Every generation has one. In the 60’s, it was The Beatles.
Dominating the mid 90’s, who can forget JT’s humble beginnings with N’Sync? With that hair, it was obviously waaay before he was bringing sexy back.
These days, you simply can’t avoid #1D (How very cool and 2014 am I to use their hashtag???).
A (proud) product of the 80’s, Duran Duran were my world. My bedroom walls were plastered roof to floor in their posters. I had all their records (yes, round, black, vinyl) and god forbid you messed with them or my 15 year old dreams to become their back up singer and eventually marry John Taylor.
I saw the Fab Five 3 times – twice in Japan and once in Sydney, 6 years ago.
The Fab Five were playing a reunion concert and dragging poor Surfer Boyfriend along, there was no way I was going to miss it.
2 divorcees were seated next to us. Having bought last minute tickets because, hey, what else was there to do on a Friday night in the city for single, middle aged gals, they actually had no clue who Duran Duran were.
OMG! Sacrilege!
In 5 minutes before things kicked off, I quickly briefed them on each of the members’ names and their marital status (“But back off John Taylor, he’s mine”).
In no time, they were screaming out the boys’ names along with me (coupled with a few “Marry Me!!!”), bopping along to the music and swooning.
Surfer Boyfriend was highly amused.
Jude Rogers is a UK based music journo who explored teenage fan culture for her documentary, “About the Boy”. In her findings she said that to be a screaming, crying teenage female fan is completely healthy.
Rogers argues that at 11 or 12, young girls don’t understand the intense emotions of crushes or infatuation. What they’re feeling might not even necessarily be sexual. Acknowledging the deep admiration they have for their teen idols and releasing it all at a concert, in front of the TV or the computer is harmless and safe.
Above all, the perception that obsessed female fans are unintelligent or stupid is completely wrong:
“So many of the most intelligent women would have been a boy band fan when younger. It’s not about being stupid or thick. It’s lovely that women with PhD’s, lawyers…have gone through this stage”
Amen to that.
Oh, in case you didn’t catch it the first time – dibs on John Taylor. Kthanksbai.
Who was your favourite boy band? Has your daughter started her teenage fan phase? Were you a Duranie?
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I was INXS all the way. Oh and Wham! Andrew Ridgley was mine!!! I had his photo in a frame beside my bed (cut from a magazine).
My daughter at the age of 13 skipped #1D and went straight to The Collective (from the Aussie X Factor). She called herself a Collector. We went to the X Factor concert and she screamed her little heart out. It reminded me of myself at the Wham concert when I was 15.
Good to know it doesn’t make us brainless 😉
Leanne @ Deep Fried Fruit
Leanne @ Deep Fried Fruit recently posted..Day 1724 – Dr Seuss Inspiration
Ooooh, Andrew Ridgley! Now there’s a blast from the past! Piece of Wham trivia – did you know that it was Andrew who wrote the saxophone riff to Careless Whisper, despite the song being a solo hit for George Michael? You’re welcome 🙂
Well this is a first! A Duranie! I wasn’t into them at the time but I do like their music now. My crazy crush was not a boy band, it was Keanu Reeves. Dude! I have an entire collection of clippings devoted to the man. I can fully understand the emotions experienced by those teenage 1D fangirls. Intense.
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So glad you finally saw the light with Duran Duran, Robo 🙂
Keanu Reeves was, and still is, a HOTTIE!
It was definitely INXS for me. I was OBSESSED! Oh how I loved growing up in the 80’s. Should I admit that I also had a little thing for Hanson? 😉 x
Ah, Michael Hutchence just oozed with hotness, didn’t he? And Hanson? Neets! I never would’ve picked it! 🙂
I can’t remember my boy band crush, but remember my TV crush = Luke Perry, 90210! It was all in the attitude.
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Do you know I used to LOVE New Kids On The Block and ever since I have ADORED the spunky and talented Mark Wahlberg – HUBBA! I love Duran Duran but never went mad over them, can we still be friends?? x
Emily @ Have A Laugh On Me recently posted..The pencil test, tabloid journalism & a crack sack attack!
I saw Duran Duran at Sydney Airport when I worked there back in 1983. I was a Spandau Ballet girl myself. I’m more of a One Directioner now 🙂
Pinky Poinker recently posted..Why I Write
There is a photo of Spandu Ballet clad only in very odd looking loin cloths somewhere on my blog. GOLD!
