BeatBoxBetty Interviews John Taylor

JOHN TAYLOR

If the 60s can best be described as the decade of love, and the 70s as the decade of disco, then the 80s must've been the decade of total excess. Just ask Sylvestor Stallone. But this decadent decade brought more than Fast Times and Silver Spoons. It was also responsible for the birth of MTV – and Duran Duran was an integral part of the music video movement.

Of course, the cutest member was John Taylor. Sorry Simon LeBon fans, but it's true.In addition to staying musical with his new band Terroristen, (don't ask), this Renaissance man is also busy expanding his reach with the recent pursuit of acting. As well he should. His portrayal of an aging rock star in Allison Anders' "Sugar Town" is riveting stuff. You can also catch him in the upcoming "Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas." Yabba dabba! Recently, I got the chance to chat with John Taylor the newly made movie star. Here's what he had to say…

BBB: I have to say that when I heard you were going to be in this movie [Sugar Town] I thought you weren't going to be any good. But I was really impressed with you. Were you comfortable with the camera?
John: Thank you. Yes, I was very comfortable. There's no large soliloquies or anything, and Allison Anders and I have been friends for a long time. The whole script was tailored to her and Kurt Voss' [Sugar Town's co-writer/director] friends. People ask me if I felt uncomfortable playing this over the hill rocker…well, everybody's in some kind of a crisis. I just felt very comfortable. Each day I learned a little bit more about how to put it over.

BBB: How was it working with your longtime friend Allison Anders?
John: She went out of her way to make me feel comfortable. She knows how to. You know, she had gone to New York and made a very expensive movie with Martin Scorsese ["Grace of My Heart"]. And I know how that can be when you just want to bring things back to their beginnings again. You can lose a lot of yourself in that type of corporate experience. So she needed to re-gather her strengths and remind herself who she was. I think that's important for us all.

BBB: In the movie, there's a scene with a bunch of groupies hanging out in your front yard. During the Duran Duran days, you must've been mobbed. Do you still have fans that freak out over you?
John: Not unless I go to a Duran Duran convention. In the old days, it was insanity, but it was fine with us. It was a tremendous adventure really. We had all seen "Hard Day's Night" so we knew how to behave. It gave you a certain [power] to be able to say, "Stop the car!" And you could jump from one taxi cab into another. When you're being chased by hordes of crazy kids you can do anything, because the traffic stops for you. And I mean that as a metaphor as well, you know. It only stopped being fun when a couple of the guys left and fashion went the other way. Then it became work.

BBB: Does your band, Terroristen, have a new album coming out?
John: Yes, but not for awhile in the states.

BBB: Is it on a label we'd know?
John: No. I don't even have a record label. Fans can get the album at my website which is located at www.trusttheprocess.com.

BBB: I hope you don't think I'm being too forward, but I always wanted to know…how on Earth did you get that little gray spot on your hair? That can't be natural.
John: Let's just say it's about as natural as yours.

BBB: Say no more dah-link, say no more!

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