Duran Duran’s John Taylor plays it forward
Duran Duran’s John Taylor plays it forward
On its latest studio album, Duran Duran works with guests such as Janelle Monáe, former Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist John Frusciante and Lindsay Lohan — yes, that Lindsay Lohan.
[...] the stars of “Paper Gods” remain the founding members of the British group — singer Simon Le Bon, bassist John Taylor, keyboardist Nick Rhodes and drummer Roger Taylor, who update their signature electro-pop sound with the help of producers Mark Ronson, Nile Rodgers and Jay Z and Kanye collaborator Mr. Hudson.
Why put that pressure on yourself?
With a little bit of perspective, the last couple of albums were sort of underwhelming.
For this one it behooved us to leave no stone unturned.
Did serendipity play a big part in the making of “Paper Gods”?
Given how much it sounds like “Notorious,” what did you think when Mark Ronson went off and made “Uptown Funk”?
When I saw him do it on “Saturday Night Live,” I thought this could be a real game changer.
When those songs connected, we realized there are still signature Duran sounds we can use.
Aidin Vaziri is The San Francisco Chronicle’s pop music critic.
E-mail: avaziri@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @MusicSF