Heroes Never Really Die Do They?
I am not sure how I came onto this, this evening but I am glad I did as it inevitably involves some You Tube time. I was 15 in 1991 and about to begin my two years of GCSE courses. It was November and like I said I had just started the GCSE's the september gone (for my wife's information, she'd have been in her 2nd year at University! and did she ever think, in 1991 that in Brixham, Devon, her future husband was doing GCSE's not knowing her or his own future? I love thinking of these things), she probably didn't know that he was about to mourn the loss of a hero. I didn't have many heroes then, but Freddie Mercury was one. Queen where one of the biggest bands in the world and had been for the past decade. There time was probably coming to an end as 1991 saw the release, on the 19th of November, U2's follow up and transformational album, Achtung Baby, confirming them as the new kings of rock and roll. 4 days later Freddie Mercury confirmed the rumours that he was suffering from HIV/AIDS. The following day, he died and one of the artists consistently voted best male singer of his generation and of rock and roll disappeared from this earth, his legacy was that voice and the music and songs of Queen.
2011 is the 20th Anniversary of his passing. I still remember the TV newsflash, when they interrupted Television programmes, not like now with 24 hr rolling news. So much of our culture has altered irrecoverably in 20yrs, some of it for better, such as our perception of HIV/AIDS for one, but some aspects decidedly changed for the worst. So I remember the Newsflash and I remember which bedroom in our house I watched Queen perform their songs with guest artists. I seem to remember also the sense of frustration that a 'hero' had been taken from me and that he could not be cured, could not be saved and the sense of who would replace him? Being young enough to know no better and naive enough to think heroes could be replaced, they cannot. I remember watching that concert and I remember crying when Seal, who'd found fame with adamski in 1990 and 'killer', and who had then released in 1991 his first self-titled Album, which proved massively successfully that year, sang 'who wants to live for ever', my favourite Queen song, from arguably one of my favorite films, Highlander. For which I struggle not to cry at when it's played in that (Just so my wife knows I am capable of this emotion, bizarrely mainly over music, music in film scenes, or Harry Hill's TV burp!). I cried because I didn't understand why the talented one was taken, when God could have taken 'Bros' instead.
But 20yrs is a long time and I have done things, been places physically good and bad, places mentally good and bad, achieved many things probably failed at more, but here I am. 20yrs on and what hasn't changed is that Mercury will still be a Hero, because Heroes don't die. This is an important point. It is true, Heroes may be taken from the world but what they have left behind cannot be taken. Mercury's music and his voice have not faded over the last 20yrs. When I listen now, It still sounds as strong and as powerful as it did before and for that moment, through his recorded music, Freddie mercury is alive again.
This is the same for my literary hero, David Gemmell, an author whose works I grew up with from my formative years and the one man, who in my life had always been there and his books and his characters to a certain extent authored parts of my character. I learnt to how to live through them, he acted like a surrogate father through his vision of how heroes and men should live and by what standards they should interact with the world, my real father had never really helped with this. When my parents divorced, all the pain I was suffering from was absorbed by David Gemmell and his books . I escaped into his worlds and found solace in the values of his characters and his writing; Honesty, Integrity, strength, care for those weaker, no battle is ever lost until the last. In his books, good was never simple, Good people could often battle with internal darkness, but ultimately good always triumphed. As it should.
But back to Freddie, before my Herodotean digression loses my focus. I love music, it's a fundamental part of my life and also a fundamental part of me really and has been since my early teens. I cannot imagine anything bleaker than a world without music. There always, like David Gemmell said, needs to be a great song in the world. So, here is a few in memory of the first Hero to go, 20yrs ago this year. I hope that one day my son and daughter will appreciate your voice as I do.
Please not that this is a live recording and how his voice is even more remarkable due to the quality he could reach live. There where very few artists who could or can replicate their studio voices live. He was one. Which was the real star quality.
Ah, but he could sing, couldn't he?
2011 is the 20th Anniversary of his passing. I still remember the TV newsflash, when they interrupted Television programmes, not like now with 24 hr rolling news. So much of our culture has altered irrecoverably in 20yrs, some of it for better, such as our perception of HIV/AIDS for one, but some aspects decidedly changed for the worst. So I remember the Newsflash and I remember which bedroom in our house I watched Queen perform their songs with guest artists. I seem to remember also the sense of frustration that a 'hero' had been taken from me and that he could not be cured, could not be saved and the sense of who would replace him? Being young enough to know no better and naive enough to think heroes could be replaced, they cannot. I remember watching that concert and I remember crying when Seal, who'd found fame with adamski in 1990 and 'killer', and who had then released in 1991 his first self-titled Album, which proved massively successfully that year, sang 'who wants to live for ever', my favourite Queen song, from arguably one of my favorite films, Highlander. For which I struggle not to cry at when it's played in that (Just so my wife knows I am capable of this emotion, bizarrely mainly over music, music in film scenes, or Harry Hill's TV burp!). I cried because I didn't understand why the talented one was taken, when God could have taken 'Bros' instead.
But 20yrs is a long time and I have done things, been places physically good and bad, places mentally good and bad, achieved many things probably failed at more, but here I am. 20yrs on and what hasn't changed is that Mercury will still be a Hero, because Heroes don't die. This is an important point. It is true, Heroes may be taken from the world but what they have left behind cannot be taken. Mercury's music and his voice have not faded over the last 20yrs. When I listen now, It still sounds as strong and as powerful as it did before and for that moment, through his recorded music, Freddie mercury is alive again.
This is the same for my literary hero, David Gemmell, an author whose works I grew up with from my formative years and the one man, who in my life had always been there and his books and his characters to a certain extent authored parts of my character. I learnt to how to live through them, he acted like a surrogate father through his vision of how heroes and men should live and by what standards they should interact with the world, my real father had never really helped with this. When my parents divorced, all the pain I was suffering from was absorbed by David Gemmell and his books . I escaped into his worlds and found solace in the values of his characters and his writing; Honesty, Integrity, strength, care for those weaker, no battle is ever lost until the last. In his books, good was never simple, Good people could often battle with internal darkness, but ultimately good always triumphed. As it should.
But back to Freddie, before my Herodotean digression loses my focus. I love music, it's a fundamental part of my life and also a fundamental part of me really and has been since my early teens. I cannot imagine anything bleaker than a world without music. There always, like David Gemmell said, needs to be a great song in the world. So, here is a few in memory of the first Hero to go, 20yrs ago this year. I hope that one day my son and daughter will appreciate your voice as I do.
Please not that this is a live recording and how his voice is even more remarkable due to the quality he could reach live. There where very few artists who could or can replicate their studio voices live. He was one. Which was the real star quality.
Ah, but he could sing, couldn't he?
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