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My heart started pounding. I stopped breathing as I shouted "omg omg !!!"
The movie trailer for a new movie on Queen called Bohemian Rhapsody popped up on my Facebook feed. I had to drop everything to watch it... naturally... although there's no such thing as multitasking whilst using Facebook, symbolic of a brain-sucking vacuum where time disappears faster than a bullet over-clocking a time warp.
The music, the beat, the nostalgic memories and the feel good emotions all came flooding back. My love for Queen was bigger than I realised. The ingenious operatic melodies that leave you breath-taken at the same time its immersed creativity encourages you to sing theatrically whether you're in the shower, driving a car or listening to earphones in a public place.
For me, the memories of pounding Queen tunes filling our snooker room to the point I could feel the beat on the wooden walls, came rushing back. Years spent from the age of 11 with my (ex) stepbrother playing pool for hours in a dimly lit room illuminated by the lights above the massive snooker table (at least it felt huge when I was 11!)
The clicking of sending pool balls home remains the strongest secondary sound followed by pool balls being shuffled in the black plastic triangle, the sound of a clean break and the squeaky chalking of a cue tip.
Then the dancing with guitars as we strummed the pool cues with serious passion whilst taking turns potting balls and sipping cans of our beloved Pepsi Max.
But it was two months before the movie was released which was so painful and heart breaking.
The month that ensued was an overload of watching Freddie Mercury documentaries, each spinning a completely different light on the legend of Queen. It was like watching a fascinating mystery with its endless turns and twists that were harder to capture than exquisite butterflies. It was like every single person who ever had anything to do with Freddie, had a completely different experience and view of him.
This followed with my purchase of an awesome Casio keyboard and writing a parody of We Will Rock You (which now sits in my filing cabinet) The power, the beat and the atmosphere that the song produces at sporting events like the Wildcats' games was without fail, always such an intense experience. No other song can or has ever replicated its energy, particularly in public.
Time went by and I stalled with my passion for Queen. I wanted to go with my mate Sean and it was at least a month after its release that I got to see the movie and wow did it not disappoint! But there was always the part I was fighting back tears upon hearing Freddie's fatal diagnosis and on this occasion, I was focusing on sipping the little amount of Pepsi Max remaining at the bottom of my plastic Hoyts cup, causing my straw to squeak. That part always got me, no matter what movie or documentary I was watching about my beloved Freddie Mercury, the legend who was well before his time.
Looking back, Queen was something I found exciting and powerful, strongly associated with playing pool on our snooker table for hours at a time, with my stepbrother or the family on our traditional Sunday Family Day. I'd never heard of Queen before my Maman's second marriage which came with my stepbrother and I think it was my (ex) step-dad who I owe my thanks to for instilling my love of music ever since, particularly with Queen (and Paul Kelly).
Looking back, Queen means so much more to me now than ever before, particularly with its nostalgic memories that I yearn to relive.
For me, Freddie is symbolic of one of the very few people on this earth that truly lived to his full potential, despite his time being cut way too short. He took action with his creativity and dreams, he made things happen... and very few people have and ever will be anywhere as great as this music legend.
