Duran Duran Biography

1980

After two years, founding members Nick Rhodes (keyboard) and John Taylor (bass) finalize the Duran Duran line up with Roger Taylor (drums), Andy Taylor (guitar) and Simon LeBon (vocals). They begin work on their first record, Duran Duran.

1981

Duran Duran releases their first single "Planet Earth" off of their eponymous debut LP. It enters UK Top 20, the album reaches #3 and sells in excess of 2.5 million copies.

Duran Duran tests the waters of the US by playing an extensive club tour, including a stint at the Roxy in Los Angeles and the Ritz in New York City.

The band makes the first extended video to accompany the dance mix of their song "Girls on Film". It is directed by Godley and Crme and meets with much controversy.

1982

Duran Duran supports Blondie on their US tour. Their newly released record Rio spawns three UK Top 10 hits - "Hungry Like the Wolf", "Save a Prayer", and "Rio".

Carnival, an EP of extended re-mixes taken from the Rio album is released.

Spectacular music videos follow as the band goes to Sri Lanka with Director Russell Mulcahy to film videos for "Save A Prayer", "Hungry Like the Wolf" and "Lonely in your Nightmare" then on Antigua to film "Rio".

Princess Diana declares Duran Duran her favorite band.

MTV grabs hold of "Hungry like the Wolf", which later becomes one of the 15 most played videos ever.

The US discovers Duran Duran and sends "Hungry Like the Wolf" and "Rio" into the Top 10.

1983

"Is There Something I Should Know?" goes straight to #1 in the UK (only the fourth time that had ever happened in chart history) and reaches #4 in the US.

Seven and the Ragged Tiger, the group's third album, hits UK #1 and the first single, "Union of the Snake," explodes around the world.

Nick Rhodes produces the hit "Too Shy" by Kajagoogoo.

Simon and Nick are Guest VJs on MTV and Andy Warhol stops by to pay them a visit.

Duran Duran performs on Saturday Night Live and do a video signing in a Times Square store, where they are mobbed by fans and the police riot squad are called to control the crowd. Duran Duran releases a video album and the band performs on MTV's first ever New Year's Bash.

The group perform at the Prince's Trust Concert at the Dominion Theatre, where Prince Charles and Princess Diana were in attendance. Years later, it was revealed that the IRA had attempted to plant bombs in the lavatory of the theatre in an assassination attempt, but the plot was foiled.

1984

Seven and the Ragged Tiger spawns two further hit singles, "New Moon on Monday" and "The Reflex," which becomes their first US #1.

The group appears on the cover of Rolling Stone, where they are christened the "Fab Five".

Duran Duran appears on the Band Aid charity record, "Do They Know It's Christmas?" along with Bono, Sting, George Michael, Boy George and others.

The band wins two Grammy Awards for best long and short form video.

Following this success, Duran Duran undertakes a major US arena tour. They are the first act to utilize live video cameras and screens in their show.

Hysteria reaches "Beatlemania" proportion. They break every existing merchandise record. During the tour, the mayhem is documented in the film Sing Blue Silver.

A show is recorded and results in the live album Arena, which also includes the Nile Rodgers produced single "Wild Boys" which goes to #2 in the US and #1 around the World.

1985

The live version of "Save a Prayer" is released as a single in the USA. "A View To a Kill," the theme song from the James Bond movie of the same name, goes #1 worldwide. It is the only Bond theme to ever hit #1.

Simon Le Bon and Nick Rhodes form Arcadia with drummer Roger Taylor, whose Platinum album So Red the Rose yields the Top 20 single "Election Day." Guests on the Arcadia CD include Grace Jones, Sting, David Gilmour and Herbie Hancock.

Nick and Simon Guest VJ on MTV, with artist Keith Haring painting the entire set during the hour.

Duran Duran performs at JFK Stadium in Philadelphia for the Live Aid charity event. It turns out to be the last performance featuring the original line up.

Roger Taylor and Andy Taylor leave Duran Duran.

1986

Warren Cuccurullo, formerly of Frank Zappa's band and Missing Persons, takes over as guitarist.

John Taylor, Nick Rhodes and Simon Le Bon release the funk-based album Notorious. The single of the same name reaches #2.

1987

Duran Duran delivers further singles "Skin Trade" and "Meet El Presidente" from Notorious and set out on the Strange Behaviour World Tour. The band plays a charity gig at the Beacon Theatre in NYC, where Lou Reed joins them on stage to perform "Sweet Jane" and "Walk on the Wild Side."

The band participates in a behind the scenes documentary called Three To Get Ready. Shot entirely in black and white, the movie is shown at many film festivals.

1988

Big Thing is released, generating the hits "I Don't Want Your Love" (Top 5 worldwide) and "All She Wants Is." The video for "All She Wants Is," directed by avant-garde photographer Dean Chamberlain is awarded by MTV for its innovation.

1989

To kick off their tour in support of the album, the band gets back to basics and begins the Caravan Duran Tour, playing small clubs in the United States and abroad.

The United States Army discovers the use of music is very successful in psychological warfare against their enemy. The Bush Administration found it necessary to invade Panama to rid the country of General Manuel Noriega. To increase Noriega's tension and unease, the Army begins to play a selection of loud music near his base, including Duran Duran's "Hungry like the Wolf."

