Simon Le BonEvery podcast appearance, updated as new ones drop

BIG HINTS for Trivia, Steelers, and We Talk With Simon Le Bon of Duran Duran

Great chat with Simon Le Bon, ahead of the Duran Duran Australian tour 2010. The New Romantic legend himself.

If you were a teenager in the early ’80s, there was a decent chance you had a favorite member of Duran Duran. Maybe you were a Nick Rhodes person. Perhaps John Taylor was more your speed. Roger Taylor and Andy Taylor certainly had their supporters. And then there was Simon Le Bon . The voice. The hair. The clothes. The occasionally dangerous enthusiasm for yachts. As frontman of Duran Duran, Le Bon became one of the most recognizable faces of the ’80s — leading a band that didn't simply succeed during the MTV era. They helped define it. In this classic episode of Stuck in the ’80s , we talk with Simon Le Bon about Duran Duran's remarkable career, the songs that became part of the soundtrack of the decade and what it was like experiencing Duranmania from the middle of the storm. Please, Please Tell Me Now Le Bon joined Duran Duran in 1980, completing the classic lineup with Nick Rhodes, John Taylor, Roger Taylor and Andy Taylor. The band's self-titled debut arrived in 1981 and included “Planet Earth” and “Girls on Film,” giving British audiences an early look at a band that seemed to understand both the sound and the visual possibilities of the new decade. Then came Rio . And everything changed. Released in 1982, the album produced “Hungry Like the Wolf,” “Save a Prayer” and the title track — songs that remain essential pieces of the ’80s soundtrack. But the music videos made Duran Duran something even bigger. While plenty of bands treated videos as promotional clips, Duran Duran made mini-movies. They traveled to exotic locations, worked with director Russell Mulcahy and created the kind of cinematic adventures that practically demanded heavy rotation on the new MTV. Suddenly, millions of American teenagers knew exactly what a yacht near Antigua looked like. Duranmania By the time Seven and the Ragged Tiger arrived in 1983, Duran Duran had become a phenomenon. “The Reflex” gave the band its first No. 1 single in the United States. “Union of the Snake” was another major hit. Concerts were filled with screaming fans, and comparisons to Beatlemania didn't seem entirely ridiculous. Then came “The Wild Boys,” the James Bond theme “A View to a Kill” and the band's appearance at Live Aid. For a few remarkable years, Duran Duran seemed to be everywhere. But being everywhere has consequences. The five-man lineup splintered as John and Andy Taylor formed The Power Station while Le Bon, Rhodes and Roger Taylor created Arcadia. When Duran Duran returned, it was as a trio. And they kept going. More Than an MTV Band One of the interesting things about revisiting Duran Duran decades later is realizing how easy it was to underestimate them. The clothes, videos and screaming fans sometimes distracted critics from the music itself. But those songs lasted. “Rio” still sounds fantastic. “Save a Prayer” remains gorgeous. “Ordinary World,” arriving in the early ’90s, proved the band could survive long after the New Romantic movement and the first wave of MTV had passed. And at the center of it all was Le Bon's unmistakable voice. Our conversation gives us the opportunity to talk with the man who sang some of the defining songs of our favorite decade — and who experienced a level of fame that very few performers ever encounter. For Duran Duran fans, that's reason enough to revisit this classic interview. For us? We're just impressed we managed to talk with Simon Le Bon without spending the entire interview shouting: “Please, please tell me now!” Join Us on The ’80s Cruise Want to spend a week surrounded by the music, stars and fellow fans of our favorite decade