10 Reasons Why Duran Duran Should Be in the Rock Hall

This will eventually be put up on our official site, but we at least wanted to share it to you here.  This is our official DDTTRH Top 10 Reason why we think Duran Duran should be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.  This list is important because the Rock Hall will be announcing its nominees soon and we want this list to be the basis of our DDTTRH project promotions for 2016.  We put a lot of work into this, we hope you like it!  Special thanks to those who contributed towards this, namely Kirk Harrington, Andrew Golub, Christian Helwig, Tracey Elena, Pranav from Radio Creme Brulee (Editor and Contributor, and Josie Beaudoin (Editor and Contributor).

10 Reasons why Duran Duran should be in the Rock Hall

10.  Their musical and commercial footprints are global.  Their success is not limited to specific geographic regions in the world.  

9.  Pioneers of the location "music video" shoot (e.g. videos shot in Sri Lanka for the "Rio" singles). They took a purely auditory stimuli such as music and gave it an exotic visual cloak of escapism.  They had essentially taken the medium of the music video one huge step further fairly early in the evolution of this new art form.   

8. They are consummate live entertainers. They have the physical presence, the charisma, and the raw talent, not to mention the years and years of experience, to put on a fantastic, engaging, dynamic live performance that energizes a crowd and gets them off their chairs and on their feet. This is not something automatically granted to everyone in a rock band. It is a skill that requires work and effort to hone and refine, and Duran Duran has it. 

7.  Their recent chart success of “Paper Gods” (and its entering of the US top 10 Billboard album chart) suggests a relevance of the band that transcends generational boundaries.  How many bands can say they’ve done this 35 years after they have formed? 

6.  They were one of the bands that fused all the best elements of '70s music into something new for the '80s. Their mixture of glam, disco, punk and avant-garde heralded a new era in music. 

5.  They have had hit songs throughout their 35+ year career, reaching beyond Hungry Like the Wolf and Rio.  Examples from the Top 5 music markets (US, UK, Japan, France, and Germany) include I Don’t Want Your Love (1988), Ordinary World (1993), Come Undone (1993), Electric Barbarella (1997), (Reach Up for the) Sunrise (2004), What Happens Tomorrow (2005).  There is a breadth and depth to their work that has touched on about every human condition…inspiring countless fans over the decades.

4.  Duran Duran's influence has been felt across generations of music, video, and fashion, inspiring artists from nearly every genre and becoming a pivotal part of cultural history. (drops mic)

The fact that they were invited to perform at the “Fashion Rocks 2014” event is testimony to the fact that their contribution to fashion remains a milestone of pop culture history. 

3.   They have won several awards and made music history throughout their career.  Notably:

1983:  The band are awarded Best Album (Rio) and Best Group, and Simon is awarded Best Male Vocalist, at the British Rock & Pop Awards.

1984:  Grammy for ‘Best Music Video/Short Form’ for “Girls on Film / Hungry Like the Wolf – Video 45″.

1985:  “The Reflex” is named International Hit of the Year at the Ivor Novello Awards in London.

1986:  Casey Kasem’s American Top 40 announces Duran Duran as the most successful duo or group from England based on the Billboard charts. Duran Duran were ranked first, followed by The Police, Culture Club, Wham! and The Rolling Stones.

1993:  The band is honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

1993:  A world-first Enhanced-CD produced by AMXstudios [Alasdair Scott and Malcolm Garrett] premiered at the EMI Records world conference in Brighton, 1993. “Universe” featured a revolutionary audio mixer, allowing users to remix “Ordinary World” on their CD-ROM enabled computers.

1994:  Received the ‘Best Song Musically & Lyrically’ Ivor Novella Award for “Ordinary World”.

2000:  The UK Pop Trash tour features the world’s first use of “augmented reality” technology in a live concert. Duran Duran works with a computer graphics producer to create advanced 2D and 3D visual effects, which allows animated characters to appear live on stage with the band.

2001:  During a ‘Close Up Tour’ show in Anaheim, California, the first fully immersed video and audio recording of a rock concert is conducted. The live rock experience is captured using a unique 360-degree panoramic video and 10.2 channel audio recording system. This pioneering recording is coordinated by producer Jarrell Pair with audio/video researchers working with Dr. Tom Holman, famous for creating Lucasfilm’s THX audio standard.

