Duran Duran’s Andy Taylor reveals why he left the band in 2006
Duran Duran’s Andy Taylor has revealed that he left the band because of creative differences, stating there is “no animosity.”
The guitarist joined the new wave outfit in 1980, two years after its initial formation. He was absent from Duran Duran between 1986 and 2001, when he rejoined until 2006, eventually quitting again.
In a recent interview with Classic Pop magazine, Taylor explained the reason for leaving in 2006. He revealed that it “bugged” him that his bandmates felt the need to collaborate with other musicians during the creation of their album Red Carpet Massacre.
Taylor explained, “I couldn’t do the Timbaland album because it just didn’t move me. I was saying to the others, ‘Why do we need this?'” He added, “There’s so much talent in that band, I never felt the need to bring other people in to write with Duran.
“It bugged me. It wasn’t about getting my own way. But if the force is against you, it’s difficult. When you’re older, band rules can become very difficult. The band rule was: ‘The band comes first,’ and I thought, ‘No.'”
The musician continued, “The general feeling was, ‘You should come with us over here’ and I just couldn’t. I don’t know what it is with me that means I just can’t do that. It felt like someone shutting an elevator door on me that I couldn’t get past.”
“There has to be a balance, and I couldn’t feel it. I had the same feeling as I had when I left during Notorious: ‘I’m going to miss all this… again.”
This year, Taylor reunited with his bandmates to record a new album. In 2022, he announced that he has stage four metastatic prostate cancer, which prevented him from attending the band’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction. However, the musician is currently receiving life-extending treatment.
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