The band continues to tour in support of Big Thing, moving on to larger venues with the Electric Theatre Tour.

1990

Ten years of Duran Duran are documented by both an album and video entitled Decade. The mega-mix "Burning the Ground" captures some of their finest recorded moments.

Warren Cuccurullo becomes a permanent member of Duran Duran, as they release their sixth studio album Liberty and the singles "Violence of Summer (Love's Taking Over)" and
"Serious." To the disappointment of their fans, the band chooses not to tour.

1991

Simon, Nick, Warren and John start preparation and writing for the next Duran Duran studio album.

1992

Duran Duran holes up in Privacy Studios to record tracks for their self-titled seventh CD, also known as The Wedding Album. They collaborate with Brazilian musician Milton Nascimento on a song called "Breath after Breath."

The band performs at the KROQ (CA) Acoustic Christmas show.

Duran Duran makes a triumphant return to the charts with "Ordinary World," which instantly becomes a massive hit Worldwide.

The group films the video "Ordinary World" in California with Director Nick Egan.

1993

Duran Duran's The Wedding Album is released and mirrors the success of the single "Ordinary World." The song "Ordinary World" receives much praise and wins an Ivor Novello Award for songwriting.

Duran Duran becomes one of the first bands to play in South Africa after the end of Apartheid.

"Come Undone" becomes the album's second hit as Duran Duran embarks on a lengthy world tour.

The band is honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Simon and Nick appear on Larry King Live in Washington, DC.

Duran Duran performs live via satellite across the globe from the Tower Records store on Sunset Blvd. in Los Angeles.

Duran Duran performs "Come Undone" at the MTV Movie Awards.

Beavis & Butthead play the video for "Come Undone" on their MTV show.

1994

The band continues on the road with the Dilate Your Mind World Tour in support of The Wedding Album.

The band films a video in New York City for "Femme Fatale" with director Ellen Von Unwerth.

While in South America, Duran Duran shoots the video for "Breath After Breath" in Argentina.

Duran Duran performs an acoustic set on MTV's Unplugged series.

In their spare time, they commence work on their next album, recording in studios around the globe while on tour.

1995

Duran Duran decides to pay tribute to their musical influences and release Thank You, an album of cover versions. The song and video for "Perfect Day" reunites the band with original drummer Roger Taylor.

Duran Duran performs the rap classic "White Lines" on the Late Show With David Letterman, accompanied by Grand Master Flash, Melle Mel and the Furious Five.

Everyone from Lou Reed to Led Zeppelin and Iggy Pop to Bob Dylan sing the praises of Duran Duran's versions of their songs.

Duran Duran headlines a series of radio festivals in the States and contributes a stellar track to the Led Zeppelin tribute album Enconium.

1996

Hole performs "Hungry Like the Wolf" in their set for MTV Unplugged.

Bassist and founding member John Taylor decides to leave Duran Duran to pursue a solo career.

Simon performs in Italy for the Bosnian War Child charity, and appears on the album Pavarotti and Friends Together for the Children of Bosnia, duetting with Pavarotti on Duran's "Ordinary World," and Dolores O'Riordan on "Linger."

Simon, Nick and Warren return to Privacy Studies in London to begin work on a new album.

1997

Duran Duran contributes a song to the soundtrack of the motion picture The Saint. Their stand out track, "Out of my Mind," together with a video shot in Czechoslovakia, garners worldwide attention and anticipation for the release of Medazzaland, the group's eleventh album.

As Duran Duran readies the CD, they shoot the video for the first single "Electric Barbarella" in UK with Ellen Von Unwerth.

After 17 years on the edge of music and technology, Duran Duran makes yet another break through by becoming the first band in the history of the Internet to digitally download a song for sale on the World Wide Web. "Electric Barbarella" is downloaded from Abbey Road Studios London, using Liquid Audio.

MoJo Records release The Duran Duran Tribute Album, with tracks by Goldfinger, Reel Big Fish and Deftones. A concert is organized in Los Angeles by the acts involved to celebrate the band and their music.

Duranduran.com is launched.

Duran Duran kicks off a two month tour of North America by performing at the opening night of New York's Whitney Museum Exhibit featuring the work of Andy Warhol.

1998

The band returns to the studio to begin writing the follow up to the critically acclaimed Medazzaland.

The band embarks on the Greatest and Latest Tour of the UK, their first live dates there in five years.

Duran Duran leaves EMI Records after 18 years. EMI records release both a re-mix CD called Essentials and Greatest, a second Greatest Hits collection.

1999

Simon performs with the Smashing Pumpkins at the Sheperds Bush Empire in London. They perform the Duran classic "Nightboat."

VH1 features the band on its Behind the Music program as Duran Duran enters the year 2000 by signing a multi-album deal with Hollywood Records.

Two more Tribute Albums are released: Glue featuring Nathan Stack, Deep 13 and Earthling and Undone: The Songs of Duran Duran, a tribute by Australian artists, showcasing covers by The Living End, Kylie Minogue and Ben Lee.

