Counting with Simon Le Bon

Revisiting the eighties has become a veritable right of passage for the retromaniacal. And that’s a good thing too, because as Simon Le Bon can attest, those who were there can’t remember very much at all. Here, the Duran Duran frontman and lyricist shows how to best deal with amnesia: wittily.

1 memorable line in a film or song:
“I’ve seen things you people wouldn’t believe. Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I’ve watched C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhauser Gate. All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in the rain . . . Time to die.” Or something like that.

2 people that should collaborate:
Grayson Perry and George Osborne.

3 things I haven’t done yet:
Crashed a helicopter; walked out when someone wanted to present me with an award; sex for money.

4 decisions I regret:
No regrets.

5 things I used to believe:
Politicians; fortune cookies; activists; angry young men; anybody with an ax to grind who, by the way, will inevitably turn out just to be somebody with a chip on their shoulder. Nice guys can finish first!

6 hours ago…
I seem to have a gap in my memory.

7 days I barely remember:
. . . was that in the ’80s?

After 8 PM:
Giving it LARGE until the wee, small hours.

My 9? lives:
All long gone.

I wouldn’t touch it with a 10 foot pole:
The poisoned chalice that is reality TV, celebrity press and general self aggrandizement in the name of personal vanity. You can all kiss my . . . ~

Photo: Andrea Stappert

Published July 12, 2012.