Or is this just fantasy? It almost feels like it. When something–anything–new happens involving someone like Freddie Mercury, there's no way to not feel at least a little excited.
Mercury is a man with gravitas, someone who will always be revered as one of the greats of rock and roll.
Talk of the Queen icon has been even more energised in the lead up to the release of Bohemian Rhapsody, the Freddie Mercury biopic set to premiere Friday. Mr. Robot star Rami Malek takes on the challenging role of Freddie in the film, and from what sneak previews we’ve seen, absolutely nails it.
Remaining Queen members Brian May and Roger Taylor collaborated on the film as well, ensuring that it captures the truth and spirit of what Queen was, and is.
The film explores the life of Freddie Mercury from childhood up until the moments before he steps on stage to deliver perhaps one of the most iconic rock performances of all time, the 1986 concert at Wembley Stadium. Fans all know what happens after that: a yellow jacket, a wifebeater, and live recorded album that still serves as the soundtrack of road trips and workdays to this day.
Before Freddie Mercury was Freddie Mercury, he was Farrokh Bulsara, a Tanzania-born baggage handler at Heathrow airport. It was clear, though, that he had remarkable vocal talent from an early age. A natural baritone, Mercury delivered a majority of his songs in the tenor range, playing piano by ear and experimenting with rhythm and melody in a way no one before had done.
In 1970, Mercury, May, and Taylor teamed up to become the founding members of Queen and went on to produce 14 studio albums and one soundtrack together. The final album, Made in Heaven, wasn’t released until four years after Mercury’s 1991 death, but his iconic voice is still featured throughout.
To this day, the band still tours. If you were lucky enough to catch them at Marlay Park in July, you would have seen that they haven’t lost their crowd-rousing presence and musical prowess. And although their current frontman Adam Lambert might be the only one alive who can come close, there just isn’t any way to replace Freddie. His charisma, flamboyance, and otherworldly talent are once in a generation, or maybe two or three.
The man himself once said: “When I’m dead, I want to be remembered as a musician of some worth and substance.” Without question, that wish has become deservedly true.
You don’t need to wait for the film release, the soundtrack is available from October 19th!
Don’t miss Bohemian Rhapsody in cinemas beginning the 24th of October.
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