2003:  For the first time in history, Ticketmaster’s servers crashed for 30 minutes due to the demand of the band’s August 27 Webster Hall, NY, USA show.

2003:  Received the ‘MTV Lifetime Achievement Award’.  Also received the ‘Q Lifetime Achievement Award’.

2004:  Won the Brit Award for ‘Outstanding Contribution to Music’

2005:  Received the Ivor Novella Award for ‘Outstanding Contribution to Music’.

2008:  Duran Duran make history by becoming the first band to ever play at the Louvre Museum (home of the Mona Lisa) in Paris. They perform under the I.M Pei glass pyramid as part of the biggest fundraising event ever held on the Paris museum’s premises.

2008:  MTV viewers voted the band’s legendary clip for their hit single “Rio” ‘The Greatest Video Of All Time’.

2011:  GQ Lifetime Achievement Award

2015:  Q Icon award

2016:  Golden Note Award, ASCAP, London

2.  Their music has influenced multiple generations of musicians, including some of the most popular bands and artists of the past couple decades.

Examples of artists that have cited them as having been influenced by Duran Duran include Justin Timberlake, Pink, Rob Thomas, Scissor Sisters, Smashing Pumpkins, Mark McGrath, Gwen Stefani, Garbage, Moby, and Dido.  < DDTTRH research>

They can and have and continue to work with anyone and everyone, collaborating with all sorts of musical artists (from opera singers to rappers) and award-winning producers (like Mark Ronson). And for them, it works, because they have the versatility and style to pull it off. 

1.        Showcasing an almost stubborn commitment to making music through some rather dark years (commercially speaking) - which also saw the band shrinking to a three-piece (featuring only two original band members) and resurrecting themselves both creatively and commercially through new musical endeavors. This is how artists evolvement happens. It sets an example for a future crop of musicans and instructs them not to throw in the towel even if the critics have labelled them as being "washed up". Nothing tastes sweeter than a comeback against all odds.  

They are such an enduring band. They've been together, lineup changes notwithstanding, consistently for 35 years.

A Parting bit of Gratitude

I would be remiss if I did not at least say some parting words to DDTTRH as an effort (and thank all the people who made it great).  As you may already know, we have decided to make DDTTRH a project under Duran Duran Worldwide (along with other projects we will be working on). 

So, to be clear...DDTTRH is not going away...its just being done in a different way.  Its definitely going a bit more under the radar...with more focused and targeted efforts.  Making it a project means it has a beginning and an end...the end being when Duran Duran makes it to the Rock Hall.  And don’t forget…if you want to help us with any of our projects (including DDTTRH), please friend Kirk DDWW or Christian DDWW on Facebook.

This thing started as an effort because I wanted to do something special for the band who means so much to me.  I had seen a list of Rock Hall inductees and noticed Duran Duran was not on the list.  How could this be? 

Jason Henry was the first that signed on to help.  Jason became a great friend and helped us out in many ways when we first started.  One of the highlights of working with Jason was him helping get us published about in an article in a Canadian newspaper.  Jason, when you read this…thank you for all you did for us.

Then Anitra came on.  Anitra was the force behind our artist and band interviews and helped us navigate the media waters as our publicist.  One of my fondest memories of Anitra was when she passed out fliers to people in Florida.  This, and some of the amazing interviews she did for us, including the likes of Erik Alexandrakis and Your Vegas.  Anitra was (and continues to be) a livewire.  We are grateful for the energy she brought to us at DDTTRH.

And along came Kandace, who we charmingly referred to as our ‘Petition Duchess’.  Kandace worked well with those that interviewed with us and thanks to her, we were able to get many quality signatures on our Petition (which is still ongoing—link here).  Kandace radiated positive, calm energy…creating many times the perfect balance we needed on our team in our ongoing efforts.  Plus, she helped us improve our communication lines, which sometimes were lacking.  When Kandace left, I received a binder from her which detailed all the contacts and work she did for us.  It was a LOT!  To me it represented the dedication and commitment she had to DDTTRH (as an effort) and its something I will be eternally grateful for.  Love you Kandace!

