John Taylor 1952–

Lord of Warwick, barrister

At a Glance…

Sources

British lawyer, political enthusiast, and television personality John Taylor became the first black to take a seat in the British House of Lords when he was made a baron, or life peer, in 1996. Taylor, who has long been active in Conservative Party (Tory) politics and who refers to himself as “Afro-Saxon,” also became the chamber’s youngest member as well. For a politician who cites one of his heroes as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., it was more than just an honorary post: Taylor assumed the responsibility of his lordship with the determination that he might challenge some of his country’s archaic, racist perspectives, a legacy of its long-vanished colonial period.

Taylor was born in the English industrial city of Birmingham in 1952. Both his parents were Jamaican immigrants; Derief Taylor was a professional cricket player, while wife Enid was trained as a nurse. During this time, belonging to a minority group in England meant certain discrimination, both subtle and overt, compounded by a lack of a sense of community; when Ebony interviewed Taylor later in life, he vividly remembered reading imported copies of the magazine and the impression that African American culture made upon him. There were no comparable publications in England.

Taylor received a honors degree from the University of Keele, and began practicing law in 1978 when he was “called to the Bar” of Gray’s Inn, a British legal society, in 1978. He worked exclusively as a barrister, the British term for an attorney who is allowed to argue cases in the upper courts, for the next dozen years. He became well-known in the industrial Midlands region, of which Birmingham is the seat, and also became active in Conservative Party politics. The Tories held power in England during most of that period, after the ascension of Tory leader Margaret Thatcher to prime minister after the 1979 elections. Thatcher stepped down in 1990 and handed over power to another Tory, John Major, who promised to lead the traditional, somewhat moribund party into the future. The Tories, like the U.S. Republican party, had long represented the interests of the ruling class, and had a difficult time attracting younger constituents and the increasing number of middle-class black and Asian voters.

Taylor was named special advisor to Home Secretary and Home Office Ministers in 1990. That same year, the Conservatives selected him to stand for election in Cheltenham, a small, affluent, primarily minority-less town in England’s West Country. He would run for a seat in the House of Commons, the lower chamber of England’s Parliament; it was not necessary to reside in a district to represent it, as is the case in the United States. At this time, there were scarcely any representation from black or Asian minorities within the Tory party, and Major had vowed to change this as a part of the “classless society” platform he espoused upon taking office. Some in Cheltenham were outraged by what they felt was a political ploy—albeit a commonplace one

At a Glance…

Born September 21, 1952, in Birmingham, England; son of Derief David Samuel (a professional cricket player) and Enid Maud Taylor; married Jean Katherine Binysh (a pediatrician), 1981; children: Laura, Alexandra. Education: Received B.A. (honours) from University of Keele. Politics: Conservative Party.

Career: Called to the Bar, Gray’s Inn, 1978; in private practice, 1978-90; appointed special advisor to Home Secretary and Home Office Ministers, 1990-91; consultant, Lowe Bell Communications, 1991-92; producer and presenter, British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), Radio and Television, 1994-; made Baron (life peer), for County Warwick, 1996.

Member: Involved in various charitable and political organizations.

Addresses: Office —House of Lords, London SW1A OPW, England.

in Britain. One resident of Cheltenham, a businessman, made racist statements that were widely reported in the press. According to the New York Times, the man had declared that there were few blacks in Cheltenham to justify Taylor’s representing it, and “not a lot of coconuts either.”

In response, the Tories rallied around Taylor. Such racist statements were “not sentiments that have any place in our party,” the New York Times quoted Prime Minister Major as saying. The mayor of Cheltenham told Tory members who opposed Taylor’s candidacy to resign from the party. According to the New York Times, Taylor was unmoved by the furor, asserting there always exists “people in society whose vision does not extend beyond the end of their noses.” The barrister and his family—in 1981 he married pediatrician Jean Katherine (Kathie) Binysh, with whom he has two daughters—received hate mail and disparaging political literature at their home during the flap. In the end, he lost the election.

