Latest news with #AnotherOneBitestheDust
Bangkok Post
18-07-2025
- General
- Bangkok Post
More missiles, memes, and the new resistance
There was a time, not so long ago, when Walter Cronkite's sombre baritone could turn battlefield dispatches into moments of collective reckoning. Even the first "television war" of 1991, piped in grainy bursts from Baghdad, felt slow enough for shock to sink in. These days, the missiles that streak above Natanz or Esfahan arrive on TikTok between latte art tutorials and kittens sliding off sofas. The effect is less shock-and-awe, more scroll-and-shrug. Last month's US strikes on Iran's nuclear bunkers should have rattled nerves. Instead, much of Gen Z greeted the spectacle with an arched eyebrow and a sardonic playlist. One clip looped "Another One Bites the Dust" over orange fireballs; another labelled the bombardment "Just another Tuesday" before pivoting to a dance challenge. Outrage, it seems, has gone the way of MySpace. Call it apathy if you like -- I'd call it adaptation. This generation has been weaned on crisis: melting ice caps, school lockdown drills, pandemic graphs, brittle democracies. Catastrophe is no longer an interruption; it is the operating system. So when Washington crossed a carefully drawn red line in Iran, young viewers simply filed the incident alongside all the other background errors in the global code. Older eyes see dangerous detachment. Algorithms deliver bite-sized adrenaline jolts until empathy wears thin, like a favourite song replayed to death. Psychologists dub it "compassion fatigue". I prefer "algorithmic anaesthesia". Once, war arrived wrapped in solemn headlines; now it comes as jump-cut carnage set to distorted pop. Memes replace manifestos. Irony becomes armour. And if that feels like cheapening tragedy, we might ask who devalued it first. Two decades of "surgical strikes" and euphemisms -- collateral damage, regime change -- have taught the young the true market price of outrage, and it's been heavily discounted. That armour can grow into apathy. But writing off TikTok cynicism as nihilism overlooks its rational core. This cohort grew up watching leaders tweet condolence emojis at dawn and forget them by dusk. They saw hashtags blaze, then fade before any law could change. For them, politics is churn: ritual sorrow followed by bipartisan amnesia. If millennials flirted with ironic distance, Gen Z has said its vows. Placards become punch lines; rage becomes reaction videos. What emerges is a minimalist ethic: survive, stay sane, meme through the mayhem. Yet the story doesn't end there. Behind the screen, young people patch together decentralised lifelines -- raising bail on Twitch and routing donations faster than governments draft statements. They may skip street marches, but their silent networks can do more in an hour than a million retweets. Perhaps, though, the mask of indifference hides a new emotional literacy -- a refusal to perform outrage on cue for institutions that have squandered trust. Their muted feed is a verdict: fix the system first, then we'll talk. Detachment becomes a tactic. In an age when dissent is data-mined and sold back as targeted ads, withholding emotion is a small act of sabotage. Staying unreadable, even flippant, may be the last form of resistance that big tech cannot monetise. And there is tenderness, too. Absurd memes in private chats morph into coping hymns; crowdfunding links outpace disaster diplomacy; gallows jokes cushion fragile psyches while redistributing small but vital resources. These micro-gestures, mostly invisible to legacy media, redraw the map of activism. So, what do we older scribes advise? Chant louder? Feel harder? They tried that. The burden now rests with those in charge. If America's foreign policy insists on spectacle, it must also reckon with the quiet revolution growing in its shadow -- a generation that has stopped listening and started building elsewhere. Offer something tangible -- climate action, student-debt relief, gun-safety laws -- and watch sarcasm melt into attention. Until then, ballistic arcs will glide past on a timeline sound-tracked by sardonic remixes. It is fashionable to scold the young for laughing at the apocalypse, yet gallows humour has long been history's pressure valve. Wilfred Owen once wrote of "a comedy of manners in hell". Today's TikTok jokes carry the same DNA -- lifeboats of wit in a sea of fire. Missiles may fall faster than a feed can refresh, but somewhere between punchlines, a pulse still beats. If that rhythm turns into action, it could rattle the corridors of power more than any viral video -- but only if those in power are willing to listen before the scroll moves on, indefinitely. Imran Khalid is a columnist on international affairs based in Karachi, Pakistan. He has been a regular contributor to publications such as 'Newsweek', 'The Hill', 'Nikkei Asia', 'The South China Morning Post' and Foreign Policy in Focus.
