Tribute to Queen

You're totally right, I always find myself refreshing my mind with those old lyrics
whenever I realize that despite all the time passing, nothing has actually changed—
here’s a little slice of my life at the office (I have to get this out...):

it honestly makes my skin crawl
and it drives me absolutely insane
seeing all these total idiots
climbing the ladder and getting rewarded

you see some loudmouth in the news acting like a big shot
for heaven's sake, just tell the people
so they can start protesting
just tell me who's actually qualified
and tell me who's actually dangerous
it's always the same old story

there are open positions available
but only for the guys working the loading docks
everyone wants a desk job in administration
because the perks are way better there

being productive
actually has an economic reason behind it
so why should I break a sweat
when I'm getting paid less than I should

I'll be sitting here sipping coffee today
probably about twenty times over
while my actual working time
doesn't even add up to five minutes
I won't even stress too much, I'll just work on my diction
and I'll carry out one little routine
with the management every single day

🙂

Nicholas Reyes29 said:I don't know
what to do with myself
what I should throw myself toward
so I'm slowly crafting a song
about you

I look at your body
I go wild for it
and I repeat to myself
just one thing
kiss me
then pull my fingers through my hair
and hold me close
kiss me
then press up against me and sing
if one were to be anything
at all

This is my absolute favorite track by Queen.
By the way, it's relatively obscure, but the "co-author" of this song—which is actually quite old despite only appearing on the "Ornate Tile Worker" album—is Max Wilson. He was actually the one singing it back when it was first written.

As for the Tribute shows, I’m not really buying into the consensus. Most people haven't had the chance to see Queen live, so they settle for the Tributes. I can get behind that, provided the performance actually holds water. That "Queen minus Freddie Mercury" project at the factory was honestly terrible; there was a crowd of guest performers who clearly didn't belong there. The only standout for me was Max, who sang this specific track, and he sounded fantastic.

banderas said:[
Regarding the Tribute bands themselves—I don't really go along with the majority view. Most people haven't actually seen Queen live, so the only thing they have to go on is these tributes. I can accept that, I guess, but it’s just okay—they're well-done, sure, but that's about it. That whole "Queen minus Freddie Mercury" project at the old warehouse was honestly pretty gross to me, mostly because of the crowd of guests who clearly didn't know what they were looking for. The only highlight for me was Max, who sang this track and, frankly, sounded great. [/B]

---if Johnny had passed away, these tributes might actually make sense, but right now it just feels slimy and disrespectful toward Johnny—who wasn't just the songwriter, he was the soul of Queen. Honestly, Johnny *is* Queen. Kudos to the rest of them, I suppose, but they’re just "mice," while the "cat" is halfway across the country. Imagine if Bill Wyman organized concerts titled "Tribute to the Stones"—what would that even look like? If Leiner needs to feed his kids, then I get why he's doing it.

Yeah, but let’s look at this from two different angles. The Rolling Stones are out there playing constantly, while Johnny isn't. Realistically, if he doesn't want to pick up an instrument himself, he can't really tell everyone else they aren't allowed to play. Of course, they'd still owe him royalties.

J.B. Stulic’s catalog includes a bunch of albums he didn't even realize would actually see the light of day—mostly just jam sessions that some guys eventually turned into official releases—plus those books he translated that actually got published, though he never saw a single cent from them.
Not to mention how he was always an outsider: back in the eighties, he was basically a rebel against the whole socialist system; then in the nineties, he became someone people wanted to blackball, so he wasn't allowed on the airwaves, yet he still made a decent living through CDs that major labels would illegally press and sell left and right. Then you've got Max Wilson being taken down, that little kid who tried to ride the coattails of Queen's fame and ended up trashing Johnny as some "clueless amateur," and how superstitious Leiner always gets worked up whenever they play Queen songs without Stulic ("Johnny's just messing around again").
Whatever, blah, blah. It’s common knowledge that Stulic as a businessman was a total idiot and got ripped off a million times over.

But seriously, jokes aside: Queen without Stulic is just a bad imitation, but that's not really what this thread is about. I wasn't talking about knock-offs (I accidentally picked the title "Tribute," but I didn't mean these "fake" versions of Queen), nor am I here to lecture anyone on copyright—people can sing whatever they want.

All that matters is that classic, original Queen that might have actually meant something to you once. That's all.

By the way, the last bit of hype was when they released the "Blaze" album in Mexico—which was really just a demo recorded during rehearsal. It came out around 1997. Has anyone actually listened to it? Word is, it’s a pretty solid record.

Blaze is history. Just a bunch of mud and a rhapsody without Johnny’s Oxford English 🙂

if one were to be anything at all where fear finally ends
I’ll be ready to just let it all go
those worn-out streets
the shimmer of wet tracks
that first streetcar rolling through Brooklyn
the light in your eyes

Ornate tile worker!

Besides, they’re just those self-proclaimed "protectors of things they don't even understand"...🙂

Gary Kelly8 said:Ornate tile work!

Besides, they’re just "self-proclaimed defenders of things they don't even get"...🙂

aha...

you better think twice
because at any given moment you'll be getting swarmed from every angle
by the true believers
and the vultures
honestly, man
all it takes is one word...