Simon Le Bon, Nick Rhodes and Warren Cuccurullo put a touring band together to play outdoor arenas during the summer. The shows receive rave reviews.

2000

Puff Daddy samples "Notorious" for a Notorious B.I.G. song.

The band performs on VH1's Hard Rock Live, showcasing songs from their forthcoming album and classics from their repertoire.

With 60 million records sold, Duran Duran releases their new album, Pop Trash on June 13th, 2000. "Someone Else Not Me" is the first single, released on May 2nd.

The band's official site, duranduran.com, is re-vamped and re-launched.

Duran Duran records VH1 Storytellers in London on June 25th. The show first aired in Europe on August 25th and in the US on September 23rd.

The video for "Someone Else Not Me" premiers on Shockwave.com on June 13th. The video is made using Flash Technology and is the first video that was broadcast on MTV and VH1 using this type of digital animation.

Duran Duran appears on US television shows including The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, The Today Show Summer Concert Series, The View, and The Craig Kilbourne Show to promote the album.

The band begins Pop Trash Tour 2000 of the United States in Florida on July 21st. The 33-date tour attracts rave reviews. During the US tour, the band plays a week's residency at the House of Blues in Los Angeles, smashing all attendance records. On Wednesday, August 30th, the show is broadcast live on HOB.com.

BBC1 television (UK) film interviews past and present members of Duran Duran for a documentary on the band celebrating 20 years of their career. The BBC1 show entitled The Wild Boys first airs in the UK on August 28th.

Duran Duran do a Christmas tour of the United Kingdom, selling out all shows. The UK Pop Trash tour features the world's first use of "augmented reality" technology in a live concert. Duran Duran works with a computer graphics producer to create advanced 2D and 3D visual effects, which allows animated characters to appear live on stage with the band.

2001

Universal Theme Park in Japan uses the Duran Duran song "Last Day on Earth" from the Pop Trash album to welcome visitors during the Grand Opening.

The band tours Russia for the first time in their career. The show from Moscow is broadcast live on television.

Duran Duran embarks on the Close Up tour of the USA, playing multiple nights in intimate venues. Their five-night stint at Chicago's House of Blues break all records for their fastest sell out shows ever. The shows receive terrific reviews.

The film Donnie Darko with Jake Gyllenhaal uses the song "Notorious" for an extended sequence. The movie goes on to become a cult classic, with many devoted followers seeing the film over and over again and attending midnight screenings. The film is later re-released in 2004.

During a "Close Up" tour show in Anaheim, California, the first fully immersed video and audio recording of a rock concert is conducted. The live rock experience is captured using a unique 360-degree panoramic video and 10.2 channel audio recording system. This pioneering recording is coordinated by producer Jarrell Pair with audio/video researchers working with Dr. Tom Holman, famous for creating Lucasfilm's THX audio standard.

Simon LeBon and Nick Rhodes shoot a print campaign for the GAP in May.

The National Portrait Gallery in London showcases an exhibition of "Horst Portraits, 60 Years of Style". Duran Duran is featured as part of this exhibit.

Unable to land the Space Shuttle Atlantis due to poor weather, NASA wakes the crew the next morning by playing Duran Duran's "Hold Back the Rain" in an effort to ward off the bad weather. It works, and the shuttle lands safely at Cape Canaveral.

Duran Duran tours Japan in June for the first time since 1992. The Japanese dates are the last with guitarist Warren Cuccurullo. Warren Cuccurullo parts with the band to reform his group Missing Persons.

Nick Rhodes and Simon LeBon are reunited with the original three members of Duran Duran, Roger, Andy and John Taylor. They meet together in Europe in June to commence writing on a new album.

2002

Simon, Nick, John, Andy and Roger get together in the South of France to work on material for a new album.

John tapes a guest spot on the Fox Television show That 80s Show.

When they return from France, Simon and Nick team up with the Dandy Warhols to work on their new album Welcome to the Monkey House. Nick is at the helm producing the record and Simon provides guest vocals.

The Devils, featuring Nick Rhodes and original Duran Duran lead singer Stephen Duffy, release Dark Circles in the UK to critical acclaim.

The Devils (Nick Rhodes and Stephen Duffy) perform songs from Dark Circles at London department store Harvey Nichols to a packed crowd that includes both Simon LeBon and Roger Taylor.

Simon records a duet of "Save a Prayer" with SYN artist Silvio singing in Portuguese and Simon singing in English. The song appears on a Starbucks compilation available only in Japan.

The Rock N Roll Hall of Fame Museum in Cleveland, OH features Duran Duran in the "50 Years of Rock and Roll" exhibit with clothing worn by Nick, John and Roger.

Celebrations Chocolates and the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) come together to put out a series of Christmas Cards made available to the public. World famous photographer The Earl of Lichfield creates twelve stunning cards that are themed around the song "The Twelve Days of Christmas" - but with a modern twist. Featured amongst them is Twelve Drummers Drumming with Roger Taylor.

Simon starts "Simon's Reader" on Duranduran.com, a quarterly feature in which Simon reviews books that are of interest to him. Spin, Blender and USA Today newspaper all tout the merits of his reviews.

Nick Rhodes produces songs for two up and coming artists, She Said Yeah and Riviera F in-between his duties on the new Duran record.

