A P-I reader wrote me a lovely note about the Duran Duran preview I wrote for Wednesday night's show at WaMu Theater and then let me know she had won a radio contest that would allow her to meet Simon Le Bon, John Taylor, Nick Rhodes and Roger Taylor.

Liz Amsbry meets John Taylor from Duran Duran (Liz Amsbry)

Of course, then I had to ask her what made her fall in love -- and stay in love -- with Duran Duran, and suggested she relay details of her meeting with them. This would be the seventh Duran Duran show she'd seen, and she told me it was the best. (Maybe because she was riding the high of meeting them?)

Liz Amsbry, 38, of Kirkland, a married mom of two young daughters, entered a contest on bebo.com and found out Wednesday her dream of meeting the band was going to come true. It's a longtime love affair.

"As an overly contemplative 13-year-old girl growing up in Oklahoma, I knew from the
first moment I saw Duran Duran on MTV that we were soulmates. I still remember sitting in front of the TV watching snow, waiting for the exact moment that MTV would hit the airwaves -- so you can see how ripe I was for this blissful and escapist influence of which Duran Duran was the pure embodiment. Twenty-five years later, I'm a bit wiser and I realize that Simon is not going to whisk me away to get married on the back of an elephant in Sri Lanka."

She was afraid she frightened me with her enthusiasm, but I get the fan thing, especially being one myself and writing about Durandy.

Here are some snippets from her meeting with the guys:

-- "First we met Simon. He came in the room and sucked up all of the air somehow. I started to lose consciousness and some kind person held me up. All I could do was cry and make funny sounds. ... He asked about the contest I won, and when I told him about my "question for Duran Duran" -- do you know how much I LOVE you guys??? -- he threw back his platinum blond head and laughed and laughed."

-- On John: "He was so insanely good looking. ... I remember telling him about the tie that I sent him for his birthday and the cute thank-you note that I received from his parents, and he got a huge kick out of that. I can tell you this -- John Taylor smells like heaven."

-- On Roger: "Then I see Roger in the doorway and scream his name. Roger was so genuine and it was charming the way he seemed so surprised with his reception. I told him how happy we were to have him back, that the band is just not right without him and made him promise to never, ever leave."

-- On Nick: "In a panic, I realized -- where's Nick??? On cue, he came through the door looking fabulous. Again, he was genuine and charming and very conversational. I told him how much better looking he is in person and he seemed delighted to hear this. It's true! And the cutest thing was that he was carrying his makeup bag. I told him that I've always wanted to ask him about the boucle sweater he wore on the Seven and the Ragged Tiger tour -- wasn't he hot in that? Did he sweat in there? He thought for a minute as I kept describing it and he said, 'Yes, yes actually I was really hot!'"