Original MTV VJ Martha Quinn has described the union of MTV and Duran as "a confluence of fate and meeting each other at the right time."
"Everyone says, 'MTV made Duran Duran,'" Quinn once said. "But you know what, Duran Duran made MTV, too."
From the channel's ban on early video "Girls On Film" to the band's Lifetime Achievement Award, Duran has a storied history with MTV:
- "Girls On Film," directed by Godley & Crème, was banned by MTV in 1981. The move only fueled the success of the band's third single, as well as the racy clip's place in music video lore.
- "Hungry Like the Wolf," along with "Rio," helped change the face of music television in 1982-83. Instead of relying on a soundstage, director Russell Mulcahy took the band on location to Sri Lanka and Antigua. The resulting videos resembled short films and garnered the band a pair of Grammy awards.
- Duran's Nick Rhodes and Simon Le Bon did a stint as guest VJs on MTV for the first time in 1983, playing videos from the likes of David Bowie and Talking Heads. They returned in 1985, the year John and Andy Taylor also stopped by.
- Live Aid was aired on MTV live, of course, in 1985. The concert featured Duran's final performance as the Fab Five until its reunion in the 2000s, as well as a set by side project The Power Station.
- On "MTV Unplugged," Duran remade its early and current hits with an acoustic flair in a comeback performance on the popular show.
- MTV compiled its definitive list of 100 Greatest Videos of All Time in 1999, playing the clips at a time when the channel had mostly abandoned videos. "Hungry Like the Wolf" and "Girls On Film" both made the list.
- MTV surprised the original members of Duran with its Lifetime Achievement Award in 2003. The band had been nominated for several Video Music Awards, in 1984, 1985 and 1993, and won in 1988 for innovation for "All She Wants Is."
Photo by Christopher Windle. Adapted from original post from August 2013.
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