The Queen in person
The first thing coming to my mind, when someone mentioned
Queen or Freddie Mercury, was a strange name of a strange moustache-wearing guy
with a strange style. We used to have one of The greatest hits casette back
home and on the inside, there was a well-known picture (I figured that out
couple of years later) of Freddie in his cat-imaged vest. He wasn`t wearing
moustache on that picture, but I knew that was the guy, because he was the only
one back then I knew under the term „special“. Well, the thing is, as soon as I
started digging deeper into music, I liked Queen. I just didn`t know why that
was so. And as soon as I found out I like it, I put a line of what I call good
music a little higher, than I knew. And
that line is still pretty hard to reach. Well, it may be a detail, I forgot to
tell and it might be the key. The thing Freddie died before I was born made me
think different of him and everytime I listened to his music, I thought how I
never could hear him again. And as I was younger, I couldn`t imagine, how a
guy, with such a „fortune“ could die so early yet with so much to give. And
that`s the way I listened to him. Everytime as I hear him for the last time and
as I have to determine and listen very close, because I can`t have another
chance to change my mind.
Funny, I know, but it seems to me, even back then I figured
it`s quite a deal to beat Freddie. Not only because of his amaizing charisma
and apperance on the stage. Not at all, his vocal technique and let`s put a bit
aside his wide vocal range (because that`s what he`s mostly referred to), he
could sing with so much passion and in the other moment, he could sound so
fragile, but yet always with confidence and class. Who could find a better name
for that than a Queen? Maybe due to We will rock you musical I saw back in
school days or it might be listening to all kinds of mimics and karaoke and
such. After I watched the Freddie Mercury tribute concert and after I visited
the Queen gig with Adam Lambert, my thoughts came clear. Well, now I see, why
everybody calls Freddie irreplaceable. I know it`s difficult to stand into
someone`s shoes, when he used to die in his glory and he was so popular and yet
with such talent, but he really knew how to do it. Let`s see why.
Besides all the music genres I like and listen to, I`m also
a great fan of classical music and opera as such. I recall, when I was little,
once I decided, I was about eight I think, well I decided to go to opera and
made my mother go with me. It was rare occasion, I could go to bed after 9 p.m.
and it seemed so classy to me. I liked the way I could be acting in the opera
and I liked the way I was dressed. I even could taste a bit of champagnemy mama
got in the opera cafe, so I still got the tickets of Fedora we watched back
then. But especially I liked the whoel story on the stage, I was taken by the
whole story, told in the other language, I was familiar with. In the language
of music. And maybe even back then, I developed this love for tragic, melanholic
characters, I still prefer. I liked different characters, drags, being always
someone else, taking different challenging identitites and I loved this rich
scne eont he stage. Thats why I still like classical pieces. Well the music, I
always liked Chopin and Schumann for their emotions and Mozart and even Bach
for their music full of „decorations“ of any kind. And so is with opera. Always
dynamic. Always something happening.
Well I put that down, because the best reference I find to
compare Freddie`s music is opera. He changed notes so quickly, he changes
volume, he changes the rhytm, so it takes a precise listener, to follow it and
try to understand it later to appreciate it. Confident prince in one moment, in
the next one fragile desperate lover, and in the next rock god! But always he`s
been singing with such passion and with so mush feelings, so this might be the
thing why he`s so hard to beat. Not only Bohemian rhapsody, also Hard life and
Breakthrough are my favourites, because one could hardly find some sort of
pattern, appearing in all the songs. Maybe that`s because there ain`t one.
Every piece is a piece by itself. I remember when I got (some years after the
cassette) the cd Greatest hits 2 by Queen, I learned all the songs by heart. I
was fascinated by Hard life and Breaktrough how the beginning gives impression
of completely different song and then it flows into different rhytm.
Compeletely different and so dynamic. Let`s say We will rock you. Wonderful
proof of dyinamc song and experimenting. Sail away sweet sister, Who wants to
live forever and Show must go on, well these remain very close to me, for so
many emotions in them and they sound so clear and so honest. With no extra
over-reactions and pomp around the emotions and feelings and all. Straight just
the way things are. Just like one of my favourites, Love of my life.
Something to do with his persona, also the whole character
of Freddie is fascinating. So far from anything compared ti music environment,
he later worked in, but he succeded for his outstanding will and talent, though
first Queen`s albums were not well accepted and though his sexual orientation,
which was back then important thing determining someone`s career. Beyond that,
he managed to put all aside and in the heart of it it was only about music and
good energy. And this music is still binding people together from all sorts of
places, all kinds of people, long after he left.
I read somewhere he had incredible ability to play the tones
he heard on the radio and since always he thought he was special. When he was
staying in Munich, he allegedly said hello to random people he met on the
streets. Even his very strong „man“ persona was seen in his costumes and
gestures. A real chameleon, in his videos and concerts, he changed so many
outfits, just like this is really some sort of theatre and hes got lots of
shows to do. But yet his vulnerability and sensitivity was always seen. Mostly,
when he sang with his eyes closed. Such sounds came right from his heart. Just
before he passed, when Those were the days of our lives were recorded and he was
really weak, they say he would be gone much sooner if he wouldn`t have so much
to give. They say it was his creativity keeping him alive. I say it was his
heart.
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