Wild Boy
My Life in Duran Duran
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4.4 • 95 Ratings
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- $12.99
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- $12.99
Publisher Description
Wild Boy is the explosive first inside account of the rise and fall of Duran Duran. The band rose to conquer the globe with a string of unforgettable hits such as "Rio," "Hungry Like the Wolf," and "The Reflex." With Simon Le Bon as their frontman, they were the defining pop act of the 1980s, but Andy Taylor, the enigmatic lead guitarist, is widely acknowledged to have been their musical driving force.
Then, at the very height of their achievement in 1985, Duran Duran imploded. Now Andy shares the story of what went wrong. With searing honesty, he charts every moment of Duran Duran's roller-coaster rise from their early days as club musicians through to international superstardom. He captures the glamour and excitement of the band's epic video shoots and the opulence of their world tours.
He reveals the truth about the allegations of drug abuse and wild hedonism that dogged Duran Duran. Packed with more than twenty-five years worth of rock 'n' roll anecdotes, Andy tells of his time in the band The Power Station, and explains why Duran Duran reformed with its original line-up in 2003.
But Wild Boy is also a moving story on a human level, as Andy describes how the pressures of fame took a terrible personal toll on him and his family. Moving from hilarious to harrowing at the turn of a page, Wild Boy is a must-read for anyone who lived through the 1980s, or who cares about music.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In this sincere though slight autobiography, Taylor, guitarist for the 1980s pop band Duran Duran, delivers an extended backstage look at the band's rise and fall. He includes an album-by-album look at how the band, which combined glam fashion and keyboard-driven synthpop with outrageous (and expensive) videos featuring exotic locales such as Sri Lanka, became synonymous with early MTV. Taylor discusses sometimes underplays the band's outrageous drug and alcohol habits much of which was better covered in MTV's 1999 Behind The Music segment. He is clearly aware that the band's "materialistic image" was a key part of London's transformation in the 1980s into a city where "it was a dominant part of popular culture to aspire to be successful." The frustrating part is that his attempts to put Duran Duran into a wider musical perspective are far too infrequent, and his own story can't quite carry the narrative.
Customer Reviews
Wild Boys Is A Must Read
..for those of us who grew up with this band in the 80's. An interesting inside look at the fab 5! So much goes on behind the scenes that we, the fans, generally do not hear about. Thanks to Andy for the insight and honesty!
Very Good Book
I was excited to read this book as I had just read John Taylor’s autobiography. I always find it interesting to read, autobiographies by musicians of the same band to get their different perspectives on what went on. The best points of Andy’s book are that he is brutally honest and very detailed about everything that went on in the band Duran Duran. He literally does not hold back, which is what I as a reader really want to know. The only drawbacks of this book is Andy tends to be a little embittered by the fact that he is no longer in the band, his writing style is a bit rough and he tends to repeat himself a bit. Having said that I really did enjoy this book. He definitely told some things that John Taylor omitted and he went into greater detail on other aspects of the band. And he also has some really funny stories about Robert Palmer, Rod Stewart, the Rolling Stones and many other famous celebrities. This book is definitely worth a read
Fascinating
A very compelling insider's story into the greatest band of the 80s. It's also fun to read about the experiences in context with historical elements as well. In addition to the story behind DD, you also get to know about many of the other giants in music from a personal point of view: Robert Palmer, Tony Thompson, Rod Stewart, even Mötley Crüe makes a brief appearance. Andy doesn't pull any punches with his former band mates but he is fair as well as self critical as well. If you're a fan of DD you will smile as you reminisce about the songs, albums, videos as they were made. Make sure you listen to your DD/Power Station playlist while reading, it really enhances the experience.