Yet later, Taylor saw the political tumult as a positive event, since the extensive media exposure “gave me a chance to give interviews and to explain my vision of a multiracial, multicultural society because I believe different nationalities, cultures, and colors working together is a positive thing, not a negative thing,” he told Ebony writer Hans J. Massaquoi. The experience only solidified his commitment to politics. In 1994, he became a familiar sight in England as a television presenter with the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). Then one fortuitous day, at a party at the Prime Minister’s residence, Taylor was approached by Major and asked his feelings about his name being submitted to the Queen for a lordship. Taylor assumed Major was speaking of this honor occurring some day far in the future, and was “gobsmacked,” according to Ebony, when the Prime Minister said he meant to do so immediately.

In October of 1996, Taylor was made Lord (Baron) Taylor of Warwick, County Warwickshire. He became one of the youngest members in the House of Lords, whose 1,205 seats are held by Anglican prelates, hereditary peers (scions of the landowning families of Great Britain), and life peers like Taylor—those ennobled by the reigning monarch. There are no monetary perks, and only a small stipend for attending parliamentary sessions, but the prestige is immeasurable—a vestige of the day when wealthy aristocrats ruled in tandem with the king. “There is this air if substantive bustling,” wrote Will Self in the New Statesman after a visit to the House of Lords, “and there is also the sheer size of the joint, everything seemingly constructed for a race of Victorian giants with dreadfully kitsch, neo-Gothic taste.”

Taylor chose Warwick as his seat because of his roots there; his father had played on its county cricket team. He remains a barrister and still appears on both BBC radio and television broadcasts. He attends to legal work in the morning, then arrives at the House of Lords in the afternoon for its daily session. The baron is also involved in charity work to help minority youths, and has said the fact that he is the only black in the upper house is “a disgrace,” he told Ebony. “Part of my vision is to start opening up all that because I really do believe that life and politics and society are not static.”

In his endeavors Taylor has been able to raise public awareness about minority issues. Jobs and employment issues are of primary importance, though the House of Lords is seen as a somewhat politically defanged institution, with no real power—nor, some say, desire—to alter the status quo. The Labor government, elected in the spring of 1997 with Tony Blair as Prime Minister, has talked of abolishing voting rights for the hereditary peers in the House of Lords. Such a change would lessen their power even more, but in favor of life peers such as Taylor who would retain voting privileges. Such a reform reflects a more egalitarian attitude under the new Labor government, England’s first in nearly two decades.

Taylor remains committed to using his prominence to make a difference in his country. “Obviously there are people who don’t like what I say, and there are people who applaud what I’m saying,” he told Massaquoi in the Ebony article, and notes that his support ranges across color lines. “And that’s unusual in this country. For as a Black politician, normally you’ve just got Black support.” Taylor has also managed to raise public consciousness through his BBC post. He eagerly debates known racists on television in an effort to publicize the ridiculousness of such attitudes. “Unless you debate with them, you can’t expose how stupid they are,” Taylor told Ebony. “I passionately believe in equality, and I want to see Black people move on. But we won’t do so unless we challenge ideas,” he concluded.

Sources

Ebony, May 1997, pp. 96-100.

New Statesman, August 30, 1996, p. 19; October 25, 1996, pp. 14-16; December 20, 1996, pp. 26-27.

New York Times, December 6, 1990, p. A3.

Newsweek, December 17, 1990, p. 37.

—Carol Brennan

Taylor, John 1960–

(John Nigel Taylor)

PERSONAL

Full name, Nigel John Taylor; born June 20, 1960, in Birmingham, England; married Amanda de Cadenet (an actress), December 24, 1991 (divorced 1997); married Gela Nash (an actress, clothing designer, and entrepreneur), March 16, 1999; children: (first marriage) Atlanta Noo.

Addresses: Agent—Paradigm, 360 North Crescent Dr., North Building, Beverly Hills, CA 90210.

Career: Singer, musician, composer, and actor. Bass player for the rock and roll group Duran Duran (also known as Duranduran), beginning c. 1978; also a solo artist and a member of various rock and roll groups, including the Power Station and the Neurotic Outsiders. Performer at various venues. Provided music for advertising. Formerly affiliated with the recording label B5[Atomic].