Mumabulous recently posted..Why I Write
Oh gosh this brings back some memories!! I was born in the mid 80s so sort of missed the whole Duran Duran thing. I must admit to playing Spice Girls at school though. We would walk around singing their songs and pretending to be them! Hahaha I don’t know whether to cringe or celebrate how awesome it was at the time!! xxx
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Too young for 1D (thank god!) but she does like that Justice Crew song (and the rest of us hate it, so plenty of fights when it comes on the radio)
Definitely WHAM for me! I was going to be Mrs. George Michaels, no matter what! Those Duran boys had pretty awesome hair, didn’t they? xx
Lisa@RandomActsOfZen recently posted..Random Zen. July
Oh, a Whamette, eh? I had a colleague who could pronounce George Michael’s real Greek name perfectly. I’d get her to say it just for entertainment 🙂
I was New Kids on the Block all the way… Ahh the memories!! I’m very impressed with your use of the hashtag.. You are so up with it all Grace, so 2014!
Lauren @ Create bake make recently posted..Fabulous Foodie Fridays #7 – Apple, Blueberry & Almond Bircher Muesli
Haha! Well, you know – hashtags were only used for the phone back in my day 😉
In year 6 it was New Kids on the Block 🙂
NKOTB all the way, Bree!
OMG Grace, I don’t know if there’s something wrong with me but I was NEVER into any boy bands! I think I was the only teen ever? I always thought that boy bands were hideous and looked and sounded plastic. I still think this is the case today.
I loathed Duran Duran! I did see a doco on them recently and thought they sounded ok now but that is the old lady in me reminiscing about the youthful times.
Things were different about The Models though – remember them? I LOVED James Freud and still think he looks good today (even though he is long gone.)
As for my newbie teen, she is not appearing to be a big boy band fanatic either (thank god). It must be in the genes. I just lack the ‘get excited over celebrity’ thing altogether and I have to say – how liberating!
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Oh, yes…I remember the Models. I made up a dance to “Out of Mind, Out of Sight” 🙂 James Freud was a hottie but I love listening to James Valentine on the radio. Brings back memories 🙂
P.S Give me time and I bet I can turn you around about Duran Duran 😉
I was a Backstreet Boys fan and may have had a ‘thing’ for Nick Carter. I bought all their CD’s and was obsessed with their songs.
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Ooooh, Nick Carter! Gee, he broke a lot of hearts when he started dating Paris Hilton!
Well, I’m definitely one woman with a PhD who has totally gone through this stage! My mother was horrified at the time. I think she thought I was possessed – screaming at Countdown every Sunday evening. And now, full circle, my girls adore #1D, though I guess they’re a little young for the full screaming, crying nonsense. It will come in time I’m sure! And when it does, I’ll be pleased to know it’s totally healthy and normal (ish). Oh, but back off JT. He’s MINE!!!!
Lara @ This Charming Mum recently posted..Top 5 Things I’ve Learned From 80s Movies
All great Duranies went on to do great things! How about we do Rock Paper Scissors for JT? 😛
INXS for me but Poppet has been a big Justin Beiber fan and One Direction fan.
PS: Does anyone not like the Beatles?!
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Oh, your girl’s a Belieber? How cute!
We all love the Beatles! So many fantastic, timeless songs 🙂
Never got into Duran, but I was a little in love with another band who definitely had the “Right Stuff”:)
Bec @ Seeing the Lighter Side of Parenting recently posted..How to explain immunisations to your 4 year old
Ha! NKTOBie! That song was awesome!
This really shows my age but my boy band was Sherbert. But actually I was only ever on the periphery. I was more into Madonna.
Carolyn
Desire Empire recently posted..Beach House of the Week in Collaroy
You know, Carolyn…”Howzat” is one of my all time favourite songs. It reminds me of when we first arrived in Australia.
First it was East 17, then silverchair (which I outgrew, and now love again), and then, embarrassingly, 5ive for what I emphasise was a very brief period of time. I remember screaming at the TV when they performed ‘When the Lights Go Out’ on Hey Hey It’s Saturday. Whoa, how 90s was that sentence?!)
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I don’t even know who East 17 are! Or 5ive! How old am I???
As for Silverchair, well you won some kudos for liking those guys 🙂
LOL! I am ashamed to admit it but my one was Bros!!! Let us just say you have to be a certain vintage to remember them and even then they were pretty much one hit wonders!!!
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OMG, Shelley! I LOVED Bros! I had the 12″ to When Will I Be Famous! 🙂
Definitely a huge boy band fan during my teenage years!!! Knew all the New Kids On The Block and Backstreet Boys songs off by heart! Went to the BB concert few years ago in Sydney with hubby and yes he was flabbergasted – should have seen the expression on his face when his wife transformed into a teenage screaming fan again! I think at one point I graduated to Take That before I ‘grew up’! 😉 surely hope my girls will take me along to one of their boy bands concert when they reach that age!
