Daily Mail - Daily Mail Weekend Magazine
The DEFINITE ARTICLE
We ask a celebrity a set of devilishly probing questions – and only accept THE definitive answer. This week: Duran Duran singer Simon Le Bon
The prized possession you value above all others... I’m not that materialistic but I adore my Riva speedboat. I bought her in 1984 and she’s my only ‘rock star’ indulgence. I love the pleasure she gives others.
The biggest regret you wish you could amend... I wish I’d shown more gratitude to my old choirmaster Michael Turvey and the Pinner Parish Church choir when I wrote the sleeve notes to an album they made in the 80s. I sang in that choir as a kid and it did so much for me.
The temptation you wish you could resist... Throwing myself into supporting the England rugby team and Man Utd. I’d avoid a lot of disappointment if I held back a bit.
The book that holds an everlasting resonance... The Hobbit. My teacher Miss Bateman read it to my class when I was nine and it took my breath away.
The priority activity if you were the Invisible Man for a day... I’d listen to a bunch of five-yearolds talking. It would be so entertaining.
The pet hate that makes your hackles rise... I can’t stand bullies at work, or in relationships, who force people to do things they don’t want to do. I’m not violent but bullies make me so angry I want to punch them.
The person who has influenced you most... My mum Ann. She was an opera singer and I’m eternally grateful to her for making music part of my life. She put a radio in my bedroom when I was tiny and I used to sleep to classical music. She’s 80 now and lives in a house at the end of our garden in London.
The film you can watch time and time again... La Dolce Vita. Anita Ekberg is so beautiful, she’s like an ice cream with cherries on top!
The treasured item you lost and wish you could have again... A biker jacket that was nicked when I was playing with Iggy Pop in New York in 1987. I’d left it with a fan, who vanished. She knows who she is and I’d like it back – with the £ 500 that was in the pocket!
The piece of wisdom that you would pass on to a child... Don’t be frightened. When you’re nervous it’s only adrenaline you’re feeling, and it’s preparing you to do something extraordinary.
The figure from history for whom you’d most like to buy a pie and a pint... Mahatma Gandhi. I’d like to know how he found the strength to go on hunger strike and to keep fighting for what he believed in.
The unlikely interest that engages your curiosity... I’m really into history, particularly the Dark Ages and the 100 Years War. It’s all such a mystery.
The unending quest that drives you on... Making music. It’s still a thrill.
The poem that touches your soul... Singh Song by Daljit Nagra, about a young Indian man working in his father’s corner shop, is so original in the way it talks about love.
The misapprehension about yourself you wish you could erase... I haven’t a clue, but don’t care because I’m not bothered by what people think about me!
The event that altered the course of your life and character... Auditioning for Duran Duran in 1980 when I was studying drama at Birmingham University. The lads needed a lead singer and we just clicked. That day changed my life.
The song that means most to you... Come Undone. It’s cheesy to choose one of mine, but I wrote it for Yasmin [his wife, model Yasmin Le Bon] on her 28th birthday in 1992 and it means a lot to me because it just says, ‘I love you darling’.
The way you would spend your fantasy 24 hours, with no travel restrictions... I’d begin the day floating over the rings of Saturn while eating porridge followed by scrambled eggs with fried tomatoes. I’d then go for a swim at the Grand Hotel Quisisana on Capri, followed by a big Italian lunch overlooking the sea with Yasmin and our girls – Amber, 26, Saffron, 24, and Tallulah, 21. I’d have a few glasses of Alteni di Brassica white wine, then I’d go sailing around the Cyclades islands in Greece. I’d squeeze in a bit of skiing in New Zealand before having a Dark ’n’ Stormy rum cocktail at sunset on Palm Island in the Grenadines. I’d end the day dining with the girls at the Faviken Magasinet restaurant in Sweden. I’d order whatever the chef recommended with a bottle of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti La Tache red wine.
The happiest moment you will cherish forever... The band getting the MTV VMA Lifetime Achievement Award in New York in 2003. It meant so much.
The saddest time that shook your world... When Yasmin’s mum Patricia died in 2001 from cancer aged just 60. To see the family so sad was awful.
The unfulfilled ambition that continues to haunt you... To be a kung fu master like Bruce Lee. I did it for ten years and got pretty good, but I never got the sixpack. It was only ever a one-pack!
The philosophy that underpins your life... Never complain, never explain – and always mix your drinks!
The order of service at your funeral... I want a huge choir to sing Fauré’s Requiem, followed by the song 2000 Blacks Got To Be Free by Fela Anikulapo Kuti & Roy Ayers. The drama queen in me wants my body pushed out in a boat on a Norwegian fjord then set alight – Viking-style!
The way you want to be remembered... For making music that brought happiness to people.
The Plug... Duran Duran’s UK tour continues until 12 December and their new album Paper Gods is on Warner Music. Visit duranduran.com.
As told to Rob McGibbon
‘I’d love to be a kung fu master like Bruce Lee. I did it for ten years and got pretty good but I never had the six-pack – just a one-pack!’