Awards, Honors: All with Duran Duran: Grammy Award, best video—short form, National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, 1983, for "Girls on Film"/"Hungry Like the Wolf"; Grammy Award, best video album, 1984, for Duran Duran; MTV Video Music Award nomination, best stage performance video,1984, for "The Reflex"; BRIT Award, best British video, 1985, for "The Wild Boys"; Ivor Novello Award, song-writing category, British Academy of Composers and Songwriters, 1993, for "Ordinary World"; received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, 1993; Duran Duran music videos named to several lists of great music videos, including lists by MTV, 1999, VH1, c. 2001, and Channel 4 (England), 2005; MTV Video Music Award for Lifetime Achievement, 2003; BRIT Award, 2004, and Ivor Novello Award, 2005, both for outstanding contributions to British music; earned gold and platinum record certifications, Recording Industry Association of America.

CREDITS

Film Appearances:

Three to Get Ready, 1988.

Clive, Sugar Town, October Films, 1999.

(As John Nigel Taylor) Dick, Four Dogs Playing Poker (also known as 4 Dogs Playing Poker), MDP Worldwide, 1999.

Drowning on Dry Land, Cargo Films, 1999.

Art, Christmas with J. D., 2000.

Keith Richrock (some sources cite role as Keith Rock-hard), The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas, Universal, 2000.

Byron Lord, Vegas, City of Dreams, DMG Entertainment, 2001.

Patrick, She-Bat (short film), Design Concepts, 2001.

Himself, Something You Should Know: The Duran Duran Fan Documentary (documentary), 2006.

Performer of music that has been featured in films, television broadcasts, and video collections.

Television Appearances; Series:

The hacker, Timeslip, Yorkshire Television, beginning 1985.

Television Appearances; Miniseries:

(In archive footage) 100 Greatest Videos Ever Made, MTV, 1999.

(In archive footage) 100 Greatest Videos (also known as VH1: 100 Greatest Videos), VH1, c. 2001.

(In archive footage) The One Hundred Greatest Pop Videos, Channel 4 (England), 2005.

Television Appearances; Movies:

Ghost of Christmas Present, A Diva's Christmas Carol, VH1, 2000.

Television Appearances; Specials:

(With Duran Duran and the Power Station) Live Aid, multiple networks, 1985.

Performer, Especial nochevieja 1988: Hola, hola 89!, 1989.

Himself, From the Waist Down: Men, Women & Music, 2001.

Himself, VH1 Presents the '80s, VH1, 2001.

Crossover, Independent Film Channel, 2001.

Himself, MTV Video Music Awards Opening Act, MTV, 2003.

Himself, 25 Years of Smash Hits, Channel 4 (England), 2003.

Himself, The Ultimate Pop Star, Channel 4, 2004.

(With Duran Duran) Baileys The Set: Duran Duran, 2004.

(With Duran Duran) Live 8, multiple networks, 2005.

Television Appearances; Awards Presentations:

The First International Rock Awards, 1989.

MTV Video Music Awards, MTV, 2003.

BRIT Awards 2004, 2004.

VH1 Big in 04 (also known as Big in 2004 and VH1 Big in 2004), VH1, 2004.

Television Appearances; Episodic:

(With Duran Duran) Top of the Pops (also known as All New Top of the Pops and TOTP), BBC, multiple episodes in 1981, 1982, and 1984.

Himself, "Christmas Special," Pop Quiz, BBC, 1982.

Himself, Pop Quiz, BBC, 1983.

(With Duran Duran) Musical guest, Saturday Night Live (also known as NBC's "Saturday Night," Saturday Night, Saturday Night Live '80, SNL, and SNL 25), NBC, 1983.

(With Duran Duran) The Tube, Channel 4 (England), 1983.

Himself, Pop Quiz, BBC, 1984.

(With Duran Duran) Musikladen, [West Germany (now Germany)], 1984.

(With Duran Duran) Tocata, 1984, 1986.

J. T., "Whatever Works," Miami Vice (also known as Gold Coast and Miami Unworthiness), NBC, 1985.

Himself, Arena, BBC-2, 1985.

(With the Power Station) Musical guest, Saturday Night Live (also known as NBC's "Saturday Night," Saturday Night, Saturday Night Live '80, SNL, and SNL 25), NBC, 1985.

Himself, "Duran Duran," Behind the Music (also known as Behind the Music: Duran Duran, BtM, and VH1's "Behind the Music"), VH1, 1999.

Himself, "Martin Kemp," This Is Your Life, BBC, 1999.

Himself, "I Love 1981," I Love 1980s, BBC-2, 2001.

Himself, Never Mind The Buzzcocks, BBC, 2001.

