Arts & Entertainment

Mind-numbing minutia

‘Untold story of Queen’ offers too many details for casual fans

Published

14 years ago

June 16, 2011

Terri Schlichenmeyer

‘Is This the Real Life? The Untold Story of Queen’
By Mark Blake
c.2011, Da Capo
$25/410 pages

Sometimes it seems as though the building might fall down.

Stomp-stomp-clap. Stomp-stomp-clap. Sports fans know how to make noise, but it’s not the cheers that raise the rafters during games, tournaments and playoffs. No, the stadium shakes at a sound that rattles the roof, supports the team and is awfully fun to do. Stomp-stomp-clap, and when your team wins, it gets better: there’s the other half of the song to sing.

You know where that tune came from. You might even remember where you first heard it. In “Is This the Real Life? The Untold Story of Queen” by Mark Blake, you’ll learn about the band that brought sports fans that anthem, and more.

If you were going to create a musical group, you’d be hard-pressed to find a more motley crew.

Farrokh Bulsara was born on an island near Zanzibar into a family that was wealthy enough to afford domestic staff. Young Farrokh — usually called Freddie — was a popular boy who loved music and adored Jimi Hendrix, was self-conscious about his teeth, and had a flair for the dramatic. His friends tolerated Freddie’s eccentricities, figuring them to be “just Fred.”

Brian May didn’t live far from Fred Bulsara once Freddie, who was gay and died of AIDS in 1991, landed in England, but May later came to realize that they’d been at the same Hendrix concert once. May, who would go on to earn a bachelor’s degree in astrophysics, loved to improvise on guitar, just like Jimi.

Roger Taylor remembers banging on his mother’s pans as a child. He joined May in a band after seeing an ad in a local drum shop. And John Deacon, a relative late-comer, had gone to school to be an electrical engineer as a fall-back career, in case his musical career didn’t pan out.

And while May, Taylor and Deacon were playing together and with other musicians, growing their experience and honing their talents, they had one very exacting, particular fan: a roadie named Fred who liked to give them advice after their gigs.

With so much attention to detail, so many little tidbits for fans, and so many memories it evokes, it’s hard to hate a book like “Is This the Real Life?”

But it’s hard to love it, too.

Author Mark Blake doesn’t seem to have missed one single event in the lives of the men who were Queen, or the few women who were peripherally involved with those men. While some of those finer points make this book trivia heaven for Queen fans, much of it plods along: lengthy accounts of concert dates, musicians who came and went throughout the decades, people that the four band members knew as children, and other minutiae that die-hard musicians and rabid followers will be mindful of, but that most of us will find mind-numbing.

If your iPod is filled with greatest hits and you couldn’t look at this book without singing the title, “Is This the Real Life?” will be a royal treat for you. If you’re not quixotic on Queen, though, just stomp away.

And if you’ve already located your Queen on vinyl and are searching for a good place to curl up and reminisce, you’ll also want to find “Queen: The Ultimate Illustrated History of the Crown Kings of Rock” by Phil Sutcliffe (Voyageur Press, 2011). Jam-packed with pictures, poster reproductions, and lots more information on the boys in the band, this huge paperback book will thrill rock ‘n roll fans and will show youngsters how rock was really done.

Photos

PHOTOS: Victory Fund National Champagne Brunch

LGBTQ politicians gather for annual event

Published

7 hours ago

May 2, 2025

Michael Key

Rep. Sarah McBride (D-Del.) speaks at the 2025 Victory Fund National Champagne Brunch. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

The Victory Fund held its National Champagne Brunch at the Ritz-Carlton on Sunday, April 27. Speakers included Tim Gunn, Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Gov. Wes Moore (D-Md.), Rep. Sarah McBride (D-Del.), Rep. Chris Pappas (D-N.H.) and Rep. Mark Takano (D-Calif.).

(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)

Music & Concerts

Tom Goss returns with ‘Bear Friends Furever Tour’

Out singer/songwriter to perform at Red Bear Brewing Co.

Published

8 hours ago

May 2, 2025

Tinashe Chingarande

Singer Tom Goss is back. (Photo by Dusti Cunningham)

Singer Tom Goss will bring his “Bear Friends Furever Tour” to D.C. on Sunday, June 8 at 8 p.m. at Red Bear Brewing Co.

