QueenZone discussion #1418668
Being a Queen fan today... Guilty Pleasure or hardcore??!!
| fras444 26.01.2015 18:35 |
What sort of response do you guys get in this day in age when you mention Queen as your favorite band or ONE of your favorite bands.. Say especially to someone new.. Be it new friends/work mates or random people you meet...? Do you more often get a guilty expression on their faces or by the way they reply or do you get a surprise response such as "Queen are ok but..love John Deacons bass lines" and some high respect? Here in NZ I have found that coming out as a "Queen fan/Queen is my favorite band" can be a unique and weird experience to say the least... There are usually two main responses I get from people.. The most common one is the ???? look's on ones face with images of catchy 80s pop songs and Bohem Rhap going through their minds and by the way they respond, it is kind of like " oh cool, its nice to have a guilty pleasure" or "we play their GH in the rack we bring it out along with ABBA for a good laugh when we are drunk" and you end up spending a good half hour teaching them about how cool Queen and how Queen has influenced so many different artists etc etc etc... And the other "very rare" response I get, one i get from friends or people who are knowledgeable about music who are either not too well tuned in on Queen. Where you end up having a good discussion with the help of some selected live video clips particularly from show's like the Rainbow, which ends up with them having a whole new perspective and respect for Queen and the individual talents of the members who make up Queen or people who listen to Queen but not enough to say they are their fav bands but often reply with the likes of "yeah? that's awesome! Queen are a great band I love Brian's unique solos", "that bassist whoever his name is... he has some sic bass lines" etc etc.. I have also found a deep respect and love towards Freddie Mercury and Queen amongst the Maori community!! They love singing and love Freddie and particularly they love singing Freddies version of the song Great Pretender. I have been to a few parties where that song comes up on the jukebox and the whole house erupt's into singing... Very impressive sight esp coming from.. you know, huge and imposing hard labour working people!! |
| tomchristie22 26.01.2015 19:19 |
Plenty of people I know recognise Queen's great importance and talent, but none have listened much beyond Greatest Hits I and II and Live Aid, as far as I know. I've definitely never been able to have a conversation with someone I know IRL about one of their actual albums, an individual band member, or anything like that. Thankfully, I'm not acquainted with anybody who considers Queen and Abba the sort of thing to be enjoyed as 'guilty pleasures'. |
| Mercuryman12 26.01.2015 19:25 |
In my experience the response is always "Oh that's cool that's the one with the guy with the mustache" Ive never had anything negative stated in response to me mentioning I like Queen so I guess in that regard Im fortunate |
| The King Of Rhye 26.01.2015 19:32 |
Once in a great while I'll meet someone older than me (I'm 37) and after telling them I love Queen they;ll say something like 'oh yeah, I had the Sheer Heart Attack album when I was a kid"...or even that they saw them live back in the 70s, but that's a rarity.....(I even once had a guy I worked with tell me he saw them in 71.......suuuuuuuuure you did....lol) Most of the time, it's more like they think they're good, but they only know the few songs that get regularly played on the radio......... I even played the whole A Night At The Opera album for one of my friends, who was a classic rock fan but really didnt know much about Queen........he was rather taken aback by The Prophets Song.......LOL |
| fras444 26.01.2015 20:38 |
The King Of Rhye wrote Once in a great while I'll meet someone older than me (I'm 37) and after telling them I love Queen they;ll say something like 'oh yeah, I had the Sheer Heart Attack album when I was a kid"...or even that they saw them live back in the 70s, but that's a rarity.....(I even once had a guy I worked with tell me he saw them in 71.......suuuuuuuuure you did....lol) Most of the time, it's more like they think they're good, but they only know the few songs that get regularly played on the radio......... I even played the whole A Night At The Opera album for one of my friends, who was a classic rock fan but really didnt know much about Queen........he was rather taken aback by The Prophets Song.......LOL Haha same experience as myself with my mates.... I am 27..... BTW I have played ANATO to my GF 23 and she fell in love with the album on her second or third play!!! and I remember showing my old flate mate's of 2008 (19-21 years of age) who were stoned... the video to The Prophets song.... They were both buzzing and tripping out ( a lot like how I became hooked to Pink Floyd four years ago) and they were like "dude! were they stoned of their faces when they wrote those songs?!" I have showed some of my work mates (big Foos/grunge/alt metal fans) the Rainbow and they were wondering where the fuck they have been and could totally understand how GNR and metallica label them as a influence on them |