Christian…the man behind our websites.  At first impression, Christian may seem a little rough around the edges.  I remember my first experience with Christian…when I asked him not to be so hard on Madonna on our sites (btw…today I could care less about this…I suppose I was a bit nieve back then…LOL).  You may also know that Christian can be a bit opinionated when it comes to politics.  Behind all of this though is a fan passionate about Duran Duran, an online media wizard, a trusted adviser, and a committed friend.   Its these last two things I mention about Christian (being a trusted adviser and committed friend) that have meant the most to me.  I have had many a phone call with Christian…sometimes in my  ‘not’ finest hours.  He has always been patient and supportive of me and the DDTTRH cause.  I look forward to continuing to serve with Christian in Duran Duran Worldwide.

Josie I cannot forget to mention either.  Josie from Montana...the land of mountains.  In a way, Josie has been like a mountain…firm, steadfast and always there for us as our editor.  I have always appreciated Josie correcting our press releases and articles, making sure we come across the right way in our Facebook posts…and…just being there.  Josie has always told me that she signed on to help us because she wanted to do ‘something for the guys’.  Well Josie…you have…and its much appreciated.  And when Duran Duran makes it to the Rock Hall (which I am positive they will someday), you can add your name to the list of names that helped get them there.  Thank you Josie.  Feel free to correct the grammar in this article and get it back to me J.

Now for the special mentions.  The list for this one could be very long, but I will cover the most special ones.  Here goes…

Tracey Elena:  She will continue with us at Duran Duran Worldwide.  I am grateful to Tracey for the excitement, passion, and interesting wrestling stories she has brought to our team.  I look forward to continue to serve with you Tracey!

Andrew Golub:  I could say so much about Andrew and the support he was and continues to be to me through the years of DDTTRH and now DDWW (with DDTTRH as a project).  I have many fond memories of working with Andy and am happy to call him a friend.  He truly radiates an energy (definitely off-the-charts Duranium) that is more than catchy…to say the least.  He was an instant voice of support for DDTTRH when I first introduced it to him…he was there for me when it was hardest to deal with ‘crazy fans’…we explored the planet together and discovered Duranium...we have laughed and had fun, never at the expense of others but in the joy that comes from Duran Duran.  Love you Andy!

Kitty Paige:  Kitty is brilliant when it comes to working with the media and marketing efforts.  I have bounced many ideas of off her, and she has always been a willing participant in our many machinations.  I had the pleasure to meet Kitty when I visited Seattle…she is even cooler in person.  I am happy to call Kitty a friend and look forward to continuing that with ‘this music between us’ for years to come.

Stefan LeClair:  From his interview with us to his words of support and friendship..Stefan has been there for us throughout DDTTRH’s time as an effort.  I am personally thankful that I can always count on Stefan to listen and provide words of wisdom to me.

Jake Crawford:  Jake has always been willing to help us with our Youtube needs and is continuing on with us at Duran Duran Worldwide.  He has been extremely helpful in creating promotional videos for us and most recently worked with me to create the Duranium videos you see on our Youtube site.  Jake's passion for Duran Duran has been evident in the videos he's worked on and I always appreciate his laid back Aussie demeanor...truly fun to work with.

M. Douglas Silverstein:  M, the producer of ‘Something You Should Know:  A Duran Duran fan documentary’ interviewed with us and was helpful in judging our first Youtube contest.  Further, M has been super supportive of our efforts and has just been a cool guy to hang around with on Facebook.  Thanks M for your support!

Hanna Cruz:  Hanna did some work for us with Spanish translations.  She was very excited to be helping us and it was nice to work with her for the short time we did.

Pranav of Radio Crème Brulee:  Pranav helped promote us on his radio station and helped generate ideas for some of our promotions.  I had the pleasure of meeting Pranav in Chicago...great times.  Thank you Pranav for being there to help us.

Nile Rogers:  For signing our petition!

Lynn Capirsello:  Although Lynn was with us a short time, it was fun to work with her.  She currently is doing the Art for Duran Duran Facebook site (please visit it!).  Lynn made us a cool promotion video that you can see on our Youtube channel.

Julie Ann Rhodes:  For her positive inspiration and words of support.

Iain Johnson:  When we released our Snow Leopards (in conjunction with the Snow Leopard Trust - www.snowleopard.org), Iain was helpful in promoting them on his 'The Man Who Stole a Leopard Must get to No 1' Facebook site.  Iain also became a member of DDWW when we had members (now Friends).  Thanks Iain for all your help...and for helping to save the snow leopards.

