I appreciate the love. It's been written that the lyrics to "Bohemian Rhapsody" are a metaphor for his struggles with coming out and I (of course) agree. This could be a whole article!
This is my go-to karaoke song 😁 As a fellow bi person, it does in fact get me 38% closer to sex-god butterfly form lol. Loved reading this—there’s so much about how Freddie moved through the world that’s worth studying. I think a lot about how queer identity (already subject to layers of masking and dilution, for all sorts of reasons) influences actual artistic performance. 💟
Like you, I also spend so much time thinking about how queer identity, masked and unmasked, is so much more at the core of art than the prevailing culture is ever willing to admit.
I'm happy to do it; it is nice to try to draw connections between what different people are writing on substack. That was a really good piece, and I'm happy that it was well--received.
I was a Queen fan for as long as I can remember. When he died, Rolling Stone published an incredible article on his life and death. It was my introduction and perhaps first education to gay life. It was also an initial education to AIDS and how truly horrible it was for its victims. Thank God for the openness on the subject, for it prepared me when a friend/work colleague got “sick” and it was shrouded in secrecy. When I last saw him, he lost vision in one eye and the use of one arm. I thought maybe he had a stroke. Eventually, I found out from his team that his boss reclassified him as a remote worker so he could keep his health insurance even though he was incapacitated at that point. If the company found out he had AIDS, he may have lost all his benefits and his boss surely would have lost her job for the coverup. He died within a year. Almost 30 years later, I cannot think of a more compassionate or self-less act from a boss on a worker’s behalf.
Actually, Queen had quite a few top 40 hits in America- "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" and "Another One Bites The Dust" were both No. 1 hits. I assume May felt that they could have done better there, perhaps as well as they did in the UK.
Another layer to the queerness of the IWTBF video is in the central fantasy sequence. Mercury adopts the skin-tight costume and sensuous swagger of Vasily Nijinsky, the lead dancer of the Ballets Russes (and the lover of its founder, Sergei Diaghilev.) Nijinsky’s portrayal of the faun in Debussy’s Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun was a symbol of unbridled sexuality, and the Parisian audience at the ballet’s 1912 premiere was NOT ready for the sexuality he brought to the stage.
I wrote about the work last year, if you’re keen to dive into that aspect of the video:
Excellent. Would love to read your take on BR, especially the second stanza ~
Mama, just killed a man
Put a gun against his head, pulled my trigger, now he's dead
Or is it too obvious?
I appreciate the love. It's been written that the lyrics to "Bohemian Rhapsody" are a metaphor for his struggles with coming out and I (of course) agree. This could be a whole article!
Love this song. It instantly empowers. Freddy's, "You're my Best Friend" was the song I walked down the aisle to with my husband.
What a great pick!
This is my go-to karaoke song 😁 As a fellow bi person, it does in fact get me 38% closer to sex-god butterfly form lol. Loved reading this—there’s so much about how Freddie moved through the world that’s worth studying. I think a lot about how queer identity (already subject to layers of masking and dilution, for all sorts of reasons) influences actual artistic performance. 💟
38% is a solid upgrade, especially in this economy 🤣
Like you, I also spend so much time thinking about how queer identity, masked and unmasked, is so much more at the core of art than the prevailing culture is ever willing to admit.
What a great write-up, and I appreciate all the FM photos. I had not seen those before.
I want to also mention that substacker Cole Haddon wrote a moving piece about that video, and the lessons he learned about gender growing up: https://colehaddon.substack.com/p/i-want-to-break-free-from-your-lies
Thank you for the reminder about @Cole Haddon ’s wonderful piece. I love everything he writes! Everyone should go read it!!
It’s incredibly gratifying when readers here share anything I’ve written like this, but specifically so many months later. Thanks, Nick!
I'm happy to do it; it is nice to try to draw connections between what different people are writing on substack. That was a really good piece, and I'm happy that it was well--received.
I was a Queen fan for as long as I can remember. When he died, Rolling Stone published an incredible article on his life and death. It was my introduction and perhaps first education to gay life. It was also an initial education to AIDS and how truly horrible it was for its victims. Thank God for the openness on the subject, for it prepared me when a friend/work colleague got “sick” and it was shrouded in secrecy. When I last saw him, he lost vision in one eye and the use of one arm. I thought maybe he had a stroke. Eventually, I found out from his team that his boss reclassified him as a remote worker so he could keep his health insurance even though he was incapacitated at that point. If the company found out he had AIDS, he may have lost all his benefits and his boss surely would have lost her job for the coverup. He died within a year. Almost 30 years later, I cannot think of a more compassionate or self-less act from a boss on a worker’s behalf.
Actually, Queen had quite a few top 40 hits in America- "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" and "Another One Bites The Dust" were both No. 1 hits. I assume May felt that they could have done better there, perhaps as well as they did in the UK.
God, I love Freddie Mercury. Thanks for this read this morning!
Great essay on one of my fave Queen songs, Jami!
Another layer to the queerness of the IWTBF video is in the central fantasy sequence. Mercury adopts the skin-tight costume and sensuous swagger of Vasily Nijinsky, the lead dancer of the Ballets Russes (and the lover of its founder, Sergei Diaghilev.) Nijinsky’s portrayal of the faun in Debussy’s Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun was a symbol of unbridled sexuality, and the Parisian audience at the ballet’s 1912 premiere was NOT ready for the sexuality he brought to the stage.
I wrote about the work last year, if you’re keen to dive into that aspect of the video:
https://open.substack.com/pub/michaelwriteswords/p/debussy-prelude-faun-orchestral-fever-dream