There was a moment, half a lifetime ago, when Michael Jackson was the biggest pop star on the planet, and Duran Duran was the No. 1 band.
There was an even briefer moment when the two superstars acts nearly came together.
On Monday night (Aug. 2), the veteran British pop-rock outfit stopped by What Happens Live With Andy Cohen for a trip down memory lane, a look to the future and to shine a light on some war stories.
Founding keyboardist Nick Rhodes confirmed that the King of Pop once reached out with an offer to work together.
The band, Rhodes recounted, was flying high at the time with their monster 1984 hit “The Reflex” when Jackson came calling. Nick passed on the thrilling news with his bandmates. “I go to everyone, ‘hey Michael Jackson called last night. Do you fancy maybe doing a song with him?,” he said. “And they all went, ‘nah.’”
Rhodes and his bandmates Simon Le Bon, John Taylor and Roger Taylor also answered a round of scattergun questions.
Among them, “Rio” is drummer Roger’s favorite song to rock out to. And would DD care to be the subject of a biopic, something along the lines of Rocketman or Bohemian Rhapsody?
“Well, it’s very flattering idea isn’t it,” Le Bon explained. “I think every band would like to have a biopic made out of them.” He then casually pitched the idea of Brad Pitt playing the frontman.
In a game of “Dish in the Dark,” JT was outed by his bandmates for joining the mile high club and for trashing a hotel room, while Simon apparently killed the most time on his hair.
This year marks the 40th anniversary of Duran Duran’s first, self-titled album. For these lads, it’s not all about the past. Duran Duran will drop their 15th studio album, Future Past (via BMG), on Oct. 22.
The lead song from it is “Invisible,” which features Blur’s Graham Coxon on guitar, and got its debut TV performance at the 2021 Billboard Music Awards as part of a three-song medley.
Guest producers on the set include Erol Alkan, Giorgio Moroder and Mark Ronson, who worked with the group on their 2010 set All You Need Is Now. Expect to hear collaborations with David Bowie’s former pianist Mike Garson, a duet with Lykke Li.
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