‘I didn’t know that I was going to be an alcoholic.’ John Taylor on sex, drugs and Duran Duran
The bassist sits down for a candid conversation on the heady years
Duran Duran bass guitarist John Taylor is the picture of sobriety in 2025. Photo: Getty
“Hi Marina, this is John from Duran Duran. I believe you had posters of me on your bedroom wall as a kid, with lots of lipstick kisses on them. I hope to see you at our concerts in Ireland.”
It’s 43 years on from when I used to deface my poor sister’s Duran Duran records while she was out at hockey practice and the band’s bassist John Taylor, the subject of my-then teenage sister’s affection, is being very gracious – recording her a message during our chat about the band’s upcoming sold-out shows (with Nile Rodgers and Chic) in Dublin on June 30 and Cork on July 1.
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