| BETA215 26.01.2015 21:43 |
You listen to them? Fuck off. |
| ITSM 27.01.2015 08:37 |
I feel, most of the times, that Queen is a guilty pleasure and that I need to defend them. But I don't care, it's not the only band I listen to anymore. I just can't understand how people don't think Freddie Mercurys' voice is fantastic/the best(!), and that they don't want to check out some more songs than Bohemian Rhapsody and Another One Bites the Dust, everybody think they're good in some form. If I kinda like some songs by a band, I check them out, and it's so easy to do that today. |
| Costa86 27.01.2015 08:47 |
I have a Freddie Mercury mug at work, and nobody asks about it. They either don't even know who he is, or they don't give a shit. People in general don't give a shit about much of anything rock-related anymore, really. This is no longer the age of rock stars. It's now the age of Facecrap, Twatter, Instashit and me, me, me. |
| gerry 27.01.2015 09:27 |
Queen were never classed as a cool group until 12 years after Freddie passed away, before that many people including the press hated them. Tv and radio gave Queen a hard ride as well by refusing to play there records and promo vids on tv. Now Freddie is gone it annoys me when people now say "oh he was a showman and legend, but the thing here is Freddie was a showman and a legend in the 70s and 80s and nobody bothered to notice. |
| The King Of Rhye 27.01.2015 09:42 |
gerry wrote: Queen were never classed as a cool group until 12 years after Freddie passed away, before that many people including the press hated them.I dont think thats quite right.......I remember right after Freddie's death and also the time of the Tribute, there was quite a bit of interest in Queen going around..... |
| Vocal harmony 27.01.2015 09:42 |
gerry wrote: Queen were never classed as a cool group until 12 years after Freddie passed away, before that many people including the press hated them. Tv and radio gave Queen a hard ride as well by refusing to play there records and promo vids on tv. Now Freddie is gone it annoys me when people now say "oh he was a showman and legend, but the thing here is Freddie was a showman and a legend in the 70s and 80s and nobody bothered to notice.You stood alone at every Queen concert as the only person to buy a ticket and the only person to buy their albums then! |
| Oscar J 27.01.2015 09:49 |
Vocal harmony wrote: You stood alone at every Queen concert as the only person to buy a ticket and the only person to buy their albums then!Too funny! |
| tomchristie22 27.01.2015 10:30 |
gerry wrote: Queen were never classed as a cool group until 12 years after Freddie passed away...I suppose the 100,000 strong audience at Hyde Park in 1976 just showed up to heckle the band, and remind them how uncool they were? |
| gerry 27.01.2015 11:21 |
You may mock but even Roger stated that Queen were never in vogue, sure there concerts always sold out but they were never flavour of the month, and the press continued to slag them all off as well as Radio one refusing to put Queen on there playlist. |
| Mercuryman12 27.01.2015 11:31 |
gerry wrote: You may mock but even Roger stated that Queen were never in vogue, sure there concerts always sold out but they were never
flavour of the month, and the press continued to slag them all off as well as Radio one refusing to put Queen on there playlist. Then why did a 72,000 strong audience not entirely made up of queen fans clap and sing along at live aid? And if they were hated they would not have one the best band of the 80s award in 1989 or the contribution award the next year |
| gerry 27.01.2015 11:40 |
As i said in the public eye Queen were always denied exposure i.e Radio, Tv, Press. Sure Queen had a loyal following like myself, and yes they stole the show at Live Aid and yes i know the rest because i was one of those fans that adored them from 1974 till 1995 then it went wrong. No one loved Queen more than me in my neck of the woods believe me. i think you read my post wrong, i was not slating Queen i was just saying in the public eye Queen were not popular even though concerts sold out like hot cakes, the likes of the beeb did not want to know them. |
| musicland munich 27.01.2015 11:45 |
Ha, it was never easy in public. The press really didn't like them too much back in the days. "Genuine prat" and the "toilet brush moustache" in one article. Here you have it ! |
| Mercuryman12 27.01.2015 11:49 |
gerry wrote: As i said in the public eye Queen were always denied exposure i.e Radio, Tv, Press.
Sure Queen had a loyal following like myself, and yes they stole the show at Live Aid
and yes i know the rest because i was one of those fans that adored them from 1974 till 1995 then it went wrong.