Zeke, "Sophia's Depressed," That '80s Show (also known as Eighties), Fox, 2002.

Himself, Tout le monde en parle, 2004.

(With Duran Duran) Friday Night with Jonathan Ross, BBC, 2004.

(With Duran Duran) The Late Late Show with Craig Kil-born (also known as The Late Late Show), CBS, 2004.

(With Duran Duran) Pulse, Fox, 2004.

(With Duran Duran) The Tony Danza Show, syndicated, 2004.

(With Duran Duran) Live with Regis and Kelly, syndicated, 2004, 2005.

Himself, Big Brother's Efourum (also known as Big Brother's Big Mouth), 2005.

Himself, The Big Idea with Donny Deutsch, CNBC, 2005.

Himself, Jimmy Kimmel Live, ABC, 2005.

(With Duran Duran) Late Night with Conan O'Brien, NBC, 2005.

Television Appearances; Pilots:

Jimmy Blitz, "Room Service," Strange Frequency, VH1, 2001.

RECORDINGS

Albums:

Meltdown, recorded 1992, released 1999.

Autodidact, B5[Atomic], 1997.

Feelings Are Good & Other Lies, B5[Atomic], c. 1997, also released by DeMuzik, 1997.

JT Terroristen 5.30.98 (EP), B5[Atomic], 1998.

The Japan Album, 1999.

Japanese EP, 1999.

Live Cuts, 2000.

Retreat into Art, 2001.

Techno for Two, 2001.

MetaFour, 2002.

Sampler (distributed with the TTP *RETRO zine), 2002.

Albums; with Duran Duran:

Duran Duran, Capitol/EMI, 1981.

Carnival, 1982.

Rio, 1982.

Seven and the Ragged Tiger, Capitol/EMI, 1983.

Arena, Capitol/EMI, 1984.

Notorious, Capitol/EMI, 1986.

Duran Duran Goes Dutch, 1987.

Interview Disc, 1987.

Master Mixes, 1987.

Big Thing, EMI, 1988.

Decade: Greatest Hits (also known as Decade), Capitol/EMI, 1989.

Liberty, Capitol/EMI, 1990.

Best Mixes, 1991.

Planet Heart, 1991.

Duran Duran [The Wedding Album] (also known as The Wedding Album), Capitol/EMI, 1993.

In Conversation, Baktabak, 1994.

Thank You, Capitol/EMI, 1995.

Medazzaland, Capitol/EMI, 1997.

Greatest, Capitol/EMI, 1998.

Night Versions: The Essential Duran Duran, EMI/Capitol, 1998.

Greatest Hits, 1999.

Strange Behavior, EMI, 1999.

Original Gold, 2000.

Playing with Uranium, Vol. 1, Edel Germany, 2000.

Playing with Uranium, Vol. 2, Edel Germany, 2000.

Pop Trash, Hollywood Records, 2000.

Rio (with bonus video tracks), Capitol/EMI, 2001.

Seven and the Ragged Tiger/Notorious/Duran Duran [The Wedding Album], EMI, 2001.

Costa Mesa: July 16, 2003, 2003.

Fukuoka: July 08, 2003, 2003.

Nagoya: July 10, 2003, 2003.

Osaka: July 07, 2003, 2003.

Tokyo: July 11, 2003, 2003.

Tokyo: July 12, 2003, 2003.

Arena (with bonus tracks), EMI/Capitol, 2004.

Astronaut, Sony Records, 2004.

Duran Duran/Rio/Seven and the Ragged Tiger, EMI, 2004.

Maximum Duran Duran: The Unauthorised Biography of Duran Duran, Chrome Dreams, 2004.

Greatest (deluxe edition), Capitol, 2005.

Live from London (also known as Duran Duran: Live from London), Zoe, 2005.

The Ultimate Review, Classic Rock Legends, 2006.

Albums; with the Power Station:

The Power Station (also known as The Power Station CD and The Power Station 33 1/3), Capitol/EMI, 1985, expanded anniversary edition released in 2005.

Living in Fear, Guardian/Angle, 1996.

The Best of the Power Station, CEMA Special Markets, 2003.

Albums; with the Neurotic Outsiders:

Neurotic Outsiders, Maverick Records, 1996.

Albums; with Others:

(With Jonathan Elias) Resume—9 1/2 Weeks Sessions, recorded 1986, released 1999.

