Hello all, it is really hard to find a good Freddie Mercury quote without the eff-word or darling in it, so I gave up.
Today is the 22nd anniversary of the passing of Mr. Freddie Mercury, the irreplaceable frontman of Queen. He died from complications of AIDS in 1991 after being treated for four or five years in the late 1980s-early 1990s. He also gave up smoking, cold turkey, on advice of his doctors.
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This is a personal remembrance, though I never met him. I was a classical musician, and had heard of Queen, but never went to rock concerts. I really knew nothing about him, until I was going through a terrible time in my life which ended in my being on disability. I had a demon employer on my tail making everything as difficult as she could. And I kept hearing the name, Freddie Mercury, and finally I went around the intertubz thinking, "Who is this guy?" My first intro was that video of him hopping around in stripey hotpants, suspenders and nothing else. The second sight of him was the video "It's a Hard Life," and I was thinking, holy crap. That was the beginning of my cure, and I am everlastingly grateful to this beautiful soul for the healing power he still spreads on this earth.
This might be one of the longer GUS diaries, and I apologize in advance. I want to share my take on the incredible diversity of his music. He said he liked to mix it up or it would get boring.
A little hippie song
And a blues tune in a major key
A perfect snapshot of obsession
How did he ever get away with this?
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Don't worry, this is not an anthology of Freddie! Just a couple more. I am struck by the mirror quality of his songs, reflecting my experiences perfectly. When I was at my lowest, I found these:
From his album with Montserrat Caballe
Thanks Freddie, you are still touching hearts and healing souls, and making us laugh!
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