Duran Duran to Induct Roxy Music Into Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame
Duran Duran's Simon Le Bon and John Taylor will be on hand to induct Roxy Music into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame later this month.
Taylor appeared on Jonesy's Jukebox, where he said Roxy Music will be inducted by "someone close to our hearts," to which host Steve Jones, the former Sex Pistols guitarist who hosts the show, responded, "Someone I'm looking at, I think. I'm so jealous."
The ceremony will take place on March 29 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
"I think Simon and I are going to do it, which is incredible," Taylor continued, and spoke of seeing Roxy Music's video for "Virginia Plain" back in 1972. "I remember seeing them on television, and they were just like nothing we'd ever seen before, were they?"
Taylor called the band "mind-blowing," and noted "they were like from outer space almost," pointing out how Brian Eno's keyboards were similar to Joe Meek's pioneering sound on "Telstar," the 1962 instrumental hit Meek produced for the Tornados.
Watch John Taylor on 'Jonesy's Jukebox'
Duran Duran's arty synth-rock and stylish image owe a huge debt to Roxy Music. Taylor helped pay it off in the mid-'90s by producing a tribute album called Dream Home Heartaches: Remaking/Remodeling Roxy Music. Taylor covered "Just Another High," which featured drums by former Guns N' Roses drummer Matt Sorum.
Taylor also spoke of the influence Roxy Music's third album, Stranded, had on him in an episode of the video series Records in My Life. He said the rhythm section of John Gustafson and Paul Thompson have always been a source of inspiration for him and Duran Duran drummer Roger Taylor (who has no relation to either John Taylor or Queen's drummer, who's also named Roger Taylor).
Watch John Taylor Talk About Roxy Music on Records in My Life
"It's a very exotic record," he said. "Bryan Ferry's writing alludes to a lot of places that any suburban boy might want to go to. There's a song on there called 'Amazona.' ... There's 'Song for Europe,' which is the song that he famously sang, you know, half of it is in French and you're going, 'Wow. This guy's really sophisticated.'"