Jeff Piorkowski:  For the fun interview he did with me for the local Sun Times paper.

Debbie and Emily Vernon:  This mother and daughter live in the Cleveland/Akron area and have been extremely supportive of me and our efforts (both with DDTTRH and DDWW).  They were instrumental in 'pulling the wool' over several of our fans' eyes with the Simon's Moustache infamous interview (Emily revealed herself as the Stache).  Debbie is always fun to talk with and makes a special point to make witty comments on our posts (which I always appreciate).

Maria Sbrocco:  I met Maria in person for the first time at the latest Duran Duran concert in Cleveland.  She stood out in the rain with me and passed out fliers for people to sign our petition.  A really fun lady and a huge fan of Duran Duran...I am grateful to know and associate with her.

Nabeel Shahid:  For making our first logo.

NUNO:  For creating our second logo and being a friend and supporter of the cause.

Vader Vader:  For rocking out in our T-shirt.

All the Bands, Artists, and Duran fans that interviewed with us!  Including some notables...Andrew Golub, Erik Alexandrakis, Nathan Stack, Salvo of Duranasty, Your Vegas, Sharmila Tredger, Marc Massive (Massive Ego), Jen Chaney (Washington Post), Scarlet Soho, Owen Paul Mcgee, Nuno, Gretchen Morganstern (maker of Lebon perfume, Adirondack Aromatherapy)

Please follow DDTTRH on Twitter @DDTTRH!

Duranium SPECIAL EVENT Contest

Contest starts:  May 24th, 2014
Contest ends:  June 7th, 2014

For SIGNED Duran Duran RCM promo poster (100% authentic!), name 10 places where Duranium can be found in high concentrations.  Submissions will be judged based on creativity by a panel of judges.  To enter, please visit us at www.ddworldwide.info and contact us with the email address on the site.

2nd Place prize:  A 'Stolen Leopard' cards package, including a set of artist cards, 10 Snow Leopard postcards, and 2 blank Holiday cards...

3rd  and 4th place prizes:  10 Snow Leopard postcards

Spread the word...a new element has been unleashed on the Duraniverse.

Want some ideas?  Please watch our Duranium Youtube videos:
The Duranium Encounter:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rw5tfNteLhU
Outtakes:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qF2o8ICPqDw

#playingwithduranium

 

My Archive Away Mission, Starring Andy Golub

One of the things I didn't share about my trip to Seattle was about my visit to Andy Golub's archive.  It so happened that I was also in town for a Star Trek convention, so I had my Star Fleet uniform with me.    Christine (not Chapel) was gracious enough to show me around while Andy 'geekily' and 'happily' hovered around me taking pictures.  Here are some of them...

Duran Duran dream - the Living Facebook post

I've had several Duran Duran dreams since I started this effort. I thought it would be fun to share them. If you have had a Duran Duran dream and you feel comfortable sharing it, please contact us through our DDWW site (www.ddworldwide.info).

The Dream...

I was on a Facebook page and there was a picture of Simon with red hair and he was facing a door with another older shorter man coming out of it. It was almost like a picture taken off the set of a soap opera. There were several comments about the picture, I added a question like 'What is Simon doing here?'.

Then, the picture came alive and my point of view was as if I was watching the soap opera. Simon pushed through the door with the man and the two were arguing about something. They were then both standing on a sidewalk on the border of a small town by the ocean. The man asked Simon a pointed question and Simon answered by starting to sing the song 'My Own Way'. The funny thing was is that it wasn't his voice, he had a deeper voice, and I'm pretty sure the song was in a different key (and to the tune of a different song).

On the second line of the song, the camera zoomed out and it showed Roger and Nick walking towards Simon, singing the same song.

Then I woke up!

Kirk, DDTTRH

From an Effort to a Project, Whats next for DDTTRH

Its with joy, feelings of nostalgia, and humility that I announce that DDTTRH (Duran Duran to the Rock Hall) will now become a project under our newest effort, Duran Duran Worldwide.  This means that DDTTRH will no longer be its own effort, with its own supporting staff, and its own mission…but will be an ongoing project to be worked on at Duran Duran Worldwide and its mission…To raise awareness of Duran Duran and their importance to music, to energize, connect and excite the Duran Duran fan base all over the world, to boldy go where no Duran Duran effort has gone before (cue Star Trek theme music).  It also means that DDTTRH will be alongside other projects that DDWW will be working on, to be announced in the coming days.

