I started out DDTTRH for one main, innocent reason...to give homage to a band that has truly blessed my life with the gift of their music. Though some may question it, I have listened religiously to Duran Duran ever since the first time I purchased their Seven and the Ragged Tiger album. And the story I told of when I shared their music to my parents in the car, and my Dad said to my Mom..."listen honey, this is alternative music" is absolutely true and will always be a fond memory of mine. I knew then as I know now that Duran Duran's music is special. Its unique and different. And it disappoints me sometimes when Simon says that they are the ultimate party band...almost saying that their music is 'just party music', when to me its so much more. Their music has transported me to places I could never go to in my life and given me an art form to appreciate that I have and continue to appreciate as it is released.
And I will be honest and say that I only went to my first Duran Duran concert last year. It was an amazing moment in my life, one I will never forget. And it was me that was outside the venue where it took place passing out fliers for people to sign the Rock Hall petition. I was grateful of Maria Sbrocco as well who helped me that day...in the rain. What a great example of a fan that truly saw what DDTTRH was about and who, through her honest efforts, believed and did something for the band that meant so much to her. How exciting it was that day as well to have the press involved and have them film me doing something good for the band. I will say though that I was disappointed that they angled the story as if I was the only one doing it and was a bit of a 'crazy' fan...the press will find ways to do that I suppose. No matter...I am proud to say that I am a Duranie and am not ashamed of it.
Since we started this effort, DDTTRH, it hasn't been an easy road. There were two that came on and believed in what this effort stood for...Jason and Anitra. Jason, for family and time reasons could not stay with us, but is still to this day one of our supporters. Anitra has done amazing things to jump-start the effort...interviewing bands and artists that were excited to speak up for the band...artists excited for the chance to do so. Kandice joined later, along with Josie. Both of these ladies have done and did amazing things for DDTTRH.
Kandice...our Petition Duchess...who tirelessly reached out to fans to sign the petition and followed up with every interview Anitra did to make sure they signed and told their friends. When Kandice left, it was a hard day for me. She recently sent me a binder with all the work she did. It was a very thick binder too! As I went through it, I imagined her working hard on something because she believed in it...and her commitment was palpable in those pages. This was one of the reasons she was given a leadership title with DDTTRH...because she was so committed and dedicated. She could always be counted on...no matter where help was needed.
And Josie has done amazing work for us too. Always willing to edit something that went out, so we wouldn't be embarrassed with our bad English. Josie to me represents that quiet, yet always there kind-of-person who is honest about what she can do and will give where she can...and is willing to 'do anything for the boys' as she says to me. If only there were more Josies out there. If only there were.
And that leads me to Christian. If it wasn't for Christian, we wouldn't have the amazing websites we do today...for both DDTTRH and DDWW. When I first met Christian I think we argued about a post he did on Madonna. I remember taking down his post because it was offensive and I remember telling him that we needed to be careful about how we spoke of other artists on the site. And I never told him this, but in my mind back then I was imagining Madonna, who is likely on the committee choosing artists for induction, actually seeing that post and getting angry about it. I was probably being silly, I know, but back then I was a different person than today...before the Epiphany happened (after my first Duran concert) and before I had formed a relationship with Anitra, Kandice, and Christian.
Next time...
- Learn more about the challenges we've faced at DDTTRH and things I learned from 'The Epiphany'.
- The next blog will also be a set up to the important things I learned about different kinds of Duranie fans out there and the bitter-sweet experiences that came to light because of those experiences with them.
Dont Give up, mate.
ReplyDeleteIain the Leopard man