That's your lot!
The webchat is now over. Thanks very much for all of your questions, and to John and Roger for joining us!
BiggusDickus asks:
How did you get Girls on Film past the censors?
Guardian contributor R: I'm not sure it completely did - we had to make a version for Top of the Pops. I think when kids got it in their Christmas stocking with the fully uncensored version, the problems started...
"Certain drugs can intensify the experience. Certain drugs detract from the experience. I remember more of that"
Skoobysnax asks:
How much impact did drugs have on your lifestyle in the 80s and what effect, if any, do you feel it had on the music?
Guardian contributor J: Certain drugs can intensify the experience in a positive way, for a while. Certain drugs detract from the experience. I remember more of that. Sober today, like it that way. Music feels good.
R: I think from the 60s there's been this thing that drugs are beneficial for creativity, but I'm not sure that's true - they tend to make everything sound great, whether that's true or not.
Swally asks:
I read Mr Le Bon dismissing Matter of Feeling recently as a failure - it’s always been a favourite of mine. Do you ever revisit obscure old tracks?
Guardian contributor J: He didn't mean that at all. We're both very fond of that song. What he was referring to was that it was one of the few times when we have literally tried to rewrite an earlier hit, in the case of Matter of Feeling it was Save A Prayer. And in that sense, as it wasn't a hit, not even a single, it was a failure.
Neutralpaddy asks:
Do you think Beethoven would have bought a concert ticket to hear you?
Guardian contributor J: Hadn't he lost his hearing by the early 80s?
R: Doesn't stop people from coming to our gigs.
J: He must have been such a musical snob... hard to imagine.
Aboleth asks:
Recently Piers Morgan wrote about Jeremy Clarkson:
“...we attended a lavish birthday party in Venice recently where we ‘danced’ together to a live set from Duran Duran, both punching the air to The Wild Boys and Notorious.”
This sounds like a wonderful life most of us can only dream of. Whose birthday was it?
Guardian contributor J: Wonderful life for Jeremy and Piers. We were working.
GiorgioRome asks:
Did you ever consider collaborating with David Bowie for a track or album?
Guardian contributor J: We would have loved that. It was fun to tour with him in '85, get to know him a little.
R: He's a lovely man. He's like the grandfather of cool, isn't it? Such an influence.
Tankerton asks:
When did you last go out drinking in Broad St, Birmingham?
Guardian contributor R: You're asking the wrong two guys here.
J: 1984?
R: I think so, that would be about right.
Diana da Cruz asks:
How was the most difficult and easy song to be written by the band throughout creative process?
Guardian contributor J: You Kill Me With Silence took a day.
R: Whereas something like Danceaphobia took maybe two years. But we knew there was a gem in there, and we kept working... you've got to give credit to Nick here, who kept saying let's have another go in the end. It's an outstanding song on the album, it was really worth it.
Caffeinejunkie asks:
Do you look back at any phase of Duran and think ‘what the hell was I/we thinking’?
Guardian contributor
Diana da Cruz asks:
You had a record company in the past, so do you intend to produce new artists in the future?
Guardian contributor J: It would be nice. I can't imagine anything beyond the world of Paper Gods right now. But who knows.
Batfunk asks:
Moseley or Kings Heath?
Guardian contributor R: Moseley, because it was the home of the Fighting Cocks, home to some of my first performances in Birmingham. Part of my heart will always be in Moseley.
J: Moseley was the bohemia of the Midlands! Got to be Moseley. All hash and afghans.
Jens Friis-Pedersen asks:
In your recent interviews, you’ve been talking about the balance of maintaining your “brand” on one hand and embracing a contemporary sound on the other. I also read that you originally set out to fuse Chic (funk and disco) with Sex Pistols (punk) when you started the band, which seemed to be the original musical dna or trademark of the band. In the new songs I’ve heard so far, it sounds to me like you’ve shifted the balance towards EDM, and further away from the punk edge, with the possible exception of the title song. Could you please elaborate on what you now consider to be the “Duran Duran brand” in musical terms?