2003

Duran Duran celebrates the 25th anniversary of the formation of the band in 1978.

The Devils featuring Stephen Duffy and Nick Rhodes perform at The Live Music Hall, in Cologne, Germany. The show is taped for the Music Planet 2Nite show for Arte TV. It is the only full performance they have done thus far.

Capitol/EMI Records re-issue a re-mastered version of the album Rio.

In April Duran Duran announces their first tour dates together in eighteen years with the original line up of Simon, Andy, Nick, John and Roger. The first shows (in Japan) go on sale and the renowned 8,000 capacity Budokan Arena in Tokyo sells out in a staggering 30 minutes! A second sell out show at the Budokan is added to the five other dates.

The Dandy Warhols release Welcome to the Monkey House. The album receives critical acclaim and rave reviews for its Duran/Bowie-esque influences - brought to the project by Rhodes' finely tuned production skills.

June sees EMI Records release re-mastered versions of Duran Duran and Seven and the Ragged Tiger.

EMI Records release a 13 CD Box Set of the band's singles from the period '81-'85 to coincide with the 25th Anniversary. The band members announce their first American dates in eighteen years, including a night at the legendary Roxy Theatre on Sunset in Los Angeles (the first West Coast venue they played some 20 plus years earlier). The show is announced by the band on LA's KROQ radio. Fans sleep outside the venue for nights in order to secure tickets to the show. A star-studded audience includes Gavin Rossdale and Gwen Stefani, fellow No Doubt'ers Tony Kanal and Adrien Young, actor Nicolas Cage, Christina Applegate, Beck, Mark McGrath from Sugar Ray and Steve Jones of the Sex Pistols.

Duran Duran announces more US dates, including The Joint at the Hard Rock in Las Vegas which sells out in less than 10 minutes, with a second date being quickly added. Another celebrity-packed audience attends the concert and after-party, hosted by Hard Rock founder Peter Morton. Guests include singer Macy Gray, comedian Jimmy Fallon and Oscar-winner Adrien Brody amongst others.

Famed photographer Mario Testino does a photo session with the band for British Vogue, which becomes the first magazine to publish a photo of the reunited band.

The band records their five Japanese shows, one of their Las Vegas dates and their first show in Orange County, to release both individually and as a box set. Available through the Internet
only, these are part of the Encore Series distributed by TheMusic.com.

Duran mania spreads to New York in August when the band plays their first date in eighteen years on the East Coast at Webster Hall (formerly The Ritz). All 1,500 tickets sell out in a mind blowing 2 minutes - crashing the Ticketmaster website for at least 30 minutes.

The show and after party celebration is attended by many New Yorkers happy to see the band back together including Christie Turlington, Edward Burns, Chloe Sevigny, Debbie Harry, Tatum O'Neal, Famke Janssen, Michael Musto The Donnas and film director Brett Ratner.

The band members attend the MTV Video Music Awards in New York the night after their show at the Ritz and are surprised with a presentation of a "Lifetime Achievement Award."

EMI Records release a 2-DVD Greatest Hits compilation containing all of the band's seminal videos.

Duran Duran plays to 45,000 people at KROQ's (CA) Inland Invasion show. The event becomes the fastest selling date ever at Devore's Glen Helen Pavilion.

The band headlines other radio shows in San Francisco and Boston during September and early October.

Q Magazine - the UK's most prestigious music magazine - presents the band with the Lifetime Achievement Award at their 2003 ceremony in London. Nile Rodgers presents the accolade and the event is televised around the world.

The band plays their first UK show since 1984 as the original lineup to an ecstatic sold out crowd. Fans camp out at The Forum, in Kentish Town, London and Sky News reports that there were over 200,000 requests for tickets for a venue that could only hold 2,000 people.

Duran Duran is invited to participate in the Princes Trust Fundraiser at the Royal Albert Hall, entitled "Fashion Rocks." As the band performs "Girls on Film," models - including Yasmin LeBon - strut the catwalk dressed in Donna Karan. The televised event raises over One Million Pounds for charity.

The band joins pop star Robbie Williams as the special guests on his tour of Australia and New Zealand (December 2003). The first stadium concert in Sydney sells 50,000 tickets in one hour and a second Sydney date is added because of the demand.

After a successful stint "Down Under" with Robbie Williams - where the band adds solo shows to cope with fan demand - they finish 2003 with a sold out show in Singapore.

Throughout the year, alongside their extensive touring and promotional commitments, the band manages to convene regularly in London for further writing and recording sessions.

"All She Wants Is" is featured in the Oscar nominated film Monster starring Charlize Theron. The band later finds out Director Patty Jenkins is a fan.

Simon is featured in the Vanity Fair all music issue doing a Q&A with George Wayne in New York, the day after the band wins their surprise MTV Award.

Simon is a presenter with Lisa Maffia (So Solid Crew) at this year's MOBO Awards at the Royal Albert Hall in London.

Duran Duran launches their paid Fan Community at www.duranduranmusic.com, making concert tickets available to members first, as well as showcasing exclusive photos, footage and content.

