Wild Boy: My Life in Duran Duran
by
Andy Taylor
Wild Boy is the explosive first inside account of the rise and fall of Duran Duran. The band rose to conquer the globe with a string of unforgettable hits such as "Rio," "Hungry Like the Wolf," and "The Reflex." With Simon Le Bon as their frontman, they were the defining pop act of the 1980s, but Andy Taylor, the enigmatic lead guitarist, is widely acknowledged to have bee...more
Hardcover, 324 pages
Published
September 9th 2008
by Grand Central Publishing
(first published 2008)
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
This book is not yet featured on Listopia.
Add this book to your favorite list »
Community Reviews
(showing
1-30
of
697)
Given the total lack of perspective or responsibility in this his own chance to set the record straight, it’s no surprise Andy Taylor and Duran Duran parted ways…twice.
For those of you not in the know (and I assume that is most of you) Andy Taylor is the original guitarist for Duran Duran, a band that has sold 80 million albums and created some of the most iconic music of the 80s and early 90s. Andy was there from near the beginning of the band through its heyday of the albums Rio (“Hungry Like...more
For those of you not in the know (and I assume that is most of you) Andy Taylor is the original guitarist for Duran Duran, a band that has sold 80 million albums and created some of the most iconic music of the 80s and early 90s. Andy was there from near the beginning of the band through its heyday of the albums Rio (“Hungry Like...more
When I was 16, it was all about Duran Duran. They were so glamorous! They drank champagne on yachts! They dated models that I could never hope to be like. The way they pronounced D'jeurahn D'jeurahn was like music to my Midwestern ears. As I grew older, and got to college my tastes grew more sophisticated and I became a fan of other pasty English boy bands, but when I saw this book, I just had to read it. I had to admit that I did not have very high expectations. Celebrity bios are not always th...more
I enjoyed this book far more than I expected to, even for a Duran Duran fan. I have to say my prejudice against rock stars and their writing ability predisposed me to this book being mediocre. It's not Hemingway, but the man writes like he speaks. As such, the book comes across as an affable guy telling the story of how he used to be in a band, write music, do drugs, and met his wife.
I brought this book along on a trip to Sri Lanka where many of Duran Duran's videos were shot. Taylor's story pro...more
I brought this book along on a trip to Sri Lanka where many of Duran Duran's videos were shot. Taylor's story pro...more
OK, once a Duranie, always a Duranie. This book was GREAT fun and gave some insight to things we heard about but didn't always know about for sure. Fights, fallouts, etc - good dirt, in other words.
I always kind of considered Andy to be the "Ringo" of the group, as he was the one I was least interested in. I have a much greater appreciation for him now because of this.
I know this is a somewhat "fluff" read - but so what? I love biographies and this was a subject I was very intrested in. Can't al...more
I always kind of considered Andy to be the "Ringo" of the group, as he was the one I was least interested in. I have a much greater appreciation for him now because of this.
I know this is a somewhat "fluff" read - but so what? I love biographies and this was a subject I was very intrested in. Can't al...more
Was Andy Taylor the wildest of the Duran Duran wild boys? After reading this autobiography, I'd say that title actually belongs to pretty boy John Taylor. The lanky bass player was promoted aggressively as a teen idol, but he was a marvelously fucked up drug addict for nearly twenty years.
For his part, Andy was a serious boozer and cokehead during the band's glory years. He writes: "On one embarrassing occasion someone found me staggering about next to a Coca-Cola machine. I was so wired that I...more
For his part, Andy was a serious boozer and cokehead during the band's glory years. He writes: "On one embarrassing occasion someone found me staggering about next to a Coca-Cola machine. I was so wired that I...more
Fascinating! I'd have to say, until I read this book, Andy Taylor was the member of Duran Duran that I knew the least about/cared the least about. That's all changed! What a hilarious, down-to-earth guy! I'm floored by the fact that he basically quit DD so that he could get off the drugs and spend more time with his cute family. Interesting, too, are the tensions within the group. They were always presented as a united front at first, and then later you got the impression that Nick and Simon wer...more
Andy Taylor was Duran Duran's original guitarist and the most (only) professionally experienced musician in the band, and he had a huge influence on their early success.
