I keep saying I should get back into posting here regularly, and yet...
I stepped away from all of my Queen-specific social media accounts for a bit because I was getting overwhelmed and bummed out. There's a LOT of discourse over the Bohemian Rhapsody film - most of which has been going on for decades and has only just been brought back to the surface. But there's also been some "people only getting into Queen because of the movie aren't real fans" going on, and I have zero patience for stupid hipster shit. Queen's music is for everyone, regardless of how or when it may have shown up on their radar. ... So yeah, I needed a break.
But anyway! Lots of stuff has been going on with Queen! The guys are on tour again with Adam Lambert, and unfortunately I had to miss their show outside of Boston because I couldn't make the logistics work (Allison has reported - possibly due to noise restrictions at the Xfinity Center in Mansfield, MA that don't apply at TD Garden in Boston - that the show was great, but not "music pounding through your chest" great that one would expect at a Queen show. Still, I'm sad I had to miss it). Roger has some snazzy clothes at the Queen Online store, the Bohemian Rhapsody film continues to push Queen's music into the general consciousness again so that younger generations and people previously just not in the know are getting into it...
And then the single Time Waits For No One has been released, and my interest was piqued because, duh, Freddie! And it's Freddie's vocals stripped down, so you can REALLY hear him! I love the hell out of that kind of stuff! So I checked out the video on Youtube to take in that gloriousness, and...
It's just "meh" to me.
Don't get me wrong! I will always love Freddie's voice, and the track isn't bad! But I personally feel like the single doesn't live up to the promotional hype.
My lack of enthusiasm worried me because I sometimes get really concerned that I'm becoming jaded. Queen's music brings me joy, and I want to keep that fire stoked however I can because it's not really possible to cope with the horrible things that we allow to go on in the world without having things that allow us to decompress. It doesn't help that a significant amount of stuff in the Queen Online store disappoints me, and only seems to be churned out by the production company solely so they can make money, and not because it'll please fans (not counting the Bastard Queen Fans who insist that everyone must buy EVERYTHING without complaint because "TRUE fans wouldn't complain..." Fuck fandom police).
I don't know if some forces conspired in my favor, but I'm REALLY excited about the as-of-right-now pending release of Queen + Bejart Ballet For Life on DVD and blu-ray, a new book titled "The Treasures of Queen", and a reproduction poster of the tribute concert!
I also just ordered a Mercury Phoenix Trust pin, because I've wanted one for YEARS, and they didn't exist until now! It's such a small thing, but it makes me happy!
So I might not save up for everything that will ever get put out there, but that's okay. Maybe someday if I ever win the lottery and have an airplane hangar-sized room to house my collection, I'll be less practical and much more impulsive about my Queen purchases.
