Queen Rant

Dr. May. RT. Sit down, boys, we need to talk.

So this morning as I was perusing the QueenOnline website for news of RT's rumored solo album and tour, I came across this headline: Jedward Release Under Pressure

What is Jedward, you ask? Jedward are two brothers recently featured on the British reality show "The X Factor". This is the show that Simon Cowell is leaving American Idol at the end of the season to bring to the U.S.

This past season The X Factor featured a Queen week. Now inherently I have no problem with that. The boys had a new compilation album coming out (Absolute Greatest) and wanted to promote it. Fine, promote your album on a really popular TV show, meet the contestants, grin through your teeth as they struggle through your greatest hits, and then get a chance to play live in front of a rather large audience. I get it.

I might even understand allowing Jedward to release their completely ridiculous version of Under Pressure (which was actually more of a cover of Ice Ice Baby - see here) as a single. I mean, after all, you let them perform *ahem butcher* the song on the show so at this point the cat's out of the bag.

But, why in the name of all that is holy, are you promoting this single on your official website? Do you really think that your fans - the same ones who questioned whether it was wise for you to tour with Paul Rodgers, a respected frontman in his own right - are going to buy this crap? Do you really think that this is going to lead to anything other than more comments that you are only in it for the money and you are dragging the Queen legacy through the mud and that Freddie Mercury would be appalled if he were alive right now? It's bad enough that a few weeks ago you released the Muppet version of Bohemian Rhapsody as a single. Yeah, it was cute to watch online, but as a single? Who the heck is going to buy that? Especially after it was available for free for three weeks before you released the stupid thing?

What exactly do you expect to get out of this? It is making you look desperate and I can't believe that is the case.

Please, Dr. May, RT, if you want to do something Queen related: go on a tour, just the two of you, take turns singing the songs that you're each comfortable singing. Sure, it will be a smaller affair then you are used to, but it would at least maintain some small shred of dignity. Or release another Blu Ray - Queen Rock Montreal is amazing and there are tons of shows from the 1970s that fans would love to see polished up. Or release some of the back catalog, unreleased stuff that we've never heard before. OR GO INTO THE STUDIO AND WRITE SOME MUSIC!

There are so many options for you, why are you resorting to this?

Rant over.