Mercury rising
Asked and answered: music fans pick the greatest rock frontperson of all time. The results were never in doubt
They preen, they croon, they strut. They lead some of the greatest rock bands in the world. We all have our favourites. But can we agree there can be only one greatest frontperson of all time?
According to a recent Canadian poll asking fans to name their choice for the greatest frontperson ever — living or dead, male or female — Queen’s Freddie Mercury is the undisputed winner.
More than 100 names were submitted to the poll (found on Canadian radio personality Alan Cross’ website, AJournalOfMusicalThings.com), although some were automatically disqualified — from joke entries such as David St. Hubbins of Spinal Tap to solo artists who don’t actually front a band, such as Ed Sheeran.
Among the legitimate qualifiers, Mercury definitely rocked the vote, garnering a cool 26 per cent of the more than 650 entries. His tally was well over three times higher than second place finisher Gord Downie.
Why all the love for someone who hasn’t been with us for more than a quarter century, and who last graced the stage with Queen in 1986?
Well, seeing — and listening — is believing. Through the magic of archive footage, we are able to relive how Mercury absolutely mesmerized crowds whenever he took the stage. Google “Queen Live Aid” for all the proof you need. You will behold a performer with 72,000 people — arms extended, clapping in unison — in the palm of his hand.
In an era that had him compete for audience attention alongside Mick Jagger, Robert Plant and Van Halen’s David Lee Roth, the diminutive Mercury arguably stood head and shoulders above them, thanks in part to a vocal prowess that singers have been trying to emulate ever since.
“Those who saw and heard Freddie live never forgot the experience,” says Alan Cross. “Freddie Mercury combined showmanship with a four-octave voice that could change in style and timbre within the same line. Science is still struggling to explain the physiology of his singing ability.”
It’s no wonder Hollywood would seek to capture this larger-than-life figure on the big screen: sure enough, a footstomping celebration of Queen and its magnetic frontman, aptly titled Bohemi
an Rhapsody, hits North American theatres on Nov. 2.
While having stadium-sized hits to belt out didn’t hurt Mercury’s cause, it was surely his stage presence that catapulted him into rock fans’ hearts and onto the top tier of this poll. It was a magnetism that defied his stature: Mercury's exaggerated theatrics clearly influenced the likes of Axl Rose of Guns N’ Roses in the late ’80s, and many modern-day artists such as the Struts’ Luke Spiller (who also got some love in the poll).
Longevity obviously carries sway: Queen’s active recording years — between its self-titled debut album in 1973 and 1995’s posthumous Made in Heaven
— is actually the third-shortest of the top 10, behind Van Halen with Diamond Dave, and Led Zeppelin. But Queen’s international appeal was firmly established with the epic success of “Bohemian Rhapsody” in 1975, and their legacy has proven to be everlasting.
Can a band’s success be measured by the presence and absence of a particular frontperson? It would seem fans of Iron Maiden think so: The band’s popularity can be traced by its lead singer Bruce Dickinson’s revolving-door attendance record. (Note to bandmates: better to have Bruce around.) And how about some moves? While dancing on its own doesn’t make a frontperson great, having the right moves sure doesn’t hurt. Mercury was a master of stagecraft: he was an intensely physical performer who used every inch of the stage.
He was everywhere: if not at the piano, he was jumping, twisting, spinning or marching around with his sawed-off mic stand. He moved and sang with a deep reserve of emotion, owning the fans at every moment of every show.
As fans, we also tend to connect with band leaders who convey sincerity and passion without ever letting up — no matter how long they’ve been on tour. These are the performers who engage concert-goers from the opening tune to what can be, in the wrong hands, the dreaded “latest song from our new album.” (See U2’s Bono.)
Freddie Mercury made that connection with fans, too. And, it seems, many will never let go.
“Freddie became a mythical figure to so many people,” says Cross.
“The house in London where he lived with Mary Austin is still a sort of a shrine, with people visiting the back wall of the property on a daily (if not hourly) basis. And let’s not forget that even though he kept his sexuality a secret, he became something of a gay icon because of his flamboyant and often campy stage persona. His attitude was, ‘I am what I am. Deal with it.’ ”