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Haha! I remember that BB did a reunion concert a few years ago. Isn’t it therapeutic being able to scream like a teenage girl again?
Extremely so! Except maybe for retail therapy! 😉
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Hmm don’t remember having a boy band crush but I do prefer the actors! :p Takashi Kaneshiro for one. Remember him? He used to be called Aniki Jin.
Ai Sakura recently posted..I Made: Disney Frozen Olaf Cardboard Standee Tutorial
Oh, man! I so remember him! He was such a babe!!! I loved him in “House of Flying Daggers” Amazing movie!
I liked Duran Duran but I was a bit young for a full-blown obsession. My boy-band crush was … BROS! I’d made a deal with my younger sister about which one of the Bros twins we would each marry. We had it all sorted lol.
Then by the time I hit the teenage years I was saving all my screaming for Guns’n’Roses. My mother was deeply horrified 🙂
Rachel_theviblog recently posted..List: Four things I wish I’d known about boys before I had them
Haha! Another Bros-ette! I loved them too! And their fashion – so, so…90’s! When Will I Be Famous always got me on the dance floor!
I was such a Duranie! My walls were covered in them and Wham! Simon was my fave (though I did waver to JT for a while). I saw DD when I was 17 and was tempted to see them at the reunion a few years ago, but decided to keep my memories untainted by age!!!
Then I was convinced I would marry George Michael: I had yet to find out how that was going to end up!!!
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I started off with a crush on Simon but JT just stole my heart *sigh*
I think George Michael would’ve broken a LOT of hearts when he came out of the closet. But really, those tight white shorts in “Wake Me Up Before You Go Go” was a dead giveaway.
haha I can fully relate to this, both now and from when I was a teen. I loved Take That and New Kids on The Block!! My girls just love One Direction and are seeing them for the 3rd time in February. My 16 year old also loves 5 Seconds of Summer and made the early trip into the city one morning to watch them perform on Sunrise….. dedication!!
Mandy, Barbie Bieber and Beyond recently posted..Stumble Into The Weekend – Link Up
Definitely a Duranie. I absolutely loved them. My main obsession though was not in a boy band. My walls were absolutely plastered with David Bowie posters.
Respect! Bowie is God.
Mumabulous recently posted..Why I Write
All hail Bowie!
Bowie is an amazing songwriter and artist. I mean, Duran Duran did a cover of “Fame” and they freely admit that he influenced them.
It was Take That all the way for me! I was totally in love with Robbie Williams!! My girls are still too little to get any serious boy band crushes yet but I’m pretty sure it’s coming…….
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Isn’t it amazing how Robbie Williams has turned a completely different leaf? Who woulda thunk it?
It was very grungy when I grew up but I did love New Kids on the Block
Annaleis recently posted..My Top 10 Excuses to NOT Exercise
Oh, NKOTB! They did dominate the world for a while then 🙂
No, I wasn’t a Duran Duran fan although I did love some of their songs. I started out as a WHAM fan. I loved George Michael! My brothers of course kept telling me he was gay….who was to know! After George I then fell hard for Bon Jovi, especially JBJ (mmmm). I had posters on all my walls from top to bottom, and would stalk them with my 2 friends when they came to town. We would stand out the front of the hotel they were staying at in the hope we’d catch a glimpse of them. 27 years later and I still swoon after Jon, which amuses my husband. 🙂
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Haha! Bon Jovi! Now those guys have done amazingly well! And Jon! How great does he look these days?!
All my friends were into Duran Duran, and I pretty much went with the flow. Never managed to see them in concert though. It was INXS, 1927 and dare I say it the Cockroaches for me.
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Cockroaches! They were very cool! And even when they became The Wiggles 🙂
I love, love, LOVE 1927! That ballad of theirs (I’ll do It For You) still breaks my heart. So beautiful.
I was obsessed with Nsync and the backstreet boys then Hanson for a bit oh yea and 5ive.
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I was all bout The Backstreet Boys, but there was no way I told anyone back then. Those fan girls were LAME. When they came to Melbourne recently, I so desperately wanted to go to reminisce, but didn’t. I still think it lame, lol.
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I was going to marry Taylor Hanson. And my friend was going to marry his brother Issac and we were all going to live happily ever after.
