Timeline:1997

DDW: the united memory of all the fans

The Duran Duran Timeline
<< 1996	1997	1998 >>

Date	Event
Jan ?	John Taylor: DuranCon, Roosevelt Hotel, Santa Monica, CA, USA. After a solo acoustic set at the DuranCon fan convention, (hosted by the Duran Duran Yearbook fanzine), John announces that he is leaving Duran Duran; bootlegged.
?	Spurred by John's departure, Nick, Simon and Warren write several new songs for Medazzaland and revamp some of the old ones; Warren plays bass and guitar on most tracks.
?	John's vocals on the Duran song "Butt Naked" are scrapped, and it's rewritten and re-recorded to become "Be My Icon"; his bass tracks remain only on "Medazzaland", "Big Bang Generation", "So Long Suicide" and "Midnight Sun".
Jan	Duran sends some of the Medazzaland tracks ("P.L. You", "Sinner or Saint", and a few others) to Anthony J. Resta and Bob St. John in Boston for mixing.
Jan	Poorly encoded Dolby SR impedes the proper mixing of the Medazzaland tracks, and nearly gets Anthony and Bob fired.
?	"So Long Suicide" is sent to David Richards in Switzerland for mixing.
?	Anthony J. Resta sends a new mix of the long version of "Midnight Sun" to Duran, convincing them to bring Anthony and Bob back to London to do some production and programming.
Jan	Duran approaches Philip Noyce to offer songs for his movie The Saint, the premiere of which is scheduled near the proposed Medazzaland release date; Noyce selects "Out of My Mind".
Jan 24	Simon records final vocal for "Big Bang Generation".
Jan-Feb	Anthony J. Resta and Bob St. John come to London to do programming and post-production on the album; Anthony recuts most of the drums but blends in loops of Steve Alexander's drums on some tracks.
?	John and Amanda's divorce is finalised.
Feb 9-14	"Out of My Mind" video is filmed in a castle near Prague with director Dean Karr.
Feb 20	"Out of My Mind" snippet released to fans over the Internet.
Feb 21	Duran reports on their hotline that they have completed "Be My Icon", "Silva Halo", and "Buried in the Sand", and are just adding vocals to "Electric Barbarella"; at this point they do not plan to tour.
?	Just before delivering the album to the record company, Warren decides to re-record the rhythm tracks for "Midnight Sun", removing John's work from the track and utilizing some of Anthony's remix.
?	Simon sits up all night drinking Stoli martinis with Anthony J. Resta, listening to the final mixes over and over.
Feb	Anthony J. Resta and Bob St. John add drums and sounde effects, and mix the last tracks for TV Mania's Bored With Prozac and the Internet.
Mar 18	John's EP Autodidact released through the B5 website; the CD includes the video for "Feelings Are Good" from the previous solo album.
Mar 25	Nick interviewed on Atlanta 99X radio.
Mar 25	The Saint soundtrack released on Virgin Records, including "Out of My Mind".
Mar 27	"Out of My Mind" released as radio single in US.
Mar 28	Simon appears on the Flashback Lunch show on Live 105 radio (San Francisco, CA); answers callers' questions, plays flashback songs and Saber mix of "Out of My Mind".
Mar 28	Simon interviewed on KLLC radio (San Francisco, CA).
Mar 28	Simon interviewed on KOME radio (San Francisco, CA).
Mar 29	The Saint special premieres on VH1, including first showing of the "Out of My Mind" video.
Mar 31	Duran does on online chat at Sonicnet; they assure fans John's departure was amicable; give away autograph soundtrack CD's.
Mar 31	Duran does Rough Cut internet chat.
Mar 31	Nick and Simon interviewed on the Kevin and Bean morning show on KROQ radio (Los Angeles, CA).
Apr 1	Simon and Warren appear on Star 98.7 radio (Los Angeles, CA); perform acoustic "Out Of My Mind" and "Michael You've Got A Lot To Answer For" live.
Apr 1	Simon and Warren appear on Loveline radio show on KROQ; play "Out of My Mind" and "Silva Halo" on air.
Apr 2	Nick interviewed by phone on Y-100 radio (Philadelphia, PA).
Apr 2	Duran on Star 98.7 radio (Los Angeles, CA).
Apr 2	Duran on Y-107 radio (Los Angeles, CA).
Apr 2	Duran on CNN Showbiz Today.
Apr 3	Simon and Nick interviewed on Rick Dees morning show, KIIS radio (Los Angeles, CA).
