Brian May on "Flash Gordon" - from Dutch magazine 'Joepie', January 1981
Jan 3, 2023 8:13:54 GMT
leo82br, Arnaldo Ogre-, and 2 more like this
Post by fabiogminero on Jan 3, 2023 8:13:54 GMT
Hi everyone.
Below I propose an article entitled ONDANS KRITIEK GELOOFT QUEEN STEEVAST IN "FLASH GORDON" (translated as DESPITE CRITICISM, QUEEN STILL BELIEVE IN 'FLASH GORDON'), published in the Dutch music magazine Joepie in January 1981. It is precisely an article on the album "Flash Gordon", in which guitarist Brian May defends its content and explains how it is considered a full-fledged Queen album and not just a simple soundtrack.
Below the scan and my English translation. Enjoy the reading!
DESPITE CRITICISM, QUEEN STILL BELIEVE IN 'FLASH GORDON'
Not everyone is thrilled with the 'Flash Gordon' soundtrack, and Queen fans everywhere have already taken up the pen to defend their idols tooth and nail. We also get angry letters, but we prefer to let guitarist Brian May speak to help out his band. With the other members of Her Majesty busy with other things or just taking it easy, Brian really became the man who put together most of the soundtrack. The guitar hero on stage is a very quiet man in his private life, a proud father too, who weighs his words carefully.
UNITY AMONG THE FANS
How does a band like Queen risk their reputation by scoring?
"After seeing 20 minutes of the movie, I knew it was for us," Brian says. "Whatever everyone thinks about it, I liked 'Flash Gordon' and the way everything was a bit over the top also suited us. If there was a suitable film to adapt our debut score, it was a unique opportunity. After all, we wanted to do something that felt like a real soundtrack. Other rock bands have done this sort of thing, but they've usually been shelved afterwards and their music relegated to a nice background atmosphere. However, we insisted on doing what we wanted as long as we continued to contribute to the film."
Brian says it was a little strange working with it, especially in the beginning. "We are used to playing our own boss in the studio" he explains. "But now it was completely different than when we record a new album ourselves. We had to work with the film's director, Mike Hodges, and especially Howard Blake, the man who arranged the orchestra. After all, we had never played with a real orchestra."
According to Brian, 'Flash Gordon' is therefore a real Queen album, and not just a snack as many critics have suggested. "I think the record can stand on its own outside of the film," he says, "and I'm more confident that our average fan won't be disappointed by it." Those fans, that's a special case with Queen. They must certainly be among the most devoted in the entire pop world.
"That fan club, it's overhyped," thinks Brian. "There are very pushy fans, of course, but there are so many people who like to listen to our music without joining the club. I think our audience is pretty much everywhere and of all ages. Every time we release a single, other people get interested. Take our hits from last year, 'Crazy Little Thing Called Love' and 'Another One Bites The Dust'. Of course they appealed to our already conquered fans, but also to a different audience that until then hadn't had much to know about Queen. Old rockers like 'Crazy', disco lovers like 'Another One' and lots of people love something else. That's what rock'n'roll is. It's that simple: we play music that interests and excites people. You shouldn't look for philosophical or psychological reasons why we are so popular. Our fan club also contributes to this. It's actually more of a kind of information center, which has become a pen club: fans in Portugal correspond to fans in Japan. Is not it beautiful? A rock band can't get any nicer than that feeling of unity over a whole part of the world, can it? We're reaching out to that area with our music maybe more than all those big politicians."
DESPITE CRITICISM, QUEEN STILL BELIEVE IN 'FLASH GORDON'
Not everyone is thrilled with the 'Flash Gordon' soundtrack, and Queen fans everywhere have already taken up the pen to defend their idols tooth and nail. We also get angry letters, but we prefer to let guitarist Brian May speak to help out his band. With the other members of Her Majesty busy with other things or just taking it easy, Brian really became the man who put together most of the soundtrack. The guitar hero on stage is a very quiet man in his private life, a proud father too, who weighs his words carefully.
UNITY AMONG THE FANS
How does a band like Queen risk their reputation by scoring?
"After seeing 20 minutes of the movie, I knew it was for us," Brian says. "Whatever everyone thinks about it, I liked 'Flash Gordon' and the way everything was a bit over the top also suited us. If there was a suitable film to adapt our debut score, it was a unique opportunity. After all, we wanted to do something that felt like a real soundtrack. Other rock bands have done this sort of thing, but they've usually been shelved afterwards and their music relegated to a nice background atmosphere. However, we insisted on doing what we wanted as long as we continued to contribute to the film."
Brian says it was a little strange working with it, especially in the beginning. "We are used to playing our own boss in the studio" he explains. "But now it was completely different than when we record a new album ourselves. We had to work with the film's director, Mike Hodges, and especially Howard Blake, the man who arranged the orchestra. After all, we had never played with a real orchestra."
According to Brian, 'Flash Gordon' is therefore a real Queen album, and not just a snack as many critics have suggested. "I think the record can stand on its own outside of the film," he says, "and I'm more confident that our average fan won't be disappointed by it." Those fans, that's a special case with Queen. They must certainly be among the most devoted in the entire pop world.
"That fan club, it's overhyped," thinks Brian. "There are very pushy fans, of course, but there are so many people who like to listen to our music without joining the club. I think our audience is pretty much everywhere and of all ages. Every time we release a single, other people get interested. Take our hits from last year, 'Crazy Little Thing Called Love' and 'Another One Bites The Dust'. Of course they appealed to our already conquered fans, but also to a different audience that until then hadn't had much to know about Queen. Old rockers like 'Crazy', disco lovers like 'Another One' and lots of people love something else. That's what rock'n'roll is. It's that simple: we play music that interests and excites people. You shouldn't look for philosophical or psychological reasons why we are so popular. Our fan club also contributes to this. It's actually more of a kind of information center, which has become a pen club: fans in Portugal correspond to fans in Japan. Is not it beautiful? A rock band can't get any nicer than that feeling of unity over a whole part of the world, can it? We're reaching out to that area with our music maybe more than all those big politicians."