Rock ‘n’ Roll High School 72: Tiger Beat or Bop? The Perils of Youth in the 80s!

Andrew Golub, aka Durandy, joins us today for a re-launch of sorts for Rock ‘n’ Roll High School. I suppose you could say that school is back in session or at least I’m getting back to class after spending a little too much time hanging around in the parking lot talking to my friends (and writing! I’m always writing!). Andrew is THE Duran Duran fan-archivist, a devoted follower of the band for over three decades. He curates an assortment of rare artifacts and paper ephemera that numbers in the thousands, including carefully restored posters and prints from every chapter of Duran Duran’s history. Selections from Andrew’s archive have been showcased in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, on A&E’s Biography, in two film documentaries, and in two public exhibitions. Andrew released a gorgeous hardcover book last month titled Beautiful Colors, examining Duran Duran’s career as it has never been seen before — through the posters. From 1978 up to the present day, the band’s evolution is chronicled with rare and vintage promotional posters from the largest Duran Duran archive in the world; tours, tribulations, and triumphs are charted as each album is released, viewed through an array of stunning art and photography. There’s even a forward by Nick Rhodes. How amazing is that? So get to it, peeps, and order Andy’s book before they are gone and you’re left feeling foolish. After that, you can get to this…

Andrew Golub, Duran Duran archivist extraordinaire, Franklin High, Seattle, WA, Class of ’90

Band and/or song that reminds you the most of high school: Ahhhh…. I realize I’m not the most objective opinion on song choices, but Duran Duran’s “The Reflex” has to be on the top of my list. That hit represents a time when the band was taking girls’ hearts by storm and the music charts were full of colorful acts setting out to make a splash with videos and catchy songs. “Freeze Frame” by J. Geils Band and Van Halen’s “Jump” also quickly transport me back to high school hallways, toting my Trapper Keeper with Nick Rhodes peering out from the front cover’s plastic sleeve.

Favorite piece of music memorabilia (poster, t-shirt, etc.) in high school: By high school, I was firmly set on using newspaper route income to purchase foldout Duran Duran posters from my classmates, so any day that saw me come home with an armload of pin-ups or magazine clippings was memorable. I recall walking into drugstores or supermarkets after school and never quite making it past the magazine racks; a glazed look would come over my face and I’d drop to my knees, methodically perusing every new issue of Tiger Beat, SuperTeen, and BOP. The hard part was figuring out which mag to buy with my limited money, since each publication had mercilessly limited their Duran coverage to just a couple pages. The perils of youth in the ‘80s!

Band that you hated that everyone else at school seemed to love: Probably Culture Club. I have always been a visual person, and to me, Boy George and Nick Rhodes represented the two extremes of makeup application: wasteful and tasteful. Granted, Duran Duran embraced decadence in other ways, but with their visual presentation, the band deftly illustrated how sometimes less can be more. Except when it comes to collecting posters.

Best show or concert you saw in high school: Seeing Duran Duran for the first time in Vancouver BC, when they joined David Bowie on his 1987 Glass Spider tour. The show was sheer brilliance. I stayed after Duran left the stage, just long enough to see Bowie make his grand entrance, but then I retreated to the transport bus so my memorabilia could be better protected. The archival tendencies were already taking over.

Best high school make-out song: Mmmmm… probably “Save A Prayer.” Or Foreigner’s “I Want To Know What Love Is”. Neither ever really worked for me, but I recommend both.

Andrew Golub is author of the book Beautiful Colors, telling the history of Duran Duran through his meticulously curated collection of posters. You can learn more about Andrew’s collection and his book at durandy.com.