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Duran Duran, "Serious"

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Posted on June 27, 2016 at 22:15:27
Luminator
Audiophile

Posts: 7291
Location: Bay Area
Joined: December 11, 2000



"Hey Lummy," writes one of my audiophile friends, "My wife likes Duran Duran. Pick one of their lesser known songs."

By 1990, Duran Duran were largely forgotten, relegated to the early-80s dustbin/archives. Thrash metal, hip hop, dance, Freestyle, and alt-rock had squeezed New Wave out.

In October 1990, I was a sophomore a UC Santa Cruz, and from my first floor single dorm room, I got to observe all the goings-on in the dorm. Octobers had warm weather, lots of parties, which often led to hook-ups. One warm and orange Saturday evening, a double room on the 2nd floor was clearing out and prepping for a party. The two girls, I would learn, coexisted, because they took turns getting out of each other's way. One girl, whose name I forget, was a strong wannabe hippie. The other, the petite brunette Warts, although sympathetic to the wannabe hippies' issues, was closer to normal/neutral.

Why was the latter called Warts? Though she was from western Pennsylvania, her ancestors were from central European countries. Her surname was long, and full of consonants. Thus, it was easier for us to truncate her surname, and nickname her "Warts."

Warts had a very middle-of-the-road personality, neither pushy nor reclusive. Though a genuinely nice person, she had the narrowest, pointiest cuspids I'd ever seen. So every time she smiled, which was often, her sharp, needle-like cuspids made me think she was a vampire, about to bite me.

I did check out Warts' roommate's party. They were having their wannabe-psychedelic stuff, which didn't appeal to me. Warts downed a beer, burped, and smiled, "Well I am part German."

On the way out, Warts grabbed a handful of her own CDs, a variety of pop music, and went with me to my room. We sat on the bed, and I let her pop in CDs into my Sony D-10 Discman. We set the AR Powered Partners down low, and just...listened.

One of the CDs she had was Duran Duran's then-new album, Liberty. Track 4, "Serious," kind of took me by surprise. I thought it was the band maturing. And the snare drum "popped" through the mix. Warts smiled, "It's my favorite song on the album. I think it's sexy."

And with that, we just.....talked. That was kind of odd, at contrast to the other times she and I had been in each other's company. In study group and the dining hall, Warts and I were always with other friends. So while she and I did mingle, she and I never had one-on-one private conversations.

So to me, Duran Duran's "Serious" was the key, which unlocked the door to Warts. It's also what crystallizes all of my vivid memories of her. She took off her thin dirty-gray hoodie, revealing that she was wearing a red (matte, not bright) bra. Now, having seen all the lingerie left in the laundry room, I didn't come across many red bras. Hell, as my next-door neighbor Andrea remarked, hardly any of the girls in the dorm bothered to wear bras.

Hoodie removed, Warts flicked and let loose her shoulder-length hair, and complained that it was "cardboard brown, ugly and boring." She rubbed her forearm, raised an arm, and pointed out that her leg, pubic, arm, armpit, and even facial hairs were the same shade of "ugly and boring" cardboard brown. Warts said she'd rather have black hair like mine.

Duran Duran made a seemingly out-of-nowhere comeback in early 1993. And ever since then, they have regained their status as radio staples. Yet, you hardly ever hear the, as Warts said, "sexy" 1990 song, "Serious." Don't forget to play it. Or, well, as my wife KJ, who often bashes Duran Duran, says, "You can't forget it, if you never knew it in the first place!"

Ouch,
-Lummy The Loch Monster

 

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"Come Undone", posted on June 28, 2016 at 06:53:20
My favorite DD non-hit. Think only KROQ played it, when the song was new.

My wife and older sister went to DD concert in Palm Springs last year. Her sister is a BIGTIME Simon Le Bon fan. The wifey said music was good. But, Le Bon was over the top with on stage antics. Didn't fit with the rest of the band.

Overall, they liked the concert. If DD is ever up your way...

8^)







 

RE: Duran Duran, "Serious", posted on June 28, 2016 at 14:23:38
fantja
Audiophile

Posts: 15486
Location: Alabama
Joined: September 11, 2010
All great songs- Lummy.

 

Duran Duran: Arena, posted on June 28, 2016 at 18:43:32
Luminator
Audiophile

Posts: 7291
Location: Bay Area
Joined: December 11, 2000
I'm heartened that your wife and sister-in-law got to see Duran Duran. I wish more of us audiophiles had the chance.

The basic tracks from Duran Duran's "live" album, Arena, were taken from an April 1984 show right here in Oakland, CA. Funny thing is, several of my schoolmates (I was in 7th grade) went to that concert. Our science teacher also took his two daughters, who were around 4 years older than we were, to the show.

But Arena is better-known for the studio track, "The Wild Boys," which remains ubiquitous around here.

 

RE: Duran Duran: Arena, posted on June 29, 2016 at 02:59:47
My wife liked the music. Her sister was the one miffed over Le Bon's antics.

I'd love to see Thomas Dolby in concert. Never saw him in the 1980-90s. His live stuff is supposed to be very good.






 

Speaking of Duran Duran...., posted on July 12, 2016 at 15:29:59
Prisoners
Audiophile

Posts: 4493
Location: Chicago
Joined: June 13, 2004
Hope you find this interesting.

 

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