New York Post
29-04-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Post
How Freddie Mercury distanced himself as he battled AIDS: He didn't want us to see him 'shrink and die'
Never one to shy away onstage, Freddie Mercury retreated from the world before succumbing to AIDS in 1991. Queen producer Reinhold Mack, who worked with the band from 1980's 'The Game' through 1987's 'A Kind of Magic,' recalls that the singer distanced himself as he was facing his private health crisis. This, despite the fact that Mercury was so close with Mack and his family that he was the godfather of the producer's son John Frederick — to whom he dedicated 'Made in Heaven' on his debut solo album, 'Mr. Bad Guy,' released 40 years ago on April 29, 1985. 5 Queen producer Reinhold Mack remembers Freddie Mercury as 'a really, really good table tennis player.' Getty Images 5 Producer Reinhold Mack started with Queen on 'Crazy Little Thing Called Love,' the band's first US No. 1 single. Getty Images 'From being at his house lots of times .. it gradually reduced to telephone calls,' Mack told The Post. 'He had such a big heart, he didn't want us to see him deteriorate … just basically shrink and die.' And even over the phone, Mercury protected him from the sad truth. 'You feel kind of totally stupid because you knew that he wasn't doing well,' said Mack. 'And he said, 'No, no, I'm doing fine.' I mean, he knew that we knew, so it was a little awkward.' Mack and his family had forged a special bond with the 'Bohemian Rhapsody' singer. 'I would say we were his substitute family, because, you know, he was with us in our house,' said Mack. 'He played table tennis — was actually a really, really good table tennis player. And he played soccer with the kids and swimming and all that. And he took us out, like at least twice a week, to any fancy restaurant he could find — you know, the entire family.' 5 Producer Reinhold Mack began working with Queen on 1980's 'The Game' album. Getty Images Mack hit the ground running with Mercury and Queen on 'Crazy Little Thing Called Love,' which became the British band's first No. 1 hit in the US in 1980. 'We had a couple of beers, went back to the studio, and he said he had an idea,' recalled Mack. 'He took a guitar and played the beginning of 'Crazy Little Thing Called Love.' And that's how that whole thing started.' That hit streak continued in 1980 with 'Another One Bites the Dust,' another chart-topper. 5 Freddie Mercury rocked London's Wembley Stadium with Queen at Live Aid 40 years ago in 1985. Redferns 5 Freddie Mercury dedicated 'Made in Heaven' on his debut solo album, 'Mr. Bad Guy,' to producer Reinhold Mack's son John Frederick. Hollywood Records 'Nobody really felt it working except John Deacon,' said Mack of the Queen bassist who wrote the song. 'l helped him out, making a drum loop and putting all these weird sounds on there. And when Freddie heard it, he said, 'Oh yeah, this is really great You know, this is right down in the club scene — and I like that.' ' With its disco-rock vibe taking Queen in more of a dance direction, 'Another One Bites the Dust' would inspire Mercury's solo turn on 'Mr. Bad Guy,' which Mack also produced. But had Mercury lived instead of his life being cut short at 45, Mack isn't so sure he would still be rocking us in his his 70s. 'You know, he mentioned that he wouldn't really do it when he was huffing and puffing onstage … running around in flimsy shirts and stuff,' he said, 'because, you know, getting old is always a chore. So I don't know how long he would have lasted.'
