Transcript of Duran's section of CNN Talkback Live for October 16, 1997

ROOK: Duran Duran debuted in 1981, and they have certainly created a lot of memories for those of us who grew up with them. Yes, I grew up with them. I'm old. This year they are making a comeback for the younger set with a new latest album and a lot of young folks are sort of rediscovering their music and they're like -- Yo, hey, we've been here all along. So their current album is -- well, we're going to let them tell you all about it. We've got a bunch of questions here from folks in the audience so, ladies and gentlemen, let's welcome Simon LeBon...

SIMON LEBON: Hello.

ROOK: Hello. Oh, great outfit.

LEBON: Thank you very much. I like yours, too.

ROOK: Thank you. Well, it's -- you know -- not quite as lively. Warren Cuccurullo...

WARREN CUCCURULLO: Hi, Susan.

ROOK: ... plays guitar. Now, Simon, of course, founding member. Warren has been there -- only, what? Seven years? Six years?

CUCCURULLO: Eleven -- 11 years.

ROOK: Eleven years.

CUCCURULLO: Yes. We're all older.

ROOK: Yes. Yes, I know. Actually, I think we're all about the same age. Nick Rhodes is also joining us.

NICK RHODES: Hi.

ROOK: Keyboard and also vocals. Nick.

RHODES: Hi.

ROOK: Thanks for being here. First question from a guy named Spencer. He was really bummed he couldn't get into the show. So we said -- Hey, you can still ask a question. Go ahead.

SPENCER: Yes, I'd like to know what was the creativity for your music. What inspired you to write your lyrics?

LEBON: Well, I mean everyday experiences, life in general. I tried earlier on really to turn it, kind of tap into the subconscious, and I was trying to really find what was inside of me at that time. And as time went on, people said -- Simon, I can't really understand your lyrics at all, so I decided to try and make them a little bit more kind of direct and understandable. And now people are going -- Well, can't you start writing those kind of more obscure, vague lyrics because they're the ones that really excited us. So I just have a go at that.

ROOK: Brian is from Canada, and he's here in our audience, has something he wants to tell you guys. Go ahead.

BRIAN: Yes, I was just interested in what you guys have been doing since the '80s. Have you been touring? Have you been writing? And are you coming up to Canada?

RHODES: Yes, well, I mean we've constantly been working since the early albums in the '80s. This is our 11th studio album coming out now. It's called Medazzaland. We've been working on that for the last couple of years on and off, and we will be touring. Yes, we are going to Canada -- certainly, Toronto and Montreal I know are booked in for some time in the middle of November. We're going on a little tour that sort of takes us through until almost Christmastime in America.

ROOK: Sorry, I missed the last part of your comment. Can you repeat that?

RHODES: I said -- yes, we'll definitely be going to Canada on this tour. We'll be going to Toronto and Montreal and the tour goes through the United States up until Christmastime this year.

ROOK: Will Atlanta be one of the places?

RHODES: I hope so. We haven't got the full routing yet. But if it's not this time, then perhaps next year.

ROOK: OK. And speaking of touring and where you're going to be playing, we've got a question from somebody on the Internet -- Andrew, and he says, "Will you be playing smaller venues in smaller cities?" Who wants to answer that?

CUCCURULLO: Andrew? Yes, Andrew, I got that. This is Warren. We're going to be doing major markets -- about 15 cities around the U.S. Basically it's going to be ballroom type or if it's smaller theaters, 2,000 or 3,000-seat places. Hopefully, in the springtime, we'll come back and do some of the sheds in the U.S.

ROOK: OK. Cara's on the phone...

RHODES: What kinds of sheds?

ROOK: What? What did you say?

RHODES: I said -- yes, we're going to be doing a tour of garden sheds. For the people who want the really intimate show.

ROOK: Well, there you go. So I mean, Brian, you know, maybe -- listen, anything is possible in this world. And perhaps, you know, do you have a garden shed? You could get one, though, right? OK. He's going to go get one. Cara's joining us on the phone from Pennsylvania. Hey, Cara.