Various artists, Dream Home Heartaches … Remaking/Remodeling Roxy Music, 1997.

Singles:

"I Do What I Do" (also known as "I Do What I Do—Theme for 9 1/2 Weeks "), 1986.

"Feelings Are Good," c. 1997.

Singles; with Duran Duran:

"Careless Memories," 1981.

"Girls on Film," 1981.

"My Own Way," 1981.

"Planet Earth," 1981.

"The Chauffeur," 1982.

"Hungry Like the Wolf," 1982.

"Lonely in Your Nightmare," 1982.

"Rio," 1982.

"Save a Prayer" (first version), 1982.

"Is There Something I Should Know?," 1983.

"Nightboat," 1983.

"Union of the Snake," 1983.

"New Moon on Monday," 1984.

"The Reflex" (first version), 1984.

"The Reflex" (remix version), 1984.

"The Wild Boys," 1984.

"Save a Prayer" (live version), 1985.

"A View to a Kill," 1985.

"Notorious," 1986.

"Meet El Presidente," 1987.

"Skin Trade," 1987.

"All She Wants Is," 1988.

"I Don't Want Your Love," 1988.

"Burning the Ground," 1989.

"Do You Believe in Shame?," 1989.

"Serious," 1990.

"Violence of Summer," 1990.

"Breath after Breath," 1993.

"Come Undone," 1993.

"Femme Fatale," 1993.

"Ordinary World," 1993.

"Too Much Information," 1993.

"Perfect Day," 1995.

(Featuring Grandmaster Flash) "White Lines (Don't Do It)," 1995.

"Electric Barbarella," 1997.

"Out of My Mind," 1997.

"Someone Else Not Me," 2000.

"(Reach Up for the) Sunrise," 2004.

"What Happens Tomorrow," 2004.

Singles; with the Power Station:

"Communication," 1985.

"Get It On (Bang a Gong)," 1985.

"Some Like It Hot," 1985.

Singles; with the Neurotic Outsiders:

"Jerk," c. 1996.

Videos; with Duran Duran:

Duran Duran, 1983.

Dancing on the Valentine, 1984.

Sing Blue Silver, 1984.

Decade, 1989.

Music's Wild Boys, 1996.

Greatest—The Videos (also known as Duran Duran: Greatest—The Videos), 1999.

Greatest DVD, 2003.

Arena: The Movie, 2004.

Live from London (also known as Duran Duran: Live from London), Coming Home Records, 2005.

The Ultimate Review, Classic Rock Legends, 2006.

Videos; with the Power Station:

The Power Station, 1986.

Music Videos:

"I Do What I Do" (also known as "I Do What I Do—Theme for 9 1/2 Weeks"), 1986.

"Feelings Are Good," c. 1997.

Music Videos; with Duran Duran:

"Careless Memories," 1981.

"Girls on Film," 1981.

"My Own Way," 1981.

"Planet Earth," 1981.

"The Chauffeur," 1982.

"Hungry Like the Wolf," 1982.

"Lonely in Your Nightmare," 1982.

"Rio," 1982.

"Save a Prayer" (first version), 1982.

"Is There Something I Should Know?," 1983.

"Nightboat," 1983.

"Union of the Snake," 1983.

"New Moon on Monday," 1984.

"The Reflex" (first version), 1984.

"The Reflex" (remix version), 1984.

"The Wild Boys," 1984.

"Save a Prayer" (live version), 1985.

"A View to a Kill," 1985.

"Notorious," 1986.

"Meet El Presidente," 1987.

"Skin Trade," 1987.

"All She Wants Is," 1988.

"I Don't Want Your Love," 1988.

"Burning the Ground," 1989.

"Do You Believe in Shame?," 1989.

"Serious," 1990.

"Violence of Summer," 1990.

"Breath after Breath," 1993.

"Come Undone," 1993.

"Femme Fatale," 1993.

"Ordinary World," 1993.

"Too Much Information," 1993.

"Perfect Day," 1995.

(Featuring Grandmaster Flash) "White Lines (Don't Do It)," 1995.

"Electric Barbarella," 1997.

"Out of My Mind," 1997.

"Someone Else Not Me," 2000.

"(Reach Up for the) Sunrise," 2004.

"What Happens Tomorrow," 2004.