Apr 3	Duran attends Los Angeles premiere of The Saint.
Apr 18	Simon and Yasmin attend the UK premiere of The Saint.
Apr 25	John Taylor: Quattro Cani, Cologne, Germany. Record release party for Autodidact; John performs a song from Mary Poppins!.
May ?	SYN Productions issues the compilation SYN Songs Sampler in Japan; includes Simon's songs "Grey Lady Of The Sea" and "Already Gone" (demo).
May ?	Roger Taylor forms the band Freebass in Birmingham with Mark Anthony of Fuzzbox.
May 12	"Out of My Mind" single released in UK (CD single includes "Sinner or Saint").
May 24	"Out of My Mind" peaks at #21 in UK.
May 20	Warren's Machine Language album released on Japanese label Bandai.
May	"Electric Barbarella" video filmed at Black Island Studios, London with director Ellen von Unwerth; during the filming, Simon, Nick and Warren come up with the beginnings of "Someone Else, Not Me" and Nick asks the cameraman to film them so they'll have a tape to work with.
?	Freebass performs a few live dates in Birmingham.
Jun 6	John attends MTV Movie Awards.
Jun ?	ZTVideo Network (formerly ZTV) public access show renamed FUZ.TV and relocated from Reno to Boston ZTV website.
Jun 17	RealAudio clips of John's work first appear on B5 website.
Jun 19	Filming completed for "Electric Barbarella" video.
Jun 26	John performs sound check for the Abifete in the pouring rain, but it stops after he plays "Hold Back the Rain".
Jun 26	John Taylor and others: Radio Antenne Bayerne, Abifete, Stuttgart, Germany. John performs his first real, electrified solo show with guitarist Gerry Laffy; he is so nervous he begins the first song badly out of key and has to start over; plays "Feelings Are Good", "My Own Way", "2:03", "Look Homeward Angel", "Losing You", "Save A Prayer", "Planet Earth", and "Hold Back the Rain".
Jul 22	John does an online chat on America Online.
Jul 23	John does an online chat on Prodigy
Jul ?	Freebass records the single "Love Is Like Oxygen" (a Sweet song) and several other tracks.
Aug 5	A terrible lounge/jazz cover of "Hungry Like The Wolf" appears on Just Lounging Around by Bambi & The Boys, on Hot Productions.
Aug ?	John does an online chat on SonicNet.
Aug 17	John hosts an episode of VH-1's Then and Now, and performs a small snippet of "Save A Prayer".
Aug 26	"Hungry Like The Wolf" appears on Arista compilation Ultimate New Wave Party 1998
Aug	The Power Station album Living In Fear is finally released in US.
Sep ?	Dream Home Heartaches....Remaking/Remodeling Roxy Music released through the B5 website.
	The POWER STATION LIVING IN FEAR Tour With bassist Manny Yanes and second guitarist Luke Morley of Thunder
Sep 4	The Power Station: Clutch Cargo, Detroit, MI, USA.
Sep 4	John Taylor: afternoon, The Record Runner, New York, NY, USA. a planned acoustic performance following a record signing for Autodidact and Dream Home Heartaches....Remaking/Remodeling Roxy Music at the tiny store turns into an impromptu sidewalk concert when John and Gerry take their chairs outside.
Sep 4	John Taylor: evening, CMJ Music Festival, The Fort, New York, NY, USA (with Lach) free show; Melanie Friedman from Three Alarm Fire joins John onstage to perform Lou Reed's "Pale Blue Eyes".
Sep 5	The Power Station: The House of Blues, Chicago, IL, USA.
Sep 5	John Taylor: 217 Lounge, Santa Monica, CA, USA. free show; scheduled to be simulcast on the Rocktropolis website, but instead was taped for a later cybercast.
Sep 6	The Power Station: First Avenue, Minneapolis, MN, USA.
Sep 8	The Power Station: Mississippi Nights, St. Louis, MO, USA.
Sep 9	"Electric Barbarella" single available for download in Liquid Audio format from the Capitol Records website for 99¢.
Sep 10	The Power Station: Ogden Theatre, Denver, CO, USA.
Sep 12	The Power Station: The Fillmore, San Francisco, CA, USA'
Sep 13	The Power Station: Station Casino, Las Vegas, NV, USA.
Sep 14	The Power Station: The House of Blues, Hollywood, CA, USA.
Sep 15	The Power Station: 4th and B, San Diego, CA, USA.
