Of course, the theatrical streak in Simon thrived on all the attention, and he loved to go crowd surfing. He'd puff out his chest and dive into the audience so that they could catch him in a forest of open arms. I used to joke afterward that there must have been a few sharp intakes of breath when they caught him because he's a big bloke! On one memorable occasion, the audience were treated to an eyeful of Simon's crown jewels when his bulging leather trousers tore open. He was energetically bouncing around in full flow onstage when he dropped down on his knees with his legs apart in order to belt out some vocals.
Rip!
Unfortunately, Simon wasn't wearing any underwear, and his entire undercarriage went on show to a packed auditorium. It made Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake's Super Bowl faux pas look like kid stuff. Fortunately for everyone in Duran Duran it wasn't televised, and the incident made only a few lines in the press. We were always ribbing Simon for being a bit podgy, so the fact his trousers had torn open simply added to all the hilarity.
“Don't worry,” I reassured him afterward. “It was only a very small thing so I don't think anybody noticed!” Despite our goo-natured gags about Simon's weight, we were all very physically fit, including him. Life on the road can be very grueling, and if you're playing energetic shows for two and a half hours a night for three or four nights a week you soon start to build up levels of fitness similar to those of a young footballer. I used to love to let rip onstage and I'd climb onto amps and jump off in order to entertain the crowd. It played hell with my ankles, so I used to wear specially strengthened boots so that I wouldn't end up breaking a leg. Our energy onstage was very important to Duran Duran and at heart we always wanted to be a great live band.