The genius behind Duran Duran's keyboards spoke to CNN Magazine about the creative process behind the band's latest album, "Danse Macabre" and recalled their time in Viña del Mar back in 2000: "We went out to play at about 1:32 in the morning and everyone in Chile was acting like it was the middle of the afternoon. It was fun."
Within its long road of New Romantic excellence, iconic British band Duran Duran (Come Undone, Ordinary World, Save a Prayer) now celebrates 45 years of music with the release of Danse Macabre, its sixteenth studio album.
Simon Le Bon, John Taylor, Roger Taylor and Nick Rhodes‘s new project comes to life as a mixture between unreleased tracks, modern versions of past releases and covers of artists such as The Rolling Stones, Talking Heads and even Billie Eilish.
For one afternoon, CNN Magazine had a free pass to Duran Duran’s geniusness and held a conversation with Nick Rhodes, whose hands have been behind the keys since their debut, back in 1978.
The musician shared the meaning behind their newest project, detailed the creative journey behind each production and even shared his love for Santiago de Chile and South America.
What do all of the songs have in common? A “dark humor look at the world,” says the 61 year-old musician.
He also tells us that the title-track was inspired by Halloween, as he gushes over the genuine bond all four of them share with October 31th. “We’ve just always liked that time of the year. There’s something great about celebrating the unknown, the creatures from the dark. I’ve always liked the Mexican Day of the Dead, too, visually. I think it’s exciting and it was great to have a theme, a mood, an atmosphere to actually write some new songs.”
And they not only wrote three new songs for the album, but also worked on several cover versions and re-recorded some of their own classics, while reimagining their style. “It was an unusual combination to make an album,” he says, “but I think the fact that they’re all, somehow, in the same sort of mood is what holds it all together.”
How did they come up with the first idea? “Well, it all began from a show,” Rhodes recalls. It was last year’s Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony, in Los Angeles.
“Before that, we wanted to play a few shows – just to warm up and play together. And we got off of this show in Las Vegas on Halloween, which was just such a fascinating idea. Because in America, Halloween is much more of a celebration than in many other countries. So we decided to play it and I suggested to the rest of the band, “what if we do a few cover versions of songs we like that fit into that sort of theme?”
Psycho Killer, by Talking Heads, came up naturally, “as we’d all long been big fans of that song.” SPELLBOUND, by Siouxsie and the Banshees followed; and Simon, the man behind the voice, suggested he’d like to do The Rolling Stones’ Painted Black.
“Suddenly, there were about four cover versions to learn. Then I said, ‘Well, on our songs, really we should do some of the ones that we don’t do very often.’ Songs like Secret Oktober and Shadows on Your Side… and all these Duran’s songs we hadn’t played for many years but somehow, fit in,” he looks back.
This led to a massive amount of work for the band, since they had to learn a lot of music. And fast. “I think it was fourteen songs, on top of Wild Boys and Hungry Like the Wolf, that were in the set. But for one night, it was a lot. So I think everybody was cursing me for a while, thinking ‘oh, no, we should’ve never taken this on’ but then, eventually, when we did it, we played the show, we worked to have the songs, rehearsed them, Simon learned most of the lyrics and so… we just looked at each other and said, ‘well, actually, that was really great. It was fun.'”
They paid attention to the general public emotions throughout the concert and liked what they found. “It was uplifting seeing people’s faces in the audience, ’cause they just didn’t know what to expect at all.”
From left to right: Roger Taylor (drums), Nick Rhodes (keyboard), Simon Le Bon (voice) y John Taylor (guitar/bass). Credits: Stephanie Pistel
Eventually, they decided to get into the studio in order to record what they had just made. “That opened another door to write other songs we had, at that time, done a version of. Billie Eilish’s Bury A Friend, which was one of my favorite songs from the past four or five years. And so I suggested that and Simon loved the idea.”
When it came to the Duran Duran songs, instead of playing them the way they’d always done before, they started to update them and adapt their sound to the new record’s theme. “I think it just all hung together, because it was the same people playing the songs and it was our vision of what it sounds like.”
