Andy Taylor recently spoke with Raised On Radio and recalled how Duran Duran benefited from Led Zeppelin’s Live Aid performance, or as he called it, a ‘disaster.’
The rocker performed on Live Aid with two bands, one being Duran Duran and the other being, Power Station. So, when the host asked how was it to take the stage twice, Andy said:
“I was sober when we did it Power Station but quite drunk by the time we did it with Duran because… [Do] you know what they did? They put us after Led Zeppelin! Bill Graham, the promoter, [put us after Led Zeppelin]. We got there and Power Station was on, a bit earlier. It was fun doing both, and then I looked at this [bill and see] Led Zeppelin – Duran Duran. I’m like they’re having a laugh!”
After getting over the initial shock that Duran Duran would be playing after Zeppelin, the rocker continued by recalling how they benefited from their predecessor’s ‘poor’ performance:’
“Anyway, Tony Thompson was playing with Led Zeppelin. So, Tony played twice. He played [with] Power Station and Led Zeppelin. And Led Zeppelin was [a] disaster [laughs]! I was sitting on the side, right up the back, watching Zeppelin [and] going ‘This is great because they’re not doing very well. So, it’s not gonna be too bad for us!'”
Taylor further added by recalling how he enjoyed Zeppelin’s ‘disastrous’ gig:
“I had popcorn, you know those big popcorn buckets, they were filled with ice and white wine. I’m watching [them] and going ‘Wow, that’s growing up. It’s not going to be too…’ You know, they weren’t doing well.’ I think ‘A View To Kill’ was like number one at the time but they were still Led Zeppelin anyway…”
He also discussed how the band’s problematic performance helped Duran Duran frontman Simon Le Bon get away with strained vocals:
“We did it okay anyway, we did it okay… And then Simon hit that with a [imitates strained vocals] ‘View to A Kill!” It’s just come off smooth sailing.”
Although Led Zeppelin’s ‘controversial’ show benefited Duran Duran, the gig led to many problems for the rock icons. After the performance, for instance, there was friction between Led Zeppelin and Phil Collins, who was accompanying the band as a guest drummer.
You can check out here to learn more about Zeppelin’s controversial live gig, why it went wrong, and what happened between the band and Collins.
You can also check out the chat here.
