| Jan
? |
Fashion:
Aston University, Birmingham, England (with
Duran Duran)
|
|
| Jan |
Duran
brings their demo tapes to Paul & Michael
Berrow at the Rum Runner, who hit it off very
quickly with John and Nick |
|
| Jan |
Paul
& Michael agree to give the band rehearsal
space at the Rum Runner, and book them for a
few gigs |
|
| Jan |
John
hires on to do menial labor (polishing mirrors,
etc.) at the Rum Runner; Nick deejays for £10
a night |
|
| Jan |
Warren
forms Missing Persons with Dale and Terry
Bozzio, later joined by Patrick O'Hearn and
Chuck Wild |
|
| spring |
Alan
Curtis doesn't like either of the Berrows, and
Jeff Thomas never does get along with Paul,
so Alan and Jeff leave the band |
|
| Mar
25 |
Duran
Duran: The Holy City Zoo, Birmingham,
England
|
 |
| |
Andy
returns from a European tour |
|
| Apr
24 |
Band
advertises in the Melody Maker music
magazine for a "Live-Wire Guitarist" |
|
| |
Andy
answers the ad, then sells some of his belongings
for a train ticket to Birmingham for the audition
|
|
| May
2 |
Andy
impresses John with his guitar chops and Nick
with his professional experience; he's told
the singer's "on holiday" and is adopted
into the band |
|
| May |
Andy
begins polishing mirrors, painting and cooking
burgers at the Rum Runner for cash; he floats
among friends' couches and beds as he gets established
in Birmingham |
|
| |
Roger
works in a factory to make ends meet |
|
| |
The
Berrows buy new keyboards for Nick, and a new
bass for John |
|
| |
Another
singer, Oliver Guy Watts, works with the band
for less than two weeks |
|
| |
Fiona
Kemp, now a barmaid at the Rum Runner, recommends
band to Simon, and vice versa |
|
| |
Simon
phones Michael Berrow, who arranges an audition
with the band |
|
| May
11 |
Simon
wears pink leopardskin trousers to his audition;
he and the rest of the guys discuss favorite
bands, play 'Girls on Film', discover that Simon's
poem 'Sound of Thunder' fits "virtually
perfectly" on top of a song framework already
on tape, and they agree to try each other out
for the summer |
|
| May |
Band
prints tickets for first show with Simon and
Andy, for six weeks hence |
|
| Jun |
Simon
writes final lyric to 'Tel Aviv' (later stripped
down to an instrumental) and 'Underneath the
Clocktower' (never recorded) |
|
| Jun |
Duran
Duran signs official management contract
with Paul & Michael |
|
| Jun |
The Berrows and the band form the Tritec Music
company; it uses the Rum Runner office upstairs
from the club as its official address |
|
| |
John
and Nick sit in the Rum Runner and lay out
their plan for world domination:
- Hammersmith
Odeon by '82 (They first play there
July 9, 1982)
- Wembley
Arena by '83 (They play five nights,
December 18-23, 1983)
- Madison
Square Garden by '84 (They play two
sold out dates, March 19 & 21, 1984)
|
|
| Jul
5 |
Duran
Duran: Edinburgh Summer Festival, Edinburgh,
Scotland
According to some published
sources, this was the first show with the
classic lineup, but John Taylor says the band
never played this festival
|
 |
| ~
Jul 9 |
Duran
Duran: The Rum Runner, Birmingham, England
The first show with the
classic lineup, per JT
|
|
| Jul
16 |
Duran
Duran: The Rum Runner, Birmingham, England
|
|
| Jul
19 |
Duran
Duran: Cedar Ballroom, Birmingham, England
|
|
| Jul
22 |
Duran
Duran: The Holy City Zoo, Birmingham,
England
|
|
| Aug
6 |
Duran
Duran: The Rum Runner, Birmingham, England
|
|
| Aug
27 |
'New
Religion' written |
|
| Sep
16 |
Duran
Duran: Hosteria One, Birmingham, England
|
|
| Oct
3 |
Duran
Duran: Aston University, Birmingham, England
|
|
| Oct
4 |
Duran
Duran: Cedar Ballroom, Birmingham, England
|
|
| Oct
9 |
Duran
Duran: Lyceum Auditorium, London, England
(opening for Invisible Girls)
|
|
| Oct
22 |
Duran
Duran: The Holy City Zoo, Birmingham,
England
with Mike Berrow on sax
|
|
| Oct
24 |
Duran
Duran: Cedar Ballroom, Birmingham, England
|
|
| |
Duran
records 'Girls on Film' and 'Tel Aviv' (with
lyrics) at the 24-track AIR Studios in London
while Japan are recording 'Gentlemen
