Icarus Falls

This is not a justification, nor an apology, merely my thoughts and opinions: they are not intended as an attack.

I believe that any official fan club should represent the fans with the group in question, or at least supply information and events for the fans themselves.  This is even more true if you are an International Official Fan Club.  Not everyone lives in England, or London, yet every member pays the same fee even though international member are largely ignored.  I have been a member of many international fan clubs, and each either offer a reduced overseas rate as they can’t attend gatherings etc, or they supply extra for those members, such as extra merchandise, or offering video streams of gatherings for their members, or even allow local chapters to be set up for localized events.

Apparently there is a local branch of the Official Queen Fan Club in Australia.  I have been a fan for 31 years and I heard of them mid-2006.  Hardly a well-documented or advertised group.  The official fan site offers nothing that can’t be gotten elsewhere, there is nothing really in the magazine that can’t be gotten elsewhere and there are zero benefits for international members.  So I spent my $70 odd Australian and got 3 magazines.  I assumed that now, with a lot less overheads, the annual fee would drop – but it didn’t. So what would I pay for again?  A card (non-personalised), three magazines at around $23 each – not much.  Not that I’m saying that the OQFC isn’t good and hasn’t been good, just that it provides nothing for me, an Australian Queen Fan.

Indeed, for some reason, there seems to be a notion that we, the AussieQueen fan club are a threat?  I don’t think our 140 or so members in any way threaten the OQFC, nor is there any intent to do so.  We just want a meeting place for Aussie & NZ Queen fans where they can meet, greet, have fun and discuss Queen in a NON-THREATENING environment.  No need to fear people will attack you, call you insane or swear at you for your questions or opinions – they are yours and you should be able to express them.  I don’t get this elsewhere unfortunately, so I just tend to browse, not post on other boards.  All we wanted from the OQFC was some recognition for what we were doing – promoting Queen in the antipodes and providing a place whereby we could be part of a Queen group, much like other fan clubs such as the Dutch, the Italian, the Greek, the Brazillian and many others; all of whom receive official mention.  Unfortunately, all we got were putdowns and attacks on anyone who dared mention that we should be linked to. 

Well, who needs them?  We don’t have as many members as the OQFC (nor many other fan clubs), nor are we the size of the Official Forums etc.  But we keep going, and will keep going to provide the services requested by our members for Free, for the love of Queen.

Personally, I believe that it is time that Queen fans stopped fighting among themselves, stopped attacking each other, and got together to support and promote Queen.  No other group I have ever been a part of are so jealous, so petty and so bickering as Queen fans.  The question is Why?  Why do older fans who attended concerts believe they are better then the newer fans and put them down or have nothing to do with them?  Why don’t they share their experiences and enhance Queen for these people, rather than turning them off or frightening them away?  To say that you have to have attended a Queen concert to be a Queen Fan is just stupid!  I guess you can’t be a fan of Chaplin films unless you met him, or was on one of his films either.  Or can’t be a fan of your Olympic team unless you competed.  The term ‘balderdash’ comes to mind.  A true Queen fan is one who loves Queen and their music, one who enjoys them , whether personally or who is willing to share their experiences with others.  There is no entrance exam, no ‘qualifications’ required.  Accept this and then you can call yourself a fan.  You may be the biggest collector, or trader, or have attended hundreds of concerts on your or other people’s money; you may be a hoarder of rare Queen, or have it plastered across your room; but unless you feel the love of Queen inside, unless you remember the emotions of hearing Queen for the first time, or of Freddie’s death, or fall in love with them each time you play their music and want to share that experience with others, then you are not a fan, just a collector, and – far worse – if you collect only for the value. 

I am a collector, and a fan.  I enjoy listening to Queen and have made this site and joined this club to share that joy.  I did not attend the 74 or 76 concerts because I was too young (age limits on attendance) and could not attend the 85 one as I was too sick.  That doesn’t mean I haven’t longed to attend each and every one of them for the rest of my life.  That doesn’t make me less of a fan then any who got front row for however many concerts, perhaps it makes me more of one as I still love them without ever having the opportunity to see them: and that is harder then those who have had them given to them on a silver platter.

IF.