| Day dop 24.08.2016 11:12 |
I read on a forum that "Mercury's legacy soared in the USA thanks to AIDS-related sympathetic media coverage". Apparently this coverage lasted a couple of months. And it's been said that "Had Mercury died of some less "politically correct" cause, he wouldn't have received that posthumous adulation that permanently boosted his legacy" Obviously this two month "sympathetic media coverage" can't be confused with initial news reports of Freddie's death. I'm not aware of a couple of months worth of AIDS-related sympathetic media coverage that happened in the U.S. I've never seen footage of anything like that. Nor articles from the U.S press. Hence I figured I'd ask you guys. |
| malicedoom 24.08.2016 12:16 |
No, this is 110% UNTRUE. When Freddie died, there was little coverage. About as much coverage as there was for Eric Carr from KISS (he died on the same day). To me, that was beyond ridiculous at the time (but hey, R.I.P. Eric Carr, of course - you're just not Freddie Friggin' Mercury - I mean come on). Now when Wayne's World came out came out a few months later and Bohemian Rhapsody was re-released? BOOM. Queen was back in the USA. And then came Classic Queen (think Greatest Hits II - North American version) and Greatest Hits (a hybrid-mix/collection of their best stuff) - and people in The States knew who they were again. |
| matt z 24.08.2016 18:14 |
^Sounds about right. Things were pretty hush hush. And IF you heard about him, it was usually as some fag joke, AIDS joke. (Rock n Roll metal head crowd). It wasn't sympathetic, more like Wow! But for some people I know now who grew up with QUEEN in the 1970's it made them sad/sick. Many people still believed his persona was a "put on" for audiences of the glam era. Some said they didn't even think he was gay. But with the double bill of Wayne's World and THE MIGHTY DUCKS (BoRhap/WATC), U.S. audiences got ENGORGED on Queen for at least the full year. I remember seeing POSTERS coming back into circulation. As a kid I just thought how big it all was. It was a blip until those films and the promotional blitz from HOLLYWOOD. Then AXL did his thing and people got more sympathetic. As with any terrifying disease, It had it's space in youth culture (*probably in hindsight to demonize it and attempt to prevent children from succumbing to it somehow however - ANYHOW) It was the time when people thought you might catch AIDS from handshakes, kisses (*remotely possible to get HIV) and sharing drinks. I don't think anybody was treated sympathetically except Rock Hudson You never saw any sympathy for George Michael when HE died at the 2012 OLYMPICS |
| Costa86 25.08.2016 05:41 |
The perception of the general public of AIDS in America was a bit different than it was in Europe. As Matt touched upon, until Rock Hudson died, although HIV/AIDS was very much in the news, many people still didn't see it as a big issue. They thought it was just something the homos got. When Rock died, it changed things a bit in the public's perception. Yes, Rock was gay, but many people didn't know this, and in their mind he remained the all American male. So when he said he had AIDS, shortly before dying, this caused folks to realise that this was a real disease which anyone could get. But opinion was still very much divided on how to react towards HIV+ people and AIDS victims. You had conservative fundamentalists like Jerry Falwell proclaiming that AIDS was God's punishment to homosexuals, and things of that nature. In the 80s, many of the less enlightened members of American society basically saw anyone who was HIV+ as being someone who must be isolated like a leper. Just look at what they did to Ryan White, who was made to stop attending school. Or the Ray brothers, who had to leave their home. These were all hemophiliac children who got infected through blood transfusions. But still, a vocal portion of the public was not sympathetic. In other words, there was a huge fear of HIV/AIDS, and very little understanding of it. By the time Freddie died, things had improved, but there were still a lot of misunderstandings and misconceptions. Public opinion had still not settled on the AIDS issue, and the fact that Ronald Reagan and George Bush Snr. almost ignored the problem completely, at least publicly, did not help things. Reagan was the worst. Which is why I don't think dying of AIDS would necessarily have had an immediate positive impact on Freddie's popularity in the US. |