Guardian contributor J: Funnily enough, the Sex Pistols/Chic quote came up in an interview last week, and Nick was very quick to add: and Giorgio Moroder. The techno sound in early Duran has actually proved to be the most flexible and durable aspect of the sound. It actually allows us to refresh continually. Bass drums, guitars, are a little more 20th century, and harder to "make new". I guess also, less has been done with synthesizers – there have been so many great guitar players and drummers yet not so many synthesists or electronic musicians.
Deano Swift asks:
Were the singles Quiet Life and Life in Tokyo by the band JAPAN the blueprint for the early Duran sound? Would you still like to work with Giorgio Moroder?
Guardian contributor J: Absolutely. Quiet Life was a massive influence. And I think an understated masterpiece. We're seeing Giorgio tonight actually, at the GQ awards. Maybe we can make a date...
Paula Thornton asks:
Why no music videos this time around? I think this is a first for you guys!
Guardian contributor R: We're making a video for Pressure Off right now, so yes there will be videos.
"I don't ever see a time where the band will quit"
Furq asks:
Do you imagine producing albums well into the future? The industry is obviously moving away from the format. Also, Paper Gods covers many genres - classic DD pop, disco stompers, darker synth stuff. Occurred to me that it might be better to produce themed EPs?
Guardian contributor J: It's our conditioning. We produce albums, that's what we do. As we get older, it's clearer that they take longer. I don't ever see a time where the band will quit.
R: We're an album band and we always will be. We grew up in that period when it was an album-led industry, and I can't remember being that interested in singles as a kid - I was really into albums which were whole pieces of work. I got more into singles when punk came along, but generally we're an album band for sure.
Mirella Stivani asks:
Which band would Duran Duran like to share the stage with someday?
Guardian contributor J: We never shared a bill with the Stones. Opening for the Stones was a trial, almost everybody did it at some point.
R: The Beatles.
Guardian contributor We're playing at the iHeart festival in Las Vegas, sharing a stage with Kanye. That's cool. And The Who.
Updated
Reine Amodeo asks:
What is the most enjoyable way to read fan feedback on your songs? Do you read YouTube comments or fan blogs?
Guardian contributor J: It's been really cool as we have been streaming songs from the new album one by one, for the first time, this time around, and every few days getting feedback from fans on the latest song to be streamed.
R: You have to be a little careful with that stuff on YouTube comments though, because for every four good comments there's one bad one saying "This album sucks!" I tend to keep away from it.
J: Yeah, you have to stay away from the online feedback a bit. The trolls. Another Ben Hudson line is: Learn to love the haters.
Deano Swift asks:
Does John have a whole lot more appreciation and understanding for the great job Simon does as lead singer, after fronting his own band?
Guardian contributor J: Sure! I'm not a singer. It doesn't mean I can't sing, but you know, Simon is a full on vocalist frontman. He's been singing his whole life. And he's singing now better than ever, by the way.
R: It's amazing what Simon does. He has to stand up every night and give himself, whereas we can burrow into our instruments a bit. It's a really tough thing.
J: I'd like to see him play the drums for us though...
CatherineJENSEN asks:
To what extent do other band members contribute to lyric writing? Is there any creative conflict over the lyrics?
Guardian contributor J: I always think of Simon as the lyrical voice of the album, and when he is inspired, he's always going to provide the best Duran Duran lyric style, just as I would with the bass or Roger with drums. But there are times when any one of the rest of us can step forward with an idea, and Simon is very open, he's not precious, he'll work with any of us to bring a lyric home.
R: Ben Hudson was really great for SImon on this album, because he had someone to bounce around ideas with.
J: It was like Simon had another singer to work with.
"We don't rely on critical success"
TallSylvester asks:
Would you rather have critical or commercial success? And which of your peers do you respect the opinion of most?
Guardian contributor R: We don't rely on critical success. I think the band was successful despite what the critics thought of us, and I think that was a good lesson that we learned early on. I think it's all about getting our music to the widest audience we possibly can these days.
