Like most rock n roll fans, I enjoyed the recent biopic “Bohemian Rhapsody” with it’s reasonably concise yet detailed view of Queen’s rise to the summit of rock n roll’s hierarchy. It was coincidental that I recently slogged through 25 slides of the greatest live rock bands of all time to find that the author had anointed Freddie Mercury and pals as #1 with Led Zep #2 and the Grateful Dead #21(?!). While what criteria was used is not clear, it is not hard to see that this was a talented and dynamic group of individuals that jelled really well together. The little details that make these films fun were there...Freddie had an extra set of incisors that helped extend his range and vocal volume etc. The crushing realization his wife was forced to confront when Freddie said he thought he might be bisexual (“You’re gay,” she notified him) was there. Another take away I had was how easily misinformation and disinformation get spread; a topic of particular interest in today’s political landscape.
I went back to college as a middle aged adult to get a certification as a Diet Technician so the food and restaurant industry jobs I’d been relying on would stop being sold and yanked out from under me at the whims of the somewhat venal and Right to Work for Less Florida employers. I took one fascinating elective course in Microbiology at a local Community College with a very smart, female, slightly older (than me) Professor who warned us that an entire generation of American males were at risk from the growing AIDS epidemic. To emphasize her point she mentioned that an entire rock group (Queen) had been killed by this horrific, sexually transmitted virus. After waiting to see if any one of the mostly 20 something aspiring nurses taking the course would call her on it, I raised my hand and gently but firmly mentioned that while Freddie Mercury had in fact died from AIDS related pneumonia, the rest of the band were not at high risk (married), straight and very much still alive. She took a few second to compose herself and thanked me for updating her information on the subject. I’m pretty sure she checked it out and updated her class syllabus as a result. Today fact checking and reality seem like lost arts since the head sTrumpet does not even attempt to filter his lies and distortion through some sort of reality screening. I guess if Prof Cheeto Bandito had been addressing the class, I would have been banished to a cage at the back of the room and been told that fake news was unwelcome here.
A final note, if I may, I loved the ironic scene in the movie where a record executive (played by Mike Myers!) tells the band that no one was going to crank up the volume and bang their heads to Bo Rhap (the bands nickname for the song). The scene in Wayne’s World where Mike and the guys drive away banging heads to the song kind of leaped to mind. Anyway, for the rockers out there, I have added a poll: