Simon Le Bon has confessed he couldn’t care much less about Halloween as his band Duran Duran launch their spooky-themed album, ‘Danse Macabre’, on his sixty fifth birthday (27.10.23).
Duran Duran launch Halloween album on frontman Simon Le Bon’s birthday
The frontman insists the file, the thought for which got here after they carried out a Halloween present in Las Vegas final 12 months, is keyboardist Nick Rhodes’ “fantasy”.
Simon – who will probably be celebrating his special occasion within the short-term flat his household is residing at whereas main works proceed on extending their South West London abode, together with the addition of a swimming pool – admits he does not just like the October thirty first vacation taking the eye away from his birthday.
In an interview with The Solar newspaper, he stated: “Danse Macabre is Nick’s fantasy album.
“I don’t give a f*** about Halloween, to be sincere, because it’s all the time a distraction in my birthday week.”
Regardless of not being huge on Halloween, Simon loved each minute of getting to place his personal ghoulish spin on classics by the likes of The Specials (‘Ghost City’), Speaking Heads (‘Psycho Killer’), Siouxsie and the Banshees (‘Spellbound’), alongside new songs, and admits they did not apply the identical stress they often put themselves beneath to overanalyse their work.
He continued: “But it surely was nice enjoyable to make.
“We set ourselves a aim to make an album inside a 12 months.
“I believe self-consciousness is the largest enemy of artwork however this time we didn’t have time to face again. We needed to get on with it.”
The group – who labored with longtime collaborator Nile Rodgers on the file – additionally acquired to reunite with former guitarists Andy Taylor – who has been present process specialist therapy for prostate most cancers – and Warren Cuccurullo on ‘Danse Macabre’, describing it as one huge “household” reunion.
Simon stated: “Andy is household. We love him and needed him on the album.
“We needed to do as a lot as doable to assist his state of affairs and we’ve helped him get into a spot the place he is ready to change his life and mentality.
“I would like him round so long as we are able to have him.
“Recording with Andy was superb. We recorded seven guitar tracks in two days when he was fairly low.
“However Andy has been getting therapy and he’s now symptom-free. This new Lutetium-177 focused radioremedy can provide him one other ten years of life, which might be unbelievable.
“We additionally performed a fundraiser present for him and I heard he performed a prostate most cancers profit live performance the opposite night time and acquired Robert Plant to play Stairway To Heaven for the primary time in 20 years. Absolutely superb. I’m so happy with Andy. I really like him dearly.”
In the meantime, regardless of three a long time within the music enterprise, the ‘Wild Boys’ – additionally together with drummer Roger Taylor, 63, and bassist John Taylor, 63 – have by no means stepped foot in Glastonbury, and they might solely conform to play if they’re provided a chief slot on the Pyramid Stage.
In a separate interview, Nick, 61, instructed The Every day Telegraph: “I imagine they’ve our phone quantity, we haven’t modified it.”
Simon insisted: “3pm within the Disco Tent isn’t actually the place we see ourselves.”
He added: “A very long time in the past I vowed I might by no means set foot in Glastonbury except it was on the Pyramid Stage at a good hour of the night time. So though I’ve been requested to camp, to glamp and invited to fly out and in by helicopter, I’ve all the time refused on precept.”
‘Danse Macabre’ is out now.