Take Polaroids' down the hall; Michael Berrow
plays sax on the recording |
|
| |
Journalist
Betty Page of Sounds magazine writes
the first article about the band, labeling them
as part of the embryonic New Romantic movement
involving Spandau Ballet and others |
|
| Nov
9 |
Duran
Duran: Marquee Club, London, England
|
|
| Nov |
Simon
decides to stay with the band, drops out of
university |
|
| |
Band
records 'Planet Earth' and 'Is There Anyone
Out There' |
|
| |
Duran
plans to release a 45 with 'Planet Earth' and
'Is There Anyone Out There' on their own Tritec
Music label; they print 5,000 labels with a
new Duran Duran logo designed by John Warwicker;
Nick now owns the only copy of this record,
pressed on acetate |
|
| |
Michael
mortgages his house for £15,000 to finance a
support tour with Hazel O'Connor |
|
| |
THE
HAZEL O'CONNOR AND MEGAHYPE TOUR
The band lives in a
camping bus and earns £10 a week
|
|
| Nov
14 |
Hazel
O'Connor: Ulster Hall, Belfast, North
Ireland (with Duran Duran)
|
|
| Nov
16 |
Hazel
O'Connor: Dublin Grand Cinema, Dublin,
Ireland (with Duran Duran)
|
|
| Nov
18 |
Hazel
O'Connor: Top Rank, Cardiff, Wales (with
Duran Duran)
|
|
| Nov
19 |
Hazel
O'Connor: Apollo, Manchester, England
(with Duran Duran)
|
|
| Nov
21 |
Hazel
O'Connor: Sheffield University, Sheffield,
England (with Duran Duran)
|
|
| Nov
22 |
Hazel
O'Connor: Lancaster University, London,
England (with Duran Duran)
|
|
| Nov
23 |
Hazel
O'Connor: Colston Hall, Bristol, England
(with Duran Duran)
|
|
| Nov
26 |
Hazel
O'Connor: Top Rank, Brighton, England
(with Duran Duran)
|
|
| Nov
27 |
Hazel
O'Connor: Odeon, Birmingham , England
(with Duran Duran)
|
|
| Nov
28 |
Hazel
O'Connor: Liverpool University, Liverpool,
England (with Duran Duran)
|
|
| Nov
29 |
Hazel
O'Connor: Odeon, Edinburgh, Scotland (with
Duran Duran)
|
|
| Dec
1 |
Hazel
O'Connor: City Hall, Newcastle, England
(with Duran Duran)
|
|
| Dec
2 |
Hazel
O'Connor: De Montfort Hall, Leicester,
England (with Duran Duran)
|
|
| Dec
3 |
Hazel
O'Connor: Leeds University, Leeds, England
(with Duran Duran)
|
|
| Dec
4 |
Hazel
O'Connor: University of East Anglia, Norwich,
England (with Duran Duran)
|
|
| |
During
the Hazel O'Connor tour, a bidding war
erupts between three record companies to sign
Duran Duran; eventually it comes down to EMI
and Phonogram [or was it Polygram? or Polydor?] |
|
| |
"Phonogram
offered us a better deal, but we were patriotic,
we thought 'EMI, English company, the Beatles...'
We got appallingly ripped off." -- Nick
Rhodes |
|
| |
A&R
man Dave Ambrose from EMI signs Duran Duran;
the band retains creative control over music,
videos, album covers, etc. The band earns
an advance of £42,000 for album, tour, and video
production, and a retainer of £50 each per week. |
|
| |
Perry
Haines (who co-founded British style magazine
I-D, and coined the term "new romantic")
takes charge of the band's image |
|
| Dec
8 |
Duran
Duran: Marquee Club, London, England
first headlining show;
standing in for The Associates
|
|
| Dec
12 |
Duran
Duran: The Venue, London, England
This gig is sponsored by
Rusty Egan, former Rich Kids drummer,
now a popular London DJ
|
|
| Dec
14 |
Duran
Duran: Bow Wow Wow party, [venue?], London,
England
Another Rusty Egan gig
|
|
| Dec |
Band
begins recording the 'Duran Duran' album at
Red Bus Studios, London with producer Colin
Thurston; lays down 'Planet Earth' and 'Careless
Memories'; other tracks completed at Abbey Road,
Utopia and Chipping Norton studios |
|
| |
"I
remember two things about recording 'Planet
Earth'. Staying in a horrible hotel in Fulham
where I got very sick, and John Lennon dying."
-- John Taylor |
|
| |
Duran
meets director Russell Mulcahy and Gerry Laffy
(then acting as Russell's assistant); Andy asks
"what the hell is the guitar player from
Girl doing here?", and John and
Gerry become great friends |
|
| ? |
Video
for 'Planet Earth' shot at St. Johns Wood with
Russell |
|
| ? |
Video
for 'Careless Memories' shot in Soho, directed
by Perry Haines and Terry Jones |
|