Changes to DDTTRH

·         Making DDTTRH a project implies a start and an end to it.  When Duran Duran is inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, that’s when the project will end.

·         We will be shutting down the DDTTRH Facebook page as of June 1^st.  We invite you all to join us at our Duran Duran Worldwide Facebook page.  It is from here that we will continue to provide you original content and will give you statuses of the projects we are working on.

·         The DDTTRH Twitter site will remain open and will be the way we inform you of specific developments in regards to the DDTTRH project and its progress.  Please follow @DDTTRH on Twitter to keep informed.

·         Any DDTTRH email addresses will be shut down by June 1^st.  The website with details about the project (and any news) will still be accessible through DDWW (under Projects).

·         Meaningful interviews and blogs from the Blogger website (ddrockhall.blogspot.com) will be moved to our Duran Duran Worldwide website and be posted with our DDTTRH project work.  The Blogger website will be shut down after this happens.

·         Any supporting staff that are currently helping DDTTRH are now a part of DDWW.  We continue to appreciate the efforts of Christian Helwige (our First Officer), Tracey Elena (our Rock Hall Liaison—she’ll need a new title now!), Jake Crawford (who provides us Youtube support), and Josie Beaudoin, our amazing editor

·         Because DDTTRH is now a project and isn’t going away, we still need your help!  If you would like to help us get the word out and continue to support us, please friend Kirk DDWW and Christian DDWW on Facebook.  Through this medium we can organize projects directly with you and give you any marketing materials you need to help us out.

Changes to DDWW

·         We have decided that there will no longer be ‘Members’ of DDWW, but ‘Friends’.  We still will enjoy cross-promoting those who are our ‘site and effort friends’ (and we hope they will continue to do the same with us).  If you have a Duran Duran page, effort, etc. and would like to become a ‘Friend of DDWW’, please contact us through our Duran Duran Worldwide site (ddworldwide.info).  Being a friend implies not being formally connected to DDWW, but as a friend who we keep in contact with and promote through our site.

·         As mentioned, we will be adding other projects in the coming days to DDWW.  If you would like to help us in any of our projects, we invite you to connect with us personally through our Kirk DDWW and Christian DDWW Facebook profiles.  We have already connected with many of you through this more direct and personal medium and we look forward to continuing to do so as we work on projects and roll out original content from Duran Duran Worldwide.

·         We will continue to do interviews, but under DDWW instead.  In fact, we are coming up with a list of those we would enjoy having podcast interviews with us a new way to bring you original content.  If you have something to say about Duran Duran and would like to interview with us, please contact us through the DDWW site, our DDWW email, or our personal DDTTRH or DDWW Facebook pages.  We will also reach out to many of you personally about this.

I would like to personally thank all of you for making the DDTTRH ‘effort’ (while it was a formal effort) a special one.  I have enjoyed associating with all of you and look forward to seeing many of you on Twitter (@DDTTRH) and Duran Duran Worldwide (and lets have some fun together!).

Notorious-ly and Duran-fully yours,

With much love,

Kirk Harrington, Captain, DDTTRH

Interview with Sharmila Tredger

I (Kirk Harrington, DDTTRH) recently caught up with Sharmila and I am so happy I did.  I've read her articles online (she works for the Examiner) and always knew she was an avid Duran Duran fan; this led to my interest in interviewing her.  I have also had the pleasure of  talking with her in relation to the DDTTRH effort.  She has followed our effort for quite some time and I have always appreciated her enthusiasm about it.

Hi Sharmila!  Thanks so much for taking the time to speak with us at DDTTRH.  One of our core missions is to speak with people just like you who are in the music and entertainment business to get their thoughts on Duran Duran and to raise awareness of how they have impacted music history.

Please tell us about the Examiner.  How long have you worked with them and have you always covered concerts or do you write about other topics as well?

The Exmaminer.com is a media company that operates a network of local news websites, allowing pro-am contributors to share their city-based knowledge in the areas of music, fashion, lifestyle and everyday news on a blog-like platform, in 238 markets throughout the United States and parts of Canada.

