Listen free for 30 days

Listen with offer

  • In the Pleasure Groove

  • Love, Death, and Duran Duran
  • By: John Taylor
  • Narrated by: John Taylor
  • Length: 7 hrs and 54 mins
  • 4.6 out of 5 stars (283 ratings)
Offer ends May 1st, 2024 11:59PM GMT. Terms and conditions apply.
£7.99/month after 3 months. Renews automatically.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
In the Pleasure Groove cover art

In the Pleasure Groove

By: John Taylor
Narrated by: John Taylor
Get this deal Try for £0.00

Pay £99p/month. After 3 months pay £7.99/month. Renews automatically. See terms for eligibility.

£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £13.00

Buy Now for £13.00

Pay using card ending in
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. Please see our Privacy Notice, Cookies Notice and Interest-based Ads Notice.

Listeners also enjoyed...

Please Please Tell Me Now cover art
Sweet Dreams Are Made of This cover art
One Train Later cover art
(R)evolution cover art
Born to Run cover art
Dancing with Myself cover art
Face the Music cover art
Kicking and Dreaming cover art
Shell Shocked cover art
18 and Life on Skid Row cover art
Scar Tissue cover art
After the Dance cover art
American on Purpose cover art
Electronically Yours cover art
See a Little Light cover art
Still Whispering After All These Years cover art

Summary

With Duran Duran, John Taylor has created some of the greatest songs 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 spring 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 he faced tough battles ahead - troubles that brought him to the brink of self-destruction - before turning his life around. Told with humour, honesty and hard-won wisdom, and with a PDF of 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. Read by the author.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your My Library section along with the audio.

©2012 John Taylor (P)2012 Penguin Audiobooks

More from the same

What listeners say about In the Pleasure Groove

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    201
  • 4 Stars
    59
  • 3 Stars
    20
  • 2 Stars
    2
  • 1 Stars
    1
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    180
  • 4 Stars
    34
  • 3 Stars
    14
  • 2 Stars
    2
  • 1 Stars
    2
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    160
  • 4 Stars
    53
  • 3 Stars
    14
  • 2 Stars
    4
  • 1 Stars
    1

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Brilliant!

This was my first audible purchase, and what a purchase! I loved every second of having JT read to me. Like other reviewers I would have liked to hear more about 1998 onwards, but he writes very movingly on the later years and eventual passing of his parents.

Would recommend to anyone with a love of the eighties, Duran Duran or JT. It's a great book!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent

All the better for being read by the author. The roller coaster ride, the predictable crash and the climb back again are truly LIVED by the lsitener.



John's five years older than me, so I was a fan, back in the day, rather than a true contempory and his immersion in 70's music was more complete than mine - especially as he grew up near Birmingham and I did so in Devon. Still, I could relate to all the situations in which the author found himself and ended up really liking him.



I would've liked to have heard more about 1998 - 2012, but I guess the really exciting and life-altering stuff was done by then.



John's account of the slow passing of his father is truly moving and left me with a tear in my eye.



This guy is one of the true creative talents of the music of my youth and I would reccomend this book to anyone who was in their teens in the early 80's.



I hope that John found this as liberating as I found insightful.



Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent. Entertaining.

I love biographies but some can be just self indulgent me me me! This however is a really, really good read. You don't have to be a Duran Duran fan to enjoy this book. It is an honest account of becoming a 'popstar' and all the stuff that comes with it , some good, some not so good.

The story really flows and was beautifully read by the author himself. He had an excellent way of changing his voice just slightly to become his Dad, his Mum, Simon "Charlie" Le Bon, in fact all the characters in the book. Cleverly done. I hope this isn't a one-off. He has the talent for writing. Fiction next time ? Looking forward to it !

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

.

Took me back to my youth, didn`t answer all the questions about the comings & goings of ex band members but enjoyed it very much. How many of us wished we could of spent the eighties living like this?

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

What a joy for Duranies

If like me you were a Duranie back in 1981 you will love this! For a few days whilst listening to this I was 13 years old again, reliving my youth and listening to the DD back catalogue. This is really well read by John Taylor (always my favourite) and really transported me back to the 80s. The best part is definitely the early days - John growing up in Birmingham and forming the band with Nick Rhodes. His memories of his parents are really moving and he comes across as a genuinely nice guy. It is ultimately a positive, uplifting autobiography and if like me you are feeling a little old these days it will definitely cheer you up !

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars
  • me
  • 26-08-15

Rather dull...IMHO....

I thought I would be excited by this....unfortunately, I found it lacking in detail and depth and frankly quite dull...oh well...

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Not only the Duranies like me will enjoy this!

Duran fans will love this - although, to be fair, it is a good read/listen for anyone so don't write it off!



JT has had a roller coaster life and it's great to get this insight - what a rascal but what fun he had!



I love it when the author narrates - the nuances in their voice brings the words to life as you almost see their memories flash in front of their eyes as they read!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

The behind the glamour of Duran Duran

Would you listen to In the Pleasure Groove again? Why?

Absolutely. Clearly and soothingly spoken. John Taylor gives an honest account of the long
story of Duran Duran - with all its struggles, highs, superstardom, musical achievements, thwarted ambition and destructive lows. The story reveals the inside version of the whirlwind that was Duran Duran - familiar to millions who lived through it the 1980s and 1990s. The story concludes with a search for truth and emotional satisfaction which creates a new found respect for the person behind the pop persona.

Who was your favorite character and why?

John Taylor himself. His intelligence, work ethic, musical passion shines through the biography. His weaknesses and transgressions through that period reveal a hitherto unpublicised side of his character. His journey ends with a realisation of the transience of success and fame and the true meaning of happiness.

What does John Taylor bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?

There is a real honesty in the narration of the book.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No. It was easy to listen to in chapters since these were appropriately divided by main events in the life of the author. So it was easy to pick the story again and again.

Any additional comments?

A must for all fans of the group and pop music in general.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

A Mundane Journey

I am surprised by the generally high praise for this book. I found it really quite boring. In my experience of audiobooks it is a mistake when the author narrates and potentially brilliant stories just become very prosaic. John Taylors life in this telling is just not very compelling. He's a very average guy with a very average story. An example of a great book about a musician and the music industry is Dear Boy - The Life Of Keith Moon. The world described in the book is fresh, compelling and immersive. Taylors retelling of his life just doesnt illicite any strong emotions about him. You feel rather flat after reading the book and for a life which must have extraordinary moments of pleasure and adrenaline I didnt experience of this from his story.

PG

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

If you like Duran Duran or the 80's...

...you'll like this book. Lot's of new bits and bobs for fans to get their teeth into especially their relationship with, and early management and investment by the Rum Runner owners. Interesting details about Andy Taylor's split with the band and the issues with Seven And The Ragged Tiger (which gets a bad press but is IMO up there with Duran, Rio and Notorious - Arena was live so it doesn't count!). Really nice family stuff about the relationship with his Mum & Dad. Nothing too taxing.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful