The pin-up bass player of the Fabulous Five talks about the forthcoming album, punk, football, his favourite movies and... the mosques in Sofia.

On the occasion of the Duran Duran week on Tangra Mega Rock В (16-22 October) and most of all because of the first concert of this remarkable band in Sofia (20В October, Music Jam 2006, SME)В we had the pleasure to talk with Duran's bass player John Taylor on phone.

V.V. - Hey, John how are you?

John - I am very well thank you.

V.V. - What are you guys up to now?

John - Well we are just about to do a few weeks of touring actually.
We are taking a break from the new album we have been recording, and we are going to come and do a few concerts.

V.V. - So it has been said that you have completed part of the work for your next studio album which is supposed to be out somewhere next year. Tell us more about this album, because we are obviously very curious about it.

John - Well, I suppose the most interesting thing is that we just finished with the producer Timbeland. We have just done several songs with him. And that was quite a different experience for us.

And Justin Timberlake came along, because he co-wrote one of the songs and he is singing in one of the songs.
You know we have been making the album by ourselves. And then we had the opportunity to go and work with these guys and we did it.

That kind of changed the sound of the album, so we are half way through the album.
But it is suddenly taking a turn you know, so we still have a way to go to finish it.

It is an important album for us - they always are you know and you cannot rush it you know, you just have to…it is a process…  

So that’s why it is nice to take a break and do some shows.
Because I don’t like spending months and months in the studio you know it’s good to get out

V.V. - Well the funny thing is not that funny lots of musicians these days tend to talk political with the situation in the world today. Would you put anything political in this new album?

John - Well, there are a couple of songs and there is one song in particular - criminals in the capital - which is generally about…it is quite a funny song actually.
It is generally about corruption at the highest levels.

It did mention Tony Blair and we kind of had an argument about whether it should have this specific mention that by doing that you kind of you date the song.

So I don’t know, we have never really been a political band and quite often when we try to take on subjects like that people just really want party music from us;

В People have never really looked into Duran Duran for a political comment, they just want fun. We have to keep the level of politics in our music very general

V.V. - What is the first thing actually that comes to you mind when you hear the word Bulgaria beside that you are going to play here very soon and of course the Bulgarian poison umbrella?

John - The first think I think of is mosques.

V.V. - I would say this is a very fake impression. Bulgaria is an orthodox Christian country, so we don’t have many mosques.

John - Ah, right. What city are we talking about? Sofia, right?

V.V. - Well there is only one mosque in Sofia, for 2 million people and 120 churches.

John - It shows how bad I am at geography. I don’t know why I had that feeling of Sofia, I was talking to Simon about it. (already in Sofia, John will explain this assosiation Sofia= mosques with the Saint Sophia in Istanbul ed.)

I need to do some research before I come to Bulgaria

V.V. - Well, basically October is the time when we and especially you guys in the UK are celebrating the John Peel day. The question here is to what extent media has been vital for the tremendous success of your band?

John - Well of course, you cannot do anything without, well I mean you can I suppose… 
I suppose it was important to us at two levels:

One was the teen press in the UK, which took hold of the band in the first year and starting pushing the band whish was a surprise, because we came out in the latest punk years, the new wave era and we didn’t imagine ourselves as this kind of band.

And when the UK press you know girls magazines started pushing this photographs of us that made a huge differences to the popularity if the band.

I suppose the other significant media thing was MTV and the beginning of MTV.
And mid 1980-s when MTV was just getting started in the US our videos were very popular and it made an enormous difference to our record sales and to our popularity you know MTV was in particular states but not in all states and in the states were MTV was we were more popular.

V.V. - The year 2006 is a kind of a good one for us down here in Bulgaria because we had the chance to have live here in this country for the first time Depeche Mode and Simply Red and now it is time for Duran Duran. So according to you John who are we missing, who else we need to see from your generations of UK bands?В 

John - Well I always thought the Human League were really important I always liked Ultravox and Japan you know I felt were really a great band…Well The Cure are great obviously.

V.V. - So let’s go back to you band. They say that you John have always been the main driving force behind Duran Duran, is it true?

John - Ah, I don’t think so, you’ve got Simon and you got Nick and myself who are like the sort of the Gemini twins of the band and I mean we started the band together, it was our fantasy and we are the most ambitious members of the band.

You know I think with Simon, Roger and Andy I can always imagine the 3 of them sort of retiring, sort of taking it easy But you know Nick and I are very driven…

V.V. - Well I am sure most of us remembers 1995 and the Neurotic Outsiders, I mean these were guys that you were working with like Steve Jones from Sex Pistols, Matt Sorrum and Duff from Guns N’ Roses – guys coming from surrounding which was supposed to be more rocky. Are you the rocker in Duran Duran?  

John - Well I like all sorts of music.
I was spending a lot of time with Steve at that point in my life.
В 
Matt actually, the drummer Matt Sorrum he put the four of us together. We played at the fundraisers the four of us and we did a couple of songs. We just had a really good time you know, it was just so refreshing to play sort of three minute songs.
We played a lot of punk rock classics.
So it sort of turn to a regular thing.В 

We didn’t expect to get a record deal, that was not what is was about, but we got a record deal and we made an album.

You know I mean I wouldn’t ever just make music like that as I said I like all sort of music.
But it was a lot of fun - I got a lot of energy from it.

V.V. - You mentioned that you like different styles of music and you are actually coming to play in Sofia for a music festival, which is called Sofia Music Jam 2006В and there is another headliner and this is the famous guitarist Al Di Meola. Do you like his work?

John - I don’t really know him. I don’t stretch too far towards jazz.

V.V. - Do you guys still all of you live mainly in the UK?

John - Well I live in thРµ US. But most of them live in London.

V.V. - But you came out of Birmingham. So today something like almost 30 years later do you still support your local football club?В 

John - Well I suppose that if there is a Birmingham club playing if I am watching a game I always want the Birmingham club to win.
Like I say if I am watching a game and there is Birmingham club like Birmingham city or Aston Villa or West Bromich rr of it is a Midlands club - ill want them to win.

V.V. - You mentioned Roger Vadim film character you named the band after this character and then you did the main theme for the 9 1/2 weeks movie but the question here is which is your favourite movie of all times?

John - I mean I just watched the Godfather part 1 and 2 - that’s a petty amazing film and Apocalypse Now is pretty amazing and La Dolche Vita that comes to mind as well.
I don’t think I can name one but that’s three for you.

V.V. - Well talking about your live shows, today in 2006 and 2007 approaching is there anything in the technology process of your show that you are especially proud of?

John - Well Nick would probably tell you there is a lot of technology things but in an unusual and inevitable way…

I mean I don’t get to involved in that I just pluck those four strings and I am sweating and that is what I have always done. For me the process has not changed.

It is a very physical process and to me it is not about technology.
Live show is about the interactions between human beings - it is very much a human experience.

Rights: Tangra Mega Rock