Music Videos; with the Power Station:

"Communication," 1985.

"Get It On (Bang a Gong)," 1985.

"Some Like It Hot," 1985.

Video Games:

SingStar Party, 2004.

WRITINGS

Film Music:

(With Duran Duran) Title song, A View to a Kill (also known as From a View to a Kill and Ian Fleming's "A View to a Kill"), Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer/United Artists/United International Pictures, 1985.

"I Do What I Do" (also known as "I Do What I Do—Theme for 9 1/2 Weeks"), 9 1/2 Weeks (also known as Nine 1/2 Weeks and 9-1/2 Weeks), Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 1986.

Title song, Shaky Fingers (also known as Shakey Fingers), 1989.

(With others) Blue Flame, Silver Shadow Pictures, 1993.

Mi vida loca (also known as My Crazy Life), 1993.

(With Duran Duran) Something You Should Know: The Duran Duran Fan Documentary (documentary), 2006.

Wrote or cowrote music that has been featured in films, television broadcasts, and video collections.

Albums:

Meltdown, recorded 1992, released 1999.

Autodidact, B5[Atomic], 1997.

Feelings Are Good & Other Lies, B5[Atomic], c. 1997 also released by DeMuzik, 1997.

JT Terroristen 5.30.98 (EP), B5[Atomic], 1998.

The Japan Album, 1999.

Japanese EP, 1999.

Live Cuts, 2000.

Retreat into Art, 2001.

Techno for Two, 2001.

MetaFour, 2002.

Sampler (distributed with the TTP *RETRO zine), 2002.

Albums; with Duran Duran:

Duran Duran, Capitol/EMI, 1981.

Carnival, 1982.

Rio, 1982.

Seven and the Ragged Tiger, Capitol/EMI, 1983.

Arena, Capitol/EMI, 1984.

Notorious, Capitol/EMI, 1986.

Duran Duran Goes Dutch, 1987.

Interview Disc, 1987.

Master Mixes, 1987.

Big Thing, EMI, 1988.

Decade: Greatest Hits (also known as Decade), Capitol/EMI, 1989.

Liberty, Capitol/EMI, 1990.

Best Mixes, 1991.

Planet Heart, 1991.

Duran Duran [The Wedding Album] (also known as The Wedding Album), Capitol/EMI, 1993.

In Conversation, Baktabak, 1994.

Thank You, Capitol/EMI, 1995.

Medazzaland, Capitol/EMI, 1997.

Greatest, Capitol/EMI, 1998.

Night Versions: The Essential Duran Duran, EMI/Capitol, 1998.

Greatest Hits, 1999.

Strange Behavior, EMI, 1999.

Original Gold, 2000.

Playing with Uranium, Vol. 1, Edel Germany, 2000.

Playing with Uranium, Vol. 2, Edel Germany, 2000.

Pop Trash, Hollywood Records, 2000.

Rio (with bonus video tracks), Capitol/EMI, 2001.

Seven and the Ragged Tiger/Notorious/Duran Duran [The Wedding Album], EMI, 2001.

Costa Mesa: July 16, 2003, 2003.

Fukuoka: July 08, 2003, 2003.

Nagoya: July 10, 2003, 2003.

Osaka: July 07, 2003, 2003.

Tokyo: July 11, 2003, 2003.

Tokyo: July 12, 2003, 2003.

Arena (with bonus tracks), EMI/Capitol, 2004.

Astronaut, Sony Records, 2004.

Duran Duran/Rio/Seven and the Ragged Tiger, EMI, 2004.

Maximum Duran Duran: The Unauthorised Biography of Duran Duran, Chrome Dreams, 2004.

Greatest (deluxe edition), Capitol, 2005.

Live from London (also known as Duran Duran: Live from London), Zoe, 2005.

The Ultimate Review, Classic Rock Legends, 2006.

Albums; with the Power Station:

(With others) The Power Station (also known as The Power Station CD and The Power Station 33 1/3), Capitol/EMI, 1985, expanded anniversary edition released in 2005.

Living in Fear, Guardian/Angle, 1996.

The Best of the Power Station, CEMA Special Markets, 2003.

Albums; with the Neurotic Outsiders:

Neurotic Outsiders, Maverick Records, 1996.

Albums; with Others:

(With Jonathan Elias) Resume—9 1/2 Weeks Sessions, recorded 1986, released 1999.

