Wild Boy "Shines"

My two-paragraph review of Andy Taylor's new autobiography

When I heard that Andy Taylor was coming out with a book, I must admit I was skeptical. I thought “Here we go.. an angry, astrainged band member out looking for revenge.” like countless books out there written by bitter celebrity ex-wives claiming abuse and infidelity. However, I couldn’t have been more wrong. Andy’s recount of his life in Duran Duran was incredibly fair and honest. He shows his respect for everyone in Duran Duran, readily praising them for their specific talents and strengths. But he also doesn’t sugar-coat anything, illustrating that they all have their weaknesses, including himself.

In my twenty-six years of being a “Duranie” and watching them closely through the media, you would think I’d know every facet of their history, but there was still so much more to know. In this book, we get the story from the inside for the very first time. The book is both informative and amusingly anecdotal. I learned many things about this band, but also about the music business and the rock-and-roll lifestyle in general. The writing takes on an open conversational tone, absent of any bitterness or regret. Over the years, I have had the chance to meet all of the members of Duran Duran on various occasions.. except for Andy. Now I feel I’ve just had him ‘round for a beer and a long chat. Thanks Andy!