| master marathon runner 25.08.2016 07:45 |
.........and not one mention of Paul Michael - Glaser, probably the saddest of all Aids stories. |
| matt z 25.08.2016 10:49 |
^ Although his story is about his wife and child) Yeah. I neglected to address the original poster's notion. Just gave a general idea about it. But truthfully, I don't remember sympathetic coverage. I'd have to consult old issues of magazines and rock news papers. Freddie's stature as a celebrity wasn't what it was/still is in the U.K.. I don't have any of those magazines except possibly the ROLLING STONE mag with Michael on the cover, and the blip "Freddie Mercury 1946-1991" (although the issue is for JANUARY 1992) even considering the release date of that issue - it'd tell you a lot about coverage. There probably wasn't even a RS journalist that was readily familiar with QUEEN as they were no longer very popular to the masses. Same thing happened with Scott Weiland.. His average rock band the Wildabouts wasn't considered media worthy until he was dead. (*the last "interview" with him is shameful - sending some moron to interview him with questions fit for her teenage moronic yuppie mentality "what would you do in the event of a zombie apocalypse? ) Same with Prince. He was interviewed (very CREDIBLY this time) but the story was squashed until his death many many months later. The media picks up on these things to sensationalize them, But apart from the newspaper obituaries there wasn't much press coverage that I remember excepting of course the QUEEN special that AXL hosted on MTV (prior* to Freddie's passing) and then again the mtv stuff and tribute done AFTER his passing |
| luthorn 25.08.2016 11:44 |
I moved to the USA in the mid-1990s. Queen only existed on Classic Rock radio: Fat Bottomed Girls, Bohemian Rhapsody, We Will Rock You, We Are The Champions, Crazy Little Thing Called Love and ending with Under Pressure. Nothing past Under Pressue from the 1980s Queen catalog. Queen was not popular in the 1990s, aside from Wayne World stint. Nobody cared for Freddie and he was not really discussed much. John Lennon would get more press than Freddie. Musical tastes in the USA were as follows: the era of grunge rock from the 1990 to 1995/6, followed by hip hop rap taking center stage: DR. Dre, Jay Z; but also boys bands like N'Sync and female performers: Britney Spears, Christina Aquilera, J-Lo. the 1980s music was not cared for, maybe because it sucked so much and the market called for new, sexy stars, not some dead or aging ones. |
| Day dop 25.08.2016 16:59 |
matt z wrote:I don't have any of those magazines except possibly the ROLLING STONE mag with Michael on the cover, and the blip "Freddie Mercury 1946-1991" (although the issue is for JANUARY 1992)Here's the example you're speaking of: link That's it? That really is quite pathetic of them. Sure, Queen were off the radar for most in the U.S for a long time, but still, Queen were huge in the late 70s - 1980. And that's all he got? Arses. |
| malicedoom 26.08.2016 10:47 |
Rolling Stone BLOWS. Truly. |
| mike hunt 27.08.2016 09:15 |
I remember a little coverage of his death In the paper and the News, and some tributes on the radio, but nothing like the coverage that Jackson, prince and Bowie got. Queen got real popular after Waynes World a year later, and The freddie tribute concert In 92. George Michael and sombody to love, the Ice Ice Bass stolen bass line contributed to Queens new found popularity. I remember Queen posters, shirts, they were all over the radio. Champions almost made the top 40 again. These days they're popular in the states because of shows like American Idol and the voice. Maybe adam lambert young fans have helped greatest hit to crack the top 100 sales, the the simple fact that their music has aged well. |
| mike hunt 27.08.2016 09:16 |
