Q is for Queen
The
band and the Monarch! A story about the
band first. I’ll never forget the first
time I saw them. Live Aid in 1985. I sat in front of the TV with my mouth wide
open for the whole set. It’s been
described as ‘the greatest twenty minutes in the history of rock n’ roll’ and
‘arguably Queen’s greatest single live performance’. They really did steal the show. Freddie Mercury – the ultimate showman. A rare talent.
I was working for the BBC and producing
and presenting my weekly specialist music programme ‘Fretwork’ in the
‘90s. When he died in ’91, I didn’t want
to do a long tribute – they’d all been done by the time my show went out. I did, however, play one of my favourite
Queen tracks and just said ‘Freddie Mercury
- such a waste of a special talent’.
As it was an evening show on local radio, I answered my own phones (oh,
and operated all the equipment!). During
the track I answered a call (off air).
An unpleasant and very shouty man screamed down the phone ‘I can’t
believe that you’re hailing this a****** as a hero. He was a f****** q**** and deserves to be
dead’.
Heaven knows how I kept my calm, but I
just politely pointed out that I was not ‘hailing him as a hero’ and that I was
just playing one track and had only said that I was saddened at the waste of
such talent. He shouted some more abuse
at me and also informed me that Mercury and Queen were c**p anyway. I bit my lip and just put the phone
down. Some people are so cruel, bigoted,
and bitter. I weep for them, I really
do.
And, as I’m in Q, it reminds me of a great quote –
attributed to Mahatma Gandhi…
‘An eye for
an eye makes the whole world blind’
And
the
Queen. I love her. What an amazing woman. I need say no more, need I?
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