In this autobiographical look at his life with the band, we find out lots of details about the founding of the group and the wild and crazy times they experienced in the mayhem of the burgeoning MTV era.
Basically their managers, the Berrow brothers, kept them working non-stop on touring, making albums, then touring again for five...more
In this autobiographical look at his life with the band, we find out lots of details about the founding of the group and the wild and crazy times they experienced in the mayhem of the burgeoning MTV era.
Basically their managers, the Berrow brothers, kept them working non-stop on touring, making albums, then touring again for five...more
I have long loved Duran Duran. Period. I guess I never got as angry or as upset when Andy left the band, at any point. I always knew there had to be more to the tale...
This is a wonderful book--not only becasue it lets in some light on people I literally grew up adoring and loving...but becasue it is an articulate well-written well-thought-out attempt at conveying what Andy himself went through.
He maintains a solid dignity and poise throughout the entire book.
He never said so and so was an awfu...more
This is a wonderful book--not only becasue it lets in some light on people I literally grew up adoring and loving...but becasue it is an articulate well-written well-thought-out attempt at conveying what Andy himself went through.
He maintains a solid dignity and poise throughout the entire book.
He never said so and so was an awfu...more
Duran Duran was my favorite band in my boyhood. They got famous around 1981-82, when I was about 10 years old. At that time in my school there were 3 pop bands you could choose from, and you generally chose just one of them: Duran Duran, Spandau Ballet, Culture Club. I always thought Spandau were naff, to use a good british term. Culture Club were naff with some catchy tunes. But Duran Duran were awesome, to my 10-11 year old mind. They kind of rocked - in a pop way - and they were a bit arty. T...more
I thoroughly enjoyed this book - so much so that I read it a few times!
I read it right on the heels of finishing JT's memoir (which came out well after this did), as I somehow missed that this was even available. JT's memoir, while I enjoyed it, was too detached for me -- it was evident that he took the high road while writing it and was careful not to divulge any dirt about his bandmates. Andy, however, gave good details that DD fans would want to read -- such as personal accounts of the hedon...more
I read it right on the heels of finishing JT's memoir (which came out well after this did), as I somehow missed that this was even available. JT's memoir, while I enjoyed it, was too detached for me -- it was evident that he took the high road while writing it and was careful not to divulge any dirt about his bandmates. Andy, however, gave good details that DD fans would want to read -- such as personal accounts of the hedon...more
Apr 25, 2009
Tina
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
The Duranies of the World
Shelves:
2009,
memoirs-biographies
Things I learned from Any Taylor:
He really hated making the "New Moon on Monday" video.
He single-handedly wrote every Duran Duran song ever done, minus lyrics.(love ya Andy, but not buying it)
He and JT were giant coke heads through much of the 80's.
Juliane was DD's "Yoko" and (my inner Duranie could not be happier!)
DD tours had loads of excitement including bloodshed and knife fights.
They had to cheat to beat Spandua Ballet at British trivia game show. (C'mon guys! Like you could not have done...more
He really hated making the "New Moon on Monday" video.
He single-handedly wrote every Duran Duran song ever done, minus lyrics.(love ya Andy, but not buying it)
He and JT were giant coke heads through much of the 80's.
Juliane was DD's "Yoko" and (my inner Duranie could not be happier!)
DD tours had loads of excitement including bloodshed and knife fights.
They had to cheat to beat Spandua Ballet at British trivia game show. (C'mon guys! Like you could not have done...more
I didn't think I would, but I actually liked this better than I liked JT's book. Andy's had a more conversational tone where John's was more of a "let me write this because people might buy it" book. Neither one was very in-depth or gave away any secrets. It seemed they were both trying to make some $$ without trashing the others. The worst thing anyone said was that Andy thinks Nick is a spoiled rich boy who likes to control everything. As if that is news to any DD fan...