The number of times we played MmmBop as a teen, I’m surprised my mother didn’t ban my cassette single! 🙂
EssentiallyJess recently posted..How NOT to Plan a Party
OMG! MmmBop! That song was played to death…everywhere!!! 😀
I’m with Jess on this one – it was the Hansons for me. What actually happened to them?? And I know a very intelligent woman who used all her savings as a teenager to travel across Australia to see them in concert. She doesn’t like to make that common knowledge these days, but I think I should tell her that it’s something she should be proud of and was actually good for her health at the time 🙂
Lizzy – Muddle-Headed Mamma recently posted..Everybody Loves a Poo Story
Absolutely healthy and normal! My obsession with Duran Duran was MASSIVE and look how I turned out 🙂
No, I wasn’t a Duranie, a little young but I really like their music though. I loved East 17 in primary school and early highschool but then (for some strange reason) my taste totally change and I idolised Silverchair…so down came the posters of East 17 in my room, replaced with Daniel, John and Chris! Ha.
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Ah, Daniel from Silverchair! Those guys are such talented songwriters. Hope they release something new soon!
I’m surprised you haven’t mentioned The Bay City Rollers here Grace – but maybe you are too young!! lol xo
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My brothers had their records and I loved them! The hair! The platform shoes! The bell bottoms! Loved it all!
I was born in the 60s and my major crush was Lee Majors aka The Six Million Dollar Man! Never had a boy band thing but I did like Westlife.
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I had a huge crush on Lee Majors! And I was only 7! 🙂
My best friend was a big fan of Duran Duran, she was in love with Simon Le Bon and was writing a book about her romance with him. And every night on the phone I had to endure a chapter. LOL …
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Haha! That would’ve been so much fun for you! What a great friend you were to her, Janet! 🙂
John Taylor is 54! Can you believe it! I fully admit to being a Duranie and a Whamette until 1985 when I became too cool for them. 1985 to 1988 was all about the worship of Robert Smith and The Cure.
Mumabulous recently posted..Why I Write
Ah! You were one of those mainstream girl fans that turned alternative, hip and cool! Typical 🙂
Can I simply just say what a relief to uncover a person that truly understands what they are talking about
on the net. You definitely understand how to bring a problem
to light and make it important. A lot more people ought
to read this and understand this side of your story.
I was surprised that you are not more popular because you certainly possess the gift.
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Ha! Does this send me back to the old skool! I loved Hanson, Back Street Boys, N’SYNC and I have forgotten the name of the other band but they had a song with lyrics that go like this “Baby when the light go out…” haha… I have a mental blank. Ah boy bands…
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The lyrics are from a 5ive song! I googled it…haha! 🙂
Big Backstreet Boy fan right here…. Although I was a closet fan wasn’t cool to like boy bands when you had an older brother to tease you 🙁
Amy @ Three Little Honeys recently posted..And then you were One.
Oh, Amy! I had older brothers who used to tease me all the time too! Then I’d just turn up my records louder…hehehe 🙂
Thanks for linking up to #FYBF!
My first boy band love was The Beatles. I still adore them and their music.
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Oh, they are just timeless aren’t they, Kaz?
Um, scuse me, but John Taylor totally only had eyes for me when he was staring back at me from my bedroom wall 😉 Back off woman 🙂
So jealous you to see them live.
Had to laugh at at “getting sexy back”, What is with the hair? lol
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I think we’re going to have to have a Duranie face off, Alicia! 🙂
Or just do rock paper scissors…LOL!
It was Backstreet Boys here. ALL THE WAAAY! But also a bit of Hansen and Silverchair. I guess I’ve always had eclectic taste!
I remember my Mum telling me that her parents once burnt all her Bay City Rollers paraphernalia while she was forced to watch. Because she was worshiping false gods and whatnot.
Thank God our parents were more understanding! And possibly not so nutters!
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I remember you telling me that your mum was a huge Bay City Rollers fan! I hope your mum argued that they weren’t false and very much worth every bit of worshipping 🙂
I don’t know who was my fav boy band. Love JT’s hair though. xo
Sam Stone (@A Life on Venus) recently posted..A letter to my childhood
Oh, yes…JT’s hair…hot! As well as that electric smile 🙂
As revealed on Instagram, I was a totaly New Kids on the Block fan when young, and I was also very partial to a little East 17 in late primary school, early high school. And while never a huge fan (ok, despite my protestations to the contrary, I was a sercret, closet Hanson fan) I am super-excited to be taking my sister to see Hanson next month. It’s gonna be so great!
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Oooh! I’d love to go just for the screaming and hysteria! Have a fabulous time! Great bonding time with your sis 🙂
I totally agree with Jude Rogers “screaming, crying teenage female fan is completely healthy”!
For me, it was Backstreet Boys of course! And, then, also NSync! Oh, and I also had a huge crush on Bret Michaels from Poison! It was all about the long blond hair!
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Poison!!! I never would’ve never picked you for a hard rock chick, Rita! Go, you! 🙂