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Star Wars Rocks (Community News) The Sound | By Bonnie Burton | 6 December 2007
Star Wars Rocks (Community News) The Sound | By Bonnie Burton | 6 December 2007
When Star Wars debuted in theaters in 1977, special effect techniques and epic storytelling were transformed forever. A year later when Duran Duran formed, their synth-heavy electronic sounds, story-driven songs and elaborate music videos would help to create a brand new music genre where visuals where just as essential as the songs themselves.
Duran Duran keyboardist Nick Rhodes talks with StarWars.com about the profound influence Star Wars, as well as other sci-fi and fantasy films, has had on the band, and why with their latest record Red Carpet Massacre they continue to explore futuristic themes while evolving musically.
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.
A lot of Duran Duran's music has been used in films (A View to a Kill, Donnie Darko, The Saint, Old School, Monster, Layer Cake, Tequila Sunrise), so what are some of your own thoughts on how a musical score can help a film resonate with an audience as in John Williams' music score for the Star Wars films?
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.
The Concepts
How have Star Wars and other films influenced your videos, considering how innovative Duran Duran is in creating mini-movies -- especially those videos that helped launch MTV like "Hungry Like the Wolf," "Is There Something I Should Know?" and "New Moon on Monday?"
We always liked an element of fantasy in our songs. I think some of the most beautiful songs are undoubtedly written from experience and are quite straightforward that people can relate to them. But a lot of my favorite songs have been written from more of a dream perspective and if you take something like "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" -- which is one of the Beatles' greatest masterpieces -- and a lot of David Bowie's lyrics were much more abstract but also very visual. Bowie particularly based a lot of things on aliens and star-men.
Growing up with that sort of view in the '70s has always been very much part of our whole perspective. Certainly our first couple of albums had several songs that were leaning much more towards sci-fi than perhaps reality. We've always tried to keep one foot in that world. To me it's the world of imagination and I don't think one should ever try to limit the sphere and spectrum of the imagination. So it's very much part of Duran Duran.
Visually we always looked to sci-fi and '60s and '70s movies, and things that have a certain futuristic style. I'm a huge fan of director Stanley Kubrick's movies, particularly 2001 which is still one of the most stylized movies ever made. I also was a big fan of THX 1138, which I saw very early on and even then I realized how incredibly cool it was for a low budget movie; and how cleverly it had been done to look like it certainly cost a lot more. It was such a great idea. I've always admired people who have unique ideas and aren't afraid to put them out there and do something new.
It's interesting that Duran Duran began in the late '70s, helped mold the quintessential '80s new wave sound, and still continue to adapt to the times while experimenting with new sounds and themes that keep your fans -- both old and new -- wanting to see what you do next as a band, especially with your new album, Red Carpet Massacre. Can you talk a little about the new album including an unexpected reference to the game Second Life?
We do like to continually develop our sound -- which is one of the rules in our manifesto from day one -- that we would never allow ourselves to get stuck in a rut. We always think of Duran Duran as an art school project. And every time we do a new album we think, "Okay, what can we do next?" We don't try to think about what we've created over the last few decades, or what we should do. We just break it all down and do what we want to do. With this album it sort of happened almost by default.
We had been talking with the producer Timbaland and Justin Timberlake for a few years, and they had wanted to work with us. And we said, "Yeah that's great," but you never think those things are going to happen with everyone's busy schedules. But somehow the opportunity arose last year while we were finishing our album that we had been working on for a year, and we got into the studio with Timbaland. It was such an exhilarating experience. We got three songs done within five days which we loved -- "Nite Runner," "Skin Divers," and "Zoom In" which are on the new album. Then we figured we hadn't finished our album, but started a completely new one. Justin had been in town and came in to work on "Nite Runner," among other tracks. It was a very different journey for us as a band since we don't usually collaborate with other people on that level.
"Zoom In," incidentally, is about an avatar in Second Life. We're going to launch a universe sometime later this year in Second Life which is quite spectacular. But that's taken a long time and a lot of work. It's hard playing God. [laughs] I don't think we realized how much detail we wanted to put into it.
Are there any plans to do a music video for "Zoom In" considering its take on gaming avatars and virtual worlds?
I'd love to do a video for "Zoom In." Oddly enough we're just putting together some footage because we're playing for a couple of weeks on Broadway to launch the album. So I'm putting together a lot of the visuals for the screens on stage. For "Zoom In" I want people to be inside the Duran Duran world which hasn't launched yet. So we're making the video for the screens for the live show inside the virtual world we'll have in Second Life. It's quite interesting how you do it and key all the shots and how to develop it. We've built our own city that's got a lipstick tower that goes up through the clouds, as well as cable cars, black swans, a telecommunications tower, a spa and a beach, of course. There really is so much stuff in there. We have an underwater nightclub that's actually an alien spaceship that landed underwater and seemed to be in the perfect spot to place a nightclub. [laughs] So I'm very excited about the live show footage. If we do a real "virtual" music video for the song I think that one could be spectacular.
To learn more about Duran Duran, visit their official Web site here. Also check out Duran Duran on MySpace to listen to new music tracks from Red Carpet Massacre .
