I think it’s one of the best Bond themes I’ve ever heard. Now, the first thing I’ve got to say is I love the Billie Eilish song. Have you been thinking about the themes from the recent movies?
Duran Duran Writing The Bond Theme For A View To A Kill (198k) They came down from Nagoya, where they’re based, and recorded in the SYN studio in Tokyo. In Japan, what do you do with collaboration? You have to pay the artists. He made the connection, and they were really up for it. Nick said to me, “I really want us to get this song on the album,” and I said, “I’ve been listening to this incredible all-girl Japanese punk band called CHAI, and maybe they’d be up for it.” I got in contact with my partner in an initiative called SYN based in Tokyo, and he said he’d get in touch with them. There’s some kind of energy and fun that’s going on with all of that.Īnyway, we had this track on the new album called “More Joy!” I think it was in the danger pile, and by that I mean in danger of not making it on the album. There’s a track I played on one of my shows, “N.E.O.” I think it’s just fantastic. Somehow in my musical meanderings on Spotify, Bandcamp, and SoundCloud, I came across this all-girl Japanese band called CHAI. There’s a very strong scene coming out of there. Fontaines D.C., Clockworks, Sinead O’Brien, who I think is amazing. I particularly like the kind of - well, it’s called post-punk, but I got really into the Irish scene. It’s not the only music I play, but it’s what I like. I gravitated towards new alternative indie or alternative R&B generally. I’ve got a radio show on SiriusXM once a week.
You know, not everybody says yes - but let’s talk about CHAI. I think with a lot of younger artists, we have some currency. If I called up Elton John, “Hey do you fancy a collaboration with Duran Duran?” and he said, “No,” I’d feel very rejected. What is it about these younger artists that you gravitate towards to the point where you want to bring them into your world or be a part of their world? There have been some interesting collaborations on other Duran Duran albums, and that was no different with Future Past - a major one being that you had CHAI on “More Joy!” You also did a song with Charli XCX in 2014, and you’ve worked with Mark Ronson. The conversation spanned Bond themes and Pavarotti and side projects and many other twists and turns. Throughout, Le Bon was funny and animated - and also remarkably candid about certain high and low points in Duran Duran’s trajectory. On the occasion of Duran Duran’s new album, we called up Le Bon to talk about odds and ends and chapters from across the last 40 years. But now the group is back with Future Past, and like Paper Gods before it, the album not only finds Duran Duran managing to blend trademark elements of their classic sound with more contemporary dispositions, it also features a host of impressive and interesting collaborations.Īt the helm of Duran Duran has always, of course, been Simon Le Bon. It’s been a while between albums - their last, Paper Gods, arrived in 2015. Now over four decades into their career, the new wave greats Duran Duran are still going strong. We’ve Got A File On You features interviews in which artists share the stories behind the extracurricular activities that dot their careers: acting gigs, guest appearances, random internet ephemera, etc.