All You Need Is Now!

In 1982, I began my journey with five fabulous chaps from England...aka Duran Duran. This new Fab Five took hold of my heart and forever changed not only me but my taste in music. I was not like most "Duranies" though. I wasn't one of these screaming, teenage fans. I was fascinated by these chaps. Simon Le Bon's lyrics had me mesmerized. Their videos excited my imagination. Whenever I ran across other fans that were silly or stupid, I actually considered it disrespectful to the band. How dare they act that way about my boys? While other girls had romantic fantasies about Simon or John, I simply wanted to go sit in some cafe' and have coffee with them. Truth be told, I still do. I'd love to talk photography and art with Nick.

On March 23, 1984, my little 17 year old dream came true. I got tickets to see them in concert. That day didn't start off so good, however. Back in January I had had some fairly serious medical issues and as a result I continued to suffer from bad headaches. My school knew this and I was allowed to take my medication for it should one pop up during the course of a school day. Sure enough, the day of the concert, in Biology class, I started to get a headache. I asked my teacher, which was actually one of the football coaches, if I could go take my medicine. When he refused to allow me to go to the water fountain to take my meds, I mumbled "God, you piss me off!" as I walked back to my desk.  Unfortunately, he heard me and sent me to the principal's office for "cursing." Normally I would have been mortified, but ironically, the only thing I was worried about was my mother not letting me go to the concert. My mom, being my mom, was more angry at the school than at me. So concert bound I was!!!
The concert was so much more than I had dreamed. I had a horrible seat way up in the nosebleed section. But I didn't care. I danced and sang along with my boys. And yes, I got annoyed by the 12 year olds screaming and panting. Again, disrespectful.

Fast forward to 2005. I'm a grown up now and over the course of the past 20 years I had been married (and divorced), had a child, and was generally living life. But I kept up with the boys. I bought some of their CDs over the years. Some of it I liked, some not so much. They had had some "personnel" changes. Andy and Roger had left, and come back. Simon and Nick had formed Arcadia (which I loved!), and John had formed Power Station (which I didn't much care for, but it was John). So when my then boyfriend gave me the new Astronaut CD for my birthday I was delightfully surprised. But I was even more thrilled when I opened my card and found 2 tickets to see my boys in concert later that summer. On August 3, 2005, I saw Duran Duran for the second time in my life. Could it be another dream come true? The 17 year old in me was ecstatic. I sang, I danced and I couldn't stop smiling. The boys looked great and sounded better than ever. Of course, the audience was much different. No 12 year olds (although a few people did bring their kids). We were all grown women now. But something about this group of chaps we loved as girls, still stirred up all those teenage thrills.

Since 2005, my life has taken some very different turns. The short list includes a move back to SC from living in Virginia for 12 years, the break up of a 5 year relationship (yes, the one that took me to the DD concert), my daughter being diagnosed with brain cancer at the age of 19, loss of career, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera.

On Monday, August 13, 2012, as I logged into Facebook for my morning fix, I was alerted that it was in fact a dear friend's birthday. This dear friend was one of the few people that appreciated Duran Duran the way I did. So, as my little "gift" to him, I found the video for "New Moon on Monday" and posted it on his Facebook wall along with my birthday greetings. This act would lead to an entire week of immersion into the world of Duran Duran. I couldn't get enough of them. Some how I stumbled upon DD's website and found out the boys were on tour and would be in Atlanta that coming Sunday (Aug. 19). I was so bummed. What I wouldn't give to see them again. In spite of the disappointment, I spent the week having a renaissance of sorts. My friend and I shared music, videos and interview clips. I thought it was enough but deep down, I was crushed that they were going to be so close and yet so out of reach. On that Friday night, my mom came home from work and said to me "I just hate that you can't go see them. How much are the tickets?" I logged onto TicketMaster and went through the little process of finding the ticket information. Lo and behold, the seat that came up was a truly fantastic seat. (I had been going through this little process all week and had always gotten a crappy seat.) When I showed it to my mom, all she said was "Go get my credit card." OMG!! I was going to see them!!! It didn't really sink in until the next day. I was really and truly going to be seeing Duran Duran for the third time in my life.

So, on Sunday, August 19, 2012, I made the 5 hour drive to Atlanta's Chastain Park. I was ready! I had my ticket, enough money to get a t-shirt, my camera and a rain poncho...just in case. I wasn't sure the camera was actually allowed but I brought it anyway. I never take chances. This time, there was no way I was going to leave without pictures. As fate would have it, as we were all waiting for the gates to open, the sky opened up and the rain came down. Anyone that knows me, knows that rain is one of my worst enemies. It can take my hair from fab to flat in 2 seconds and I was having a great hair day. I wanted to look good. But as the rain came down, I just didn't care. I was at a Duran Duran concert. Nothing was going to bring me down. I donned the rain poncho and carried on.

As the music started and the boys took the stage, the rain stopped. And in that instant, my 17 year old self resurfaced. She had a blast. She got the pictures she wanted. She sang. She danced. And when Simon gave the intro to "Ordinary World" explaining that this song was the band's gift to those going through difficult times, she cried. Each tear was my way of letting go of all the stress and hardship of the last few years. It was as if I was the only one standing there and Simon was talking to me and letting me know he understood. I will never listen to that song the same way ever again.

A lot of people in my life don't understand this love affair I have with Duran Duran. It isn't an infatuation. It's an admiration for a band that has brought me so much joy for 30 years. Those that scoffed at them in the 80's, are now singing their praises. Say what you will about Duran Duran, but they have stood the test of time. They are still relevant. And they are still bringing great music to the world and to generations, old and new.

I don't know if I will ever get to see them in concert again but I will always be a fan. And yes, I still want to simply sit in a cafe', drink coffee and have a nice chat with the boys. THAT would be the ultimate dream come true. But for today, all I need is now.