Timeline:1978
DDW: the united memory of all the fans
| The Duran Duran Timeline | ||
| << 1970s | 1978 | 1979 >> |
|
Duran Duran is born, as John Taylor, Nick Rhodes and Stephen Duffy pull together its earliest lineups and begin playing shows in and around Birmingham, England. | ||
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| ? | Andy joins another covers band as lead singer and guitarist, and they begin performing at strip clubs and American airbases in Germany, playing six 45-minute sets a night |
| ? | Nick leaves school at sixteen as John fails his A-levels; they begin planning a band together |
| ? | Terry Bozzio leaves Frank Zappa's band |
| ? | John attends art college with Stephen Duffy |
| Jan 5 | "The first time I ever went to Nick's house we listened to Autobahn by Kraftwerk, we watched the Elvis 1968 Special and played Elvis Costello's Armed Forces because it was the day it came out" - Stephen Duffy |
| ? | John, Nick, and Stephen create the first incarnation of their band |
| spring | Nick and John spend an afternoon at the Hole in the Wall pub in Birmingham, brainstorming on a name for their band; after briefly considering RAF, John suggests Duran Duran, after the Milo O'Shea character in Jane Fonda's classic camp sci-fi movie Barbarella |
| spring | About the same time that they decide on a name for the band, Nick decides to change his last name from Bates to Rhodes, "for aesthetic reasons" |
| ? | Stephen Duffy writes most of the melodies and lyrics, and the first song they write together is "Lost Decade" (inspired by F. Scott Fitzgerald's short story of the same name, and The Great Gatsby) |
| Apr 5 | Duran Duran: Lecture Theatre, Birmingham Polytechnic University, Birmingham, England The first "Duran Duran" show; with Nick Bates on keyboards and drum machine, Nigel Taylor on guitar, and Stephen Duffy on bass and vocals; they play to an audience of about 10 people |
| Apr ? | Duran Duran: Lecture Theatre, Birmingham Polytechnic University, Birmingham, England The second and subsequent shows feature Simon Colley on clarinet and bass, "Nik Bates", "Steve Dufait", and Nigel Taylor |
| May 8 | Duran Duran: Hexagon Theatre, Birmingham, England |
| May 28 | Duran Duran: The Arts Lab, Birmingham, England cancelled |
| ? | Duran writes and plays songs inspired by art and literature, with titles like 'Toy Room To Tokyo' and 'Aztec Moon'; some will later be re-recorded by The Devils |
| ? | These early shows feature an "art school" flavor -- John covers the amps in white plastic, Nick plays tapes of chanting monks and ringing bells as backdrops to the band's music, and projects slides of architecture and John's geography field trip photos onto club walls and ceilings |
| ? | Stephen Duffy records one of Duran's live performances, then sticks the tape in a drawer in his civil service post-office desk, to be rediscovered in 1999 (leading to the founding of The Devils project with Nick Rhodes) |
| ? | Stephen Duffy writes the song "Kiss Me" (to become a top ten hit for him in 1985) |
| ? | Simon Le Bon writes the lyrics to "The Chauffeur" |
| ? | Bassist Eamonn Duffy (of The Prefects) plays briefly with Duran Duran |
| end of summer | Dog Days': Harrow Tech, Harrow, England (with Supercharge, 98th Precinct, and another band) Simon's punk band plays its first and only show |
| Oct 31 | At one of Frank Zappa's famous New York Halloween shows, a young Warren narrates a story ('Ms. X') onstage, accompanied by the band |
| Nov 18 | Duran Duran: Red Star Club, Birmingham, England (with Vision Collision and The Detectives) |
| ? | Duran Duran: Barbarella's, Birmingham, England Roger sees several Duran shows at Barbarella's near the end of the year |
| ? | Fashion: Barbarella's, Birmingham, England (with Duran Duran) |
| Dec | Frank Zappa phones Warren to invite him to Los Angeles to audition with his band |
| << 1970s | 1978 | 1979 >> |
