Gary Mullen of ‘One Night of Queen’ spoke to Ryan Boldison about his success touring the show, being Freddie Mercury and showing off his talent in a Kareoke Bar in Germany.
So tell us about the show, ‘One Night of Queen’?
Well it’s basically a two hour rock concert. People come to the show sometimes thinking it’s going to be a musical or a play, or sort of cabaret, but it’s not. We’re a fully Functioning rock band and it’s two hours of fitting in as many Queen songs as we can actually physically squeeze into the show.
How do you manage to balance a performance of a well-known artist like Freddie Mercury? Do you find it hard to make sure you don’t deliver a caricature of him such as how some would perform Elvis?
Yeah I mean what we’re trying to do- onstage a lot of me comes out, a lot of the extrovert in me that comes out as part of the Freddie character and it is a character onstage you know, when the lights go down the other guy goes out onstage and this guy kinda stage in the wings. It sounds like some kinda weird musical schizophrenia but that’s how it happens. There’s got to be elements of you in the show because you can do a parody but parodies are ridiculous you know? People don’t want to see a Freddie parody, they start throwing balls at you they want to see or hear someone that can sing the songs and perform the songs well.
That’s something unique with Freddie Mercury, there are a lot of elements in his songs that vocally are really difficult to reach. Is there any sort of particular warm up that you go through to make sure you can deliver that?
Yeah I mean ironically I’ve been saying that I only started taking singing lessons last year and the only reason why is not?
We do so many shows we sometimes are doing five a week and the height- it’s singing lessons plus tight underwear is the key to getting those notes. [Laughs] But yeah you’ve got to look after you’re voice. I’ve quit drinking alcohol and stuff like that as well you know? It’s like sex, drugs and rock and roll without the sex and drugs, it’s just the rock and roll now! [Laughs]
So what would you say that’s the hardest part of delivering a show about Freddie Mercury or a rock concert of Queen?
I think it’s going on and knowing you’ve got to sing these songs with conviction every night. Because you can sing these songs and consider emotions but that’s not going to deliver to an audience, you’ve really got to go out and there and believe the songs, and sing the songs like you mean them and go out as the character believably. You do the moves, and you really live the beat of the music, and live the beat of the show and that’s what it’s all about is living the beat of the show and having as good a time- sometimes an even better time than the audience because we’re guys that as kids wanted to be musicians and all of a sudden you’re out touring the world and playing music that you love to other people, so you’ve really got to go out and give it hell. And if you don’t you’re just cheating the audience.
And so what are your favourite songs to perform?
One of my favourites is ‘Somebody to Love’. I love that singing that song. It’s the one song that is worldwide known.
One of the things I really love about Queen is the theatricality when you’re listening to the music. I can certainly imagine that you’re channeling this onstage. Is that something that you take in as you perform?
Yeah, I mean well Freddie was always very humorous and had his tongue very firmly in his own cheek. I mean, you can’t take yourself too seriously when you dress up the way I do and the answer is no, you know. He was the first one to make a fool of himself. When you look at his hard life and he was dressed like a giant shrimp.If that was a guy who took himself seriously he wouldn’t be wearing that. But the whole theatricality, I mean Freddie, for him it was all about performing the song. It wasn’t about just singing the song. And I think a good entertainer performs the song and conveys the message to the audience and that’s what I try to do when I sing the songs
So as a musician have you performed as another singer?
I’ve done covers but everybody says I always sound like Freddie doing them [Laughs] …One of my favourite songs is Elton John’s ‘I Guess That’s Why They Call It the Blues’ but people say when I sing it I just sound like Freddie singing it. And the thing is I don’t change my voice, that’s just how it comes out my mouth. And I don’t get it, I don’t know what people hear. I love singing, I love music. I’m not a big fan of sort of rave music, you know, I don’t really get the kind of dancing. But I love soul, I love rock and roll, I love opera, I love classical music. So any time there’s a party with a band I just want to go up and join the band or I love karaoke because I love singing. And people just keep saying ‘Yeah, it sounds like Freddie.’
Have you done that before? Have you gone to another city and just gone to a karaoke bar and thought ‘oh, I’ll squash it’?
Actually that’s a funny story. I actually went to one in Germany, and this is a true story. We were with our old keyboard player Marty who was with us for six years in the band together. We went out one night for a few beers and there was a karaoke night on. And we didn’t know it was an actual contest because everyone was talking German. I went to the bathroom, came back and Marty handed me a Guiness and he said ‘Oh by the way, you’re up for karaoke’ and so I went up and sang ‘I Want to Break Free’ and I got entered into the contest and I came second to a guy doing a German folk song. I was laughing my ass off. The girl from the karaoke who spoke fluent English because she’d lived in Dublin for years said ‘You should do that professionally’ and I was like ‘You think?’ and she was like ‘Can I join you and your friend?’ I said sure and we sat and chatted for ages and I said now that we’re into a conversation I’ve got to let you in on our secret. We’re actually performing in town tomorrow night, I am actually a Freddie tribute. And she said ‘I knew it! I knew it! I said to the bar staff I thought it was funny that you came second.’ And I was laughing my ass off. So that was an interesting evening if nothing else.
‘One Night of Queen’ is on Friday 16th May at Crown Perth, tickets though Ticketek