Be sure to enter to win their new album Red Carpet Massacre and other cool prizes here.
Stay tuned to Star Wars Rocks for more interviews from some of your favorite bands and celebrities.
Duran Duran keyboardist Nick Rhodes talks with StarWars.com about the profound influence Star Wars, as well as other sci-fi and fantasy films, has had on the band, and why with their latest record Red Carpet Massacre they continue to explore futuristic themes while evolving musically.
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.
A lot of Duran Duran's music has been used in films (A View to a Kill, Donnie Darko, The Saint, Old School, Monster, Layer Cake, Tequila Sunrise), so what are some of your own thoughts on how a musical score can help a film resonate with an audience as in John Williams' music score for the Star Wars films?
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.
The Concepts
How have Star Wars and other films influenced your videos, considering how innovative Duran Duran is in creating mini-movies -- especially those videos that helped launch MTV like "Hungry Like the Wolf," "Is There Something I Should Know?" and "New Moon on Monday?"
We always liked an element of fantasy in our songs. I think some of the most beautiful songs are undoubtedly written from experience and are quite straightforward that people can relate to them. But a lot of my favorite songs have been written from more of a dream perspective and if you take something like "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" -- which is one of the Beatles' greatest masterpieces -- and a lot of David Bowie's lyrics were much more abstract but also very visual. Bowie particularly based a lot of things on aliens and star-men.
Growing up with that sort of view in the '70s has always been very much part of our whole perspective. Certainly our first couple of albums had several songs that were leaning much more towards sci-fi than perhaps reality. We've always tried to keep one foot in that world. To me it's the world of imagination and I don't think one should ever try to limit the sphere and spectrum of the imagination. So it's very much part of Duran Duran.
Visually we always looked to sci-fi and '60s and '70s movies, and things that have a certain futuristic style. I'm a huge fan of director Stanley Kubrick's movies, particularly 2001 which is still one of the most stylized movies ever made. I also was a big fan of THX 1138, which I saw very early on and even then I realized how incredibly cool it was for a low budget movie; and how cleverly it had been done to look like it certainly cost a lot more. It was such a great idea. I've always admired people who have unique ideas and aren't afraid to put them out there and do something new.
It's interesting that Duran Duran began in the late '70s, helped mold the quintessential '80s new wave sound, and still continue to adapt to the times while experimenting with new sounds and themes that keep your fans -- both old and new -- wanting to see what you do next as a band, especially with your new album, Red Carpet Massacre. Can you talk a little about the new album including an unexpected reference to the game Second Life?
We do like to continually develop our sound -- which is one of the rules in our manifesto from day one -- that we would never allow ourselves to get stuck in a rut. We always think of Duran Duran as an art school project. And every time we do a new album we think, "Okay, what can we do next?" We don't try to think about what we've created over the last few decades, or what we should do. We just break it all down and do what we want to do. With this album it sort of happened almost by default.
We had been talking with the producer Timbaland and Justin Timberlake for a few years, and they had wanted to work with us. And we said, "Yeah that's great," but you never think those things are going to happen with everyone's busy schedules. But somehow the opportunity arose last year while we were finishing our album that we had been working on for a year, and we got into the studio with Timbaland. It was such an exhilarating experience. We got three songs done within five days which we loved -- "Nite Runner," "Skin Divers," and "Zoom In" which are on the new album. Then we figured we hadn't finished our album, but started a completely new one. Justin had been in town and came in to work on "Nite Runner," among other tracks. It was a very different journey for us as a band since we don't usually collaborate with other people on that level.
"Zoom In," incidentally, is about an avatar in Second Life. We're going to launch a universe sometime later this year in Second Life which is quite spectacular. But that's taken a long time and a lot of work. It's hard playing God. [laughs] I don't think we realized how much detail we wanted to put into it.
Are there any plans to do a music video for "Zoom In" considering its take on gaming avatars and virtual worlds?
I'd love to do a video for "Zoom In." Oddly enough we're just putting together some footage because we're playing for a couple of weeks on Broadway to launch the album. So I'm putting together a lot of the visuals for the screens on stage. For "Zoom In" I want people to be inside the Duran Duran world which hasn't launched yet. So we're making the video for the screens for the live show inside the virtual world we'll have in Second Life. It's quite interesting how you do it and key all the shots and how to develop it. We've built our own city that's got a lipstick tower that goes up through the clouds, as well as cable cars, black swans, a telecommunications tower, a spa and a beach, of course. There really is so much stuff in there. We have an underwater nightclub that's actually an alien spaceship that landed underwater and seemed to be in the perfect spot to place a nightclub. [laughs] So I'm very excited about the live show footage. If we do a real "virtual" music video for the song I think that one could be spectacular.
To learn more about Duran Duran, visit their official Web site here. Also check out Duran Duran on MySpace to listen to new music tracks from Red Carpet Massacre .
Be sure to enter to win their new album Red Carpet Massacre and other cool prizes here.
Stay tuned to Star Wars Rocks for more interviews from some of your favorite bands and celebrities.