The Crazy Real-Life Story Of Duran Duran

Like all bands, Duran Duran had to start somewhere. In 1978, at the Rum Runner, one of the hottest nightclubs in Birmingham, UK, a group of young musicians began playing shows while working as employees in their spare time. They named themselves after a minor character from the film Barbarella (which itself was also the name of another popular Birmingham nightclub), Durand-Durand, but tweaked the name a little to become Duran Duran instead.

Even after seeing some success, the band members, Stephen Duffy, Nick Rhodes, Andy Taylor, Roger Taylor, and John Taylor (please note that, shockingly, none of these Taylors are related) helped out at the nightclub as bouncers, DJs, bartenders, and even glass collectors.

The band's first managers were actually the Rum Runner's owners, Paul and Michael Berrow, and Duran Duran became a sort of house band for the club, performing at night and working the rest of the time. The Berrow brothers helped Duran Duran record a new demo tape, which they then sent out to labels throughout the industry, all while continuing to polish glasses and work as short order cooks at the Rum Runner. Even after they hit it big, the band never forgot the club, and would hold after-parties there whenever they played Birmingham, according to the Birmingham Mail.

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