LONG LIVE THE QUEEN!

[Dave Berry]

On 19 Mar 14:57, Dan Olivadoti wrote:
> I'm always amazed at the narrow minds that say dumb statements like "That
> SUCKS!"

But "That ROCKS" is OK?

> If something is not to your taste, you can say you don't like it

Then what are you complaining about?

> I've noticed that, especially in the case of Queen,
> there comes musical snobbery--"Oh, they sucked after Queen II".

It's a pity you didn't notice the humour.

> Bull!!!!!!! I can't stand that attitude-as soon as a band attains
> mainstream acceptance, they're automatic sellouts?

No-one here has accused them of "selling out", probably on the very good
grounds that they never claimed any counter-cultural status in the
first place.  As for my statement about Queen II, it is more-or-less
true: I don't like most of Queen's output after "Queen II".  You seem
to be flaming me for my musical taste, under the guise of criticising
people who flame others for their musical taste.

> I'm so sorry that your poor little Hawkwind never became a
> successful band,

They did, dear.

> but don't you dare tear apart a band out of jealousy

If I were jealous, I would quite willingly express that.  Meanwhile,
it would help if you didn't patronise one of the bands that this list
is about.

> - and that is exactly what I see here!

Sweetie, I like bands and musicians *far* more obscure that Hawkwind,
and *far* more talented than either HW or Queen.  I really enjoyed a
gig by Derek Bailey and Han Bennink last weekend.  Neither of them
are going to fill stadia anytime now, yet they're regarded as two
of the best musicians in the world.

I don't like corporate rock music.  I don't like the whole system in
which it operates.  I prefer small gigs, and avoid stadia like the
plague.  I only go to free festivals or fan-based festivals, not
mass-market profit-centred ones.  That doesn't mean that I automatically
dislike the music; I judge that on its own merits.  E.g. I don't like
most Queen, but I like most Pink Floyd.

> Now, as far as Rush, I
> don't care for them and never have, but I'll be damned if I say they
> suck and that there's no talent there! That's how grade and middle
> school kids describe what they don't like. I consider myself a music fan
> with a brain.

Did anyone actually say "Queen SUCKS"?  Why do think that the sentence
"They went downhill after Queen II" implies anything about their talent,
as opposed to a subjective appraisal of the use they made of it?

> ....And no performer EVER has given as much to his audience as Freddie
> Mercury did.

What has this got to do with the music?

> He was still making videos for the "Innuendo" album and
> cutting vocal tracks even though his AIDS was so far along that he could
> only have the strength to put in a few hours of vocals a week, and he
> was suffering from blindness and other severe ailments.

FWIW, I find attempts to use other people's illnesses to bolster
arguments of musical taste in rather poor taste.

> QUEEN ROCKS! Enough said!

Thank you for keeping an open mind.

Dave.
--

Harlequin Ltd., Lismore House, 127 George St, Edinburgh, EH2 4JN, UK.
Tel: +44 131 240 6106.