No one loved Queen more than me in my neck of the woods believe me.
i think you read my post wrong, i was not slating Queen i was just saying in the public eye Queen were not popular
even though concerts sold out like hot cakes, the likes of the beeb did not want to know them. Not popular! Are you forgetting how Borhap and TATDOOL were number 1 after Fred died? |
| gerry 27.01.2015 11:54 |
yes but that was after Freddie died, and by then all the press had realized what they had lost after years of mocking Freddie. When Freddie was here he continually got slagged and ignored be he radio stations and tv especially on the old grey whistle test. It was ch4 The Tube that finally got Queen back on British tv sets. |
| gerry 27.01.2015 11:56 |
yes but that was after Freddie died, and by then all the press had realized what they had lost after years of mocking Freddie. When Freddie was here he continually got slagged and ignored by the radio stations and tv especially on the old grey whistle test. It was ch4 The Tube that finally got Queen back on British tv sets. |
| master marathon runner 27.01.2015 12:16 |
Roger couldn't have been more wrong, when he came out with that statement I thought what a load of crap!. He was looking from inside the goldfish bowl. Being a member of Queen , doesn't necessarily make you the wisest assessor of the impact made. I think the fans viewpoint can be more viable. . I, like most long term , keen fans, have their memories and experiences of how they were received, for me, winning music press polls, year in , year out,in most catergories , (apart from 1977, when Marc Bolan cleared up, months after his death, ) , the difficulty getting concert tickets , that sold out very quickly, if you didn't apply the day tours were announced, you often lost out. The records set by Bo Rhap, their one time record of having themost no. 2's, (hits, not shits) their golden period stateside with champions, dust et al, European no. 1's,GH 1 becoming uk's biggestever seller the universal respect for the live performances and development of Freddie's legend. . Probably only the. Beatles bettered them from a UK viewpoint and arguably Zeppelin. Well done Queen. |
| gerry 27.01.2015 12:51 |
And of course we know Freddie is a better singer and entertainer than Elvis Presley! There that will hack Tony Blackburn off now! ha ha Freddie has won many awards for the greatest male vocalist ever! |
| Mercuryman12 27.01.2015 12:52 |
gerry wrote: And of course we know Freddie is a better singer and entertainer than Elvis Presley! There that will hack Tony Blackburn off now! ha ha Freddie has won many awards for the greatest male vocalist ever!Are you kidding? |
| gerry 27.01.2015 13:04 |
No i am been serious. Freddie actually won the greatest male vocalist award over Elvis and Michael Jackson. Freddie was the voice of Queen, always was always will be. |
| Mercuryman12 27.01.2015 13:07 |
gerry wrote: No i am been serious. Freddie actually won the greatest male vocalist award over Elvis and Michael Jackson. Freddie was the voice of Queen, always was always will be.Ok what band is the best band of all time. Hint it's the Beatles and Led Zep |
| malicedoom 27.01.2015 13:19 |
Queen has SO much more exposure now in the USA than it did in the late 80's or early 90's (THANK YOU, HOLLYWOOD RECORDS), it's awesome. I've never had a problem telling/showing anyone I'm a huge Queen fan, but now there's a much greater chance they'll 'get' what I mean (and usually be a fan themselves). So... good times. |
| ANAGRAMER 27.01.2015 14:41 |
gerry wrote: Queen were never classed as a cool group until 12 years after Freddie passed away, before that many people including the press hated them. Tv and radio gave Queen a hard ride as well by refusing to play there records and promo vids on tv. Now Freddie is gone it annoys me when people now say "oh he was a showman and legend, but the thing here is Freddie was a showman and a legend in the 70s and 80s and nobody bothered to notice.What country are you in Gerry? |
| AlbaNo1 27.01.2015 16:06 |
Mercuryman12 wrote:Hint it's the Beatles and Led Zepgerry wrote: No i am been serious. Freddie actually won the greatest male vocalist award over Elvis and Michael Jackson. Freddie was the voice of Queen, always was always will be.Ok what band is the best band of all time. Hint it's the Beatles and Led Zep Is neither a hint. Or a fact. |
| Holly2003 27.01.2015 17:19 |
gerry wrote: You may mock but even Roger stated that Queen were never in vogue, sure there concerts always sold out but they were never flavour of the month, and the press continued to slag them all off as well as Radio one refusing to put Queen on there playlist.BBC Radio -- Simon Bates in particular -- resurrected Queen's career by extensively playing Radio Ga Ga when it first came out, and therefore helping to make it a hit. That led to The Works and subsequent singles also charting well. Aside from Tony Blackburn, the only BBC DJ I'm aware of who disliked Queen was John Peel. |
| Holly2003 27.01.2015 17:23 |
