Welcome to Cherry Lipstick!
Or even welcome back to Cherry Lipstick.
Or even welcome back again to Cherry Lipstick, for some of you have been welcomed in 1993 to the first issue, then back again in 1997.
If this is all getting confusing - welcome.
This website is the re-re-launch of a well-loved fanzine that ran from 1993-1994 and then again from 1997-2001. It had a world-wide, passionate readership that enjoyed its writing and humour about the band.
This website is for the fans and will be by the fans. Its purpose is to celebrate the music of Duran Duran and how we, as fans, have been brought together and told at least part of the story of our lives through their music.
We are here to celebrate that history and to have a bit of wallow in nostalgia. The original fanzine was very much about the present and future of the band. This version of Cherry Lipstick looks to the past, as you can see in the links to the writings about each album and the various series that will run over the coming year.
One of CL’s greatest strengths was the varied and consistent contributions from you, the reader. When you look at the back issues you will see so many different names alongside the varied regular contributors. Maybe you will even find your name. There are various ways to contribute to this website, with new Cherry Lipstick series to inspire you.
Cherry Lipstick once claimed to be 'For the Discerning Duran Fan'. It still is. I hope that over the coming year you will support this website with your contributions to fill up these pages as a fitting celebration of our great band.
Adam Wilson, Editor
16 April 2017
Cherry Lipstick Volume 1: ran from May 1993 - July 1994 comprising 11 issues
Cherry Lipstick Volume 2: ran from January 1997 - June 2001 comprising 22 issues
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A message from the creator of Cherry Lipstick Volume 3
Cherry Lipstick was born in the dark ages, long before personal computers, smart phones and tablets. Somewhere in a corner of the house was a Spectrum 128K Plus – not the puny 48K or admittedly the infinitely cooler Commodore 64 - and also, crucially, a word processor (kids, ask your parents).
Adam spurned the use of Control C, Control V – just ask those who submitted anything with foreign words in them in the later issues – and based on the format of football fanzines produced a picture light, text heavy monthly of exceptional quality that stands up to the test of time much better than anything off Liberty bar My Antarctica.
Cherry Lipstick also came at a time when Duran were not really Duran Duran any more. The original five had long gone, so had the top ten hits and the remaining fans, when asked what kind of music they liked, tended to look at the ground and mumble, embarrassed, ‘D’rand’ran’ in the hope no one was really interested in the answer.
There had been a time when Smash Hits had, at the very least, a Duran Duran corner in every issue. By the time of the first ever Cherry Lipstick, I would scour it from cover to cover each week on the lookout for any words beginning with ‘D’ and almost never find anything. ‘I don’t want your love’ merited a half page ‘They’re back!’ article. Big Thing got 2 out of 10 in the review. It felt like the end and for any band with less thick skin it probably would have been.
In today’s world the internet would have provided solace in the long months with no sign of life. Back then, that was it. The Duran official fan club closed down and the next sign of life came with Simon being interviewed by The Independent when promoting Liberty. So Cherry Lipstick was the last thing I expected to get as a birthday present and most likely the best I’ve ever got too.
That the trick was repeated at Christmas and my next birthday didn’t take off any of the shine (just like the lack of any apostrophes lends CL its endearing tag when reading it back today). So this, Cherry Lipstick 2.0 if you like, is my way of saying more than 20 years later, thank you and Happy birthday to you too.
JR Kiss
April 2017
'CHERRY LIPSTICK'....WHERE THE NAME CAME FROM
J.R.KISS EXPLAINS...
Written under the working title 'A Duranzine' the CL might have stayed under that moniker if Adam hadn't happened across the lyrics to Girls on Film. Why he then didn't call it 'Lipstick Cherry' is another story.
AND HERE IS THAT OTHER STORY....
everything needs a name... and I always liked albums with names that gained their titles from songs... though thinking back I'm not sure now I can think of any other than Under A Blood Red Sky. And Achtung Baby, though that came after CL was named. and that suggests the fanzine should be about another group.
Anyhoo, this new 'Duranzine' (I thought I'd made up that name, I didn't know there were any others) needed a name and I wanted a line from a song. but which one? I decided to look at lyric sheets from each album in order and then pick the best one. so I started with Duran Duran and looked at the first song, Girls On Film. There was the line, it didn't make any sense as it was, so I spun it and that was it. I didn't look further. one of the quicker decisions I have made and here we are 27 years on. I've not even considered whether there are better ones out there.
The name seems to have worked as it always managed to stand out in lists of the fanzines of the time. it also suggested something classy and exotic, which clearly the fanzine wasn't, so perversely that worked as well. (AW)