I do think that toward...more
I do think that toward...more
I wasn't sure what to expect when I started this book. Yes, I'm a fan of Duran Duran, but I'm far more critical now than when I was young and impressionable--obviously, or I doubt I'd have read the book. I guess I was looking for insights into the inner workings of the band, what caused the first break-up, what inspired the reunion in 2003, and what happened to break the fellowship again. I got it.
Taylor's known to be blunt and outspoken, probably the one in the band most likely to say what was...more
Taylor's known to be blunt and outspoken, probably the one in the band most likely to say what was...more
I'll admit I liked this, and stuck with this, more because I was a curious fan than for the actual style and content. But hey, I guess that's why he wrote the book and expected it to be popular. I felt like Taylor left out a lot of stuff and not because I know more than what he alludes to, but there are gaping holes in his timeline and in his "reasons" for doing this and that...so, I guess it's more of an editing gaffe than the writer's omission. This is especially apparent toward the end of the...more
I was an screaming, swooning, obsessed Duranie in my teens in the 80s, and Andy's autobiography reminded me of all those idolised good times, as well as filling me in on the bad times I was mostly unaware of.
Duran Duran had their share of problems behind the scenes, but their glossy exterior fuelled my teenage dreams, and this book is an interesting, nostalgic, eye-opening, must-read for all aging Duranies!
Duran Duran had their share of problems behind the scenes, but their glossy exterior fuelled my teenage dreams, and this book is an interesting, nostalgic, eye-opening, must-read for all aging Duranies!
After reading this I came to the realization that all 5 members will not get back together again. Nothing juicier than a band member scorned though - he had some pretty nasty things to say about John and Nick in particular which surprized me because I always assumed it was Simon's massive ego that might have pissed him off. If you are a fan, I highly recommend it. Besides the smut, there's some really funny stories about the band and other artists they came across in the 80's (Rod Stewart and Th...more
To be completely honest, I held no allusions that Andy would even begin to fully explain why he and Duran Duran parted ways on two occasions. Nor did I think for a moment that he would actually own up and take responsibility for some of the things that occurred - he seems to enjoy playing the blame game and taking things ridiculously out of context. For some reason, that didn't surprise me. Based on what I knew of the very public way that he and Simon Le Bon lashed out at each other in the press...more
Of course, with biographies you can't help the fact that you're only going to be seeing the author's POV, but I can't help wishing that this would've been Simon Le Bon's Bio or John Taylor's Bio. I wish there would've been more of an indepth closeup, but if Andy told the complete truth about a lot of his experience then that's all and good. I just can't help feel like a lot is missing. Besides, I'm a bit biased. Overall, this book has redeemed Andy, somewhat, in my eyes. I've been a Duranie sinc...more
Well I learned alot about one of my favorite bands (ie. Duran Duran) the is the auto biography of guitarist (former that is) Andy Taylor. I have to say it is a very typical tell all of the music business. Very much an intense tail of (1980's and then him coming back to Duran Duran in 2001 and leaving again in 2006) Sex, Drugs & Rock and Roll. Especially the drugs cocaine to be exact. I would say even if you were not a Duran fan but are a fan of true life rock tails than you will like this bo...more
I found this book to be a more detailed version of what happened to Duran Duran, compared to John Taylor's book. However, I felt John's was more entertaining to read. Andy was forth-coming about the personality clashes and Nick's controlling ways. He also wrote about the egos of the band and his own personal problems. Andy's book was a quick read and interesting but he was my least favorite band member when I was young. I knew very little about him but although he seemed to have a bad temper, he...more
Being a part of one of the most successful bands of the 80's must mean you have it made in the shade, eh? Not so in this case. Andy, guitarist of Duran Duran from 1980-1987 and then again from 2003-2005, tells his life story, from a fractured childhood up to the highs and lows of being in the band(highs- fame and success beyond his wildest dreams lows- being dumped unceremoniously by the band), and how he survived to become the person he is today. Andy doesn't pull punches, so if you want a fair...more
I just recently finished John Taylor's autobiography so wanted to get a different perspective. While I enjoyed reading John's, his really read more like an outline of his Duran Duran days, only spending minimal time on band. This wasn't the case with Andy's book, his is a very detailed account of his start in music. Andy's detailed account of of the work of Duran Duran and he and John's side project The Power Station was just what I was looking for. And Andy does dish some dirt on some of the ex...more
A matter-of-fact telling of life in an 80's band. Well, not just any band, Duran Duran! Lots of sex, drugs 'n rock 'n roll, but that should be expected. One also gets a behind the scenes at how a band rises to fame and the turmoil and toll it takes on the people in the band. And they do turn out to be people after all--not idols.
