Queen and being different
Seressia February 27th, 2007
I finally got around to replacing Queen’s Greatest Hits CD that I lost in a breakup four years ago (but I did get the Prodigy cd, yay me). I’ve been listening to it during the work commute.
(I remember the first time I heard “Another One Bites the Dust.” It was on V-103, which is THE urban station here in Atlanta. I thought it was the coolest song ever, and had to be a black band. That bass line? The scatting on the guitar? That voice? How was I supposed to know it was four white guys from England? I was 12! I grew up with Chic!)
Anyway, listening to this CD, I was struck again by how diverse Queen’s musical repetoire actually is. From Bohemian Rhaposdy to We Are the Champions. From Another One Bites the Dust to to You’re My Best Friend. Killer Queens and Fat Bottomed Girls. Their range–and their willingness to try something different–is just amazing.
So it got me to thinking about diversification, staying fresh, reinvention. It seems a lot easier for musicians and actors to do than writers. Okay, maybe not for Vanilla Ice or MC Hammer. There are a myriad of reasons why writers do–or don’t– try something new.
Fear is the biggest one. Fear that the fans won’t follow. Fear that you’ll fall flat on your face. That the people who need to approve–your agent, your editor, your muse–absolutely don’t.
What do you do?
I think you have to stand on the courage of your convictions. Maybe that means taking a pen name. Maybe that means parting ways with your agent. Maybe that means selling that story to a completely different house or market. The bottom line is, do you believe in your story?


