Podcast #1-4. Duran Duran: Medazzaland
I’ve been pretty hard on Duran Duran since the start of the decade, if only because I’ve heard the band at its best. Astronaut and Pop Trash are not their best.
The last time Duran Duran really produced something distinct and signature was Medazzaland. It had some of the band’s best writing, but none of it was very suitable for radio play. Back in 1997, major labels attempted to trumpet underground dance music as the new face of alternative rock, and Medazzaland had the raw material to broker such a transition. But then the Spice Girls and Hanson happened that year, and the labels went where the cash was.
Some notes:
- Midazolim has been used as a plot device on Law & Order and The Closer. Anytime it’s mentioned, I always think of this album.
- I wrote the script for this show when I wasn’t so bitter about the band. I had a hard time delivering the line about Duran Duran paying no mind to time with a straight face.
Songs featured:
- Medazzaland
- Big Bang Generation
- Be My Icon
- So Long Suicide
- Midnight Sun
- Electric Barbarella