master marathon runner wrote: Roger couldn't have been more wrong, when he came out with that statement I thought what a load of crap!. He was looking from inside the goldfish bowl. Being a member of Queen , doesn't necessarily make you the wisest assessor of the impact made. I think the fans viewpoint can be more viable. . I, like most long term , keen fans, have their memories and experiences of how they were received, for me, winning music press polls, year in , year out,in most catergories , (apart from 1977, when Marc Bolan cleared up, months after his death, ) , the difficulty getting concert tickets , that sold out very quickly, if you didn't apply the day tours were announced, you often lost out. The records set by Bo Rhap, their one time record of having themost no. 2's, (hits, not shits) their golden period stateside with champions, dust et al, European no. 1's,GH 1 becoming uk's biggestever seller the universal respect for the live performances and development of Freddie's legend. . Probably only the. Beatles bettered them from a UK viewpoint and arguably Zeppelin. Well done Queen.Good post. But I think having the most no. 2 shits would be a better record for the band to hold. |
| master marathon runner 27.01.2015 18:24 |
/.Doof! -perish the thought! |
| The King Of Rhye 27.01.2015 21:41 |
Holly2003 wrote: Good post. But I think having the most no. 2 shits would be a better record for the band to hold.I always told people Queen was the shit......but that's not quite what I meant.........:D |
| master marathon runner 28.01.2015 01:19 |
Re Radio Ga Ga, it didn't need much help, I remember it went straight in at no.4, it didn't follow the pattern of slowly climbing the charts and gaining popularity, that's because, it was one hell of a song ! |
| master marathon runner 28.01.2015 01:21 |
...........and another no. 2 from Queen.! Bloody Frankie. |
| gooddrills 28.01.2015 03:51 |
Fras444 where abouts in NZ are you? |
| Stelios 28.01.2015 05:12 |
In Greece the attitudes go like this, in "popularity" order: 1)Saying you are a Queen fun is like saying you love listen to the radio. Queen don't give you an identity as if you would say " i am a Pink Floyd fan". In peoples minds they are/were an entertaining band who did a little bit of everything so they are classified as something like a juke box. 2) You are into classic rock, and thats cool OR you are into art/progressive rock and thats even cooler. 3) You occasionally get the weird eye as saying you like Pet Sop Boys/George Michael.If they focus on Freddie there is some tention. "He was great, but he was gay, but he had a great voice, but he was a fag...etc" |
| philip storey 28.01.2015 05:55 |
I have been a Queen fan since being 11 years old,i never worried what anyone thought about that.Sure some people called Freddie names about sexuality,i learnt at an early age not to judge people on their sex taste.As far as i can remember Queen were played as much as anyone else on radio 1 in the 70s, dont know bout the 80s as i did not listen to radio 1 then.Kenny Everret played Bo Rhap to death on its release.As far as the music press they did give Freddie a hard time and so he stopped doing interviews with them. |
| andyb1968 28.01.2015 09:53 |
Queen have never been a guilty pleasure for me, always been proud to be a fan, and at the moment Queen's stock is as high as it has been for years ! The fan club is in undated with new memberships ! Its all good :-) |
| andyb1968 28.01.2015 09:53 |
Queen have never been a guilty pleasure for me, always been proud to be a fan, and at the moment Queen's stock is as high as it has been for years ! The fan club is in undated with new memberships ! Its all good :-) |
| gerry 28.01.2015 10:39 |
Mercuryman12: Queen are the greatest group ever! Beatles and Zep do not stand a chance where Freddie is. |
| Mercuryman12 28.01.2015 10:43 |
gerry wrote: Mercuryman12: Queen are the greatest group ever! Beatles and Zep do not stand a chance where Freddie is.Are you insane? Without the Beatles Queen wouldn't exist. BTW SHEFFILED 1974 AVAILABLE IN THE ANNOUNCE SECTION! GO DOWNLOAD AND ENJOY NOW! |
| Stelios 28.01.2015 11:27 |
^^^ Honey, Freddie would have existed even if England never been disovered. He was GIFTED as fuck ! |
| fras444 28.01.2015 12:05 |
gooddrills wrot Fras444 where abouts in NZ are you?] Gidday gooddrills wrot. I'm currently living in taupo but originally from rotorua. How about you mate |
| malicedoom 28.01.2015 12:11 |
Stelios wrote: ^^^ Honey, Freddie would have existed even if England never been disovered. He was GIFTED as fuck ! Post of the WEEK. I love this. |
| gerry 29.01.2015 03:03 |
MERCURYMAN12: Yes i know without the Beatles many artists would not be around today, but Queen are more talented and gifted than the Beatles ever where, for they were known to be the most intelligent rock group ever, with all there professional qualifications, and they have achieved so much more than the Beatles. Queen were innovators of the highest degree. Freddie mainly got Queen into the publics conscience with his flamboyant performances and as you will be aware he designed the Queen crest. He knew what he wanted and how to get it, If he never came on the scene i think Brian & Roger would have gave up as "Smile" was going no where. |