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Roger Taylor |
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FEATURE5 Minutes With… ROGER TAYLOR of QUEENby Tom Lounges
Roger Taylor has been the beat-keeper for Queen since co-founding the band with Brian May when both were university students working on science degrees – Taylor in biology and May in Astronomy & Physics.
He is still sitting on the drum throne today in the band’s new incarnation – QUEEN + Paul Rodgers – which has been taking the world by storm and is currently doing the same in America. Jam Productions brings the resurrected band to Rosemont’s Allstate Arena on March 23.
Roger was also the first member of Queen to record a solo album, back in 1981, when he released Fun In Space, recorded simultaneously as Queen was recording The Game album
“Paul Rodgers was Freddie Mercury’s idol,” said Taylor. “Freddie used to base his early style when he was just starting out on Paul, so I think Freddie would be pleased that it is Paul singing these songs.”
Taylor noted that Rodgers does not try to imitate Mercury on stage, but rather give the classic Queen material his own interpretation.
“Brian and I thought this would be perfect because Paul doesn’t have to pretend to be Freddie, because he’s already his own person with his own fantastic style,” he continued. “And of course we also perform several of the songs from Paul’s other bands too. It’s us collectively taking a new look at old songs and Paul give the songs a bluesier edge and it really does work very, very well.”
Proof of Taylor’s words can be see with one’s own eyes and heard with one’s own ears on the live concert companion CD and DVD sets that are aptly titled, Queen + Paul Rodgers: Return Of The Champions.
Original Queen bassist John Deacon bowed out of the tour and reunion process but – “John wrote us a letter and said – ‘I totally condone what you do and it’s all great with me and I wish you well but you will have to count me out, I’ve sort of retired.’ – of course, there was a P.S. – ‘keep sending the checks’ – which of course we do.”
Playing bass in the current band is Danny Miranda (ex-Blue Oyster Cult). “Danny’s from Brooklyn and a great rock ‘n’ roller,” said Taylor. “He and I work well together.”
This super paring will not stop at just revisiting the past, new songs are being written by the current line-up. “I’d like to finish an album in this coming year,” he concluded. “It’d be a crime to waste an instrument as incredible as Paul’s voice when it’s available to you.” |
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