In the Pleasure Groove

Love, Death, and Duran Duran

By: John Taylor

Narrated by: John Taylor

Length: 7 hrs and 54 mins

Publisher's summary

John Taylor, Duran Duran's co-founder, takes the listener on a wild ride through his life. From the 80s through today, from Rio to All You Need is Now, John writes about the music, the parties, and the MTV videos that made millions swoon.

With Duran Duran, John Taylor has created some of the greatest music of our time. From the disco dazzle of debut single "Planet Earth" right up to their latest number one album, All You Need is Now, Duran Duran has always had the power to sweep the world onto its feet.

It's been a ride - and for John in particular, the ride has been wild, thrilling...and dangerous. Now, for the first time, he tells his incredible story. A tale of dreams fulfilled, lessons learned and demons conquered.

A shy only child, Nigel John Taylor wasn't an obvious candidate for pop stardom and frenzied girl panic. But when he ditched his first name and picked up a bass guitar, everything changed. John Formed Duran Duran with his friend Nick Rhodes in the summer of 1978, and they were soon joined by Roger Taylor, then Andy Taylor and finally Simon Le Bon. Together they were an immediate, massive global success story, their pictures on millions of walls, every single a worldwide hit.

In his frank, compelling autobiography, John recounts the highs - hanging out with icons like Bowie, Warhol and even James Bond; dating Vogue models and driving fast cars - all the while playing hard with the band he loved. But there were tough battles ahead - troubles that brought him to the brink of self-destruction - before turning his life around.

Told with humor, honesty and hard-won wisdom, and packed with exclusive pictures, In the Pleasure Groove is a fascinating, irresistible portrait of a man who danced into the fire... and came through the other side.

©2012 John Taylor (P)2012 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

“Unlike most cred-obsessed rockers, the Duran Duran bassist presents his (and the band's) story as one of substance in the service of style. And his natural raconteur's wit lends Duran's ruthless ambition some crucial charm.” (LA Times)

“Taylor's honest and heartfelt style makes for a highly worthwhile and entertaining read whether you are a fan of the band or not. In the Pleasure Groove is, quite simply, a fascinating tale of very interesting man who has jammed one hell of a lot of living into his 52 years.”(Huffington Post)

"The book is a familiar tale of rock ’n’ roll, sin and redemption, but Taylor’s capable voice make this a more nuanced and intriguing memoir than might be expected.” (Kirkus)

The 14 year old version of me had NO idea.

What did you love best about In the Pleasure Groove?

Honest and insightful. Just enough insight to satisfy curiosity, yet he didn't smear other's reputations. Such a gentleman!!!

What did you like best about this story?

All of it!

Which scene was your favorite?

I loved when he talked about being SUPER famous, yet was still living with his parents and felt like he really splurged on a VW Jetta.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

John says it best "you would have done it too"

Any additional comments?

This is an amazing book and the real kicker is him reading it. THAT VOICE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Stunning!

Absolutely captivating story about JT’s highs, lows, and “highs”—
As a lifelong fan of Duran Duran, I thought I knew—but I had no idea.
John is an exceptional
Storyteller who’s managed to convey his voice throughout, which feels intimate and connected as he recounts the story of the band and of his journey to find love and sobriety.
It’s vulnerable and sweet to hear about his love for his parents, band mates, daughter, and wives.
How beautiful he found such profound love in Gela when he’d lost hope.
I’m also writing a book and found so much inspiration in his telling and narrative that I’ll use as I finish my story—that includes being on stage with the band in 2019 in Lake Tahoe!
You’ll really love his story. Just beautiful.

Thank you John!

Thank you for showing me what it was like for you during your career. I assumed so much as a teenage girl engulfed in the music of Duran. The music has been my companion, my shoulder, my JOY!

I was a Simon girl-my sister was a John

I loved this audio book! I can’t express my immense gratitude for this book! It was a joy to go through the life of John! As he (yes HE reads his own story! Marvelous!) reads chapter by chapter of the his life I could pause the book and watch the videos to each song of which he spoke! What a wonderful thing to live in this modern day! I really enjoyed this!

Fantastic!

This is a great account of events happening in John Taylor's life and with some behind the scenes in the life of Duran Duran. It's very well read by John himself.

well done!

I'm a music geek anyway and John is one of my favorite musicians. I was happy to find this so interesting and JT certainly could have a second career as a reader if he wanted!

Excellent listen, great story!

I am a Duran Duran fan, so I initially got this for the insight to the early-80's music scene (which it does wonderfully!). But once past that, it is an interesting ride about a musician keeping up with fame, and changing music tastes, it is very much a story about a family coming together, splitting apart, and coming together again... the family in this case being the band. And lastly it is a story about his coping with addiction.

It was a great story!

A conversation with John

As a die hard Duranie since 1982, I've been extremely anxious to read John's autobiography. The book is very well written. Candid while still maintaining integrity and class. John shares his story like a spellbinding play, giving you just enough juicy details, without selling out those who play a part in it . It truly takes you on his journey, getting a sense of the euphoria, the frustration with himself, the musical passion, the joys and the losses of his life.
I normally am not a fan of audio books, but when I saw this is actually narrated by John himself, I decided to give it a try. So glad I did. Listening to him tell it, was like sitting down with John, over a cup of tea while he reminisced. It was truly like having a personal conversation with an old friend. Wonderful book. I almost hated finishing it and ending my time with John.

This is the Real JT!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

There is nothing like listening to the story of DD from JT's perspective in his own voice. I bought it to hear his version of the band's history and ended up intrigued and touched by John's personal story of addiction and recovery. In fact, I wish he had gone into more detail in that area. A great listen for any Duranie.

Amazing.

Just so well told. Intelligent and relevant to my curiosity. It held my attention the whole way through. Grateful for the backstory of the most important music in my formative years.