Power Station lead singer Robert Palmer dies suddenly in France and Powerstation drummer Tony Thompson dies of cancer a few months later. All members of Duran Duran are deeply saddened by both deaths.

Duran Duran teams up with Amnesty International, participating in their "Second Annual Music for Humanity" Auction. The band auctions off concert tickets, backstage passes and a signed skateboard on EBay to raise money and awareness for Amnesty International.

2004

Duran Duran announces four UK arena shows, which sell out almost immediately. They perform 17 shows to over 200,000 people across Britain. The last two shows, at London's Wembley Arena, are filmed. The band is invited to participate in the US Super Bowl in Houston, TX. The song "Wild Boys" is broadcast to over one billion people worldwide.

NASA sends a second Mars Exploration Rover into Space called Opportunity, whose main task is to investigate whether Mars ever had environments that were suitable for sustaining life. Each morning the Rover is awoken by a song, and in early February NASA chooses Duran Duran's "Is There Something I Should Know?" in hopes of "encouraging" Opportunity to
find some more answers.

The British Phonographic Industry (BPI) announces that they will honour the band at their February Awards show, The Brits, with the Outstanding Contribution to Music Award. The Award is presented to the band by Justin Timberlake, who surprised the band at August's MTV Awards by telling them what a big influence they had been on him.

An after party is thrown for Duran Duran in honour of the win at The Brits. The bash is held at the Adam Street private members' club, and is attended by Justin Timberlake, Gwen Stefani, Scarlett Johansson, Alicia Keys, Philip Treacy, Jamelia, The Queens of Noize, Stephen Fry, Badly Drawn Boy, Timbaland, and others. Harpers & Queen magazine covers the event with a pictorial.

Indie favorites Goldfrapp & The Scissor Sisters are announced as special guests for the UK dates, with Goldfrapp taking the first nine shows and Scissor Sisters the last six.

A group of Duran Duran fans attend every UK show of the tour, sponsored by the automobile company KIA, who provide the women with a KIA Rio as transportation.

Simon, Nick and Roger visit the BRIT school in Croydon, England, where they inspect the dance studio, theatre, recording studio and technology labs before facing a grilling in a Q&A session from 50 students. Duran Duran plays to more than a quarter of a million people on their UK tour and break the house record on May 1st at their final UK Wembley Arena show. Wembley Arena is subsequently demolished - so the record will remain.

Duran Duran's Greatest CD re-enters the UK chart at #3.

A new track, "Sunrise" mixed by Jason Nevins, is included on Capitol Records' Queer Eye For the Straight Guy soundtrack.

Due to the success of the Singles Box Set and Greatest DVD, which was certified Platinum, EMI releases the Sing Blue Silver documentary and Arena/Making of Arena live concert film on DVD as well as a mini box set containing Duran Duran, Rio and Seven and the Ragged Tiger.

Duran Duran attends the FIFA 100 Charity Auction & Tribute Ceremony, honouring the top 100 living football (soccer) players, at the Natural History Museum in London. The band allows FIFA to use "Beautiful Colours" as an accompaniment to a video clip showing great football moments of the last fifty years.

John is the center of a six-page feature in THE FACE magazine, where he reports on how it feels to be a transplanted Englishman in Los Angeles.

Nick is asked to Oxford University for their annual debate. He is partnered with U2 Manager Paul McGuiness as they discuss "This House believes that reality T.V is killing real music." Nick & Paul believe this to be true, but do not win the debate.

World Idol winner Kurt Nilsen covers Duran Duran's "Ordinary World" on his debut album, out on BMG.

Boy band PHIXX covers Duran Duran's "Wild Boys."

Official Duran Duran ringtones become available for the first time, featuring songs "Rio," "Girls on Film," "Planet Earth," "Wild Boys," "Ordinary World" and "Notorious."

Nick Rhodes is asked to photograph guests attending the Serpentine Gallery's Annual Summer Party. His work appears as a spread in Tatler magazine.

Duran Duran returns to the Studio in London, where they work with Producers Don Gilmore and Dallas Austin, and re-mixer Jason Nevins.

The band signs a worldwide deal with Epic Records in June 2004.

EMI releases Box Set Number 2, featuring songs from the band's catalogue from 1986 through 1995.

Duran Duran's single, "(Reach Up for the) Sunrise" is released off their upcoming CD in September, 2004 and quickly rises up the charts worldwide, hitting Number 1 on the Billboard
Dance Charts abd becoming a Top 5 smash nearly all over the world.

"(Reach Up for the) Sunrise" is used on a commercial for TIM Mobile phones in Italy, as well as the theme song for the UK version of Queer Eye for the Straight Guy and the Australian Morning Show, Sunrise.

Duran Duran appears at In Store appearances at Saturn (Berlin), HMV (Birmingham and London) and Virgin MegaStore (New York and Los Angeles) to rapturous crowds who camp out overnight to meet the band.

Epic releases Duran Duran's Astronaut on October 11/12th, the first album of new material featuring the original line up since Seven and the Ragged Tiger.

Top US morning show, Good Morning America, shut down 44th Street, in New York, for the first time in the show's history, for a three song performance by Duran Duran on the day of the album's release.

