Freddie Mercury

Today would have been the 67th birthday of Freddie Mercury.

Freddie was one of the first rock performers to really catch my attention, and Queen's 1979 single "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" was the first record I ever purchased.  Even before then, it was difficult to ignore his charisma and presence when he appeared on television. I was fortunate enough to see the band's performance in Leeds in 1982, when Freddie and the boys were in their absolute pomp as a concert act.

He had a relatively short, but remarkable life.  If anything, the legend continues to grow, although the mystique and aura were already there prior to 24 November 1991.

There was nothing "manufactured" about Freddie.  His artistic and stage persona grew from a number of disparate sources and influences, maybe also conditioned and affected by his upbringing and background. He was also largely "self-taught", and these factors ensured that he offered something genuinely original and compelling. I think he was once quoted as saying that his main influences were Liza Minelli and Jimi Hendrix....

Another of the captivating things about him was the contrast between the grandiose and extrovert performer who could have 80,000 people in the palm of his hand, and the more private, reticent offstage figure.  He subscribed to few of the established conventions of rock stardom, preferring to do things his own way.  Like the other members of Queen in the 70s and 80s, Freddie refrained from joining the self-styled "rock aristocracy", and I always felt that in those days they were outsiders.

Although undoubtedly oozing star quality and power, the celebration of these qualities should not be allowed to obscure Freddie's versatility and range as a vocalist. From delicate ballads to high-tempo rockers, to more pop-orientated material, he could handle it all.  I think that his voice was at its most flexible and potent in the early 1980s.  Just watch any clips from the concerts of that period, such as those in Montreal and Milton Keynes.

An indication of Freddie's vocal prowess can be seen in many of the attempts by people to cover Queen songs, or of the choice of material for Queen-related projects in the post-Freddie era.

The wider public has only grown to fully appreciate Freddie Mercury's uniqueness in the past two decades, but it is touching to see how much he is still loved and remembered. He is sadly missed...