“If you’re still having fun and still surprising, you’re doing a good job,” says John Taylor, bassist and one of the founders of Duran Duran. With the new album Dance of Death – a Halloween opus consisting of three original titles and ten cover versions of pieces by well-known stars – the English team actually manages to surprise their fans again. Discussion with John Taylor.
Danse Macabre is your 16the Studio album. Did a number like that come to mind when you started?
“Actually, we never thought like that. First, you want to create an album, your own album. Then this album is a success and you have a few songs that work so you know you’re going to do a second album. You’ve put everything you’ve got into this second album and it’s a huge success, making you famous all over the world, and that’s where it gets difficult. Because you have the standards, you have to think about how to write hits, and then you have something to lose. Then the adventure begins and you realize that you don’t really have control over where it all goes.
Tell me about this new album coming out just in time for Halloween.
“This record is an anomaly (laughs), it’s an album that came out of a show in Las Vegas where we were all dressed up and playing all these covers of songs on a themed night. from Spooky Halloween.” The next day, Nick [Rhodes] said, “Let’s make an album!” We also used our old parts, which we adapted and modified. Then someone said, “What if we made a new song with some voodoo that we called Danse Macabre and it was like a Halloween procession!” We went into the studio and came out with three new songs.”
Danse Macabre consists of several covers of Halloween songs, including the Rolling Stones (paint it black)by Talking Heads (Psychopathic murderer) and Billie Eilish (Bury a friend). Why these artists?
“All artists are desperate to express themselves, even if we are usually introverted. So we have to show who we are through our songs, our albums and the songs we cover. That says a lot about us and our musical influences. And Billie Eilish, we love her! How else can we do this?”
Courtesy of Stephanie Pistel
Was it important to you to involve former members of the group in this project?
“Yes, we met Andy Taylor again last year at our induction into the Hollywood Walk of Fame and found out about his illness [son cancer]. We wanted to work with him, including Nile Rodgers and Warren Cuccurullo.
How do you keep the flame of music burning?
“It’s like a marriage; You have to be respectful, but you also have to be cheeky and surprising. You must never take others for granted. We motivate each other, we argue a lot, we argue, but we all appreciate what the group allows us to do, the kind of life it offers us. It’s a contract. If you’re lucky enough to be doing a job you love, you need to find a way to keep the flame burning. Keep the enthusiasm to do it.”
At 63, do you have any retirement plans? “Being in a band keeps me mentally and physically fit. At the moment that suits me. We love each other, we respect each other and most importantly, we continue to believe in what we can build and achieve together.”
What do you think is the secret to surviving in the music business? “There is none. You just have to really want it and be willing to work for it. You have to be careful and not hold any resentments. We fight with each other all the time, but we love each other and we always make up in the end.”
– The album dance of death, by Duran Duran, is available on the platforms.