mike hunt wrote: I remember a little coverage of his death In the paper and the News, and some tributes on the radio, but nothing like the coverage that Jackson, prince and Bowie got. Queen got real popular after Waynes World a year later, and The freddie tribute concert In 92. George Michael and sombody to love, the Ice Ice Bass stolen bass line contributed to Queens new found popularity. I remember Queen posters, shirts, they were all over the radio. Champions almost made the top 40 again. These days they're popular in the states because of shows like American Idol and the voice. Maybe adam lambert young fans have helped greatest hit to crack the top 100 charts, the the simple fact that their music has aged well. |
| PrimeJiveUSA 13.01.2017 12:43 |
Yes...like a previous poster stated...Freddie's death was treated as a "noteworthy" death along the lines of *any* previously popular artist. He died the same day as Eric Carr and barely got more coverage than Carr did. It's pathetic that Queen's stature had fallen so low in America. I think Freddie/Queen have gradually gained in staure here where they are looked upon as an iconic group. For that...I am thankful. I'm sorry Freddie isn't alive to see it. I hope he knew there were still quite a few fans left here in the States all the way up to his death. The Miracle and Innuendo both went Gold so there were at least 500,000 active fans here. Yeah...Wayne's World seemed to change everything. |
| The Real Wizard 13.01.2017 14:02 |
Same thing in Canada. When I was a teenager in the 90s it was so unbelievably uncool to like Queen, and many of the older bands - but particularly Queen because there was still a lot of homophobia. Many kids my age then called them "Queer" and simply wrote them off on those grounds alone. The combination of social progress and the internet making everything so easily available now means the kids know so much than we did while growing up. |
| Fireplace 13.01.2017 16:51 |
Queen were on the decline in the US because cousin Billy-Bob doesn't like gay people/foreigners/;ányone not named ....-Bob or Adolf. The gay thing is always mentioned as the main reason, but I shudder to think how many sales a lyric like Put Out The Fire may have cost them in good ole gun-totin' Murica. Probably cost them a lot of money, but no big loss on a human level. |
| The Real Wizard 14.01.2017 01:04 |
Fireplace wrote: I shudder to think how many sales a lyric like Put Out The Fire may have cost them in good ole gun-totin' Murica.That's a pretty generous assumption. I'd venture to say most people didn't even bother listening to side B of Hot Space after what they heard for the first 20 minutes ! |
| *goodco* 14.01.2017 05:46 |
The lyrics for 'Saturday Night Special' didn't hurt Lynyrd Skynyrd. I'd say it was more the lyrics for 'Body Language', and 'Back Chat', and............. moving on...'Wayne's World', the HR releases of 'Greatest Hits' and 'Classic Queen', and much more airplay of many of their hits was a reminder for many, and an exposure to a 'new' generation. The 'Tribute' concert that April was an eye opener to many for numerous reasons. One could write a long dissertation of the event, and how it started to help transform the beliefs of many in regard to different 'life styles'. And if there wasn't total understanding, small cracks in the 'hatred' began. And then the sympathy that someone with such a voice and flair for life succumbed to such a frickin' disease. |
| Fireplace 14.01.2017 06:03 |
The Real Wizard wrote:LOL, I stand corrected!Fireplace wrote: I shudder to think how many sales a lyric like Put Out The Fire may have cost them in good ole gun-totin' Murica.That's a pretty generous assumption. I'd venture to say most people didn't even bother listening to side B of Hot Space after what they heard for the first 20 minutes ! |
| darcy-wright 16.01.2017 02:01 |
i remember being all of 12 and noting much in New zealand, but the fallout 2-3 years later grew when i wore a queen t shirt and walked into town and 3 girls slightly older laughed at me for wearing a "fag" t shirt, then did a book report on brian may and of course got made fun of cos brians the other homo freddie was gay with.. course pre internet so people were just ignit. about 95 after made in heaven things and attitdudes changed and a real appreciation started for freddie and his voice. |
| matt z 17.01.2017 12:10 |
oh good God, I took a crack at George Michael 4 months before he passed. I feel like a turd now. it was all in jest. I'm a fan of his music. yyeeaaargh. I'll just shut up from now on. |