Singles:

(With Michael Des Barres) "I Do What I Do" (also known as "I Do What I Do—Theme for 9 1/2 Weeks "), 1986.

"Feelings Are Good," c. 1997.

Singles; with Duran Duran:

"Careless Memories," 1981.

"Girls on Film," 1981.

"My Own Way," 1981.

"Planet Earth," 1981.

"The Chauffeur," 1982.

"Hungry Like the Wolf," 1982.

"Lonely in Your Nightmare," 1982.

"Rio," 1982.

"Save a Prayer" (first version), 1982.

"Is There Something I Should Know?," 1983.

"Nightboat," 1983.

"Union of the Snake," 1983.

"New Moon on Monday," 1984.

"The Reflex" (first version), 1984.

"The Reflex" (remix version), 1984.

"The Wild Boys," 1984.

"Save a Prayer" (live version), 1985.

"A View to a Kill," 1985.

"Notorious," 1986.

"Meet El Presidente," 1987.

"Skin Trade," 1987.

"All She Wants Is," 1988.

"I Don't Want Your Love," 1988.

"Burning the Ground," 1989.

"Do You Believe in Shame?," 1989.

"Serious," 1990.

"Violence of Summer," 1990.

"Breath after Breath," 1993.

"Come Undone," 1993.

"Femme Fatale," 1993.

"Ordinary World," 1993.

"Too Much Information," 1993.

"Perfect Day," 1995.

(Featuring Grandmaster Flash) "White Lines (Don't Do It)," 1995.

"Electric Barbarella," 1997.

"Out of My Mind," 1997.

"Someone Else Not Me," 2000.

"(Reach Up for the) Sunrise," 2004.

"What Happens Tomorrow," 2004.

Singles; with the Power Station:

"Communication," 1985.

"Some Like It Hot," 1985.

Singles; with the Neurotic Outsiders:

"Jerk," c. 1996.

OTHER SOURCES

Books:

Newsmakers, issue 3, Thomson Gale, 2005.

Periodicals:

Entertainment Weekly, October 17, 2004, p. 34.

Interview, March, 2005, pp. 129-30.

People Weekly, October 25, 2004, p. 128.

Electronic:

John Taylor John Trust the Process, http://www.trusttheprocess.com, March 18, 2006.

Taylor, John (Gerald) (1931-)

Professor of applied mathematics at King's College, London, England, who was the first British scientist to investigate the phenomena of Uri Geller. Taylor was born on August 18, 1931, in Hayes, Kent. He won his way into Christ's College, Cambridge at age 16; at 18 he enrolled at Mid-Essex Technical College, where he took his B.Sc. in general science. He completed a three-year mathematics degree course in two years at Cambridge and passed with first class honors. His academic career has included visiting professorships in the United States as well as being Professor of Theoretical Physics at the University of Southampton and a post at King's College, London.

When Uri Geller visited Britain in 1974, Taylor conducted scientific tests of Geller's feats of metal bending and interference with a Geiger counter. Taylor also experimented with some of the children and adults who manifested paranormal abilities after seeing Uri Geller's appearances on British television programs. Taylor's interest in such phenomena was not only in its scientific validation, but also in investigation of the way in which such phenomena take place and the nature of the forces involved. He suggested the phenomena may be some low-frequency electromagnetic effect generated by human beings.

Through the 1970s Taylor was regarded as fully endorsing the paranormal metal bending of Uri Geller, but gradually has made more guarded statements; then in 1980 he largely retracted his support for Geller's paranormal talents. In 1974 he noted, "The Geller effect—of metal-bending—is clearly not brought about by fraud. It is so exceptional it presents a crucial challenge to modern science and could even destroy the latter if no explanation became available." Taylor then spent three years of careful investigation of such phenomena as psychokinesis, metal bending, and dowsing, but could not discover any reasonable scientific explanation or validation that satisfied him. He was particularly concerned to establish whether there is an electromagnetic basis for such phenomena. After failing to find this he did not believe that there was any other explanation that would suffice. Most of his experiments under laboratory conditions were negative; this left him in a skeptical position regarding the validity of claimed phenomena.