I've been to D2 concerts in '85, '05 and '07. The '05 concert rocked! They really are a great live band. Read the book to get an appreciation of band life and go to a s...more
I've been to D2 concerts in '85, '05 and '07. The '05 concert rocked! They really are a great live band. Read the book to get an appreciation of band life and go to a s...more
I'm convinced you need to be a Duranie to like this book as much as I did. I was a MTV baby and spent a good 5+ years of my life living and breathing Duran Duran. Andy was my least favorite, sorry to say that was based on looks alone. Given that fact, I liked that Andy wrote the book and not anyone else. It somehow made it more objective to me. I enjoyed the fact that he has a successful love story, that he was a self taught musician, survived serious drug and alcohol abuse and basically is just...more
Having read John Taylor's autobiography just before Christmas and found it decidedly scandal-less, I knew this would be the book to dish the dirt, and it certainly did! By the end I had the distinct impression Nick Rhodes is a control freak and a huge pain to work with, and I wonder how the band members get on now, without Andy to stir things up again.
I learned many new things, including Andy's sad home life as a child, and his and his wife's horrific bouts of mental illness. It's amazing he su...more
I learned many new things, including Andy's sad home life as a child, and his and his wife's horrific bouts of mental illness. It's amazing he su...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Nov 12, 2008
Laren
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Duran Duran fans, Music History Buffs
Shelves:
memoirs
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Ugh. Andy Taylor cry me a river. Seriously, this is such a book filled with Andy taking hardly any responsibility for any part he played in any upset in Duran Duran. It was mostly Nick's fault. Or it was Simon, or it was management, or "fill in the blank". And I'm sorry, I'm all for having cocktails, but it's almost like I could hear Andy laugh about his escapades with drink and making it seem like his drinking was as common and ok as brushing your teeth. He shares stories of John Taylor drinkin...more
Andy Taylor – Wild Boy
If you were alive in the 1980’s, then you know Duran Duran. Rio, Hungry like a Wolf are signature 80’s songs still enjoyed by countless Gen-xers as their first forays into music. Duran Duran was a major force made in the New Romantic movement of pop rock. And that was Andy Taylor’s problem with the rest of the group; he wanted the band to be more hard rock. Eventually he left and returned only to leave again.
Wild Boy is a fun behind the scenes look of this epic band. This...more
If you were alive in the 1980’s, then you know Duran Duran. Rio, Hungry like a Wolf are signature 80’s songs still enjoyed by countless Gen-xers as their first forays into music. Duran Duran was a major force made in the New Romantic movement of pop rock. And that was Andy Taylor’s problem with the rest of the group; he wanted the band to be more hard rock. Eventually he left and returned only to leave again.
Wild Boy is a fun behind the scenes look of this epic band. This...more
There are no discussion topics on this book yet.
Be the first to start one »

Loading...




























Aug 25, 2012 03:06pm
updated Aug 25, 2012 03:36pm