We should have known that it wouldn’t last. Andy Taylor is the first to leave the reunited Duran Duran, allegedly due to disagreements with the band’s management. Here’s the band’s official announcement, from their web site:
To Our Fans
We know that there has been a tremendous amount of speculation over the past few weeks regarding Andy Taylor’s continued involvement with the band and we are sorry that we’ve been unable to provide you with more information until now. The past five years have been an incredible journey for us all – and having the original five back together was something that we had wanted to see happen for some time. As of last weekend, however, the four of us have dissolved our partnership and will be continuing as Duran Duran without Andy, as we have reached a point in our relationship with him where there is an unworkable gulf between us and we can no longer effectively function together. Although obviously disappointed and saddened about this, we are excited about the next chapter of the Duran Duran story and look forward to seeing you all soon.
Simon, John, Nick and Roger
Jesus. Here we go again.
Now, I’ll tell you why this really bothers me: as much as I love Simon, Nick, John and Roger, I worry that they are overwhelming the band’s sound, and as much as they may not like Andy, they need Andy, because he brings the ROCK, baby! My guess is that he probably heard about the collaboration with Justin Timberlake and said, “WTF?” And frankly, I can see why the band wanted to do it, and why Andy didn’t. Pity. I don’t think things will be the same after this.
So, is it too early to make fun of them again, especially Andy? A Duran Duran fan actually tipped me off to these, a series of hilarious MST3K-style clips making fun of Duran Duran videos. As much as I love the band, these are awesome. Best of luck with the next record, guys…but be prepared for people to stop caring about you again. Nothing personal, just the nature of the beast, ya know. I’m sure you remember what it was like when Notorious dropped.
Episode Two: New Moon on Monday