I have been a NY Concert Reporter with The Examiner since September of 2012 and covered an array of music concerts and fashion events from New York Fashion Week to Counting Crows, Chic and Nile Rodgers to Duran Duran…of course.

I've read that you've worked in the entertainment industry for the last 15 years.  Can you tell us where else you have been and what led up to you becoming a reporter?

My career started out working on film and television show sets in New York City. My first job was on The Cosby Show as a production assistant while studying Television and Film Production at St. John’s University in Queens, NY. It was an opportunity that I was determined to make mine and my shear persistence paid off. I spent 2 seasons working with a great cast of talented actors. After I graduated with a B.S. in Communication Arts, I went on to work on many commercials, films and television shows, such as Sex and the City and MTV’s Celebrity Deathmatch as a Production/Business Manager and Line Producer. After eighteen years of working in television and film, I needed a new direction, but at the same time wanted to continue to work in the sane industry. So I made the jump to Digital Advertising, working as a Production Business Manager for Digital Studio at R/GA down in Hell’s Kitchen in New York City. This experience brought me to a whole different level in regards to how products were represented in the digital world. After three and a half years in Advertising, I felt the need to revisit my passion for writing and photography. I published my first children’s book in 2012, launched a photography and quotes website, started writing lyrics and re-learned how to play the acoustic guitar. While keeping myself busy, my love of music grew in a different direction. I started analyzing melodies and lyrics. And the first album that I ripped apart was Duran Duran’s “All You Need Is Now.” While the band was in full tour motion, I made my way to see them live at Foxwood’s, Madison Square Garden and Atlantic City with a group of Duraniacs. I figured, my hardcore passion for music needed to make its way from my head to paper, so I started approaching PR agencies to review new album releases and indie artists. Surprisingly, the response was overwhelming, so I signed up with The Examiner and a few other publications. This road to reporting has opened many doors for me. While I still spend many nights in photo pits, trekking my gear in and out of the city, I started my own business as a Music Agent, representing several independent musicians and speakers. This universe is so drenched in talent, but there are a few that strike a chord in me and having the opportunity to help them grow as artists and exposing them to the world is the biggest reward.

I've seen you write about Duran Duran.  For example, I saw that you covered John Taylor's book release that happened recently.  Are you a big fan of the band?  Are you passionate about them and please tell us why!

Passionate about their music, yes. I’m part of the 30+ club. I hope that doesn’t give my age away. Music was my outlet, a way to express or hold back. And when I first heard of Duran Duran, it was the easiest thing to digest at the time. I really had no idea who I was as a teenager dealing with the world and they knew exactly who I was. They understood me. As my obsession with the band grew, my love of music became my sanctuary. I bought every album, poster, button, t-shirt and anything that had their face or name on it. I plastered every inch of my bedroom wall and closet with their gorgeous beings. I spent the last thirty plus years listening to their music, but it wasn’t until a few years ago, when I started reconnecting with other Duranies and experiencing them live. Having built up my reputation as a writer and photographer with several agencies, I was stoked when I was granted coverage of Duran Duran’s Foxwoods venue and John Taylor’s book signing in New York City on my birthday of last year. I honestly have to say that it was an overwhelming feeling when I was in that room at Sirius XM, standing face to face with the man I had a crush on growing up. It was a different this time because now I’m no longerfangirling, I’m actually there to cover a story, a story about a man whose overcome his demons and it was my responsibility as a reporter to capture this moment and share it with the Duran community. I have the utmost respect for him as a musician and human being. My devotion for the band will live and die with me, but while I still dance through life, I will continue to find a way to get the interview of a lifetime with the band that was born to make me dance!

Its interesting how you portray your experience with Duran Duran.  Mine is similar, except I am not much of a collector (don't tell Andy Golub).  I actually showed my devotion through how I dressed, through sharing with my high school friends my interest in them (though sometimes I was ridiculed...I was considered too effeminate, particularly by 'the jocks').  I have listened to their music for years.  Like you, only certain music touches a chord with me.  Duran Duran has a way of 'singing to my soul' like no other music has.  I too only recently connected with Duranies through Duran Duran to the Rock Hall.  My first live concert experience was here in Cleveland when they came for All You Need is Now.  I have not met any of the band in person...though you might think its funny that I've had dreams of them since DDTTRH.

