Freddie
Mercury. I’m sure it’s fair to say that almost everyone has heard his song Bohemian Rhapsody at least once. Whether
people love the song or hate it, most don’t know just how extraordinary and
groundbreaking the production of Bo Rhap
really was. In 1975, the most musically difficult song had a 24 track overdub. Bo Rhap blew this number out of the
water, requiring 180 separate overdubs in order to create the song’s operatic feel.
By the time it was finished, the tape was nearly transparent! If you haven’t
heard it, I’m ashamed of you, and you should pause to listen:
Now, back
to Freddie Mercury. He was born as Farrokh Bulsara on September 5, 1946 in
Zanzibar. He moved to London in the 1960s where he attended the Ealing College
of Art. Believe it or not, a few of his paintings are rare collector’s items.
He also created the design for Queen’s logo, incorporating the astrological
signs of the four members.
Fun fact: the shirt that Freddie wears in the Days of Our Lives music video was hand
painted by Freddie himself, using his cats as the models. Using this as an
example, it’s easy to see why people thought Freddie was a bit eccentric. His
stage costumes were often very androgynous and over-the-top (Queen is credited with
the beginnings of Glam Rock). One of his goals was to bring ballet to the
masses, something that is a theme throughout Queen’s early music videos. Yeah,
Freddie Mercury was pretty out there, even for the 1970s (which is really
saying something).
Despite his
flamboyant and friendly personality, Freddie was actually pretty shy and kept
to himself about his creative process. However, it is known that he kept a
keyboard next to his bed in case inspiration would strike while he was
sleeping. It seems like Freddie just kind of went for it and threw down
whatever came to mind. Then, of course, the other three band members would use
their own creative genius to form the ideas into songs.
And now,
the questions everyone has been waiting for since 1975: What inspired Bohemian Rhapsody? And what the heck is
it about? Freddie has been reported saying that even he doesn’t know. This begs
the question, is he telling the truth? If Freddie doesn’t have a creative
process, can he really be considered a creative genius? Absolutely. Here are
the four requirements of being creative, as told by Gardner (35-36):
1. Creative
in a domain.
a. That’s
an easy one. Freddie is very musically gifted, as well as the artistic talents
on the side.
2. Regularly
exhibit creativity.
a. Freddie
never stopped making music, even up until the day he died. One famous story is
that he was very sick from AIDS when he had to shoot the Who Wants to Live Forever music video. When asked if he was too
sick to perform, he supposedly downed a shot of whisky, said “I’ll f*****g do
it, darling!,” and completed the video in one take.
3. Devising
of new questions.
a. Especially
with their album A Night At the Opera,
Queen raised all kinds of questions about music. Most of their music was
non-traditional Rock and Roll. Not to mention that Freddie’s stage performances
were some of the most electric that people had seen at the time.
4. Accepted
in a particular culture.
a. People
were so divided over Queen’s music that it was laughable. Elton John personally
hated Bo Rhap, but the DJ who aired
it for the first time was in love with it. Want to see how amazingly widespread
Queen’s influence became? Watch this clip from their performance at Live Aid
where the entire audience knows the hand motions to Radio Gaga.
So, was Freddie Mercury a creative
genius? Me and every other die-hard Queen fan will argue that he absolutely was,
but looking at Gardner’s definitions, it seems like we have the evidence to
back it up. So if you’ve never heard of Queen, or only know Bo Rhap, go check out some of their
awesome music! In my opinion, I Want to
Break Free has the greatest music video (Queen smashing the patriarchy
while dressed in drag) and Somebody to
Love is the best song.
P.S. While Freddie is a creative genius, there is no doubt
that the other three members of Queen (John Deacon, Roger Taylor, and Brian
May) are also geniuses and crazy awesome as well.
http://goodlogo.com/extended.info/queen-logo-3009
(And my embarrassingly extensive Queen knowledge)
(And my embarrassingly extensive Queen knowledge)
First of all, I am a HUGE fan of Bohemian Rhapsody (Bo Rhap), and I love the idea of the post. You do a great job of getting the attention of your readers with your initial facts about the song. 180 overdubs?! That's insane! I also love that you argued against yourself in a way by asking, "If Freddie doesn’t have a creative process, can he really be considered a creative genius?" I've always heard the best way to make an argument is to blatantly state the counterargument. The way you back it up is thorough and fantastic. Really interesting choice in topic.
ReplyDeleteI think it's important to point out as well that many other artists have listed Queen as their primary source of inspiration. The biggest example? I think of this after watching the Oscars, Lady Gaga. The second part of her name (?) is a direct reference to the Queen song. After a little research apparently she was singing the song and someone called her the lady gaga. Just goes to show how this band's creativity provided a legacy that still continues today.
ReplyDeleteI love the part commenting on Freddie Mercury being subject to the whim and timing of his creativity. The fact that he kept a keyboard by his bedside was an acknowledgement that he does not control when inspiration will strike. This has been something we see in a lot of the creatives mentioned in class, particularly in the podcast of Elizabeth Gilbert as well. I find this partnership with creativity so interesting, and clearly it worked for Freddie Mercury as he is one of the most notable creatives of our time.
ReplyDelete