FREDDIE MERCURY AND QUEEN: TECHNOLOGIES OF GENRE AND THE POETICS OF INNOVATION (Spine title: Freddie Mercury and Queen) (Thesis format: Monograph) by Barry C. Promane Graduate Program in Music A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy The School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies The University of Western Ontario London, Ontario, Canada © Barry C. 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While these forms may be included Bien que ces formulaires aient inclus dans in the document page count, their la pagination, il n'y aura aucun contenu removal does not represent any loss manquant. of content from the thesis. •+• Canada THE UNIVERSITY OF WESTERN ONTARIO School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies CERTIFICATE OF EXAMINATION Supervisor Examiners Dr. James Grier Dr. Thomas Carmichael Supervisor Committee Dr. John Covach Dr. Jay Hodgson Dr. John Cuciurean Dr. Susan O'Neill The thesis by Barry Christopher Promane entitled: Freddie Mercury and Queen: Technologies of Genre and the Poetics of Innovation is accepted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Date Chair of the Thesis Examination Board 11 ABSTRACT Formed in 1971, Queen, comprising vocalist/pianist Freddie Mercury (born Farrokh Bulsara [1946-1991]), bassist John Richard Deacon (19 August 1951-), guitarist Brian Harold May (19 July 1947-) and drummer Roger Meddows-Taylor (26 July 1949-), sought determinedly to present a diverse array of music in a consistently innovative manner throughout their twenty-year career. Although many examples of Queen's musical heterogeneity exist within their repertory, encompassing styles of glam and glitter rock, hard rock, heavy metal, progressive and psychedelic rock, country, ragtime, opera, gospel, vaudeville, celtic, flamenco, folk, funk and disco, this dissertation critically explores four case studies, probing questions of musical hybridism, genre paradigms and technological implications. By exploring the ways in which Queen employed recording technology as a creative force, mnemonic aid, compositional device and domain for sonic experimentation, I consider the musical ramifications of "Bohemian Rhapsody" (1975), Hot Space (1982), "Barcelona" (1988) and Made in Heaven (1995). To do so, divergent viewpoints held by musicologists, journalists, the band members and fans are considered comparatively. Primary sources add to the methodological balance, obtained through interviews with John Brough (producer and engineer), Peter Freestone (Freddie Mercury's personal assistant and housemate), Terry Giddings (Mercury's bodyguard and chauffeur), Peter Hince (Queen's longest serving crew member), Reinhold Mack (producer and owner of Music land Studios), Mike Moran (musical collaborator), David Richards (producer and owner of Mountain Studios), Jacky Smith (chair of Queen's international fan club) and one of Mercury's attending physicians, who wishes to remain anonymous. iii KEYWORDS Freddie Mercury, Brian May, John Deacon, Roger Taylor, Montserrat Caballe, Mike Moran, Reinhold Mack, Mountain Studios, Musicland Studios, Bohemian Rhapsody, Hot Space, Barcelona, Made in Heaven, recording practice, technology, genre, musical hybridism, AIDS. IV ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Many kind-hearted individuals have assisted me throughout the research and writing stages of this dissertation. First, my gratitude goes to all those people with whom I corresponded from Queen's enterprise, including John Brough, Terry Giddings, Peter Hince, David Richards and Jacky Smith. In addition, my sincere thanks goes to Peter Freestone, one of Freddie Mercury's closest friends, confidants and assistants, for speaking with me on countless occasions, from various parts of the globe, to answer my questions and read my drafts. Your vivid memories transported me into the remarkable depths of Freddie's life. I would also like to extend special recognition to Reinhold Mack and Mike Moran, two esteemed figures in their respective domains of the recording industry, for their deep interest and intense commitment to this doctoral thesis. Prior to the project's commencement, I never, for a moment, anticipated having the great fortune to forge meaningful friendships with the likes of these musical icons. Your remarkable professionalism and unwavering kindness is truly admirable. Within the academy, I would like to thank all those pedagogues who, over the course of my musical education, developed my ability to render ephemeral ideas into coherent prose. In fear of exclusion, I thank these significant scholars collectively although, I will say, you know who you are, and I shall continue to remember your profound contributions. To this end, I would like to extend personal thanks to Dr. Jay Hodgson at the University of Western Ontario for his continued moral support, insightful musicological assistance and generous time commitment. I am eternally grateful to my family for the endless degree of support that they continue to evince unflinchingly. To my brother Dave, the person with whom I performed since the age of twelve, through countless performances and late-night discussions, your fierce musical talent and knowledge provided me with many invaluable ideas. To my parents, Christina and Richard, two of my biggest supporters through the trials and tribulations of the PhD program, your sound advice, humour and strong beliefs in my abilities as a person and scholar always fuelled my desire to gain knowledge and excel to my fullest potential. I especially wish to offer my gratitude to my mentor, Dr. James Grier, for his unfailing guidance, continual patience and rare intellectual generosity. Since my arrival at the University of Western Ontario in 2005, he has continually encouraged me to follow my path, ensuring that I never lost sight of my goals, regardless of the obstacles with which I was confronted. His involvement has been truly extraordinary, and so it is to him I dedicate this dissertation. Lastly, and most importantly, I owe an enormous debt to my wife, Kate, who so thoughtfully presented me with Queen's Live at Wembley Stadium, an inspirational gift that unquestionably changed my life and outlook on music forever. Her compassionate love, untiring encouragement and invaluable insight provided me with the support that enabled me to finish this expansive undertaking. No words are adequate to convey my thankfulness. Barry Promane April 2009 VI BARRY PRDMANE Vll TABLE OF CONTENTS Certificate of Examination ii Abstract iii Keywords iv Acknowledgements v 1. Queen, Genre and Technology 1 Theories of Genre 6 Technologies of Genre, Genres of Technology 10 2. "Let Me Entertain You": Queen Primer 15 3. Any Way the Wind Blows: The Case of "Bohemian Rhapsody" 26 Antecedents and Inspirations 28 Musical, Structural and Technological Analysis 31 Gender, Intention and Narration 48 Anticipation and Skepticism 57 Music Video 59 Reincarnation and Contemporary Influence 65 Conclusion 74 4. Sounding Disco, Selling Rock and Performing Gender: Hot Space 11 Historical Context 79 Queen Under Pressure: Conflicts of Interest, Clashes of Genre 90 Staying Power: Capturing Hot Space 94 Freddie Mercury: Sounding Disco, Performing Gender 113 Appendix 4-1: Technological Devices Used to Create Hot Space 134 Appendix 4-2: The Hot Space Tour 136 5. Montserrat Caballe, Freddie Mercury and Mike Moran's Musical Encounter: "Barcelona" 138 "I Had This Perfect Dream": "Barcelona's" Inception 140 "Let the Music Play": Capturing "Barcelona" 147 Musical Analysis and the Ontology of Recorded Works 155 "I Want All the World to See": Live Performance and Authenticity 159 "A Miracle Sensation": Iconicity and Reception 166 "Make the Voices Sing": Vocal Style and Ideology 170 "Start the Celebrations": Textual Analysis and Embedded Meaning 173 "Friends Until the End": Conclusion 176 Appendix