"And the ray was the Guardian Angel of the mote: not a thing interposed between God and the creature, but God's very attention itself, personalized."~~JRR Tolkien I remember many years ago, the question was, "What's an aerosmith?!". I thought that was funny. True, what is an aerosmith! There were suggestions of a kite. Nowadays, I think I have finally figured it out. And yes, it's a kite - but a very unusual one. (As a point of interest, in my native language "kite" is the same word as a "daimon" or someone who pushes you to better yourself, the happiness in transcending your limits).
Hehe, very clever to put a human-scale Aerosmith (imagine how many pictures were taken there, of people standing in an ancient stargate, the vehicle of the Angels). If we go by the Winged Disc symbol, or the Nibiru, or Fravahar, it is also funny that Steven Tyler has a daughter who played an Elf. *g*
But that hadn't happened in 1988, and it is this song, Angel, written with Desmond Child, that is my all-time favourite song/performance in their repertoir (my air guitar on this wasn't half bad!). Here is why: It is definitely a meta-performance - explaining why they are in this at all, and what it is really all about. Sure, there are suggestions of all rock artists having sold their souls to the devil for money, but I wonder what would happen if we identified a little bit, with that person who's singing his brains out onstage, invoking his Angel (or perhaps she is invoking him?). Have you never experienced the feeling? The most complete, all-encompassing Love, initiated in the stomach and travelling through the entire nervous system. That Love is what powers you to stand tall and know who you are (no devil would suggest that to you). Sure, everyone has problems and issues (rock stars even more so), but this is their way of purifying - and they also do it for the whole audience. Yes, they need the devils to stage the whole thing - but that's minor compared to its real value. So, due to this Angel who is lifting the man, he's transformed in my eyes: first, he goes back to being a child, a small boy. Then, he metamorphoses into a really, REALLY attractive man - I can see what she sees in him, as it were. And that's how these concerts work. The mind is opened to the existence of one's own soulmate, and that is why it seems so confusing at first, that it doesn't matter about age or sex, or even about what is deemed handsome or ugly - it just happens whenever you mature enough to look into it (this certainly was not the case for me in 1988), and it's not about a connection between you and the man onstage, but a parallel between the audience and the Angel he is invoking/expressing, who gives the "glory" (looking on from the top of the A-shaped Axis Mundi).
By the way, have you ever seen the sheer number of ORBS at these concerts?
How many ways are there to tell a story? In this article, I will have a look at the multidimensional tale told about Queen's Adventures through their own visual representations. Jung teaches us that some people have direct access to the Collective Unconscious. Plato, on the other hand, stated that musicians always draw their inspiration from their own experiences through Time & Space (which includes pre- and re-incarnation states). Likewise, these concepts may not differ very much. Whichever standpoint we take, the role of the Artist has always been the initiation and continuation of self-awakening and enlightenment - understanding what we are, beyond cultural assumptions and preconceptions about "who" we are. So here are a few fascinating glimpses of that (*).
PART I - Chronological Output
The new Fan Club web banner, with a startling stargate device (re: faces at the Window), for those of us who are used to looking. Original artwork of Queen by Angela Lumley, in the style of Grandville's illustrations appearing animated in the Innuendo video. Added to this page: 2012 (Time For Miracles).
Feltham Town Centre placque, set in 2009. My photo.
Purple sleeve cover - Queen's first album, 1973. Marks the beginning of the road in the "Pop Star" role.
Freddie Mercury was a Jimi Hendrix fan, a fact that can easily connect the sleeve with Purple Haze (and then have us ask whether Prince meant a similar thing with his Purple Rain?). However, many followers simply make the cultural connection without asking what it communicates.
Trompe l'oeil - The Great Pretender video, 1987. Notice the 'wormhole' opening in the background.
The Cross (Roger Taylor), Mad, Bad And Dangerous To Know cover, 1990 - polarity integration (X), the bad guys resigning from their roles, while the good guys face their own inner darkness. This came way before the "Planet X" hype (Nibiru = Crossing Place or Ferry Boat). Quote originally referring to Lord Byron, whose Manfred poem is quite intriguing. "Dangerous" in spiritual terms refers to the energy of the higher realms, which cannot be integrated by the duality mind, so it appears as polarized extremes.
The I'm Going Slightly Mad cover, 1991. Image source. Typical Vortex Monster (the ego's fears of dissolution). I had these beautiful babies in my dreams all the time as a child, until I allowed one of them to eat me - at which point they surprisingly dissolved. Being eaten felt good, no different at all from being loved in my core.
Andromeda Galaxy in the Time Musical, 1987. Home of the "Time Lord" who looked to see what's up with Mankind. The Rock Star from Earth is taken to Andromeda during his concert, then brought back to tell people to use their Reason and be Wise - this, it's said, amounts to being in harmony with the Universe. M31's Core had not been imaged before the mid-'90s (via Hubble), and in the opinion of scientists, it is a very strange Core indeed: an elliptical ring of golden, older stars surrounds a fast-swirling disk of white hot, newly formed ones. The galaxy's name encoding recalls the origins of the "Medes and Persians" as descendants of Andromeda and Perseus. Freddie, a Persian, was a guest on the show.
