The historical figure I believe the Smithsonian should include for their exhibit is none other than, in my opinion, the greatest singer of all time, Freddie Mercury. Freddie Mercury was the lead singer for the Classic Rock band, “Queen,’ which also happens to be my all-time favorite rock band. His insanely-ridiculous four range octave was phenomenal and as a kid, I remember sitting in the back of my parents’ car with my brother and sister, trying to match tones and notes as we sang along to “Bohemian Rhapsody.’ His voice is still recognizable today, 23 years after his death. Any sports game you go to will play “We will rock you’ and “We are the Champions’ as one of the crowd’s hype anthems. “Another One Bites the Dust’ has that distinct beat paired with his vocals and just makes anyone want to rock up and down. And who could forget the ever popular “Highlander’ movie soundtracks, which would carry on to the TV Series. “Flash Gordon’ movie soundtrack, recently reintroduced to the mass media 31 years after its original debut in 2011, could be heard on the 2012 movie blockbuster, TED. His voice and song lyrics had such an impact in the past four decades, the original Queen band members have only recently found a singer that could, for the majority, fill Freddie’s shoes. Though Adam Lambert has an amazing vocal range and has a vibrant stage presence, he is no Freddie Mercury. To see images of past videos and concerts, Freddie in black and white leotards and Liberace inspired costumes, he’s at the top the charts for flamboyance in the Rock and Roll Era. For the Smithsonian to miss out on a chance to include this great and extraordinary media music figure would be a shame, for he is one of the “Princes of the Universe,’ and I have “A Crazy Little Thing Called Love’ for him.
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Freddie Mercury was a national treasure. Such a shame we lost him to a disease that at the time, was looked down upon, and now it’s at least treatable. To think he could still be alive today if people were just more aware. I almost wish I could change my podcast to Mr. Mercury, because I agree with you 100%. I’m going to go fall asleep to some Queen now.
What impact would you say he had on the mass media? Did he change music somehow?
The impact he brought to the mass media was how versatile music could be, and he did that by giving his fans, and mass media a wide range of styles. That was one of the reasons why Queen was so popular, and still is. I will say that Queen’s soundtrack to “Highlander” had a huge impact on me, and probably on the rest of the fans. I listened to it nonstop, knew every single song by heart. I couldn’t think of watching the movie without hearing that guitar riff, it was the heart and soul of that movie. When the “Highlander: Endgame” movie came out (I think 3rd in the movie series) the soundtrack wasn’t part of it. I hated it, and I won’t watch it to this day because of it. You can’t think “Highlander” without thinking “Queen.” That soundtrack definitely had an impact on the TV and Movie medium because I know I wasn’t the only one disappointed by the absence of it.
The way he changed music was by including in his songs different beats, instruments, electronics, and vocal styles, which showed how changeable it could be, that the genre of Rock n Roll could be so much more than a guitar and drums. “Bohemian Rhapsody” had an operatic quality, while “Crazy Little Thing Called Love” had that swing beat, just two quick examples. There are only a few bands (The Rolling Stones, Aerosmith) from the 70s that are still alive in the music world, changing and giving fans something great to listen too. If he was still alive, Rock, and music in general, would be very different than what it is today.