it was not to be.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Three<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Tuna sandwiches are a surprising motif throughout Three To Get Ready<\/em>. Later, John will split one with a grateful and famished Simon, and then Nick will request one for his lunch during a photo shoot (\u201cI don\u2019t want it on that healthy bread, either!\u201d). Those Durans looove their tuna sandwiches. Good to know: The key to their hearts may be found in a can of StarKist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The boys accept an invitation to appear on Soul Train<\/em> (cue Nick: \u201cWe haven\u2019t got anything to lose, have we?\u201d), where they perform a rousing rendition of \u201cMeet El Presidente.\u201d Duran Duran plus Soul Train<\/em> sounds like a recipe for disaster (\u201csoul\u201d is not a word generally associated with everybody\u2019s favorite glamorous English synthpop band), but you know what?  It works<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Three<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

In the car, Nick remarks that he just heard the new U2 single\u2014he doesn\u2019t specify which, but in early 1987, it would\u2019ve been \u201cWith or Without You\u201d\u2014and mentions that tickets are now on sale for U2\u2019s upcoming tour: \u201cThe single is great. Really good.\u201d Seemingly out of nowhere, John gets prickly and defensive: \u201cWell, they\u2019ve been going for two years longer than we have, and they didn\u2019t have a break.\u201d A little taken aback, Nick meekly replies, \u201cNo, I mean\u2026 I just think they\u2019re good.\u201d Of U2, John says mournfully, \u201cIn the public\u2019s perception, they\u2019re everything we\u2019re not.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Three<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

They argue over whether to accept an interview request from Time Out<\/em> magazine. Nick is against it, stating \u201cWe can do without a stitch up\u201d (for my fellow Americanos: Per the Oxford dictionary, a \u201cstitch up\u201d is a Britishism meaning \u201can act of placing someone in a position in which they will be wrongly blamed for something, or of manipulating a situation to one\u2019s advantage\u201d). John disagrees: \u201cI think it\u2019d be very difficult to stitch us up at this particular moment. We\u2019re being so fucking honest.\u201d Nick: \u201cWe\u2019ve just gotten better at talking around the issue, that\u2019s all.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s odd. Between this and Joan Rivers, why are they so ridiculously adverse to doing interviews? They\u2019re promoting an album! They\u2019re gearing up for a world tour! And up to this point they\u2019d always been cheerful and willing publicity sluts! Why so bashful and timid, guys?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So now they\u2019re getting ready to perform on a Japanese television show. It\u2019s going to air live in the evening in Japan, which means the guys have to film in the wee hours of the morning in Los Angeles. So they\u2019re all lounging around in a crowded trailer somewhere on a studio backlot, killing time and getting loopy and punchy. It\u2019s 2:30 AM on Grammy night, and they don\u2019t have to shoot their bit until after five, so Simon suggests grabbing drinks at a Grammy party first. This idea makes John cranky: \u201cYou\u2019re going to walk in on a bunch of fucking drunken, high rock<\/em> people. You want to do that?\u201d Nick: \u201cDreadfully.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Three<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

(We never find out if they make it to the party. We do<\/em> get to see them performing an energetic version of \u201cNotorious\u201d on a cold, dark backlot while the Japanese crew looks exhausted and underwhelmed.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They hammer out the schedule for their European tour. There are some logistic difficulties\u2014for example, there are no flights to Montpellier\u2014but the boys seem far more concerned with nailing down the catering arrangements. Nick puts in a request for Champagne (\u201cFrench<\/em> Champagne\u201d) in the dressing room. John adds his own requirements: \u201cNo fish or prawns. And no obscure cheeses!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Duran<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

And, with the exception of one more performance of \u201cSkin Trade,\u201d that\u2019s more or less it. It\u2019s a more subdued, somber version of Duran Duran than we\u2019ve seen before\u2014they\u2019ve left their Sing Blue Silver<\/em>-era helium-sucking and Galaga-playing and chaos-making in the past. Everyone has to grow up sometime. Even, sadly, Duran Duran.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Three To Get Ready\u00a0is a David Gasperik-directed documentary shot in early 1987 as Duran Duran was promoting their funk-infused\u00a0Notorious\u00a0album and gearing up for their Strange Behaviour tour. The […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":678,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-544","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-duran-duran"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/morganrichter.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/544","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/morganrichter.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/morganrichter.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/morganrichter.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/morganrichter.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=544"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"http:\/\/morganrichter.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/544\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1591,"href":"http:\/\/morganrichter.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/544\/revisions\/1591"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/morganrichter.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/678"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/morganrichter.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=544"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/morganrichter.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=544"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/morganrichter.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=544"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}