Duran Duran’s John Taylor to receive Experience, Strength and Hope Award

Duran Duran‘s John Taylor is set to receive the 4th annual Writers In Treatment Experience, Strength and Hope Award Friday, February 15, 2013 at the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles, CA.

The award honors well-known individuals who have written courageous and honest memoirs about their journey from addiction to recovery. The annual charity event is a celebration of the benefits of clean and sober living and the importance of humor in the recovery process. All proceeds benefit Writers In Treatment’s Jewelle Sturm Memorial Scholarship Fund.

The Duran Duran bassist released his memoir, “In the Pleasure Groove: Love, Death & Duran Duran” last year and took readers on a journey through his upbringing in Birmingham, England as an only child, his worldwide success with Duran Duran and his spiral into drugs & alcohol as he dealt with the pressures of life in the fast lane and his subsequent stint in rehab and recovery process.

Robert Downey Jr. attends the Avengers world premiere, Hollywood, CA
© 2012 Cindy Robinson

The award will be presented by Academy Award nominee, Iron Man star and fellow recoveree, Robert Downey, Jr. who actively practices the martial art of Wing Chun Kung Fu in his recovery process along with great wit and humor when discussing the subject with media.

Award-winning actor and activist Ed Begley, Jr. will host along with Ione Skye and a performance by comedian Bobcat Goldthwait.

Past honorees include astronaut Buzz Aldrin and Academy Award winning actor Louis Gossett, Jr. New Directions for Women is co-sponsoring the event.

John Taylor is due back in the studio with Duran Duran band mates in March 2013 to begin work on the bands next album with super producer Mark Ronson.

Robert Downey, Jr. is back as Tony Stark in Iron Man 3 blasting into a theater near you on May 3, 2013. He will also reunite with the cast of the Avengers, including Chris Evans, Samuel L. Jackson, Jeremy Renner and Mark Ruffalo to present at the Oscars on February 24th.