Rhodes spontaneously clarifies there wasn’t any kind of hidden meaning nor competitiveness behind recording other artists’ songs. “We were never looking to make a better version of some of the cover versions. Because all of the originals of those songs are incredible.”
They wanted to introduce the tracks to both their newer and older audience, but in Duran Duran’s style. “Some of the ones that don’t know the songs already, and for those who did know the songs already, for us to say, ‘hey, this is what it sounds like when we play that song.”
He says they were also thrilled to have Victoria de Angelis, Maneskin’s bass player, featuring on the Danse Macabre, as he shares his admiration for the Italian winners of Eurovision 2021. “I think they are one of the best bands to have there right now. They’ve got an energy and an originality, a rawness, and a coolness about them, actually, that is unusual in modern music.”
Over the last few years, the keyboard player admits he’s gotten deep into “amazing new music” through his bandmate Simon Le Bon podcast’s WHOOOSH! “He’s done all of the work for me and searched through and framed all these great things.”
One of his very praised discoveries, you might ask? Brit Award’s New Artist latest winner, Wet Leg.
Keeping it fun for 45 years doesn’t sound like an easy move for artists in the industry nowadays, so how haven’t they lost their spark? According to Nick, it comes off as less of a magic formula and more off as natural human nature. (When you’re a musical prodigy, of course.)
“I think, in many ways, it’s the same as it was at the beginning. We haven’t lost our love for music and our enthusiasm and our curiosity. You have to remain curious in life if you want to discover new things, and everyone in the band has that.”
When it comes to working on a new record, they always look for novelty. “We don’t ever sit there and think, ‘oh, let’s make one that’s just like the previous one or the one we did ten years ago. We think, ‘what can we do that would be exciting to us?’ And we’re excited by change, we’re excited by technology, by stretching ourselves.”
Duran Duran in 1981. Up, from left to right: Nick Rhodes, Simon Le Bon and Andy Taylor (former guitarist). Down: John Taylor and Roger Taylor. Credits: Finn Costello
He, then, shares a lesson on the main role reinvention plays: “If you want to create something really artistic, you don’t do it by staying in a safe place. You have to go further, deeper into the world, or deep into the unknown, where you don’t feel quite as safe and then, you take a few more risks and you make something more interesting.”
And as for remaining timeless, the musician says, “all we do, really, is try to make things that feel right for us. And honesty. There’s always been honesty about Duran Duran. We’ve never been a band to complain about things or to march out there for causes, even though there are many causes that we strongly believe in. We’ve been about light and shade. Balance. As you look for in life.”
Duran Duran has been to Chile several times. Their first visit was in 1993, in front a fully crowded Estadio Nacional.
Nick brings back to life memories from their second time here, back in 2000, the year they headlined Viña del Mar. “I remember going on at about 1:32 o’clock in the morning and everybody felt like it was the middle of the afternoon in Chile. So that was fun, too.”
Chile is a country he remembers with great affection. “Every time we’ve been to Chile, we’ve had an amazing time. I love South America generally, but Santiago is a fantastic city. I always remember the Andes just right there and that’s a visual no other city really has like that. The people are always warm and excited to experience music.”
His praises even get to stuff an average Chilean might consider less chic. “I only have the best memories and it’s always nice to go out and look at things there. I look at the look of the city, even the graffiti is fabulous.”
He confesses that, for him, it’s the love for music what has always been one of South America’s most precious qualities.
“And I always say to everybody around the world, and this is the truth: the best audiences are not in North America, they’re not in the UK, they’re not in Europe. They are in South America. So we always look forward to it whenever we can. It’s been a number of years now, but you know, we’d come back tomorrow. We’d love to.”
Las actividades están enmarcadas en el lema "Salgamos a jugar", por lo que el énfasis estará en los juegos tradicionales y la "transmisión intergeneracional de la riqueza cultural". La jornada se realizará en 16 regiones del país.
