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Queening Out - Flicks That Rock

BBC News reveals information that I have known to be true for all my Geeky years: Queen is the greatest band of all time! Okay, so maybe they didn't flat out say it (and some may disagree with my opinion), but, the BBC did reveal that Queen has been on the UK album charts longer then any other act in the world. The Beatles? Nope. Elvis? Uh-uh. Madonna? Pwn3d! This tiny acorn of musical revelation has given life to a mighty Oak of Geeky commentary.

Movies that pulled me back to the purer faith whenever I strayed from rock royalty.

Flash Gordon – 1980
Sure, sure, we all laugh at the cheesy effects (wired Hawkmen), the less then stellar acting (although no one better talk smack about Max Von Sydow, we’ll have words), and the continuity issues (same spike takes out something like 10 Ming henchmen). Look, I know that by all filmmaking definitions, the movie is crap, but you know what? I love this movie. I love it truly and deeply and dream of the day that I amass enough clout to turn it into a musical! That’s right, I said musical! For you see, Flash Gordon was your friendly neighborhood Geek’s exposure to Queen. To this day, I can remember my friends laughing at the “Flash…Ahhhhhh” line and not knowing why. That was (and is) a great friggen song and fits perfectly in the pulpy fun that is Flash Gordon. Although it would take darn near 25 years, my love for this film and music would find vindication with my fellow Geeks. The true Geeks who unashamedly and honestly scream “Ahhhhh” whenever anyone at anytime utters the word “flash.”

Highlander. – 1986
Boy, the hits just keep coming don’t they? Having begun my voyage out of the darkness that was Petra, I was just starting to discover real metal and role-playing games. I swore off all music that didn’t have a screaming lead singer and ear shattering guitars. Then there was Highlander and the perfect Queen songs that accompanied it. (Written on the way home by Freddy Mercury and Brian May after having just seen a rough print of the film). Little did I know that the future angst ridden and drama freak Geek would turn to this soundtrack over and over again. Alone, when he didn’t think anyone was paying attention, he would sing these songs at the top of his voice cracking lungs. Who Wants To Live Forever is the perfect song for which to promise your undying love to that black haired beauty who can quote Anne Sexton by heart and smokes more cloves than you…

Wayne’s World – 1992
In the US Queen had lost a good amount of their hipness, at least they had to people my age, people that were trying to be popular in school. Queen was one of the many victims of the “80s rock purge”, the purge that insisted that popular people had to mock the “hair metal” crowd. (With the exception of We Will Rock You, that song had achieved immortal status by then, even if most kids didn’t know who performed it). Then came Wayne’s World and all that changed. The head banging in the Mirth Mobile brought Queen screaming into the new “hip” crowd. I found myself wanting to declare that I had always been into Queen, but true or not, I didn’t want to be one of those tools who claimed to own all the REM college recordings just to look deep. Regardless, it was nice to see my boys back in the limelight. As a teacher of my stated after she watched the film for the first time, “At least people will like Queen again”.

Shaun of the Dead – 2004
Fried gold baby, fried gold! The time of Aaron quietly being a fan of Queen had long since passed when this movie hit US shores. Their CDs (albums and tapes having long worn out) were in constant rotation in my stereo and MP3 players. If it was okay to slay the undead to the rocking beats of Queen, then dammit it was okay when I pranced about to Don't Stop Me Now. To sing (poorly and publicly) Under Pressure at bars. It was perfectly fine to proudly air guitar Hammer to Fall! Shaun of the Dead simply reinforced what I knew to be true on the warm summer night in 1980: Queen is the greatest band of all time and in a perfect world they would…they would...well…

I hate to wrap it up this way but…

But in a perfect world, Freddy Mercury would still be with us. I guess when the good Lord blesses you with such a perfectly angelic voice, he wants it back early…

I promise to keep it light next time as I explain WHY Queen is the greatest band of all time.