Is it ok to "abandon ship" as s fan or would that be a betrayal of my "friends" and I'd be admitting that they're not as amazing and as musically gifted as I knew with every cell in my body.
That is a very interesting question. I look at it like this. Duran Duran are musicians. And normally they make music I love or grow to love. They make the music, and I buy the CDs, DVDs, and concert tickets. After everything is said and done and purchased, they don't owe me anything, and I don't owe them anything.
I am lucky. Even though I love Duran Duran, and always have and always will, I don't feel obligated to them. While I like them all as people and take an interest in their extra-curricular pursuits, they certainly aren't my "friends" as you call them. If a loved-one of mine is killed in a car crash tomorrow (heaven forbid) then I won't be calling Duran Duran. If I need to borrow a few dollars to get me by until payday, then I won't be asking Duran Duran.
They are simply musicians whose work I have enjoyed listening to for about 33 years. My favourite musicians. Nothing more. Nothing less.
So if they do choose a path that I don't like, and they have done it before, then I simply get on with life. Just because they are my favourite band, this doesn't get them a 'get of jail free' card. Loving the band just means I give their music a chance to be heard.
Take RCM. I didn't really like any of the tracks that I heard before it was released. But I purchased the deluxe version anyway. Why? Because I have found in the past that some of Duran's music has taken a while to grow on me, and I was hoping that there were some better tracks on the album and that they would grow on me as well.
Sadly they didn't. I just couldn't get past the abysmal rhythm section and half-baked songwriting. BUT I GAVE IT A CHANCE BECAUSE IT WAS DURAN DURAN. I played it every day in my car to and from work (one hour a day) for six weeks just in case something clicked. But it never did.
No other band would I give such leeway. If I don't like the songs, I don't buy the album in the first place. There's none of this "giving it time to grow on me" caper. So that's the advantage that Duran Duran have - I will give them the time for a song to grow on me. I won't guarantee that I will love every Duran Duran track, but I guarantee that I will listen to every Duran Duran track and try and hear what they are trying to achieve.
Other people aren't quite as pragmatic as that. They get (in my opinion) too emotionally invested in Duran Duran. They do consider the bands as friends, and feel guilty if they ever say anything negative about the group. For some reason they forget that Duran Duran are human beings and WILL make mistakes in life. But they would rather bury their head in the sand if these mistakes are brought up in conversation.
These sorts of people feel OBLIGATED to love everything Duran Duran does. They justify everything Duran does even if it doesn't look like a good idea to the average joe. They get upset if people don't love the music the same as them. Hell we have people saying they actually started to feel depressed because other people weren't loving Paper Gods as much as they did.
Look, we're all weird. I am a 42 year old father of two who spends at least an hour or more every day on this and the LizardKing Duran Duran board talking about a band of men who were last massive pop stars 30 years ago. Can you see how crazy this is? But, in my mind I think it is better to be spending time doing something I am passionate about rather than doing stuff like drugs or other wastes of time and money.
So I am in no real position to judge the sanity level of other fans. We're all crazy. If doing their thing makes them happy, then cool. I just think it is even MORE weird when we have fans who protect Duran and their music like it's their very own child, so if you say ANYTHING which isn't 100% positive about the band and their music they take it or personally and come running to the band's defense.
So some people almost force themselves to love every piece of music that Duran Duran makes. They almost feel traitorous if they don't. They don't feel like a real fan if they aren't gushing about every track.
I think I'm a little more grounded. If I don't like the direction Duran are taking, I'll just laugh at their mistakes (my own perceptions, not anybody else's) and wait for the next album.
I didn't give up on the band after RCM. And I'm glad I didn't, as AYNIN is easily their best work in 25 years. And if it turns out that the Paper Gods album is a steaming pile of fake electronic poo then I won't give up on them either, because I could very well love their next one.
Just don't expect complimentary reviews in the mean time. If something is crap, I say so. I don't care if it is from Nicki Minaj, Duran Duran, or even The Beatles.
Nobody gets a free ride from me, I don't care who it is. Well maybe my wife, but unfortunately she never takes me up on the offer