Some scary shit

Geeks, the child psychologist idea is interesting. I think they think he understands them. He's the understanding adult figure who suggests by his very existence that adulthood will be OK. So of course, for this, they love him. (Transference?) When I was an adolescent, decades ago, I thought Freddie Mercury understood me too. His image had a bit of the Pied Piper about it. (?? Just a theory.)

What I don't understand is why young people continue to invest so much emotionally in the music of older generations. Why don't they have their own music to listen to? I liked my parents' Elvis albums, but I didn't fantasize about Elvis or paste his pictures on my notebooks. Most of the posters to this board appreciate the music for itself, but obviously the tribute board shows there are other motivations out there.

--Egret

? I'm kind of surprised by the way you're all talking about our more obsessive Queenie brothers and sisters. I always thought this kind of thinking was always present and tolerated within the community. I agree the more out there (in there?) posts are kinda funny, but I don't think they really think Freddie's up there, idly flicking through while he dries his hair and puts on his eyeliner. It's probably more of a diary thing. It helps to write about these things, especially to someone who's not going to judge.

As for egret's comments, younger people do have their own music, but there isn't much around today that can compete musically with Queen. People may disagree with that, but that's my considered opinion. In addition, the unavailability of them- i.e., the fact that no matter how much you want to, you're never going to see them live- enhances their seemingly supernatural giftedness. This sense of longing for the impossible gives displacement emotions that can help to block other, more unpleasant ones, like those of isolation and nervousness common to adolescence. To me, the feeling that I was part of the Queen fan community was something that helped me through problems at school.

In conclusion, obsessive Queen fans may seem unbalanced and naive, but I don't see what they're trying to do as that bad. And you do grow out of it eventually.

>>What I don't understand is why young people continue to invest so much emotionally in the music of older generations. Why don't they have their own music to listen to?

*raises eyebrows in surprise* I would have thought that would be fairly obvious, egret. What can you invest emotionally in the Black-Eyed Peas or Eminem? The thing is I think, that a LOT of bands now are either piss-takes or exist solely to make money. Most of them just haven't got the substance that older bands had, because the older bands were out to do something different, whereas now they're all either carbon copies of one another (like boy bands and those black rappers) or just too much inspired by older bands so that they try but just don't hit the spot (like the Darkness).

There's a lot of potential Barry Bulsaras roaming around the Freddie Tribute section.

Beware that none of them carry a gun or you might end up keeping company with Jill Dando.

But a lot of bands THEN were piss-takes and moneygrubbers too. There was never some historical moment when rock was "pure."

Black Eyed Peas are good. Rappers don't all sound the same anymore than all reggae bands sound the same or all Irish bands sound the same. It's a style. I think young musicians today are just as desirous of original creation as artists of any generation. I will grant you that perhaps media monopolies have created a more homogenized mass market product than in the past. But music lovers can seek indie music, surely, and ignore the marketed forcefeeding.

Queen content: I have often been struck, in "Let Me Entertain You," by the shoutout to the record label ("With Elektra, and EMI"), and how no one would say that now. It sounds very dated. Mariah Carey or April Lavigne is not going to sing about Sony or Time Warner or whatever media giant makes her albums. And of course for indie bands, corporations are the devil. Or was that shoutout always uncool, even when recorded?

--Egret

p.s. completely agree with other thread that Jazz is a great album; none of this meant as criticism of the song

[QUOTE][QUOTENAME]Flashman wrote: [/QUOTENAME]

There are millions of weirdos in the world and nearly all of them have internet access.[/QUOTE]

Too true.

I think Richard should do away with the Tribute section it tends to lead to trouble just have a place on the main page with FM's pic and a nice few words about him. That would be enough, IMHO.

Kriz ;o)

But then all of those people would go nuts, saying their communication with Freddie got cut off. I guess they'd have to find some other way to give him their virtual blowjobs, then...

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Oh, come on. The biggest thing on Michael Stipe's agenda is recycling. Didn't know that was so radical.

Whatever the case, GH, they could always go to that INNUENDOES site and do it. I'm sure the woman who runs that site wouldn't mind.

Come to think of it, I should monitor her behavior and speech. I'm supposed to learn how to play a crazy woman by August.

[QUOTE][QUOTENAME]geeksandgeeks wrote: [/QUOTENAME]Come to think of it, I should monitor her behavior and speech. I'm supposed to learn how to play a crazy woman by August.[/QUOTE]

And I'm sure you'll play the part just fine. :D

I'm not looking....