Sep 16	"Electric Barbarella" single released to stores in numerous formats and with numerous remixes {CD singles include "Sinner or Saint", "Out of My Mind" (Perfecto Mix) and the "Electric Barbarella" (video in Quicktime format).
Sep 18	The Power Station: Sundance Square, Fort Worth, TX, USA.
Sep 19	Warren and his parents visit his father's birthplace in Italy, Nocera Inferiore; Warren is honored for his accomplishments in music.
Sep 19	The Power Station: Chili Pepper, Fort Lauderdale, FL, USA.
Sep 20	The Power Station: Embassy, Orlando, FL, USA.
Sep 22	The Power Station: The House of Blues, New Orleans, LA, USA (no opening act).
Sep 23	An Internet-only remix of the "Electric Barbarella" single available for download from Capitol Records for $1.99; purchasers also receive the URL of a 'hidden' website with the Electric Barbarella video.
Sep 23	The Power Station: Masquerade, Atlanta, GA, USA.
Sep 25	John does an online chat on the Rocktropolis website just before a cybercast of the September 5th show.
Sep 25	The Power Station: 9:30 Club, Washington, DC, USA.
Sep 26	The Power Station: Electric Factory, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
Sep 27	The Power Station: Avalon, Boston, MA, USA.
Sep 28	The Power Station: Supper Club, New York, NY, USA.
Oct 7	The Duran Duran Tribute Album released on Mojo Records; includes covers of Duran songs by a range of punk and ska bands.
Oct 10	Duran chats live on AOL.
Oct 10	Duran appears on UPN's Vibe TV.
Oct 10	Duran performs "Electric Barbarella" on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.
Oct 10	Simon and Warren appear on Loveline radio show on KROQ (Los Angeles, CA).
Oct 12	Duran Duran and others: The Duran Duran Tribute Show, Tower Records parking lot, Hollywood, CA
Oct 14	Medazzaland album released in North America.
Oct 14	Medazzaland album released in Japan; includes bonus track "Ball and Chain".
Oct 14	Duran appears and performs "Electric Barbarella" on the Rosie O'Donnell show.
Oct 15	Signing at Virgin Megastore in Times Square.
Oct15	Simon and Warren do interviews on Z-100 radio.
Oct	Virgin Megastores (in the US at least) give away an extra Medazzaland CD booklet signed by Nick, Simon and Warren with purchase of the album.
Oct 16	Duran appears on CNN's Talk Back Live, with a topic of "teen violence".
Oct 18	Simon appears on Fox Network News.
Oct 19	Nick, Warren and Simon appear on Modern Rock Live radio show; take fans' questions, perform "Who Do You Think You Are?", "Ordinary World" and "Undergoing Treatment" live.
Oct 21	Medazzaland album peaks at #58 in US.
Oct 24	Duran discusses style on MTV's Week In Rock.
Oct 28	Medazzaland album peaks at #19 in Canada
Nov 1	"Electric Barbarella" peaks at #52 in the US.
Nov 1	Andy begins performing (through January 15) with the British Rock All-Stars (Andy, Robert Hart, Rick Willis, Dave Colwell)
Nov 6	Duran Duran: The Whitney Museum, New York, NY, USA. Andy Warhol charity benefit dinner show - $2,500 a plate
Nov	Purchasers of the November issue of UK Rolling Stone receive a free CD which includes "Undergoing Treatment".
Nov ?	Freebass single "Love Is Like Oxygen" released to radio.
Nov ?	Freebass single "Love Is Like Oxygen" is pressed; a CD single includes "Softunderfoot" and two remixes of the single; a planned November retail release is delayed due to lack of radio airplay.
	The ULTRA CHROME, LATEX AND STEEL Tour With bassist Wes Wehmiller and drummer Steve Alexander; pre-show music includes "Mirror Mirror" by TV Mania; Nick is ill through much of November; Madeleine Farley reportedly films all shows on this tour for Nick's benefit.
Nov 12	Duran Duran: Mohegan Sun Theatre, Uncasville, CT, USA. warm-up show; bootlegged;
Nov 13	Duran Duran: The Orpheum, Boston, MA, USA (with Al's Not Well) bootlegged; with guest Dale Bozzio
Nov 15	Duran Duran: Metropolis, Montreal, Quebec, Canada. postponed due to Nick's illness
Nov 16	Duran Duran: Warehouse, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. postponed due to Nick's illness
Nov 17	Duran Duran: FX Clothing Store, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, promo party
Nov 18	Duran Duran: The Electric Factory, Philadelphia, PA, USA (with Al's Not Well) simulcast on the web; bootlegged; last public performance of "Michael You've Got A Lot To Answer For"
Nov 19	Duran appears on MTV live.