In contrast to the endorsement in his first book on psi, Superminds, he published a paper expressing his doubts in a paper in Nature (November 2, 1978) titled "Can Electromagnetism Account for Extra-sensory Phenomena?" He followed this with his book Science and the Supernatural (1980) in which he expressed complete skepticism about every aspect of the paranormal. In his final chapter he stated: "We have searched for the supernatural and not found it. In the main, only poor experimentation [including his own], shoddy theory, and human gull-ibility have been encountered."

Taylor's new position seems to stem from his failure to find an electromagnetic explanation for paranormal phenomena. In his new book he stated: "We therefore have to accept that when science faces up to the supernatural, it is a case of 'electro-magnetism or bust.' " In contrast, John Hasted, another British scientist who has tested Uri Geller, continues to support the reality of the Geller effect and also believes that there is evidence of an electromagnetic field in the phenomenon.

Sources:

Berger, Arthur S., and Joyce Berger. The Encyclopedia of Parapsychology and Psychical Research. New York: Paragon House, 1991.

Taylor, John The Horizons of Knowledge. N.p., 1982.

——. Science and the Supernatural. New York: E. P. Dutton, 1980.

——. The Shape of Minds to Come. N.p., 1971.

——. Superminds. London: Macmillan, 1975.

John Taylor

John Taylor (1753-1824), American politician and political theorist, was a major spokesman for southern agrarian, planter society.

John Taylor was born in Virginia in December 1753. His parents died while he was a child, and he was raised by his uncle, Edmund Pendleton. Taylor attended William and Mary College (1770-1772), read law in Pendleton's office (1772-1774), and then began to practice law.

At the outbreak of the Revolutionary War, Taylor joined the Virginia militia and then the Continental Army. He soon became a major. When the Continental Army was reduced in 1779, he resigned and returned home. In 1783 he married Lucy Penn, the daughter of a wealthy North Carolina planter. His legal practice prospered during the next 10 years, and building on his wife's properties, he acquired a number of plantations. By 1792 Taylor was able to devote all of his time to his two major interests: scientific agriculture and public office.

From 1779 to 1785 and again from 1796 to 1800, Taylor sat in the Virginia House of Delegates. He served as a U.S. senator in 1792-1794, 1803, and 1822-1824. He early allied himself with the emerging Jeffersonian Republican party. During the 1790s he strongly opposed the financial program of Alexander Hamilton. Toward the end of the decade Taylor introduced James Madison's famous resolutions condemning the Alien and Sedition Acts in the Virginia Assembly. In 1800 he worked enthusiastically for Thomas Jefferson's election.

By about 1808, however, Taylor had become disillusioned with Jefferson's administration, accusing it of abandoning its original principles of agrarianism and states' rights. During Madison's two terms as president, Taylor moved even more sharply into opposition, speaking out vigorously against the War of 1812 and its centralizing consequences—the increased national debt, tax program, and expanded armed forces.

Much of Taylor's lasting significance rests with his published writings. Unsystematic and tedious, they nonetheless offer a cogent criticism of Hamiltonian Federalist policies and a defense of the South's agrarian, states'-rights philosophy. Among his most important publications are An Inquiry into the Principles and Policy of the Government of the United States (1814) and Constructions Construed and Constitutions Vindicated (1820). Linked with these were his Arator essays (1803), suggesting agricultural reforms necessary for southern equality in the struggle against northern interests. He died on Aug. 21, 1824, at his plantation home, Hazelwood, in Virginia.

Further Reading

The modern biography of Taylor is by Henry Simms, Life of John Taylor (1932), which provides an adequate introduction to his life and thought. Eugene Mudge, The Social Philosophy of John Taylor of Caroline (1939), offers a more systematic treatment of Taylor's political and economic thought. A valuable discussion of Taylor's political activities, set in the context of the Old Republican movement, is in Norman Risjord, The Old Republicans: Southern Conservatism (1965).

Additional Sources

Shalhope, Robert E., John Taylor of Caroline: pastoral republican, Columbia: University of South Carolina Press, 1980.

Simms, Henry Harrison, Life of John Taylor: the story of a brilliant leader in the early Virginia state rights school, Littleton, Colo.: F.B. Rothman, 1992. □

John Taylor

1703-1772

English physician who conducted early research into the nature and treatment of cataracts and other problems of the eye. He worked for the royal courts in England, Denmark, Poland, and Sweden, as well as for other European nobility before he was determined to be a charlatan.