New York Post
28-04-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Post
Why Freddie Mercury never finished 3 duets with Michael Jackson — it involves a llama
When Freddie Mercury was looking to break free of Queen as his band went on hiatus in 1983, he turned to a King — King of Pop, Michael Jackson. The two late music legends were mutual fans — Jackson even suggested that Queen release 'Another One Bites the Dust' as a single — and MJ was hot off of releasing his 'Thriller' blockbuster in 1982. Mercury wanted to move more in a dance direction, so they collaborated on three tracks at Jackson's home studio in Encino, California. But none of this dynamic duo's duets — 'Victory,' 'State of Shock,' and 'There Must Be More to Life Than This' — were completed to make Mercury's debut solo album, 'Mr. Bad Guy,' which came out 40 years ago on April 29, 1985. 7 Freddie Mercury and Michael Jackson collaborated on three tracks that were never finished for 'Mr. Bad Guy.' Getty Images Blame it on Jackson's pet llama, Louie, who made a miffed Mercury bolt from their sessions. 'I think the last straw was when Michael brought his pet llama into the studio,' Jo Burt — who played fretless bass on 'Mr. Bad Guy' — exclusively told The Post. 'I think Freddie sort of took umbrage to that.' Mercury called Queen manager Jim 'Miami' Beach to make his escape from the studio. 'Mercury rang me and said, 'Miami, dear, can you get over here? You've got to get me out of here, I'm recording with a llama,'' Beach recalled in the 2012 documentary 'Freddie Mercury: The Great Pretender.' Mercury would go on to release a solo version of 'There Must Be More to Life Than This' on 'Mr. Bad Guy,' and Jackson ended up recording 'State of Shock' with Mick Jagger for 1984's 'Victory,' his last album with his brothers. It was all part of the creative freedom that Mercury was enjoying and experiencing for the first time on his debut solo project apart from Queen — with no compromises. 'He just did something he liked from the bottom of his heart … what he wanted it to be, without being talked into maybe a bit more guitars, or a bit more of this or more that,' said Reinhold Mack, who produced 'Mr. Bad Guy.' 'It was just like, 'This is it, this is how I want it.'' 7 Freddie Mercury dedicated 'Mr. Bad Guy' to 'my cat Jerry — also Tom, Oscar and Tiffany, and all the cat lovers across the universe' Getty Images Although Mercury had previously recorded two songs under the pseudonym Larry Lurex that were released in 1973 and contributed 'Love Kills' to the 1984 'Metropolis' soundtrack, 'Mr. Bad Guy' was his first true solo statement after taking Queen to killer heights with classics such as 'Somebody to Love,' 'We Are the Champions' and, of course, 'Bohemian Rhapsody.' The LP was born out of a time when a splintered and squabbling Queen was on hiatus after 1982's 'Hot Space.' 'I think he just wanted to stretch his wings a little because there are a lot of compromises you have to make when you're with a band,' said Fred Mandel, who played keyboards on 'Mr. Bad Guy' after previously touring with Queen and working on 1984's 'The Works.' 'And I think he just wanted to do something where he could make his own decisions.' 7 Freddie Mercury was ready to take it to the dance floor on his debut solo album, 1985's 'Mr. Bad Guy.' Getty Images Mercury wanted to explore more of the disco-rock groove of 1980's 'Another One Bites the Dust,' which continued on 'Hot Space,' but the rest of Queen wasn't having it. 'They didn't like that as a band too much,' said Mack, who first started working with Queen on 1980's 'The Game.' 'I think the 'Hot Space' album had started to take on this dance thing that he loved, and between him and Brian [May, Queen guitarist], the tension had stretched,' said Burt, who played on 'Man Made Paradise.' 7 'Leaving Queen was never really in the cards,' said Reinhold Mack, who produced Freddie Mercury's debut solo album. Getty Images But living in Munich, Germany — where he was in a relationship with restauranteur Winnie Kirchberger — and exploring the gay club scene there, Mercury was ready to take it to the dance floor. 'I think that's pretty well documented that he was very much clubbing, hanging out in bars a lot,' said Burt, who was in a relationship with Mercury's former fiancée, Mary Austin, at the time. 'I mean, the whole dance scene, he liked a lot,' said Mack. 'He liked grooves and, you know, Michael Jackson. And he said, 'I hate him. I hate Prince, too. Because they are so good.' ' Curt Cress — who played drums on 'Mr. Bad Guy' — recalls that Mercury was insistent on making a clean break from Queen, so much so that he had him re-record Roger Taylor's part on the title track. 