Nov 19	Duran appears at a record signing at Virgin Megastores in Times Square.
Nov 19	Duran Duran: Roseland Ballroom, New York, NY, USA (with Al's Not Well).
Nov 20	Duran Duran: Asbury Park Convention Hall, Asbury Park, NJ, USA. cancelled due to Nick's illness
Nov 22	Simon's friend Michael Hutchence (of INXS) is found hanged in a hotel room in Sydney, Australia.
Nov 22	Duran Duran: Lakewood Civic Auditorium, Lakewood (Cleveland), OH, USA (with Al's Not Well) Simon is in tears through part of this show over Michael Hutchence's death; the show takes place in a high school auditorium; bootlegged'
Nov 24	Duran Duran: State Theatre, Detroit, MI, USA (with Al's Not Well)
Nov 26	Duran Duran: Sunrise Music Theatre, Fort Lauderdale, FL, USA (with Al's Not Well)
Nov 27	Duran Duran: Pleasure Island, Disney World, Orlando, FL, USA Taped for possible Disney broadcast; bootlegged on Pleasure Island
Nov 28	Duran Duran: Tampa Performing Arts Center, Tampa, FL, USA (with Al's Not Well)
Nov	Capitol wants "Who Do You Think You Are?" for the next single from Medazzaland.
Nov 29	Duran Duran: Anfiteatro Luis Muñoz Marín (LMM Amphitheatre), San Juan, Puerto Rico (no opening act) performed without standard lighting rig and sets
Dec 1	Duran Duran: State Palace Theatre, New Orleans, LA, USA (with Al's Not Well)
Dec 2	Duran Duran: Bayou City Theatre, Houston, TX, USA (with Al's Not Well)
Dec 4	Simon Le Bon: Manchester Cathedral, Manchester, England Simon performs "Ordinary World" and "Winter Marches On" with a full choir as Yasmin leads the lighting of a thousand candles at a charity event for Henshaw's Society for the Blind.
Dec 5	Warren's father passes away .
Dec 5	Duran Duran: Event Center Arena, San Jose State University, San Jose, CA, USA (with Al's Not Well)
Dec 6	Simon, suffering from strep throat, receives penicillin injections.
Dec 6	Duran Duran: Memorial Auditorium, Sacramento, CA, USA (with Al's Not Well)
Dec 8	Duran Duran: Spreckles [or 4th & B?], San Diego, CA, USA (with Al's Not Well)
Dec 9	Duran Duran: Universal Amphitheatre, Los Angeles, CA, USA (with Al's Not Well)
Dec 10	Duran Duran: The Joint, Hard Rock Hotel, Las Vegas, NV, USA (with Al's Not Well)
Dec 11	Duran Duran and others : Q101 "Twisted Christmas", United Center Arena, Chicago, IL, USA (with The Cure, 311, Sarah McLachlan, Bjork, Everclear, Sugar Ray)
Dec 13	Duran Duran: VH1 Ultimate Holiday Office Party, Comiskey Park, Chicago, IL, USA (no opening act) Private concert for VH1 contest winner Kathy Mash (who works for the White Sox) and fifty friends
Dec 15	The release of Freebass single "Love Is Like Oxygen" is pushed back to January; a video is planned.
Dec 15	Duran Duran: Warehouse, Toronto, Ontario, Canada rescheduled from November
Dec 16	Duran Duran: Metropolis, Montreal, Quebec, Canada. rescheduled from November; set list includes Arcadia's "The Flame"
Dec 17	VH-1 airs highlights of the Ultimate Office Party.
Dec ?	Decade: Video re-issued in Denmark (at least) with four videos added: "Serious", "Violence of Summer", "Ordinary World" and "Come Undone"
Dec ?	Duran appears as the musical guest on Comedy Central's Viva Variety TV show.
Dec ?	Syn Pro studios chosen to score the movie Love Kills .
Dec ?	Capitol elects not to release a second single from Medazzaland, and pushes back the European release of "Electric Barbarella" and "Medazzaland" indefinitely.
Dec 24	Duran appears on the radio morning show on Star94 in Atlanta.
Dec 27	Duran appears on the RuPaul show.

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