Among the songs he will perform will be “Bear Soup,” the fourth installment in his beloved bear song anthology series. Following fan favorites like “Bears,” “Round in All the Right Places,” and “Nerdy Bear,” this high-energy, bass-thumping banger celebrates body positivity, joyful indulgence, and the vibrant spirit of the bear subculture.

For more details, visit Tom Goss’s website.

Calendar

Calendar: May 2-8

LGBTQ events in the days to come

Published

8 hours ago

May 2, 2025

Tinashe Chingarande

Friday, May 2

“Center Aging Friday Tea Time” will be at 2 p.m. on Zoom. This is a social hour for older LGBTQ adults. Guests are encouraged to bring a beverage of choice. For more details, email [email protected].

Go Gay DC will host “LGBTQ+ Community Social in the City” at 7 p.m. at P.F. Chang’s. This event is ideal for making new friends, professional networking, idea-sharing, and community building. This event is free and more details are available on Eventbrite.

Saturday, May 3

Go Gay DC will host “LGBTQ+ Community Brunch” at 11 a.m. at Freddie’s Beach Bar & Restaurant. This fun weekly event brings the DMV area LGBTQ community, including allies, together for delicious food and conversation. Attendance is free and more details are available on Eventbrite.

LGBTQ People of Color Support Group will be at 7 p.m. on Zoom. This peer support group is an outlet for LGBTQ People of Color to come together and talk about anything affecting them in a space that strives to be safe and judgment free. There are all sorts of activities like watching movies, poetry events, storytelling, and just hanging out with others. For more information and events for LGBTQ People of Color, visit thedccenter.org/poc or facebook.com/centerpoc.

Sunday, May 4

“The Chateau Drag Brunch” will be at 12 p.m. at Chicatana. Enjoy fabulous Mexican food and cocktails while being entertained by a rotating cast of the DMV’s best drag performers. Tickets are $10 and can be purchased on Eventbrite.

“The Bubble: Queer Brooklyn Comics in DC” will be at 5 p.m. at As You Are. Queer comedians Charlie Flynn, Evan Lazarus and Keara Sullivan are coming down from NYC for a night of fun as they split an hour of standup comedy. For more details, visit Eventbrite.

Monday, May 5

“Center Aging Monday Coffee & Conversation” will be at 10 a.m. on Zoom. This is a social hour for older LGBTQ+ adults. Guests are encouraged to bring a beverage of choice. For more details, email [email protected].

Tuesday, May 6

Universal Pride Meeting will be at 7 p.m. on Zoom. This group seeks to support, educate, empower, and create change for people with disabilities. For more details, email [email protected].

Wednesday, May 7

Job Club will be at 6 p.m. on Zoom. This is a weekly job support program to help job entrants and seekers, including the long-term unemployed, improve self-confidence, motivation, resilience and productivity for effective job searches and networking — allowing participants to move away from being merely “applicants” toward being “candidates.” For more information, email [email protected] or visit thedccenter.org/careers.

Center Aging Women’s Social and Discussion Group will be at 6 p.m. on Zoom. This group is a place where older queer women can meet and socialize with one another. We will have discussion, activities, and a chance for you to share what you want future events to include. For more details, email [email protected].

Thursday, May 8

The DC Center’s Fresh Produce Program will be held all day at the DC Center for the LGBT Community. To be fair with who is receiving boxes, the program is moving to a lottery system. People will be informed on Wednesday at 5 p.m. if they are picked to receive a produce box. No proof of residency or income is required. For more information, email [email protected] or call 202-682-2245.

Virtual Yoga with Sarah M. will be at 7 p.m. on Zoom. This is a free weekly class focusing on yoga, breath work, and meditation. For more details, visit the DC Center for the LGBT Community’s website.

South Asian Support Group will be at 7 p.m. on Zoom. The peer support group is an outlet for South Asian-identified LGBTQ individuals to come and talk about anything affecting them. It’s a secure, judgment-free environment to discuss relationships, sexuality, health, well-being, identity, culture, religion, or anything that is on your mind. For more details, email [email protected].