What did you think of Star Wars when you first saw it in the theater?
I've always loved sci-fi -- the name Duran Duran is taken from the villain Dr. Durand Durand in the movie Barbarella which was one of the '60s sci-fi classics. There was a lot of anticipation for the film even before the cult of Star Wars had really begun. There was huge excitement for it because there hadn't been that many truly great sci-fi movies for quite a while. Close Encounters of the Third Kind came out after Star Wars that same year in 1977, but there hadn't been that much else.
The idea behind Star Wars was just irresistible, so I'm afraid I was hooked from Day One. I was in from the opening titles. The music, everything about it was iconic. I'm really a pushover for iconic imagery and there was so much in the first Star Wars.
It was mind-boggling that George Lucas as able to come up with so many strong, distinct characters -- R2-D2, C-3PO, Han Solo, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Princess Leia and Yoda -- the whole gang really. Every one of them was so well defined. It's very, very rare that you find any kind of story where people have thought of that sort of detail. It was on the scale of Wizard of Oz. Later, I became completely intrigued with the Japanese movie The Hidden Fortress which I hadn't seen until maybe 10 years ago. And it was a fantastic concept that Star Wars was influenced by.
Was there a character in Star Wars that you were most impressed by or identified with at all?
I do have a particular fondness for Yoda. I especially liked his Tai Chi moves. [laughs] And his ears and wise face, and basically everything he says I found somewhat appealing. Most of the characters are relatable in some way, actually. How could you not relate to Princess Leia? When I saw Star Wars I was quite taken by the depth of all the different characters and their relationships with each other. The greatest shock to me in all the films was Darth Vader's face actually being revealed. I never thought we'd ever see that.
John Williams' music was perfect for the films. It was just the right choice of composer. Obviously, Lucas knew exactly what he wanted and I can't imagine now anyone else having done it better. The opening scene has become one of the most famous pieces of music in film history. I don't think there are that many people out there that couldn't sing you that; which is a real achievement now because a lot of film music does tend to drift into the background. But this was right up front and grand and evoked a theme of adventure.
I also think something that's worth mentioning is the sound effects in the films. That for me was a huge part of the experience. I come from a background with synthesizers where I spend half my time coming up with sounds; and finding ways to make things sound different and how to use them within music. So I was hugely appreciative of the sound of the lightsaber. The first time I heard it, it made me wish I had one. [laughs] I wish I could take that sound everywhere with me. It would be extremely useful.
Our sound designers, from Ben Burtt to Matthew Wood, captured sounds often by going outside and recording things they thought would be interesting to use later. What is your own process for collecting sounds to use in Duran Duran's songs?
We try anything. Processing sound and putting it through different effects and filtering it and trying out everything you possibly can in the studio is half the battle. We use everything from completely synthesized sounds to totally natural sounds. You just try to make them more unique. I think there really is something about a lot of records that are out there now where you do hear the same sounds because they've all used the same boxes to make them. But we have strived to have mostly our own unique sounds right from the very beginning. Most of them were handmade in the same way that they were for your Star Wars movies.
In the Star Wars films, Burtt often placed the famous Wilhelm Scream in a scene, as do many sound designers, as an inside reference. Do keyboardists have a similar sound they use to pay homage to their musical past?
There are certain sounds -- for example certain string sounds -- that tend to be the better ones if you want to put that over in a song. So there's no escaping from a few things we all use. And it's sort of known that that particular Roland keyboard is better at that or a MOOG keyboard is better at that. But there's not a specific singular sound keyboardists use in that same way as filmmakers.
