killer queen

I’m a small town guy, always have been. I’ve always been very comfortable doing guy things, playing baseball, football, basketball. While I’ve quit drinking, I never had a problem saddling up to the bar and having a few. I sang in a barbershop quartet for years. You might say, I’m a guy’s guy.

So, why am I going through all of this? I am, and always have been, a fan of Queen, the glam band of the 70’s and 80’s.

The complexities of their jam-it-down-your-throat rock classics, melodic operas, and whimsical compositions made them a unique blend of blind-drunk, rock and roll and classical genius

“Killer Queen”, “Bohemian Rhapsody”, and “Tie Your Mother Down” were the soundtrack of my formative years. And, what made them great were the killer pipes of Freddy Mercury. There wasn’t anything he couldn’t sing.

Shortly after Elvis Presley’s death in 1977, I was at a Queen concert. It was full of flamboyance, lights, strutting, and pyrotechnics. At the end, the obligatory lighters came out en masse, waiting for the encore. It seemed like forever.

Then, the lights came on with Freddie Mercury in an Elvis Jumpsuit doing a tribute set. You could close your eyes and hear Elvis. And, when you opened your eyes, you could see Elvis, full of gyrations, complete with the silk scarf being thrown into the audience. It was pure entertainment.

And, why am I talking about Queen today? Because I see a chance for a renaissance.

Watching American Idol this year, Adam Lambert burst on the scene, full of bravado and talent, and the king sized voice that can fill an auditorium. If ever there was a perfect fit for Queen, this is it. Hopefully, they’ll both see it.