Duran Duran and Me

Sigh.  Double Sigh.  Deep breath in SIGH.  Exhale SIGH.

I just realized that I missed my one opportunity this summer to see the Duran Duran concert in Silicon Valley.  I had no idea that my (let's say this together!) all-time-favorite-band-in-the-entire-world-and-don't-even-try-to-dispute-that-they-are-utterly-awesome-and-the-best-band-ever though-Bono-and-U2-is-a-close-second, Duran Duran was in the bay area and played at the Mountain Winery on July 8th.  Yup, I totally missed it....  And if I knew that they were here, I certainly would have moved mountains, playdates, camp drop off, camp pickup and even (ahem) work, to make it to the concert on time.  I would have even gone alone and sat in the back row, singing along with Simon, John and Andy.  Ok, I would have arrived ten hours early, just to be there to greet them and let them know that I am their biggest fan of all time!

Did I ever tell you Duran Duran stories from my teenage years?  No?  Really... I haven't?  Well... sit back and read on.....

The year was 1984 or 1985.  Duran Duran was touring the NY/NJ area and they were ALL THE RAGE (as they should have been!).  A group of friends from my high school decided that it would be fun to skip school, take the bus in to New York City and try to find the band mates.  I (of course) jumped right on the let's-ditch-school bandwagon and headed out to the Big Apple.

I have no idea what we were thinking. The teenage brain still baffles me..... Ummm.. Let's get on a bus, ask random folks what hotel Duran Duran was staying at, somehow try and maneuver our way up to that hotel, and then do what? We were just silly and star stuck teens that wanted an adventure and it seemed like a brilliant idea at the time!

(Yes, I know that some day I am going to have to explain to my kids that I ditched school... along with my pot smoking days, which came years later. I pray that they will forgive my misgivings. And if they dare skip school or smoke pot, I am going to go ballistic on them)

So there we were, on a bus to New York City and putting our plan in to place.  Our first goal was to find out what hotel they were staying at.  Playing detective, we opened up a the New York Times and every teen-bopper magazine to find clues about where they were staying.  We knew that they were playing at the Meadowlands, but somehow my friends knew that they always stayed at a NYC hotel when on tour. It did not take long for us to conclude that The Plaza Hotel was our destination, thanks to these magazines!

After getting off the bus, we cabbed on over to the hotel.  Of course, there were thousands of other girls standing outside the hotel, just hoping to get a glimpse of our idols.  Screaming on their top of their lungs, "Simon, come out!  Andy, I love you!  John, will you marry me?", we joined the riot. 

Then, one of my friends decided that standing in this mass of girls was going to get us nowhere.  Bold and incredibly brave, she put on an "english accent" and marched right up to the front desk, pretending to be Simon Le Bon's girlfriend. Confidently, she asked for the key to SImon's room.  I kid you not..... they looked at her as if she was off her rocker, and told her (us) to leave the lobby.

Utterly humiliated and tales between our legs, we left.  

We then created plan number two.  Somehow, we were going to get on to the elevator and search every floor.  We thought that if we landed on the right floor, there would be people partying and hanging out.  Then we could introduce ourselves and hang with the band. (LIKE THEY WOULD REALLY WANT TO HANG OUT WITH A GROUP OF PIMPLY FACED TEENAGERS????)

We NEVER made it anywhere close to the elevator.  Security was tight and they knew that thousands of teenagers were trying to do the same thing.

To make a really long day short, we never got passed the font door.  We tried.  We really tried.  But in the end, we never saw the band mates arrive or leave the hotel.  For all I know, they weren't even there while we were scamming to get near their hotel room.

I have always wondered - what if we actually saw them?  What if we had a few minutes of time with them?  Alone?  The reality.... I was an awkward teenager.  I would have probably frozen and run away and hid.  I wasn't the knockout beauty queen that a rock star would want.  Heck, at that age, I barely kissed a boy!

But the journey itself still sticks with me to this day.  The journey of trying to find your "idol".  I loved their music. I loved their wild hair cuts and the rubber black bracelets that went up their arms (thank you Madonna!).  I would play their record over, and over and OVER again.  I would imagine having John Taylor as a boyfriend (yes, I found him incredibly sexy!).  I hung their pictures all over my bedroom and dreamed that they were hanging out in my room, playing music and singing TO ME.... and to this day, I have the Duran Duran record case (Arena) hanging over my computer.

Did I ever make it to a Duran Duran concert as a teenager?  No.  There was never the right opportunity or my parents said, "No."  I can't really remember why I never made it... and then came college, other bands, my career, my family... and time has moved on and the years have gone by.  But the love in my heart for this band and the memories it brings back, make me smile.  And feel good.....

Duran Duran, if you come back to the bay area, please let me know.  Seriously, I will be there, reliving my teenage memories and singing along with you. (even at the ripe old age of forty!) Fondly as an adoring fan, who is no longer obsessed with stalking you, but simply in love with your music.

Come on!  Let's sing RIO together!  Years later..... (you have to admit that they are still smoking hot!)

This is an original post to SV Moms.  Jill Asher is the Co-Founder of Silicon Valley Moms Blog.  And just if you are wonderfing, she never got busted for ditching high school that day.