J: It's always great to be recognised by someone for whom you have a lot of respect. It's always nice to be complimented by fellow musicians.
KatharineJohnson asks:
Duran Duran have produced some very memorable and original introductions to their songs over the years. What innovations should I be anticipating with Paper Gods?
Guardian contributor J: I think you're referring to a unique sound that serves as an introduction to the song, so right away you know what it is. That's something we take very seriously. You can hear it in Paper Gods. It's almost like an incantation, casting a spell. The first two songs on the album both lead off with voices other than Simon's. I still find that interesting.
Pamelia Xandria asks:
I was wondering, when Simon writes the lyrics, how do you know what music is right for the lyrics?
Guardian contributor R: It's very often the other way round. We write the music and grooves, then the lyrics are usually the last thing to be completed.
CatherineJENSEN asks:
You guys have been together for 30 odd years...you must know a lot about each other, what do you still keep secret from the others?
Guardian contributor R: What time we're going to be down for the lobby call. Because no-one wants to be the last one down. Having said that, it's usually Nick, god bless him.
J: Aren't they called secrets for a reason?
ClubHandMagee asks:
Guitar in the last three albums (since Andy’s second departure) seems to be used as an additional element rather than any lead part. Do you ever miss (without being “Rock-ist”) some heavy guitar work like with your original new-wave elements? John Frusciante’s contribution seems quite subtle.
Guardian contributor J: It's become the X factor, that almost defines the success of the latest work. How do we fill that vacuum? The Andy Taylor vacuum, the fifth man vacuum? This time around, we've really got to have fun with that space. As Roger mentioned earlier, John Frusciante was the first player to occupy it for a few weeks, playing on four songs, then Nile, which was Mark's idea. Dom still gets to play on several songs, and tour with us. Everybody in the room plays a little guitar.
Suzyxlebon asks:
What are your most favourite albums of all time?
Guardian contributor R: One that pops into my head is Low by David Bowie. It was just a huge influence on my playing, because Dennis Davis kind of invented this very simple groovy way of playing. It was about sound as well, the sound of him hitting the drums. That was a life-changer for me.
J: I would agree on that one. George Murray, the bassist on that album... the album before that Station to Station was astonishing too.
R: Rather than playing extremely convoluted backing parts, it was just the right parts for the album.
J: I do really like fully realised double albums. The White Album, Exile on Main Street.
R: Physical Graffiti... Not triples though.
Michelle Hopkinson asks:
Has there ever been a song or piece of music you’ve heard, made by someone else, where you’ve thought, ‘damn I wish I’d written that’?
Guardian contributor J: Get Lucky sent a thrill of recognition around the studio didn't it?
R: As did Uptown Funk - wow, that's what Mark Ronson went off to do.
Michelle Hopkinson asks:
What would you say to your 20 year old selves today and would you do anything differently?
Guardian contributor R: I'd say everything's going to be ok. I think in the eye of the storm in your 20s, I'd have said: this too shall pass.
J: "You're alright, kid."
Catherine asks:
My question for you is, do you think that aliens exist? Do you think they have ever been to earth?
Guardian contributor J: I would say, sadly, pragmatically, no and no.
R: It's a no from me as well.
Cormaël Lia asks:
A question for John, as I am a very fervent reader: what is your favorite book in the world (your own book NOT included)?
Guardian contributor J: Let's both name a few. The Fountainhead was a big one in my 20s. In my teens it was Diary of a Rock'n'Roll Star by Ian Hunter. Most recently I loved The Goldfinch.
R: I'm a big lover of biographies, and I think the last one I read was the Nile Rodgers one, which was inspiring, to see the hardship he had come from and how much he made of himself.
LeonoraMoi asks:
I’m always amazed at the unity/ friendship I feel when I watch Duran Duran play together. What song do you as a band enjoy playing live the most, and why?
Guardian contributor J: Our unity/friendship is our biggest asset. And it's something that we're all very mindful of. There's a lot of "stuff" under the bridge that has to be processed so we can keep our relationships positive. We're all on a honeymoon right now from renewing our vows.
