Random flailing and screaming

My friend Toni is awesome. He's my writing coach, friend, and fellow Queen fan. We bonded during one of my first writing workshops when I moved to Boston. I'd had a bad haircut and was wearing my fitted Queen hat (no longer in my possession. Sigh), and many of our conversations have revolved around Queen and Freddie ever since!

He went to see Queen at their Portland, Maine show on August 27, 1980. At the end of the concert, Freddie tossed some roses. Toni snatched one up and kept it in storage ever since. He recently got it back and decided to give it to me tonight. The color has since faded and it no longer smells like beer. But that's not the point. The point is...

I OWN SOMETHING FREDDIE MERCURY TOUCHED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

According to A Concert Documentary by Greg Brooks (second edition), Queen's setlist was as follows:

Jailhouse Rock / We Will Rock You (fast) / Let Me Entertain You / Play The Game / Medley: Mustapha; Death On Two Legs; Killer Queen; I'm In Love With My Car; Get Down, Make Love; You're My Best Friend / Save Me / Another One Bites The Dust / Now I'm Here / Dragon Attack / Now I'm Here (reprise) / Fat Bottomed Girls / Love Of My Life / Keep Yourself Alive / Brighton Rock / Crazy Little Thing Called Love / Bohemian Rhapsody / Tie Your Mother Down / Encore: Sheer Heart Attack / Second encore: We Will Rock You (slow) / We Are The Champions / God Save The Queen

Gunpowder Gelatine and Bikini Whale

I went to Johnny D's in Davis Square to see the ever-awesome Gunpowder Gelatine on April 6th. The opening band was a B-52s cover called Bikini Whale. I'm not, by any stretch, a B-52s fan due to a retail-related, emotionally-scarring incident, but they were pretty excellent.

(Note, this is a different performance.)

Before that, though, I got to see the band walk in, give hugs, etc. and geek out with Allison and a friend (employer?) of hers. We discussed other tribute bands, Queen's Boston show in 1982, the Freddie Mercury biopic, etc. Usually they're really busy setting up so I can't say more than a few words to them, so it was really nice to have an entire conversation with at least one of them :-) Also, a REALLY hot (seriously, damn!) bartender didn't charge me for my soda (I'm not a big drinker)! I originally wanted to take pictures, and I brought my camera, but for some reason I always take embarrassingly bad pictures of their performances. But thankfully, Amanda Johnston, Allison's spouse, takes fantastic ones and gave me permission to use them :-) (thank you!)

When the show was posted on Facebook in March, I asked the band if I could put in a request for Spread Your Wings. The concert date was April 6, but April 5th is a significant anniversary for me. I figured they would play it and that would be the end of it, but they really went all out making me feel really appreciated and special. And John Doherty filmed the glorious moment (as well as many other songs)!!!

Yep, that's my shoulder and head :-)

Amanda tried her best to get this shot with her iPhone. I love it even if it is misleading about my body shape :-)

Yours truly with the shoulder bag :-)

So yeah! I had an excellent time even if I had to miss out on the company of my friend Katie. Next time!

Any toying of my emotions will not be tolerated

DO NOT, Queen Productions, Ltd., DO NOT FUCK WITH ME ON THIS! YOU FUCKING OWE US AFTER THAT BULLSHIT WITH THE HUNGARIAN RHAPSODY COVER ART, AND THE LACK OF GREATEST VIDEO HITS 3 AND ROCKS VOL. 2! GET IT TOGETHER, FUCKERS!

Video submission for The Kissing Me Song

Dr Bri and Kerry Ellis wrote a cute song, so Emma and I submitted something for the upcoming video.

She and I have admittedly had much better cuddle sessions, but she was an excellent sport. This would probably be the moment for me to claim that I was playing it up for the camera, but I really do love my cat. Even when she wakes me up at 3am because she's convinced I will not refill her empty food bowl before she starves to death.

Misc awesome

I get fan mail once in a blue moon. It's always wonderful, but I definitely needed it this week!

You are consistently and thoroughly one of the best blogs on here. Just wanted to voice my appreciation. May the clogs and frilly shirts be with you always.

Thank you, dungeonpeaches, for the kind words :-)

How I felt after I read it. Freddie laughing, his hand on his chest

Also, a friend and I were wandering Davis Square in search of coffee (coffee itself isn't hard to find there, but seating is a different matter altogether), and we decided to check Diesel first. Not surprisingly, there were no seats available on that Friday afternoon, but I noticed something that made me yell, "OMG!!" and scare the shit out of my friend (sorry, Bailey!)...

Painting of Freddie circa 1981 on a painted, brick background

I don't know who made it, but I do know that I wouldn't be able to afford it. And that sucks, because I have plenty of wall space to hang that... if a Diesel employee should be reading this... No? Okay, then!

Speaking of Davis Square, Gunpowder Gelatine are performing at Johnny D's on April 6th! And! Because April 5th is a significant date in my life, I asked if they could perform Spread Your Wings. They said yes! That thing pressing you closer and closer to your screen is my ego continuing to inflate.

And We Will Rock You is going to tour North America! I'm tempted to grab all of my Queen fan friends and watch the shit out of it when it comes to Boston (it fucking well better. I'm still not over Queen Extravaganza not coming back)!

Groucho knows what's up

ATTN: QUEEN, C/O PETER BROWN

I UNDERSTAND YOU HAVE A NEW ALBUM COMING OUT CALLED "A DAY AT THE RACES." THAT, AS YOU UNDOUBTEDLY KNOW, HAPPENS TO BE THE NAME OF ONE OF THE MARX BROTHERS' MORE SUCCESSFUL FILM OUTINGS. THOUGH MY STEREO LISTENING THESE DAYS IS PRETTY MUCH RESTRICTED TO HEARING AIDS IN BOTH EARS, [I] RECALL A NUMBER OF YOUNG PEOPLE WHO LOOK AFTER MY HOUSE PLAYING YOUR LAST ALBUM - WHICH I BEL[I]EVE WAS TITLED "A NIGHT AT THE OPERA." THAT, TOO, WAS THE NAME OF A MARX BROTHERS MOVIE.

THOUGH I HAVE LONG SINCE PLACED BILLBOARD, CASHBOX AND RECORD WORLD WELL BELOW YOUTH'S COMPANION ON MY LIST OF READING MATTER, KNOW THAT YOU ARE SUCCESSFUL RECORDING ARTISTS. COULD IT, BY[ ]ANY CHANCE, BE YOUR SAGE CHOICE IN ALBUM TITLES. IF SO, YOU[']RE IN FOR MANY PRODUCT[I]VE YEARS BECAUSE THE MARX BROTHERS MADE 13 TURKEYS ALL TOGETHER, AND I MADE FIVE ALONE, AND THEN, OF COURSE, THERE WAS MY QUIZ SHOW "YOU BET YOUR LIFE." AND MY SEVEN BOOKS, AND BOY, COULD THIS GO ON FOREVER.

SO, KEEPING THIS IN MIND, I WISH YOU MUCH SUCCESS WITH YOUR LATEST RECORDING "A DAY AT THE RACES." AND [I]'M CERTAIN IT WILL BE ANOTHER BIG SMASH.

HOPE THIS FINDS YOU,

DR. HUGH Z. HACKENBUSH
(OR AS I AM SOMETIMES KNOWN, GROUCHO MARX)

(source: 40 Years Of Queen, pg. 29)

97/100 followers!

Only got 97 Tumblr followers - which is huge, since I had only 88 at the beginning of February! But don't worry, I'll be sending The Mercury Phoenix Trust $5! Thank you all so much!