The band embarks on endless promotion for their single, appearing on the television shows Top of the Pops, The Lottery, Time Lovejoy's All Stars, The Jonathan Ross Show, TRL in the UK and Italy, The Tonight Show Featuring Jay Leno, The Late Late Show, Last Call with
Carson Daly, Ellen, Good Morning America, Live! With Regis and Kelly and many others.

In November, Duran Duran is honoured with the Ondas Award for Musical Achievement in Barcelona, Spain.

Deep Visual develops a projection for the Duran Duran UK Tour, featuring a Manga cartoon during the song "Careless Memories."

Duran Duran's Astronaut is released in the following formats: CD, CD with Bonus Track (Japan), CD/DVD (with footage of the band's Wembley performances and behind-the-scenes
footage), Double 12" Vinyl.

Duran Duran's Astronaut hits #1 on the Billboard Download chart the first week of release.

Each band member films their "own" video of "(Reach up for the) Sunrise" with the Polish Brothers. These are later released on ITunes Internationally.

"(Reach up for the) Sunrise" gets the re-mix treatment from Alex G, Jason Nevins, Eric Prydz, Ferry Corsten & Full Intention.

The video for "What Happens Tomorrow" is filmed in Los Angeles with Directors Smith N Boran.

Nick Rhodes participates in the Guy Oseary book On The Record: Over 150 Of The Most Talented People In Music Share The Secrets Of Their Success.

Duran Duran appears on the cover of the Radio Times in London with respected Newscasters dressed up as "The Wild Boys" to support the Children in Need charity.

Kelis mixes the Duran Duran song "Notorious" in to her single "Trick Me".

2005

Simon and Nick attend the MTV Europe Awards in Rome and present the Best New Artist Award to Maroon 5.

The band tapes a performance on the hit NBC Television show Las Vegas, which airs in January, 2005.

A 5.1 mix of Astronaut is done by Jeremy Wheatley for the dual-disk release of Astronaut. The CD side contains the album as-is and the DVD side contains the 5.1 mix of the album in DVD Audio format along with some DVD footage and videos.

"What Happens Tomorrow" remixes done by Peter Rauhofer - Reconstruction Mix and Reconstruction Dub.

Nick Rhodes is given a football after his appearance on Tim Lovejoy's Allstars TV Program in the UK. He then has the football signed by many celebrities for the Lighthouse charity to auction off.

The song "Ordinary World" is used in the Matthew Vaughn film Layercake.

"Hungry like the Wolf" is used in the DVD release of Shrek 2.

"Nice" remixes done by: Lindberg Palace - 456 Productions - Mike Greig - JD aka Dready - Pablo La Rosa - Johnson Somerset - Eric Prydz.

The band tours the US from February to April 2005, culminating with a performance at Madison Square Garden on April 13th, 2005.

Duran Duran designs a Pop Up book as their tour programme, which are a huge hit and are carried by eclectic book stores including West Hollywood's Book Soup.

Duran Duran kicks off a European tour in the summer of 2005 visiting places such as Spain, Portugal, Switzerland, Austria, Hungary (where Simon famously asks "Is anyone Hungarian?") , Norway, Belgium, Sweden, Iceland, Denmark, Czechoslovakia, Greece, Italy, Germany, The Netherlands and France.

Duran Duran performs at Live 8 on July 2nd, 2005, at Circus Maximus in Rome. Their performance is also beamed in to London's Hyde Park, while the whole concert is aired over the internet by AOL and over Satellite radio by XM. The band then jets to their performance at the Roskilde Festival.

After a short and successful summer tour of the US, 3 dates in Japan (including the Summer Sonic Festival), the band announces they will be doing Christmas shows in the UK including Birmingham, Manchester, Glasgow and two shows at London's Earls Court.

Armand Van Helden samples Andy Taylor's "I Might Lie" for his track "Into your Eyes".

Duran Duran Live From London is released, capturing the original band during their spectacular seventeen-date, 2004 UK arena tour in both a special deluxe 2-Disc package and a spectacular single DVD disc. Directed by award-winning film-maker, Lawrence Jordan and shot with fourteen state-of-the-art, 1080 24p high-definition cameras, this unique concert DVD, with its film-like visuals, captures the magic, excitement, and pure adrenaline of the band's final two Wembley concerts on April 30 and May 1, 2004. Both packages also include a behind-the-scenes documentary, rare and candid interview footage, a photo gallery, and a unique audio-track voice-over by all five of the band members - talking about the songs and the show. In addition, the special, deluxe two-disc set includes one song that can be watched in 3D, together with a 12 page booklet, and the live album.

Duran Duran performs at Fashion Rocks which will aid in charity relief for the victims of Hurricane Katrina.

Duran Duran is asked to be special guests at the launch of the Imperia Vodka brand, imported from Russia, where the single "What Happens Tomorrow" is a huge hit. Imperia "rents" out Liberty Island in New York City for the event. The band performs for the crowd from a barge floating in the Hudson River.

Live From London is shown in movie theatres across the US to sold out audiences. Some theatres add 2nd showings due to demand.

Andre Agassi personally asks Duran Duran to perform at his annual Grand Slam for Children charity event in Las Vegas.

The band begins work on their follow-up to Astronaut.