R: It's usually the newer songs we enjoy the most - really enjoying Pressure Off, it's fresh out of the box. It's just nice to have new material to play. It's been going down really well, a storm in fact, which is a good sign.
Salvo_from_Italy asks:
Does any footage of the few US shows featuring the fantastic Lazaridis stage-set exist in the Duran Duran archive? It would be great to see that!
Guardian contributor J: That fantastic set is best represented in the Too Much Information video, directed by Julian Temple. And really shows off the stage design.
Maguca27 asks:
Someday I would like to listen to/buy Reportage, the album that you made with Andy Taylor that was never sold in record stores. Could that be possible in the future?
Guardian contributor R: I think that could be a possibility at some point - we'd need to go back and have a look at it and see how it sounds. From what I recall it was a great album, though I say so myself.
J: It'll be part of a box set called The Retirement Years.
Danbull7609 asks:
U2’s latest setlists show constant change, with older album tracks mixed in with bigger hits, and numbers played for the first time in years. A common criticism from the Duran fan base is that tours are made up of the new album and the same hits. Having seen every tour since 2004 I’d happily trade in Hungry Like The Wolf for Hold Back The Rain, White Lines for Watching The Detectives or Is There Something I Should Know? for Who Do You Think You Are? What are the band’s thoughts on this?
Guardian contributor J: U2 are in the midst of a world tour, and it's common practice to mix things up. Duran have been playing much more sporadically over the last few years, and when we do play, we tend to play the classics. We're all really excited about getting into the Paper Gods album on the forthcoming tour dates - in the UK in November and December.
"Part of the job description is keeping each other inspired"
Diana da Cruz asks:
In terms of collaboration, which criteria did you use when the band invited artists to be part of new album?
How was the most difficult and easy song to be written by the band throughout creative process? Who has been your inspiration throughout creative process in the studio?
Guardian contributor R: On collaboration, it was a natural process actually. We didn't sit down at the beginning and say we were going to have six different artists. One was John Frusciante who called us, and we didn't think we could say no to that - it opened up a whole box of collaboration.
J: The inspiration, part of the job description is keeping each other inspired. We've got to maintain a firm belief in our partnership.
R: We're inspired by each other these days. It used to be other bands: Japan was a big influence, Ultravox, Kraftwerk. Andy was an AC/DC fan. But we managed to create a unique sound from all those different influences.
J: The road is getting narrower. You're looking to artists, musicians who are still making worthwhile music in their 60s, 70s, that's where you're looking: what's it going to be like? What do we have to look forward to?
Marion Cahill Corrigan asks:
Maybe I’m old-fashioned (or just old) but I really miss the way music used to be distributed, with artwork, liner notes, lyrics etc. I was wondering if you could talk a little bit about the ways music is made and distributed today vs when you first started making albums.What do you like/dislike about the process and the end product?
Guardian contributor J: We're in the instant gratification age, regards music. You can have what you want, when you want it. Which challenges new music, because it has to be better to get in your head and stay there. In the 70s, it was easy to become obsessed with a song when you could only get to hear it once a week. Now you can be over it within a day or two.
CatherineJENSEN asks:
Does being liberated from the ‘sex god’ label, and an audience solely interested in your musical talent, alter the way you now perform?
Guardian contributor J: I'm not sure I like that! "Being liberated" is a very nice way of saying you're no longer a sex god.
R: It's a no - I don't think we ever took that stuff too seriously. Whereas we've taken our playing very seriously, and still do.
Neil Bell asks:
Has the band ever used astrology to time recording sessions or release dates?
Guardian contributor J: Birthdays mean we don't see the singer for a few days.
R: That's about as close as we get.
Adarsa asks:
Who decides on the final artwork for your albums/singles? Does the whole band sit and discuss, does the record label get much of a say?
Guardian contributor J: Interestingly with the new album, Nick asked China Chow to curate the album art, and she introduced us to Alex Israel. When we all saw the new artwork for the first time, none of us "got it" right away. It's a slow burn. Now we're all loving it.