7 Freddie Mercury performed with Queen at the Rock in Rio festival in Brazil in 1985. Getty Images 'It was a funny situation because I was playing on the song 'Mr. Bad Guy' because Roger Taylor played it already, and so they asked to wipe it off,' said Cress, who was recruited by Mack to work on the album. 'And so I played it again because Freddie didn't want to have a Queen album, so he didn't want to have the Queen guys on his record, but I said, 'I can't wipe it off, you know, because we have to ask Roger before.' But Roger said, 'No problem, just wipe it.'' Meanwhile, 'Made in Heaven' was a dedication to Mercury's godson, Mack's son John Frederick. The song would go on to become the title of the 1995 Queen album released after Mercury's 1991 death. 'I think the band, or the remaining people of the band, adopted it as their track,' said Mack. 7 Freddie Mercury rocked Live Aid with Queen just three months after releasing his debut solo album, 'Mr. Bad Guy.' Redferns Mercury also worked with Rod Stewart and Jeff Beck on 'Another Piece of My Heart,' another track that was never released on 'Mr. Bad Guy.' 'But it was great fun doing it,' said Mack. Although Mercury would go on to release a collaborative album with opera singer Montserrat Caballé, 'Barcelona,' 'Mr. Bad Guy' would be his one and only solo LP. One of his duets with Jackson, 'There Must Be More to Life Than This,' was eventually released on 2014's 'Queen Forever.' 7 Freddie Mercury dedicated the 'Mr. Bad Guy' track 'Made in Heaven' to his godson John Frederick Mack. Redferns While 'Mr. Bad Guy,' which Mercury dedicated to 'my cat Jerry — also Tom, Oscar and Tiffany, and all the cat lovers across the universe' — found the singer stretching out beyond Queen, it was never meant for him to split from the group that had made him a rock god. In fact, just three months after the album was released, the band gave its iconic performance at Live Aid. 'I felt they were like four brothers, really,' said Mandel, who was playing in Elton John's band at the time. 'I think they just wanted some time off.' 'Leaving Queen was never really in the cards,' added Mack. 'But I think 'Mr. Bad Guy' still holds up. The album is good.'
Forbes
01-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Queen's Long-Overlooked Single Is A Hit Again
Queen has released many, many hits that remain staples of classic rock radio and which are beloved by fans around the world. While tunes like 'Bohemian Rhapsody,' 'Another One Bites the Dust,' and 'We Will Rock You' continue to define the band's legacy, not every track in its discography achieved massive chart success at the time of release – and even fewer have become legendary. More than three decades after it first dropped, 'Who Wants to Live Forever' is making a triumphant return in the U.K. Its comeback has been sparked by a special moment on television, which has renewed interest in the cut. The band's track 'Who Wants to Live Forever' reappears on a pair of rankings in the U.K. this week, giving Queen another taste of success with one of its lesser-celebrated singles. The cut comes in at No. 48 on the Official Singles Downloads chart, which ranks the top-selling digital tunes across the nation. At the same time, it lands at No. 53 on the slightly broader Official Singles Sales list. The return of 'Who Wants to Live Forever' can be traced directly to a performance on Britain's Got Talent. A contestant named Mickey Callisto took the stage and performed the cut, and viewers were clearly moved. One judge, Alesha Dixon, even commented, 'Wow, I was like, is this Freddie or is this Mickey?' That one showing appears to have pushed many people in the U.K. — both those who were already familiar with the composition and likely many who didn't know it — to seek out Queen's original version. 'Who Wants to Live Forever' was originally released in 1986. It was written by Queen guitarist Brian May specifically for the movie Highlander. While the film itself wasn't met with overwhelming praise, the music connected with audiences. The song peaked at No. 24 in the U.K., a respectable showing, but not one that would have classified it as a major hit at the time. The cut was featured on Queen's album A Kind of Magic, which essentially acted as a de facto soundtrack to Highlander. A proper soundtrack for the film was never formally released, but several songs from the movie were included on that full-length.