CARA FROM PENNSYLVANIA: Hello.

ROOK: Hi.

CARA: Hi, Duran Duran. How are you? I'm a large fan. I've been a fan of yours for many years. My question is do you keep in touch with any of the former members of the band? And is it true that your original bass player was Howard Stern?

(LAUGHTER)

LEBON: Well, it's completely and utterly true that the original bass player was Howard Stern. We kicked him out because he wasn't funny enough.

ROOK: Oh, you go.

(LAUGHTER)

LEBON: Yes, he's gone a bit safe, you know. John Taylor, who was also a bass player for Duran Duran, he left the group in January. He's a really good friend of mine and Nick and Warren. We stayed in contact. And I stayed in contact with Andy and Roger. They're good guys, you know. In a business like this, you become really good friends, and it's good to hang on to each other, even if you're not working together. You know, we can still be friends.

ROOK: James here has a question he'd like to ask you. James, by the way, I hear that you folks are fans of Talkback Live, so you may have seen James before. He's always here and we appreciate his input. Go ahead, James.

JAMES: Yes, I would just like to know whether you are inspired by the Beatles, you know.

RHODES: Oh, yes. Yes, absolutely. I mean, I think most people making music now were inspired in some way by the Beatles. I mean, they really were the first to do a lot of things, and they wrote so many great songs -- and a lot of other acts, too. I mean, certainly we grew up through the '70s with the glamrock people in England, which was people like David Bowie, and T-Rex and the Rolling Stones were still happening then. They've all rubbed a little bit off on us.

ROOK: I want to share with you a fax from Charlotte in Indiana. Not really a question -- kind of a comment to you guys. "I've been a fan for 14 years. I really hope that you guys get to play in our area. I live in Indiana. I have a Japanese import of "Electric Barbarella" and would really like to get your album Carnival. I enjoy the music, sounds that you guys put out, so tell us a little bit about your new one."

LEBON: OK, well, we've got -- hello, can you hear me? You can. Indeed.

ROOK: Yes.

LEBON: We have a new album out now. It's called Medazzaland. It's a traditional Duran Duran album in that there are songs on it and with tunes, and there's rhythm and you can dance to it. We've got happy songs. We've got party songs. We've got something about the darker side of human nature, too, really.

ROOK: Got it. We've got to take a break. More with Duran Duran after this.

(APPLAUSE) - (COMMERCIAL BREAK) - (MUSIC -- DURAN DURAN) - (APPLAUSE)

ROOK: OK. We're just kind of rocking out of here. Joe has a question for you guys. Go ahead, Joe.

JOE: Well, I'd like to tie this into our earlier topic a little bit. I don't know whether Duran Duran was listening but I would like to know, in view of the kind of lyrics that I hear in rock music, if this group in particular gives any thought to how that might affect teenagers and how it might affect those who listen. Or do they just use their own feelings?

ROOK: OK.

LEBON: Hi there. We didn't actually hear the conversation you had earlier. But it's a very interesting subject, I think. I think teenagers are affected by lyrics, but then again, music has always been a medium for people to come out with radical ideas on what they feel, you know, in their hearts of hearts sometimes. Now, I think when people put on an act and promote violence -- then I think that's a really bad thing. But I think there's a lot of insurrection and subversion, which is actually quite healthy when it comes out in music.

CUCCURULLO: But music, you know, is a comment on -- when you write a song, it's a commentary on what goes on around you in your life. And if there's an artist whose life was surrounded by violence, then he has the right to, you know, speak about that through his music.

ROOK: OK. Final question from Aaron. A quick question Aaron.

AARON: OK. I myself am trying to get into the music business, and I'm wondering what advice would you have for somebody who is trying to get into this business.

ROOK: Short advice -- got to be 10 seconds.

RHODES: Right, well, keep the faith. And believe in what you're doing. It's all about songs. It's about writing things that are very honest, and doing something that's important for you.

ROOK: Honesty and believing in what you do. We'll leave it at that. Thank you, guys, for being with us.