R: It's great because it shocks people. The first reaction is "I can't stand it" - but that's what art is all about.
J: There's a 20 minute rant on YouTube about how bad the artwork is. You can't buy publicity like that, can you?
Missee4D asks:
Do your children get to hear your work in progress? Is it interesting to get their feedback as twenty-somethings? Who do you feel you’re making music for now?
Guardian contributor J: I don't like sharing work in progress with anybody. Least of all my children who are amongst the most judgemental people I know. My stepson like Arcade Fire, LCD Soundsystem, my daughter likes Kendrick Lamar, Stepdaughter, Adele.
R: I do play to my children and they say "yeah, that sounds amazing!" Honest.
"I think Le Bon does have a very strong anti-establishment streak"
Nixter71 asks:
Does it annoy you that Paul Morely is always popping up as a talking head saying how Tory Duran Duran were, as if rock stars had never sailed on yachts, or worn fancy clothes before 1981? If anything I’ve always detected an seam of anti-establishment lyrics, from Wild Boys, Meet El Presidente (which I took to be obliquely about Thatcher “She spent your money on taking a cruise, If that isn’t funny, well watch out teacher”), Too Much Information, etc, and again on the sublime title track of the new album Paper Gods.
Guardian contributor J: I think Le Bon does have a very strong anti-establishment streak.
R: The whole "children of the Thatcherite generation" thing took me by surprise, because none of us had that kind of upbringing.
J: I remember being quite disappointed when my father told me he was working class. When I had assumed we were of the middle. I must have been about 12 at the time.
Georgia Somenzari asks:
Hi guys! Is there any kind of music you really don’t like?
Guardian contributor J: We just don't like crap! As long as it's good, within its own world, we can appreciate it. Crap in any language is crap.
Loveallanimals asks:
Which songs do you find most challenging to play / sing live and are there favourites?
Guardian contributor R: Rio. Because it's extremely fast.
J: Roger and I recently discussed "relaxing" the tempo and wondered if we could get it secretly past the rest of the band. Our plans failed.
Georgia Somenzari asks:
What was the last song that got stuck in your head?
Guardian contributor R: For me it was Pressure Off by us. It was! We were doing a video for it - we heard it 80 times. All the crew were singing too, the grips and so on - it was the sign of a good song.
J: Too Much Information. Another Duran song we haven't played live for a long time, which took a lot of rehearsing.
Georgia Somenzari asks:
If you could play any musical instrument you can’t, what would it be?
Guardian contributor J: I've been thinking about bowed instruments lately. Maybe the viola.
R: I'd quite like to play the lute. Only because I love Led Zeppelin.
Duran Duran’s John and Roger Taylor are with us now
So let’s begin with our first question!
Mirella Stivani asks:
The best Duran Duran album is...
Guardian contributor J: Always the most recent! But... I guess the one with the least mistakes... is Rio.
Post your questions for Duran Duran
In the 1980s, Duran Duran were the personification of the yuppie dream: a bunch of ordinary blokes from Birmingham playing synth masterpieces, hanging out with supermodels on yachts, and making tons of cash.
They’ve since ticked off all the rock’n’roll wobbles – cocaine addiction, band infighting, dodgy 90s albums – but have never strayed far from a hit, from early smashes like Girls on Film and Rio, through A View To A Kill, Notorious, Ordinary World and more. They’re now back with Paper Gods, an ambitious album full of vogueish guest stars – Janelle Monae, Mr Hudson, Kiesza – as well as their old sparring partner Nile Rodgers.
With the album out on 11 September, they’re joining us to answer your questions in a live webchat, from 1.15pm BST onwards on Tuesday 8 September. Post them in the comments below, and they’ll get through as many as possible.
Updated
J: It's been a real pleasure. Thanks for the questions. It's been enlightening.
R: Great questions, thank you to everyone. And don't forget Paper Gods is out on Friday!
J: And thanks to the Guardian for providing a forum.