How Freddie Mercury Saw His Role On Stage
What an interesting video series from Queen – one of the more interesting points – how Freddie Mercury saw his role on stage.
Queen have posted episode 35 of season two of their YouTube series, The Greatest, which goes behind the scenes of what it takes to create a Queen show.
This week features part two of an interview with Freddie Mercury in which he offers more insights into how he sees his role on stage — from connecting with the audience to why sell-out stadium shows beat the elitism of punk.
“I have to win them over or it’s not a successful gig,” said Mercury. “It’s my job to make sure I win them over and make them feel they’ve had a good time. That’s part of my role, part of the duty that I have to do.
“This cliché of saying, ‘Oh, you have them eating from the palm of your hand’ – I just feel that the quicker I do that, the better, because then I feel I can manipulate them or whatever. But it’s all to do with me feeling in control as so that I know that it’s all going well…
“I’m very frivolous, and I like to enjoy myself. And what better way than on stage in front of 300,000 people? I don’t like to go on stage sitting on a stool. I’m very volatile and I like to actually put a song across. It’s all part of showbiz and theatre, and that’s another side of me…
“I think everybody wants to be successful. I don’t care what they say. I know there was a fashion with the punk movement or whatever. They said, ‘Oh, we want to play to the small audiences because we’re being intimate’ and all that. Load of rubbish!…
“And that’s the way it is. So as far as I’m concerned, I like the whole world to listen to my music. And I want anybody and everybody to come and listen to me and look at me when I’m playing.”
Of course Queen with Adam Lambert will be here in Detroit on October 10th
https://wcsx.com/contests/win-tickets-to-see-queen-adam-lambert-the-rhapsody-tour/
