Freddie Mercury interview with 'Pelo' magazine, February 1985
Apr 25, 2023 7:10:18 GMT
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Post by fabiogminero on Apr 25, 2023 7:10:18 GMT
Hi everyone.
Below I publish an article taken from the Argentine magazine 'Pelo' of February 1985: it is entitled "Nos Gusta Probar De Todo" (translated from the Spanish as "We Like To Try Everything") and it is essentially a report on the 'Rock In Rio' that just took place in Rio de Janeiro. Freddie Mercury is interviewed not only about the Brazilian festival that has just ended, but also about the album 'The Works' and the internal dynamics of the group.
Below is my translation from Spanish to English. Enjoy the reading!
Below I publish an article taken from the Argentine magazine 'Pelo' of February 1985: it is entitled "Nos Gusta Probar De Todo" (translated from the Spanish as "We Like To Try Everything") and it is essentially a report on the 'Rock In Rio' that just took place in Rio de Janeiro. Freddie Mercury is interviewed not only about the Brazilian festival that has just ended, but also about the album 'The Works' and the internal dynamics of the group.
Below is my translation from Spanish to English. Enjoy the reading!
REPORTAGE: FREDDIE MERCURY
"WE LIKE TO TRY EVERYTHING"
For Freddie Mercury, Rock In Rio was a "unique event, a challenge". For the public, it was the opportunity to watch a beloved band like Queen in action. For the world critics it was, instead, a new sign of the downfall of a great of other times, who struggles daily to regain their old glory.
Link between the end of the superstar era and the punk revolution, reflecting the transition of the bright institutions of the past decade, Queen is the perfect group of the 1970s, still with minor manufacturing defects. As one English journalist put it: "Queen can be compared to an end-of-series automobile, certainly an excellent and unsurpassed version of the original design, but unfortunately lacking in the simple beauty of the first models. It is part of a chain and is therefore destined for obsolescence".
Freddie Mercury, Mr. Champion, showing a false indifference, is wrapped in a white t-shirt, "Marlon Brando style". He plays a character of the genre "Working- Class Hero".
First we talk about the old days, when Queen, like Roxy Music and David Bowie, "glittered" their music with theatrical effects.
"That was good because there was a lot of competition at the time," he begins to say with a speed that reflects his nervousness.
"New bands must face strong competition. That's how you get to anything. Now, thirteen years later, there is still a lot of competition. I love the idea of competing. At that time we liked to be theatrical, almost to the extreme, and to wear costumes and make-up. Things have changed. We are more experienced and we put everything into music. But when you start you have to try to sell the package, like Culture Club does now: they reach their maximum, which is great. Thirteen years later you can't wear the same makeup or have the same attitudes. Everything has to be about music".
You are the most prolific composer of the group, and each one writes their songs alone. How does the band come to be strong and coherent in these conditions?
"When I write a song I always think about what others can do in it, and that serves as a reference to me. Sometimes I write things that I know are gonna be difficult for everybody. Those are trophies for me. For example, I wrote "Keep Passing the Open Windows", which was intended for the film "Hotel New Hampshire" but was eventually rejected. We had to change it completely in order to adapt it to "The Works".
Don't you think Queen is becoming a dance band?
"No. Of course we do dance songs, but I don't think we can be catalogued that way. "Another One Bites the Dust" was a danceable hit, but that doesn't mean we want to do everything in that style. We like to try everything, and I have a great inclination towards black rhythms, like Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, Aretha, and also Rod Stewart".
"The Works" only confirmed Queen's usual eclecticism. Is this a way of perpetuating the pop tradition, of being a true living synthesis of the rock'n'pop tradition?
"I don't think that, when we go out of circulation, everyone will say "This is the real Queen". We don't have labels. We are always doing something different, that's what I love. Before, the first five or six years, we had a very identifiable style: complicated harmonies and guitar orchestrations, but I think we've already given that up. You can call that versatility".
How would you define the internal dynamics of the band?
"It's very violent! John thinks above all about rhythm, loves simplicity and can give others an idea of time. Roger is a fan of modern music and he's aware of everything that's going on, he is very open.
