Simon Le Bon has confessed he couldn’t care less about Halloween as his band Duran Duran release their spooky-themed album, ‘Danse Macabre’, on his 65th birthday (27.10.23).
The frontman insists the record, the idea for which came after they performed a Halloween show in Las Vegas last year, is keyboardist Nick Rhodes’ “fantasy”.
Simon – who will be celebrating his special day in the temporary flat his family is residing at while major works continue on extending their South West London abode, including the addition of a swimming pool – admits he doesn’t like the October 31st holiday taking the attention away from his birthday.
In an interview with The Sun newspaper, he said: “Danse Macabre is Nick’s fantasy album.
“I don’t give a f*** about Halloween, to be honest, as it’s always a distraction in my birthday week.”
Despite not being big on Halloween, Simon enjoyed every minute of getting to put his own ghoulish spin on classics by the likes of The Specials (‘Ghost Town’), Talking Heads (‘Psycho Killer’), Siouxsie and the Banshees (‘Spellbound’), alongside new songs, and admits they didn’t apply the same pressure they usually put themselves under to overanalyse their work.
He continued: “But it was great fun to make.
“We set ourselves a goal to make an album within a year.
“I think self-consciousness is the biggest enemy of art but this time we didn’t have time to stand back. We had to get on with it.”
The group – who worked with longtime collaborator Nile Rodgers on the record – also got to reunite with former guitarists Andy Taylor – who has been undergoing specialist treatment for prostate cancer – and Warren Cuccurullo on ‘Danse Macabre’, describing it as one big “family” reunion.
Simon said: “Andy is family. We love him and wanted him on the album.
“We wanted to do as much as possible to help his situation and we’ve helped him get into a place where he is able to change his life and mentality.
“I want him around as long as we can have him.
“Recording with Andy was amazing. We recorded seven guitar tracks in two days when he was quite low.
“But Andy has been getting treatment and he is now symptom-free. This new Lutetium-177 targeted radiotherapy can give him another ten years of life, which would be incredible.
“We also played a fundraiser show for him and I heard he played a prostate cancer benefit concert the other night and got Robert Plant to play Stairway To Heaven for the first time in 20 years. Absolutely amazing. I am so proud of Andy. I love him dearly.”
Meanwhile, despite three decades in the music business, the ‘Wild Boys’ – also including drummer Roger Taylor, 63, and bassist John Taylor, 63 – have never stepped foot in Glastonbury, and they would only agree to play if they are offered a prime slot on the Pyramid Stage.
In a separate interview, Nick, 61, told The Daily Telegraph: “I believe they have our telephone number, we haven’t changed it.”
Simon insisted: “3pm in the Disco Tent isn’t really where we see ourselves.”
He added: “A long time ago I vowed I would never set foot in Glastonbury unless it was on the Pyramid Stage at a decent hour of the night. So although I’ve been asked to camp, to glamp and invited to fly in and out by helicopter, I’ve always refused on principle.”
‘Danse Macabre’ is out now.