Killer Queen – Rebecca K.
His name was Farrokh Bulsara, born in Zanzibar, Tanzania, and he had four extra teeth in his upper jaw. The man I am talking about was one of the greatest singer-songwriters of all time. His vocal range was unique as it extended from bass F2 to the high soprano F6. When he died in 1991, humanity lost one of its best musicians of all time.
If you add up the facts, you should know by now that I’m talking about Freddie Mercury, head singer of the famous band Queen. His career started in 1970 when he joined the band “Smile” consisting of the guitarist Brian May and the drummer Roger Taylor. With John Deacon as bassist aceeding the band, Queen was founded. Mercury, who had a degree in art and graphic design, created the band logo, which now graces the cover of the famous Platinum Collection. It is composed of the zodiac signs of the band members, two lions, a crab and two fairies with a phoenix watching over them.
Years of success started. As it soon turned out, the man with the famous buck tooth grin wasn’t just an extraordinary singer but also one of the most successful songwriters in the 20th century. “Bohemian Rhapsody”, “Don’t stop me now”, “Killer Queen”, “We are the champions”, to name just a few of the works he created.
But what we remember most are Freddie’s extravagant stage performances, the way he interacted with his audience. To quote David Bowie: “Of all the more theatrical rock performers, Freddie took it further than the rest […] he took it over the edge.” Queen was even awarded the prize of the “greatest live performance in the history of rock” when they performed on the Live-Aid concert in 1985.
As is always the case with stars- with fame comes interest in their private life. One aspect of Freddie Mercury’s life that was very much screened by the public was his sexuality. He lived in times where the wider world did not accept people being queer so he had to keep his sexuality partly hidden. Even today the public is unanimous whether the head singer of Queen was gay or bisexual.
But what we know for sure is that Mercury contracted the HI- Virus and exhibited symptoms starting in early 1982. But only in 1991 he issued a statement to the public confirming his illness which was released on 23 November. He died 24 hours later. With only 45 years one of rock’s greatest singers passed away.
As you all now, it is LGBTQ+ history month this February. Maybe Freddie Mercury didn’t even know himself whether he was gay or bisexual. But maybe that doesn’t even matter. He sure was part of the LGBTQ+ community whose history we are celebrating this month. He is a role model for all people who are afraid to state their sexuality openly.
In closing I would like to recommend the movie “Bohemian Rhapsody” to all those who have not yet seen it. It is a biography of Freddie Mercury directed by Brian Singer. It’s worth watching!
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