Wild Boy: My Life in Duran Duran Issue #38

by Andy Taylor

By Jolene Siana
Published: December 1st, 2008 | 5:14pm

In the late ’70s, 19-year-old Andy Taylor answered an ad in local British paper Melody Maker seeking a “live wire guitarist.” Within ten months, new band Duran Duran released their first single, and the rest is history — and now Taylor’s written a book all about it.

One of the memoir’s most surprising claims is that once the band reached their peak in fame, they didn’t indulge in the fringe benefits of being around groupies. In fact, Taylor claims being the center of attention caused incredible stress for all the bandmates, and even contributed to drummer Roger Taylor’s agoraphobia.

Taylor is the only original member no longer with the band — and while he admires his bandmates, he’s not without snide commentary on the other wild boys. He divulges on fellow guitarist John Taylor’s self-destructive demons and also claims that keyboardist Nick Rhodes — hilariously described as a “Revlon-wearing tosser” — was too controlling to work with.

For a rocknroll — er, ’80s pop — tell-all, Wild Boy is a little light on the sordid revelations, but Taylor’s endearing and gracious voice pulls this memoir through.

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ABOUT THE BOOK

Wild Boy: My Life in Duran Duran

by Andy Taylor

336 pages

$26