Fantastic TLS signed “Brian xxx,” three pages, 8.25 x 11.75, personal letterhead, March 24, 1997. Excellent response to an American admirer. In part: “To me these days, there are so many other problems in life, that Queen seems a long way away. It is nice to be reminded that there are folks out there who care. Now I would like to try to answer the Big Question that you ask. America was our great pride and joy as we grew of age as a band. Throughout the late 70's we worked very hard, touring many months of every year, and a large proportion of that time was spent in the States. I guess we took pride in the fact that every time we came back, usually with another album on the shelves, the response got bigger and bigger. We felt that we were earning our wings, as it were, and that the following that we had was a very genuine word-of-mouth thing, based on the uniqueness and quality of the Queen shows, etc. We also put in time at Radio when we were passing through, particularly Roger and I, so that there was a continuing direct connection between us and the public. As far as I can tell, a number of things happened concurrently with the last Queen U. S. tour: 1) The Hot Space album was perceived by Radio as Queen forsaking Rock and Roll for Disco—our timing was perhaps a little premature, which is evident when you compare this material with what Michael Jackson was to be doing with Ed Van Halen and Slash in years to come. 2) Relations with Radio were not taken care of—we had a new man in charge of Promotion on the road, who, unknown to us at the time, was very high handed and rude with the media people, and gave them the impression that we no longer cared. We only discovered the huge extent of the damage much later, when trying to get Freddie's solo record played. There was great resentment (radio people, like the rest of us, need to feel loved, and important!), and word of mouth on our tour was distorted by people who now wanted to see us fail. 3) We got caught in the cross-fire of an attempt by Capital Records to withdraw from the Independent Promotion circus (a.k.a. Payola) which dominated radio plays at that time. Capital dropped the man who was the lynchpin of their connection with the network of radio station bribery, and the next week, 95 per cent of radio stations dropped our record, Radio Ga Ga…4) We made a video, in drag, as a spoof on a soap series, which was viewed as very funny, and something of an innovation, in Europe, but to the media in the U. S., it was seen as a threat to Morality. Yes, seriously—I was around to see the reaction of some of the TV people first-hand—they were horrified! Again, some of the media were looking for fuel for the fires of hatred (or at least distrust!), and a Homophobic undertone further undermined Queen's image in the U. S. The rest of the world did not seem to find any of this a problem!!! Which brings us to: 5) When the question of touring came up, we always looked at the response to our latest album around the world. There was a massive explosion of interest in most of the countries of South America, in Africa, in the East, in Eastern Europe, and parts of Western Europe which had been slow in the early days while we were enjoying great recognition in North America. It made sense (and fun!) to go touring in the countries where there was growth and even hysteria, rather than flogging an apparently Dead Horse in the US, where we felt there was a tide of something which for our intents and purposes was not dissimilar from the McCarthyism which had driven the previous generation's artists out. And there was a stubborn streak in Freddie, it has to be said, which was determined not to go back anywhere where we would be SMALLER than we had been before. Having toured football stadiums in most of the civilised world, it would have been depressing to go back to the U.S. and do theatres—or at least Freddie was adamant that this should was so [sic]. To be honest, without his insistence we probably would have eaten humble pie and gone back in, as Elton did, and win respect all over again. But in the event, the decision was to wait. For a renaissance that never came. I guess I was eager to show my own feelings later; my blind faith in touring my own Brian May Band in the States, was a nice reaffirmation that we have loyal and great friends there, but a disastrous demonstration of how little the word spread, and how-to-lose-a-lot-of-money-very-quickly! It was also very hard for me to keep up the morale of my band, playing a show designed for fair-sized arenas to audiences in tiny clubs. So you see, we did not really give up the U.S.A. without a fight—we just postponed it, in hopes that the Right Time would come. We certainly dreamed, the quality of the Made in Heaven album being acclaimed so highly, and sales around the world being so phenomenal, that America would respond after Freddie's death if not before. But it was not to be. I guess we just didn't play the necessary games. Or maybe it's in the Future……! But I doubt it. Music becomes a huge part of people’s emotional life, but always at the moment when it is ringing in their ears everywhere. There is a huge chunk of Queen Music which rang in everyone's ears from Budapest to Buenos Aires to Beijing, but was silent in America. That can never be changed now.” In fine condition. A fine letter with exceptional, thoughtful content offering a behind-the-scenes take on how Queen ‘lost’ America during the 1980s, with a frank and introspective discussion of the band’s legacy throughout the world. Pre-certified Roger Epperson/REAL and RR Auction COA.
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