Duran Duran performs at the Nobel Peace Concert in Norway.

The band plays Christmas dates in Europe, culminating with two shows at Earls Court in London.

Duran Duran re-launches ringtones in the UK, featuring songs taken from Live From London and a re-mix of "(Reach Up for the) Sunrise".

Ferry Corsten samples the Duran Duran song "Serious" off of the Liberty album. The song, "Fire", becomes a massive dance hit and includes clips of the original in the new video.

2006

After taking a well earned break, Duran Duran returns to the Studio in London with Engineer Michael Patterson to continue working on their forthcoming CD.

February 2nd, 2006 marks the 25th Anniversary of the release of Duran Duran's "Planet Earth" single. Roger comments on Duranduran.com, "My strongest memory of the release of 'Planet Earth' is one of US gathering around the radio in Chipping Norton studios (where we were recording tracks for the forthcoming FIRST album) and hearing one of our songs being played on the radio for the first time, being absolutely ecstatic and feeling that we had really 'arrived,' when in fact it was just the start of a very long journey."

Duran Duran performs at the Winter Olympics in Torino, Italy. The performance takes place on February 15th at the Medals Plaza, Piazza Castello, Torino. Footage of the show is broadcast around the world.

To celebrate the end of the Astronaut World Tour, Duran Duran releases their first set of exclusive master ringtones, which include the Jason Nevins remix of "(Reach Up for the) Sunrise."

Duran Duran launches their official Myspace page at http://www.myspace.com/duranduran.

Duran Duran adds Mobile Graphics to their Mobile Webshop.

The deluxe version of Live From London (10 tracks + 2 bonus) is added to iTunes.

EMI UK releases Nick Rhodes and John Taylor Present: Only After Dark. Only After Dark is the first compilation to recreate one of the UK's most dynamic and exciting moments in music - the late '70s and dawning '80s period, which resonated soundly with the two future members of Duran Duran. The critically acclaimed CD features tracks by Brian Eno, David Bowie, Simple Minds, Grace Jones and more.

Nick's essay on the early '80s in Birmingham and the songs that inspired Only After Dark is chosen as the cover piece for the London Daily Telegraph's Saturday pull out section.

In another first, John Taylor and Nick Rhodes step in to the history books to launch the UK Guardian newspaper's Film & Music Podcast series, with a 2-part interview discussing their Only After Dark compilation. This mini-podcast-within-a-podcast makes UK media history, becoming the first time music from the major record labels and music publishers has been officially approved for use in a podcast.

Duran Duran performs at the Annual Red Cross Ball in Monaco on August 4th. It is their last performance with Andy Taylor.

Duran Duran's "Nice" remixes, including mixes by Eric Prydz, JD aka Dready, Johnson Somerset, Mike Greig and Pablo La Rosa, are added to iTunes.

Duran Duran announces plans to create a virtual universe in Second Life, as well as perform a concert in-world. This news creates 1.8 million media and online mentions for the band, setting a record in terms of coverage.

EMI releases Duran Duran's video catalogue for electronic download. Videos include "What Happens Tomorrow," "Girls on Film," "Rio" and "Save a Prayer."

Duran Duran reconvenes in a New York City studio and begin work with famed Producer Timbaland on three tracks for their upcoming album.

Justin Timberlake, whom the band first met when they received their Lifetime Achievement Award from MTV and who later presented them with a second Lifetime Achievement Award at the UK BRIT Awards in 2004, collaborates with them on one of the songs from the forthcoming release.

Individuals: Portraits from the Gap Collection is published and showcases the GAP print ad Simon and Nick did. The book benefits Project Red, a business model developed by Bono and Bobby Shriver to create a sustainable stream of revenue for AIDS initiatives.

The longest running Duran Duran fanzine, The Dutch Go Duran ceases publication after 18 years.

Nick Rhodes is a presenter at the first annual British Academy Video Games Awards In London. He is joined by his newly created Second Life Avatar.

John Taylor designs a Signature Peavey Guitar and Bass line, called the Liberator, in association with Juicy Couture.

The band announces the departure of guitarist Andy Taylor and confirm that they will continue as a foursome as they finish up their new CD for Epic/Sony Records.

The band performs for the first time in Poland, in front of 120,000 People. The show is televised nationally.

The band warms up for a short U.S run with five European shows in Bratislava, Bucharest, Sofia, Athens and Belgrade.

The band opens the new Sears Center Arena in Chicago on October 26th.

Duran Duran joins the Red Hot Chili Peppers as Headliners for the Voodoo Music Experience, Halloween weekend in New Orleans.

The band visits Warren Easton High School while in New Orleans. This school was devastated by hurricane Katrina and began rebuilding after being closed for 7 months. After taking a tour of the school, and participating in a press conference/autograph session with the Journalism Department, the band donates an audio sound system for the school to the students.

Duran Duran headlines the BANG! Music Festival on November 11, at Bicentennial Park in Miami. Other artists include Gnarls Barkley and Daft Punk.

The band performs a stand alone gig in New York City as part of the Cipriani Concert Series to benefit amfAR. Over a million dollars is raised.