I got robbed yesterday.

Gordon's Boris Leiner and his guests snatched my $23.

Those lowlifes and little trolls think they can organize a concert using someone else's name, yet the whole damn crew on stage can't even manage a set longer than ninety minutes...

This was the last time I’m handing over any "honor" to those cash-grabbing narcissist musicians.

Wait, are you seriously telling me the concert lasted only an hour and a half and you actually dropped $23 on that 🙂? Mwah*
Was it even decent? Was the crowd massive, or just ??

Anyway, I saw someone mention how they haven't listened to them in years, yet they still remember every single lyric... there’s something incredibly true about that. I stopped listening to them ages ago—really, quite a long time—but their songs just stayed etched in my brain, and they aren't going anywhere. Even today, if a track comes on, it's like I was blasting the CD just yesterday. 🙂

Amy Gomez36 said:Hold on, are you actually telling me the show lasted ninety minutes and that's what you paid for $23? 🙂 mwah*
Was it even decent? Huge crowd, though??

...not counting the opening act "Corto" ( I think that's the name... some tall, cute blond guy... he was good... at least to me )

...all in all, it was meh... they wrapped up in an hour and twenty minutes... then packed up and made that grand ( read: cliché) exit... stayed five more minutes and left with pockets full of cash... pockets full of cash because there was a massive crowd despite the outrageously high ticket price... which they didn't justify by a long shot... I feel... robbed.

( let's call it a mini-concert... it was great... strangely enough, Massimo was the best😁 )

Pointless.
Isn't there something similar happening on a regular basis over at the Kulusic venue? They used to host those Queen tribute acts all the time back then...

Honestly, they really went overboard with those Queen tributes—I mean, respect to them and all, but still...👎

Wait, excuse me, Massimo?😲 Was he actually the one singing yesterday or what?😕

Amy Gomez36 said:Excuse me, Massimo?😲 Was he even singing yesterday or what?😕

...he sang...crushed "Time to Decide" so hard you wouldn't believe it... yeah, I was confused too, but he was seriously incredible... easily the best of them all. 🙂 😁

why don't they ever just cut the power to primates
they barely even read stuff anyway, most of them
and when they do, it's always the wrong things
so why bother cutting the electricity then...

...

lots of things come to mind, but I can't forget this one moment
(by the way)
it wasn't some huge deal, but I had to go all the way
that night was just beautiful
like deep water bubbling up from nowhere
like a sudden, weird flash in the dark
like a dispatch sent to headquarters
like a heavy hit
fate

...

what do you guys think, are we actually gonna see a concert poster again?

:C)

For me, Max was the standout. He only tackled one track—"if one were to be anything"—just him and his guitar, no backing band. That’s how it sounded in the original when he first sang it. Pure gold.
I actually dug those few tracks where Leiner took the lead, like "spend the weekend together" and "dog."
As for Massimo, he always seems to nail covers better than his own material.😁

Nicholas Reyes29 said:I don't know
what to do with myself
what I should throw myself into
so I'm slowly crafting a song
about you

watching your body
playing around with it
and repeating to myself
just one thing
kiss me
then pull my fingers through my hair
and hold me tight
kiss me
then press close against me and sing
if you know
how to be anything

This whole thing gives me chills...🙏 🙏 🙏

I was at the Youth Center this past Saturday...
I have to agree with what cosmictrucker132 said—I’ve never really been a fan of Massimo, but after this, I’ve got to hand it to him.
$23Being broke and feeling a little tipsy from the drinks, I actually found myself yelling at Leiner, calling him an absolute jerk and a traitor, demanding he give me my money back!

Time to decide

A glimmer at the corner of the room
a bluish haze
do you even recognize me?
what's weighing on your mind?
the smoke from a cigarette
carries my sighs
I stare into your eyes
cold and distant

I’m offering you happiness
like some kind of illusionist
the dark side of the city
the grit of the streets
people out on the pier
this whole vanity fair
you just stay in bed
scared of the crowd

My face is just a preconceived notion
a bit of fringe fiction
a shadow in the mirror
the circle is closing
part of me wishes you weren't here
but that's just not how it works
you just want to sleep
it's time to make a choice

Come on, kid
let's start the dance
just imagine your favorite band is playing
tonight, I'm performing just for you
no matter how
that's neither here nor there
I don't want to wear you out with talk
this is our last kiss

Olivia Sanchez7 said:This whole situation gives me the creeps...🙏 🙏 🙏

I was hanging out at the Youth Center this past Saturday too...
I’m backing up what cosmictrucker132 said... I’ve never been much of a Massimo fan, but after seeing this, I have to give credit where it's due.

Yeah, exactly 👍
Doduse, Max reworked her set a bit—he showed up with that tiny guitar from the witch—but it was actually 👍

zooey said:I have to agree—this is easily one of the best pieces out there.🙂

Here’s a little something of my own...

just watch my girl
walking down the street
can you see that glow
upon her cheek
today marks the very first
day of spring
and she’s soaking it all in
as if it were
the last

Ever since Jim Morrison started singing with that soulful drawl 🙄