Brian's tunnel of lights - Back To The Light video, 1993. Singing along or playing music lightens the mood considerably and measurably, and can show a passage out of darkness. But how does it do that?
"Searching for a clearer view" - Back To The Light video, 1993. It becomes obvious at this point that "normal" footage is used to tell "another" story (which exists on a higher level), except that it maintains the appearance of linear disconnected scenes, due to (over)familiarity with the history of the band. This "otherness" is underlined by Brian May on his album Another World (1998), where he cautions against taking things the way they seem. But how may we perceive them differently? My bet would be by using a multidimensional approach.
A big flash - Resurrection video, 1993.
The Freddie Mercury statue in Montreux, unveiled 1995. The temporary ferris wheel installation creates an interesting mandorla.
The Queen Heaven Laser Show, 2001 (concept: Brian May, Dieter Schwab, Markus Steblei)- promo brochure and some special effects scenes. I recommend the original opening where Brian May plays a Creator and kindles stars in a thoroughly gripping imaginary recreation of the Big Bang. The show premiered in Munich, but the Vienna Planetarium logo is even more intriguing: the ancient Conjunction symbol represents conscious Cosmic Travel.
Projection of the handwritten lyrics for A Winter's Tale. As all Press reactions hyperemphasized a concept of Freddie Mercury's "revival" or "resurrection", this show has formed the initial basis of many of my own studies into the concept of artistic enchantment and the interrelationship of secondary and primary belief - the inner workings of "Magic".
There were often references to SciFi, such as this wormhole-creating interdimensional travelling device reminiscent of Contact (starring Jodie Foster as a Scientist who experiences a cognitive limitation dilemma).
Orb and funnel-like portals
Last Horizon download link, 2004 - BrianMay.com
Galaxy and strings - Lover of Life/Singer of Songs original website, 2006 (Freddie's imaginary 60th birthday; these observances have implied a multidimensional concept since 1992-1993, but in a sense they also deny it - depending on one's interpretation). The legendary Perfected Souls are described in ancient writings as travelling in light form (i.e. "beaming") from the Galactic Centre to various locations.
Ring and strings - Lover of Life/Singer of Songs original website. See Discovery programs like Through the Wormhole etc. for easier explanation of Strings Theory and hypothetical circular device.
A Star in one of the two imaginary constellations, LoL or SoS - Lover of Life/Singer of Songs original website (reveals message from fan when clicked). The stars are found in a purple nebula ("cloud"). Clouds, mists or smoke play a special role in stories of multidimensional beings, because they are indicators of impending materialization (coalescing).
Transition (one's aura turning from purple to translucent, during which the person feels like they are literally going through Death but without actually dying) is a spiritual activation of the Lightbody (to the ancient Egyptians: a new Star, of the company of RA. "Horus among them pulls on their hearts").
Split-screen effect: the presenter steps into the violet Q then leaves his image there and approaches the camera. The presentation for the "Stormtroopers in Stilettos" exhibition talks about a different image, or "the truth behind the glam". The first such use of the Q appeared in 1992:
Wonder - Brian May playing Bijou duringthe Cosmos Rocks Tour, 2008. The eye represents a "door to a dream world". It would appear that the Heaven-voyant person (indicated by the red/blue iris) sees something that shines or glows, which is answered shortly:
Way in: spiralling...
... way out: doors-within-doors - Multidimensionality.
PART II - Interesting Collective Responses
Mme Tussaud's: memorial to Farrokh "Freddie Mercury" Bulsara. The nickname Freddie was given by the kids in India. "Fred" means "Elf or Magical Counsel" when derived from Old English Alfred, which seems more appropriate than the Germanic Frederick. He chose the stage name Mercury after the Faerie Queen he referred to as his Mother (religious advisor) in a song suggesting the multidimensional history of England.
The Epic of Gilgamesh informs us that one of the essential duties of kingship was to make a written record of one's spiritual experiences, from which the people of the respective city could benefit. Thus, good behaviour was judged on the basis of return and sharing, regardless of having won or lost on the quest. Taking off and never being heard of again was considered poor behaviour. Pharaohs in Egypt dream-travelled in their astral body and reported what they saw of the Cosmos. Their experiences were believed to carry information about what happens after death, but also to contain explanations for various aspects of life.
(*) This article about Queen focuses especially on those aspects which relate to the overall concept of this website. Sometimes it is complete, and other times it is still a work in progress. It is aimed primarily at myself and at those with some knowledge about the subjects I touch upon, but if you want more info about anything you find here, you can leave me a note at the bottom of the page.
I remember many years ago, the question was, "What's an aerosmith?!". I thought that was funny. True, what is an aerosmith! There were suggestions of a kite. Nowadays, I think I have finally figured it out. And yes, it's a kite - but a very unusual one. (As a point of interest, in my native language "kite" is the same word as a "daimon" or someone who pushes you to better yourself, the happiness in transcending your limits). 
But that hadn't happened in 1988, and it is this song, Angel, written with Desmond Child, that is my all-time favourite song/performance in their repertoir (my air guitar on this wasn't half bad!). Here is why: 