"WE LIKE TO TRY EVERYTHING"
For Freddie Mercury, Rock In Rio was a "unique event, a challenge". For the public, it was the opportunity to watch a beloved band like Queen in action. For the world critics it was, instead, a new sign of the downfall of a great of other times, who struggles daily to regain their old glory.
Link between the end of the superstar era and the punk revolution, reflecting the transition of the bright institutions of the past decade, Queen is the perfect group of the 1970s, still with minor manufacturing defects. As one English journalist put it: "Queen can be compared to an end-of-series automobile, certainly an excellent and unsurpassed version of the original design, but unfortunately lacking in the simple beauty of the first models. It is part of a chain and is therefore destined for obsolescence".
Freddie Mercury, Mr. Champion, showing a false indifference, is wrapped in a white t-shirt, "Marlon Brando style". He plays a character of the genre "Working- Class Hero".
First we talk about the old days, when Queen, like Roxy Music and David Bowie, "glittered" their music with theatrical effects.
"That was good because there was a lot of competition at the time," he begins to say with a speed that reflects his nervousness.
"New bands must face strong competition. That's how you get to anything. Now, thirteen years later, there is still a lot of competition. I love the idea of competing. At that time we liked to be theatrical, almost to the extreme, and to wear costumes and make-up. Things have changed. We are more experienced and we put everything into music. But when you start you have to try to sell the package, like Culture Club does now: they reach their maximum, which is great. Thirteen years later you can't wear the same makeup or have the same attitudes. Everything has to be about music".
You are the most prolific composer of the group, and each one writes their songs alone. How does the band come to be strong and coherent in these conditions?
"When I write a song I always think about what others can do in it, and that serves as a reference to me. Sometimes I write things that I know are gonna be difficult for everybody. Those are trophies for me. For example, I wrote "Keep Passing the Open Windows", which was intended for the film "Hotel New Hampshire" but was eventually rejected. We had to change it completely in order to adapt it to "The Works".
Don't you think Queen is becoming a dance band?
"No. Of course we do dance songs, but I don't think we can be catalogued that way. "Another One Bites the Dust" was a danceable hit, but that doesn't mean we want to do everything in that style. We like to try everything, and I have a great inclination towards black rhythms, like Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, Aretha, and also Rod Stewart".
"The Works" only confirmed Queen's usual eclecticism. Is this a way of perpetuating the pop tradition, of being a true living synthesis of the rock'n'pop tradition?
"I don't think that, when we go out of circulation, everyone will say "This is the real Queen". We don't have labels. We are always doing something different, that's what I love. Before, the first five or six years, we had a very identifiable style: complicated harmonies and guitar orchestrations, but I think we've already given that up. You can call that versatility".
How would you define the internal dynamics of the band?
"It's very violent! John thinks above all about rhythm, loves simplicity and can give others an idea of time. Roger is a fan of modern music and he's aware of everything that's going on, he is very open.
Brian loves music that excites him, not only heavy music, but everything that goes directly to the body, to the spirit. He is the one who wants to convert Queen into rock'n'roll. I am myself, unpredictable. I give what they expect of me, and I can also surprise with something out of the ordinary".
Is it difficult to be the attraction focus of the band, to polarize everybody?
"It's my duty. And I love it anyway. The others chose me to fulfill that function. What am I going to do? That comes naturally".
What do you think about Rock In Rio?
"It was a challenge, a unique thing. I think that the festival will mean an opening for Brazil into the world rock market. There were people who criticized the fact that the line-up included artists from different genres, but I think it would be boring if all the bands played the same thing..."
Is it difficult to be the attraction focus of the band, to polarize everybody?
"It's my duty. And I love it anyway. The others chose me to fulfill that function. What am I going to do? That comes naturally".
What do you think about Rock In Rio?
"It was a challenge, a unique thing. I think that the festival will mean an opening for Brazil into the world rock market. There were people who criticized the fact that the line-up included artists from different genres, but I think it would be boring if all the bands played the same thing..."
