Duran Duran were one of the seminal bands of the 1980s, scored one of their biggest worldwide hits in the 1990s and are now back on the comeback trail with the release of their new album Astronaut in 2004. They released their self-titled debut album in 1981 - the first instalment in a career that has generated record sales of over 70 million. 2005 sees their world tour, kicked off with a 40-venue US tour.
Their ground-breaking music videos played back-to-back on MTV won them international popularity and cast them as playboy rockstars with an irresistible allure. And the band members lived up to the hype: dating supermodels, buying Aston Martins and diving into a hedonistic lifestyle. Then the inevitable happened - a split in 1985, periods in rehab, nervous breakdowns - along with the unlikely: Simon Le Bon nearly drowned twice.
In 2001 the original "fab five" reformed and are now enjoying a level of recognition and renewed popularity that few serious music critics would have predicted when they first started out. They scooped The Outstanding Contribution to Music Award at the Brits in 2004, MTV's Lifetime Achievement Award in 2003 and have played sold-out arena gigs around the world. Steve Malins presents the first biography of Duran Duran, a fascinating story packed with new interviews and never-before-seen photos taken by their official photographer.
