Ahhhhh, Duran Duran. The words evoke two distinct mental images: the pop-art album cover for 1982’s Rio, and a sweaty face-painted Simon Le Bon chasing an exotic tiger-woman through the jungles of Sri Lanka.

Both are associated with Duran Duran’s album Rio (released in 1982), arguably the greatest of all Duran Duran albums. It was a #1 hit in Australia and catapulted Simon Le Bon, Nick Rhodes, John Taylor, Roger Taylor and Andy Taylor into international celebrity after years of working nightclubs and a debut self-titled album. But before we start reminiscing too much, SBS will be screening a Classic Albums doco on Rio on 14 January at 11pm – make sure you check it out! The doco tells the fascinating story of the writing, recording and reaction to the unbelievable success of the Fab Five’s sound.

In the meanwhile, check out the video for Hungry Like The Wolf! The clip cost $200,000 (yikes), but is now one of the most recognised and played videos of all time: it won the very first short-form music video award Grammy, and MTV rated it 11th on the century-end MTV “100 Greatest Videos Ever Made”.

How cool is this – Lily Allen and Duran Duran are taking part in Kofi Annan’s innovative digital music petition taking form as the ‘Time for Climate Justice’ campaign! This campaign is to ‘demand climate justice’ at the Copenhagen Summit happening on 7th December 2009 bidding for a binding global climate change agreement to be signed by EVERY Country leader.

60 odd artists in total (including Lily and Duran Duran) have pledged their support for the Time For Justice campaign by participating in a cover of the Midnight Oil song Beds Are Burning which has been rewritten for this cause (props to Peter Garratt for this one!).

In support of this we are holding a rather fun event at EMI HQ but more on that later…