New York Times
18-03-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Deni Avdija thriving for Trail Blazers after last summer's ‘very hard' trade from Wizards
PORTLAND, Ore. — As the Moda Center blared Queen's 'Another One Bites the Dust' in celebration of the Portland Trail Blazers' comfortable 112-97 victory over the Washington Wizards on Monday night, Deni Avdija walked from the Trail Blazers' bench toward midcourt to say hello to and hug his ex-teammates. Advertisement There was only one problem: In a sign of how thoroughly the Wizards' roster has been transformed, only seven of Avdija's former teammates remain on the roster. Tristan Vukčević said hello, and hugs and conversations followed with Bilal Coulibaly and Jordan Poole. But gone are veterans from last year's roster such as Kyle Kuzma, Tyus Jones and Landry Shamet. Anthony Gill, one of Avdija's best friends in Washington, greeted his pal and also introduced Avdija to Bub Carrington. On draft night last June, the Wizards traded Avdija to the Blazers for Carrington's draft rights, Malcolm Brogdon, a 2029 first-round pick and two future second-round picks. 'I just wanted to make sure there was nothing there,' Gill told The Athletic about introducing Avdija and Carrington. 'A lot of people on social media say different things about, 'Someone was traded just so that this person could come into the organization.' (Those are) two great men right there, and I wanted them to meet. Deni was a big part of what this organization was building before. Bub is now (a big part of what we're building). I would love for them to meet, and maybe that way, the next time we come into town, we can all go eat together.' Avdija is thriving in his new digs, emerging as perhaps the young Blazers' best all-around player. His performance Monday was middling by his recent standards; he contributed only 15 points, six rebounds and two assists, all below his season averages. Then again, Portland didn't need much from him, or anyone else. Washington, which had been surging, took definitive steps to protect its lottery odds, holding out Poole and Khris Middleton from the second half and not playing backup center Richaun Holmes. The trade from Washington is not something the usually affable Avdija enjoys talking about. Before the 2023-24 regular season, he and the Wizards reached a rookie-scale contract extension, which kicked in this season, worth $55 million over four years. At the time he inked that extension, and for months afterward, Avdija considered his new deal as a vote of confidence in him, and rightly so. Advertisement The draft-night trade stunned him — and hurt him. In an Instagram story that he posted shortly after the trade, he wrote: 'Dc u will forever be in my heart' and included a broken-heart emoji. When asked about the trade on Sunday, after the Blazers' win over the Toronto Raptors, he said, 'It was nighttime at my place (in Israel), and I woke up. I saw I got traded, and it was very hard for me. All the friendships that I had with the guys there, the city, the fans — it all just disappeared in a second. But everything's for the good. I feel like I found a nice home in Portland.' He also took the high road, saying, 'I can only control how I play, how I practice, how I prepare myself for the season. If people wanted to trade me, it's above my paycheck, you know what I'm saying? I don't control it. I just do whatever I can to win games. That's about it.' It took him a little while to adjust to a new team, but he found his groove. On March 10 against Golden State, he scored 34 points on 11-of-15 shooting, collected 16 rebounds and distributed six assists. He followed up two days later versus New York with a 27-point, 15-rebound, five-assist game. Late in Sunday's victory over Toronto, he extended Portland's lead to 98-95 on a magnificent driving dunk as he absorbed a foul. 'We've let him have a lot more responsibility with the ball, and he keeps proving to get better and better at it,' Blazers coach Chauncey Billups said. 'He's like a one-man fast break when he gets the ball. Some of these things, I didn't even know about when we got him, because we only played him twice a year, so I didn't know that much. But he's been a pleasant surprise. The fire that he plays with, I think, takes our team to another level. The edge that he plays with, the toughness that he plays with — we need it.' Advertisement Washington has missed Avdija's one-on-one defensive ability, rebounding and playmaking. His toughness has been filled by this season's trade-deadline acquisitions of Middleton and Marcus Smart and the elevation of Holmes into the backup center role. The Wizards also miss the camaraderie Avdija brought to their locker room. 'We were always together,' Coulibaly said. 'Me, him and A.G. (Anthony Gill) going to dinner together and all that. On and off the court, he was helping me all the time.' Coulibaly and Gill said they spent time with Avdija on Sunday night, after the Wizards arrived in Portland from Denver and after the Blazers faced the Raptors. 'It's such a blessing, honestly, to be able to see him,' Gill said. 'He brings so much joy. He brought so much joy to this organization.' Avdija remains close with coach Brian Keefe and with the Wizards' support staff. '(He has an) infectious personality,' Keefe said. 'I loved his care about the game, how much time he put into it and how much better he got during the year (last season). I really enjoyed watching him progress.' Now the Trail Blazers and fans in Portland are enjoying that progression for themselves. Sign up to get The Bounce, the essential NBA newsletter from Zach Harper and The Athletic staff, delivered free to your inbox.