Princes William and Harry announce Duran Duran as one of the main artists to appear at this summer's Princes Diana Memorial Concert, taking place at London's newly re-built Wembley Stadium on July 1, 2007. The show sells out in just 20 minutes.

John Taylor under takes four in-store appearances to launch his signature series Guitar and Bass lines.

2007

The band goes into the studio in London with producer Nate 'Danja' Hills and mixer Jimmy Douglass to complete their album.

The video for "Rio" tops a global survey on AOL for the 'Best Music Video of all Time'. The classic clip takes 59% of more than a million votes cast.

Fans vote on Capital Radio's Hall Of Fame countdown for their favorite songs of all time; Duran Duran holds 4 entries with "Ordinary World", "Girls on Film", "Save A Prayer" and "Wild Boys".

Duran Duran returns to the studio in July with Justin Timberlake, writing the track "Falling Down".

The band announces the upcoming publication of Would Someone Please Explain, The Best of Duran Duran's Ask Katy culled from ten years of questions from the ASK KATY column on Duranduran.com.

Q Magazine announces the "500 Greatest Lost Tracks - The Best Songs You've Never Heard" with "My Own Way (Night Version)" coming in at #129.

Nick Rhodes participates in a traveling guitar exhibition, designing a one-of-a-kind guitar - the world's first electric guitar to feature a TV screen. The Fender guitar plays video (curated by Rhodes), as well as music. The guitar is later sold in a charity auction.

Duran Duran's version of John Lennon's "Instant Karma" is included on Instant Karma: The campaign to Save Darfur.

The band plays their first "fan community members only" concert for their official Fan Community at a sold out Hammerstein Ballroom in New York.

Duran Duran opens the "Concert For Diana" show from London's newly renovated Wembley Stadium on July 1, introduced by Princes William and Harry.

Duran Duran performs at Al Gore's "Live Earth" event from Wembley Stadium on July 7. They are the only band to play at both events.

Anticipation builds as Sony announces Duran Duran's Red Carpet Massacre will be released November 12th (US) and 19th (UK), 2007.

Duran Duran appears on the UK TV show The Jonathon Ross Show to promote Red Carpet Massacre.

Duran Duran set to perform an unprecedented 10 nights on Broadway in November at the Barrymore Theatre. After the 7th show, the Stage Hand Union goes on strike, forcing the band to miss one performance and re-schedule the remaining two at the Roseland Ballroom.

Duran Duran performs "Falling Down" on the American Music Awards, as well as "Hungry Like the Wolf," which was voted on by fans as the "classic" Duran song they most wanted to hear.

Duran Duran appear on the US TV show Ellen to promote Red Carpet Massacre.

After being forced to cancel their show at the Odeon on London's Westend due to Council concerns of rioting, Duran Duran re-schedules their performance at the Lyceum; the December 3rd show sells out in just 5 minutes.

Nick Rhodes takes the photos for the packaging of Red Carpet Massacre; John Taylor oversees art direction with Patty Palazzo.

Duran Duran performs "Notorious" and "Nite-Runner" on the show X Factor in London.

A&E feature the band on an episode of Private Sessions; Duran Duran fan Ricky Gervais calls in to ask them questions.

Sirius Satellite Radio dedicates a week to Duran Duran, giving them their own Red Carpet Radio Channel.

2008

John Taylor makes the January, 2008 cover of Bass Player magazine (US).

Duran Duran performs "Falling Down" at the San Remo Music Festival in Italy on February 26th.

The Duran Duran designed ROCK THE RABBIT T-Shirt is chosen by Playboy to be sold in major outlets such as Bloomingdales & select W Hotel boutiques.

A 3 CD box set containing Duran Duran, Rio and Seven and the Ragged Tiger is released in the UK on Monday, March 17th. Though there is no content change to the CDs or artwork, EMI have numbered the boxes, making it a collectible.

Duran Duran kicks off their Red Carpet Massacre World Tour in New Zealand Duran Duran play their first batch of Festivals, co-headlining Richard Branson's V FESTIVAL with The Smashing Pumpkins.

The band ends the Australasia leg of the tour in Costa Rica, a place the band had never played before. Headlining the Festival Imperial, the band play to a rapturous audience.

Nicole Scherzinger from The Pussycat Dolls records a cover version of "Rio" for a Caress commercial.

Duran Duran kicks off their 2008 North American tour in Vancouver, BC on April 29th. The Leeds, UK band Your Vegas is the opening act for the entire tour.

American Idol finalist David Cook performs Duran Duran's "Hungry like the Wolf" on the hit TV show.

Brandon Flowers and Dave Keuning from The Killers join the band on stage at their Las Vegas show at The Joint in the Hard Rock Caf to sing Duran Duran's "Planet Earth".

Simon throws out the first pitch at a Cubs game at Wrigley Field on May 13th.

Smashing Pumpkin's Billy Corgan joins the band onstage to sing "The Chauffeur" at their Chicago gig at the Rosemont Theatre .

Duran Duran announces a musical collaboration with Mark Ronson for a Smirnoff sponsored event in Paris on July 2.

"Wild Boys" is featured in the film and soundtrack for Son of Rambow.

There are currently in excess of 100,000 web pages dedicated to Duran Duran on the worldwide web.