You mentioned the word 'Duraniacs'--did you mean Duranies?  Tell us what you think is the difference between Duranie and Duraniac (this should be a fun one for you).  I know I've met all kinds of fans...some I am more glad to have met than others (to be honest).

Duraniac is an individual who has a stratospheric devotion to the band Duran Duran. Certainly not one who is insane or dangerous. Duraniacs have an increased spirit, a reflex of intoxicating happiness, a fight or flight kind of attitude and a highly reduced sense or fear of danger.

Not to say that Duranies are that much different. Where we differ, is the overwhelming respect we have for each other. We are a group of women who are above and beyond elated when other's are granted opportunities to connect with the band in ways we never dreamed of. The fabric of our being in no way is that of jealous tirades strewn up and down social timelines and hidden behind direct messages.

Tell us about some of the fun moments you've had connecting with Duran fans?  Tell us about some of the people you've met or had nice experiences with.

Over the last 2 years, my circle of fiends has changed shape in the form of a "D". I have friends that I grown up with since elementary school and have stayed in and out of touch til today, but the Duraniacs friends that I have made have touched my life two fold. We experienced loss that has made our bond inseparable and we have experienced elation that gives life to the memories we have made. 

Standing in line at Terminal 5 and the whole Steve Aoki experience has got be one of my highlights of 2012. I started out 3rd in line and somehow ended up further back as the day turned to night but managed to get right in front of the Bass God along with my Duraniacs Angela and Shannon when we were finally able to get in. Here we are, a group of 40 something women and a few men in a sea of 20 something men and women trying to stand our ground to see Duran Duran perform only to be bathed in bubbly and painted with Kermit the frog green cake icing. Fun times had by all and certainly an experience I would honestly love to relive again.

The "All You Need Is Now" tour made it's way to my side of the globe at The MGM Grand at Foxwoods Casino in Mashantucket, CT and as a reporter, this was one venue that I had to cover. I was granted a press pass and polished my gear...my camera that is. Needless to say my camera was knocked out of my hands as the hordes of Duranies bum rushed the stage as soon the lights faded to black. 

It was back on the road and off to the Revel, which was cancelled due to Nick Rhodes illness, but we made the best of our stay and created more life memories. But the one memory that holds true for all of us Duraniacs, is our "Duranies Who Brunch" luncheon at Brother Jimmy's in NYC on March 25, 2012. It's sole purpose was for us to bond in person and not over some social cable that we held into as our only means of communication. For some it went as far as Scotland and for others it was local. We ate, we drank and we mad life long friends. And unfortunately two weeks later, our dear friend, Sandy Isabella-Ahrens passed away. If ones heart could break into pieces so minuscule, than that's how I would describe the state we were in when we heard of her passing. Today our bond continues to strengthen and our memories continue to grow. To all my #DuraniesWhoBrunch girls, Angela Grella-Oropallo, Sandy Isabella-Ahrens, Kayren Campbell, Cynthia Graham-Hughes, Shannon Marie Moyer, Petra Jorden, Lee Ellen Becker, Brandi Goldstein, Margherita Maramonte Leffe and Claudine Commisso, I will always hold a special place in my heart for them.

Sharmila...  it's been so great getting to know you more.  Thanks so much for interviewing with us.  Here are your final questions:

Who is your favorite band member of Duran Duran and why?

To choose or not to choose that is not even an option. Even thirty three years ago I had a tough time choosing. They each represented something different to me. The instruments they played, the way they dressed and the way they conducted themselves on stage. Till this day, I admire them just as any mother would admire her children, equally in their own way.

If you could meet this band member, what would you ask him or talk to him about?

I’ve had the honor of meeting the band on more than one occasion and I’m above and beyond grateful. It is an indescribable feeling to most brought on by the connection that we make when the music makes its way to our ears and down into our hearts and souls. It’s pretty deep. An afternoon with the band talking and singing about music and life as opposed to asking them questions that have been asked numerous times over would suit me just fine.

Is there anything you would like to say to our DDTTRH fans...or to DDTTRH as we continue to do what we do?  Words of wisdom much appreciated.

Duran Duran will always have the best fans any band can ask for. We have been there fromthe start and we will continue to support their music as long as they continue to believe that their music is just as essential to the water we drink and the air that we breathe.