Interview: Giles Taylor of QUEEN...IT'S A KINDA MAGIC! at Athenaeum Theatre

He would have been 70 this year, and people mourn his death as acutely today as they did when it was announced, so much so that the name Freddie has become exclusively synonymous to his memory as one of the most unique, boundary-pushing and talented singer/songwriters of all time. Accompanied by similarly legendary musicians who still perform under the name to this day (they're soon to conclude their European tour fronted by Adam Lambert), Queen are proven time and time again to still be audience favourites in everything from karaoke to musical theatre extravaganzas and tribute juggernauts. The latest of these to reach Australian Queen fans features the incredible Giles Taylor, who I was fortunate enough to connect with and discuss his excitement about returning Down Under.

Tell me about the first time you remember hearing Freddie Mercury. What was the song? How did you react?
The first song I recall hearing by Queen was Fat Bottomed Girls when I was about eight years old. I remember laughing at the lyrics as an amused eight year old. Who knew twenty-five years later I would be performing it live to thousands of people!

Who was the first person you can recall telling you that you were a good Freddie Mercury?
Peter Freestone who was Freddie Mercury's personal assistant for twelve years is the one that mostly sticks in my mind. That's quite an accolade as he is very protective of the memory of Freddie.

In three words, what does Queen music mean to you?
Theatrics, classic rock and crazy costumes!

If you could pick one of those three words to describe what Queen music means to the world, which is it?
Theatrics. Aside from the band's musical genius and variety of stylistic songs they are probably most known for Freddie's flamboyant behavior and enigmatic vocal performances.

Freddie Mercury was one of the first contemporary "frontmen", whose reputation independent of the band contributed so much to the dynamic similar to Lennon, Jagger etc. How has it been working with the band?
Although Freddie is often considered the main focus the reality is that some guitarists come to our shows to revel in the majesty of Ritchie Baker performing Brian May's guitar parts and have no interest in watching me play Freddie. Likewise, our John Deacon and Roger Taylor have their own huge followings across the world and quite deservedly so: the four of us together are much more powerful than we would be independently. Exactly the same as Queen were!

What're your thoughts on other tribute concepts?
I have no problem with tribute acts as long as they are done well and with a level of self awareness. If you can't sing like the person you are paying tribute to then no amount of makeup and costumes is going to hide that fact. Tribute acts get a bad rap because there are a lot of terrible ones out there - especially in Europe where the market is saturated with terrible tribute acts doing low budget shows. What we do differently here at Showtime Australia is scour the world for the best person to play a particular role. My own audition process took over eight months which is unheard of in this industry; but if you're going to do a show paying tribute to someone then it has to be done properly and that is why our show is such a success.

Do you think Queen is up for interpretation?
There are acts out there who do interpretations of Queen songs. There is a fantastic Russian pianist who performs their hits instrumentally with an orchestra and even Adam Lambert who is currently fronting Queen is the first to admit that he is not trying to imitate Freddie he is interpreting the songs as Adam. What our show does however is to deliberately focus on recreating the greatest live performances of queen so everything we do, from the performance and costumes to the staging is not so much an interpretation as a carbon copy of what you could have seen asst a live queen performance when they were fronted by Freddie.

Describe the moment you found out you'd been selected to play Freddie in this show
It was both relief and panic. Relief because after the lengthy audition process I now knew whether I had or hadn't got the role and panic because it suddenly dawned on me I was going to have to fill some of the biggest musical shoes in rock music history!

Tell us about travelling to Australia. What does that mean to you?
I have been to Australia many times, both performing and for leisure and I do love the difference culturally between your major cities. That's the biggest draw for me. I just wish it didn't take so long to get here from the UK.

If you could pick a Queen song that resonates strongest with who you are as a man, which would it be?
Probably 'Good Old Fashioned Lover Boy'. I was brought up in a very old school manner with super-polite parents who had a penchant for etiquette and that definitely comes across in my natural demeanor. Additionally, I'm a Taurean so that makes me a total romantic.

Tickets are available here.