Monday, September 5, 2011

Freddie Mercury: King of Queen


As usual, I was surfing the Internet when I chanced upon Google's homepage and found the artsy Google doodle -- how cool! Mousing over the graphics revealed that it was a tribute to Freddie Mercury on his 65th birthday. Freddie Mercury, Queen's lead vocals, would have been 65, had he not lost his battle with HIV and died in 1991 at the age of 45.


Google homepage: click the doodle button to start video

The animated Google doodle showed Freddie in various scenes and costumes that are as lively and colorful as he was -- from singing on stage in front of screaming fans, to riding a bicycle wearing a checkered body suit, to sitting on a throne wearing a crown and cape.

The accompanying video is set to 1978 Queen hit Don't Stop Me Now.


Select frames of the colorful video

Queens was a popular British rock group in the 1970s and 1980s best known for hits like "Bohemian Rhapsody", "We are the Champions","Another One Bites the Dust","We Will Rock You","Keep Yourself Alive","Under Pressure", "Love of My Life","A Kind of Magic" and "Radio Ga Ga", among others. The original band consisted of Freddie Mercury (lead vocals, piano), Brian May (guitar, vocals), John Deacon (bass guitar, vocals), and Roger Taylor (drums, vocals).


Select frames of the colorful video

Also as a tribute, London's Dominion Theatre is hosted a West End Summer Tea Party For Freddie For A Day with a rare chance to view Mercury's personal stamp collection. The Dominion was the home of the hit musical musical We Will Rock You based on Freddie Mercury and Queen songs.

Lotus produced a one-off Evora S in honor of Freddie Mercury. The pearl white coupe, with red and gold accents, features the Queen frontman's signature. The cabin is yellow as an homage to Mercury's 1986 stage costume and the seats feature a Union Jack. The car will be auctioned off for charity as part of the celebrations tied to Mercury's 65th birthday party at the Savoy Hotel for the benefit of the Mercury Phoenix Trust, an HIV AIDS charity founded by band mates Brian May, Roger Taylor and Queen manager Jim Beach after Mercury's death.

He may not have been a model citizen but Freddie Mercury was definitely a rock star who inspired his generation through the songs that have immortalized his memory -- the king of Queen.


Doodle art from Google


Filed under SIGHTS


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