John Taylor (29) (1960–)

Had to read this because John Taylor was THE heart-breaker dude of the Eighties to me. Was pleased to find out that there really is some personal liking for him available to me - if I ever meet JT at a cocktail party, I am prepared with actual, relevant chat: One: What is the name of your black cat? Two: Books? You like to read? I knew I was right to love you, even if you never said what exactly you were reading!!!!! Tell me! Did you read "Game of Thrones????" Heh heh heh. I clearly have show more very fond memories of my D2 phase.

Reads more like carefully-crafted PR designed not to offend other band members than a tell-all tale. I don't know who designed the book, but whatever they got paid was way too much. For one thing, the un-captioned pictures were annoying and insufficiently informative. Ten points off for that. Who, where, when? Was that really Andy Warhol? The reader will never know. Two hundred points off for the blurry, artsy photos between chapters: the designer forgot what the fan base wanted to see (nice clear pictures of their beloved idol) and substituted a misguided "creativity" instead. Didn't like it one little bit. I rather thought my own first draft for captions and pictures would have been much better if I had created it while quite drunk and half asleep.

However, the account of building the band like a business seemed so well thought out, their story might be a case history for a business class. Very smart the way the band was put together and made democratic by the sidemen. The addiction story read well enough to sound honest and leave this reader glad that JT didn't end up as a washed-up, fat and greasy alcoholic the way he might have if he'd kept up with the vodka. Remember that Andy Taylor's nickname was "Sniffer," so it's a big surprise to hear that John had him beat with the Bolivian Marching Powder. Hadn't thought it could be done!

As a longtime fan, I have two complaints to present about my Duran Duran fan experience; and both of them are about the band failing to realize my expectations as a fan. One: they released a video way back when. I think it was "Sing Blue Silver.:" Anyway, we were rabid to see it. We were SO excited! And then the whole darn VHS tape was of blonde bimbos in lacy underwear doing roller derby. We were disappointed and confused. Surely there was some band footage? We fast-forwarded to no avail. The band had mistaken what they wanted to see with what we wanted to see. We never watched that piece of crap ever again.

Secondly, I wish someone had apologized for substituting Michael Des Barres for Robert Palmer when the Power Station toured in 1985. Fans liked Robert Palmer because he was suave and sexy, suit-wearing and the epitome of cool. We felt like we had classed up our rock and roll addiction by liking him. Imagine our horror to see des Barre running around the stage, sweating, shrieking, grabbing his head and acting like a monkey on speed, ruining all the songs. (Did John and Andy prepare him for the show with that cocaine habit?) Legions of fans hated the tour and kept on loving the album. That at least has held up nicely and sounds good today.

So, if I ever attend that cocktail party: I may confess that I started my career as a doll maker with my Anatomically Correct John Taylor Rag Doll. He was soft and cuddly and went to a lot of parties with us and everyone wanted their turn to have him sit on their lap. It was fun to be a fangirl, back in the day! show less

In The Pleasure Groove was a bit scant on details. I got about as much out of it as if it was a much more in-depth, detailed account, and skimmed a lot, instead of reading it all closely as I did. Despite that, it revealed quite a few informative anecdotes that gave me some insight into the life of (Nigel) John Taylor, and his relationships with the other people in that life -- including the other members of Duran Duran.

I found it interesting that, by the end of it, I found that he took show more responsibility for everything he did that was less than respectable while, at the same time, laying it all at the feet of addiction-as-disease, as some force beyond his control. I also found it interesting that he did not ever give any substantive impression that he held anything against anyone else, and avoided saying anything explicit about people making blame-worthy decisions, in what struck me as a show of understanding of others' perspectives rare amongst humans in general and celebrities in particular. The result is that he comes off as rather mature about the whole thing.

Overall, I enjoyed the read, and the insight into a band whose music I've also enjoyed for a very long time, though I wish there was more substance to the individual tales he had to tell. show less

Though I enjoyed this book a great deal, I was more than a little frustrated by it. John says it best toward the end when he apologizes for being a bit of a tease, but that he has to think about his friendships-- he can't reveal too much of the backstage drama. The problem is that the genre of the bio, especially the band member bio, is set up to dish.
Despite that, John writes really well. The book hums along because Taylor pays attention to something so few life writers remember: pacing. show more Rather than long, drawn out meditations on fourth grade, John gives emotional vignettes. He trades detail for pace. While this isn't always fully satisfying, it is entertaining.
Recommended. show less

I first discovered Duran Duran when I was a young teenager, and quickly become obsessed. As I grew older, I drifted away from them, but always came back again. They may not be my favourites any more, but I still like listening to them, and as John Taylor was by far my favourite when I was growing up (I was convinced I’d marry him one day, and boy, did I hate Amanda de Cadenet when she beat me to it!), I was looking forward to reading his biography. I should point out that I actually show more listened to the audio version of this book, which is narrated by John himself.

Anyway…I have mixed feelings about it. I enjoyed the first part when he talks about growing up as an only child, and how he developed a love of music. He talks about forming bands with friends including Nick Bates (now known as Nick Rhodes), and eventually forming Duran Duran with the line-up for which they are most famous. They were very democratic, being one of the few bands who credited each and every member with writing each and every song. However, the story of living his dream soon becomes a nightmare, as Taylor details how he fell into the drug scene, and become dependent both on cocaine and alcohol.

Some of the inside info about the music business was interesting – the machinations of the publicity machines, the secrets behind recording a slot for Top of the Pops, for instance – but the whole book kind of feels more like an overview of Taylor’s life, rather than a detailed autobiography. I liked that he pretty much avoids dishing the dirt on anybody except himself – although after initially speaking pretty affectionately of fellow band member Andy Taylor, he seems rather dismissive of him at the end of the book. Some of the language though feels quite contrived – maybe it sounds more so when it’s being read aloud, and the book generally feels like it was rushed. (It was ghostwritten however, so I’m not sure exactly how much blame can be attributed to Taylor for that.)

Overall, Taylor comes across as a genuinely nice guy, and it was good to hear how he eventually conquered his demons, and has managed to stay clean and sober for two decades. I’d probably recommend the book as decent but not essential reading, strictly for fellow Duran Duran fans. show less