Brian May Reveals They’re Looking Into Holograms For Freddie Mercury
via Virgin Radio UK / Youtube
Queen co-founder and guitarist Sir Brian May recently revealed that the band had once considered concert holograms and has even “looked at holograms of Freddie [Mercury]”.
“But somehow so far, we haven’t done it because I think the emphasis with us is always being live,” the legendary guitarist clarified.
May has recently discussed 3D photographs and holograms in an interview on The Graham Norton Radio Show, where the guitar maestro was enthusiastically sharing about the band’s successful three-dimensional exhibition and the technology behind it.
When host Graham Norton asked May his thoughts about a holographic Queen concert, the guitarist shared that although they had talked about it, they still ultimately wanted to play live.
“I don’t want to be a hologram, I want to be me.”
May succinctly emphasized, “I don’t want to be a hologram, I want to be me.”
Norton brought into the conversation the ABBA Voyage, a successful avatar concert by the Swedish pop superstars ABBA.
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Me and _ _ _ will go see ABBA Voyage this _ _ _. 🪩 pic.twitter.com/42Qe83RswN— ABBA Voyage (@ABBAVoyage) July 9, 2023
The avatars, aptly called ABBAtars, went on an extensive tour around the world, serenading fans across the globe through a ground-breaking experience. The tour kicked off in May 2022 and has been extended to January 2024 due to public demand, with the possibility of extending further until April 2026.
The Queen guitarist was excited about Voyage and shared that he will try experiencing the show one of these days.
He then clarified that as long as the band can play, the remaining members of Queen will continue to be a live band.
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“I think if we had too [many] holograms and stuff going on, people would stop realizing that with us, it’s live and dangerous with no backing tracks, no clicks, no nothing,” May said.
He then jokingly said that people may do a holographic concert when they’re “gone”.
“When we’re all gone, sure, make an ABBA thing about us, but while I’m here, I want to play live,” the guitarist declared.
Freddie Mercury and the band’s rare photos displayed at Queen Will Rock You in 3D
The Graham Norton interview also saw Brian May excitedly share the “Victorian” technology behind the 3D photos he himself took for the exhibition, as well as his thoughts on the well-received We Will Rock You musical.
May revealed: “I took my 3D camera with me on tour all the time that we were having those glory days or whatever, and I still do. I just think everything should be in 3D because why would you not do that if you can make a beautiful three-dimensional image as opposed to a flat image that you put on a wall?”
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He shared that the technology behind the three-dimensional pictures “hasn’t changed that much since the 1850s”. A fascinated May described that the 3D idea around the images is basically about letting one of your eyes “see something different” from the other.
“You use some kind of device to make that happen and then you get this incredible reconstruction which happens in your brain, where you see the universe in a real way in real depths,” the guitarist behind the iconic “Bohemian Rhapsody” explained.
May took photos of the elusive rock icon Freddie Mercury, and these photos have been some of the highlights of the Queen Will Rock You.
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Among these captivating images are shots taken onstage and others taken behind the scenes, providing an intimate look at the band like never before. Particularly noteworthy is the collection of informal photographs taken on the road and during their leisure moments, revealing the band in a candid light.
Mercury, who has always been very protective of his privacy, typically avoided being photographed offstage. However, he was always happy for a close friend and bandmate like May to take pictures of him.
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In the exhibition, fans will see a unique glimpse of his playful and unguarded interactions with Brian’s camera, offering rare insights into the life of this consummate showman as seen through the eyes of his bandmate and close friend.
May curated Queen Will Rock You In 3-D with Proud Galleries, and it runs from 2 June to 23 September 2023.
We Will Rock You musical’s successful run
Just five minutes away from Proud Galleries, the West End production We Will Rock You returned briefly at the London Coliseum during the summer.
We Will Rock You is a jukebox musical based on the songs of Queen with a book by comedian and playwright Ben Elton, who directed and starred in the limited rerun.
The production narrates the tale of a group of Bohemians striving to reclaim the liberty of expressing their thoughts, individuality in fashion, and the joy of live music in the distant future.
May praised Elton’s performances and marveled at the energy of the comedian by doing an amazing run of eight shows per week.
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“He’s put his whole life on hold to just go in there and be an artist on stage… Of course, nobody can interpret his script like he can. You have a real-world class comic on stage [who] can make it what he wants [on] the night,” May said.
Brian May still rocking
Apart from his Graham Norton interview, Brian May will also be featured in the October 2023 issue of Guitar Player, where he expressed his alarm over the use of AI in music.
“I think we might look back on 2023 as the last year when humans really dominated the music scene,” the guitarist said in the interview with the magazine, a quote which was also featured on the cover.
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May also said that the whole thing about AI “is massively scary. It’s much more far-reaching than anybody realized”.
But he remains hopeful with the new generation of musicians, who are enthusiastic about creating music. May also believes that ”the combination between different generations can produce a lot of powerful stuff”.
The legendary guitarist is also busying himself with the mini-series about his 1983 Star Fleet Project collaboration with Eddie Van Halen, a fabled convergence of two guitar giants.
This project is part of the complete Star Fleet Sessions boxed set that features an extensive revisit of the sessions in expanded 2-CD, vinyl single, and LP deluxe editions.
