Tell an American about Gary Mullen

[loopymommy]

Last week, my husband, son, and I attended a performance called "One Night of Queen" at the Tarrytown Music Hall in NY. Queen is one of my son's favorite bands (he is 11) and I love them, so I thought it would be fun.

When we arrived, the usual pre-show merchandise was available and there was a sign posted that said, "Gary Mullen will be available for 10 minutes after the show." I assumed he was Freddie, but thought it a little pretentious since this was just a tribute band.

The show started and the supporting musicians looked nothing like the original band. They sounded great, though. Then Freddie/Gary came out in white pants and a cropped yellow military jacket. At first, I thought "Well, he's slim, has dark hair and a moustache, but his face looks nothing like Freddie." Then suddenly, none of that mattered.

He was amazing. He had the body language, the silhouette, every single move down perfectly. His voice couldn't have been closer to Freddie's. When he sang "Somebody to Love." I burst into tears. I turned to my son and said, "This is the closest you'll ever get to seeing him live." I then realized the same was true for me. It was one of the best shows I've ever seen.

When I got home, I looked him up online and found out his story. Did any of you see him on "Stars in Their Eyes" when he was competing? Have any of you followed his career?

P.s. I can't tell you how much I regret not getting his autograph after the show.

 

[loopymommy]

I've not heard a peep, so should I assume:

A. No one here's heard of him;

or

B. There are no Queen fans on the UK Disboard (say it ain't so!)?

 

[Goofyish]

Sorry, I've never heard of him

 

[Netty]

I've not heard a peep, so should I assume:

A. No one here's heard of him;

or

B. There are no Queen fans on the UK Disboard (say it ain't so!)?

sorry- i have never heard of him.. my dh is a queen fan he seen them play many years ago.

 

[Pinky166]

Nope never heard of him either.

Glad you & your son had a great time though.

 

[loopymommy]

Thank you, DISers! The info I got made it seem like he was a HUGE deal in the UK and I'd never heard of "Stars in Their Eyes" before. Thanks for your input!!!

 

[Dimplenose]

I saw a Freddie Mercury sound-a-like on Stars in their eyes a few years ago - I don't know if it was him. He was a very slight and ordinary looking man but when he cam through all made up and started singing he was amazing.

He was on TV and in the papers for a few weeks after he'd won the show but I haven't seen anything of him since. I'd assumed all the really good singers from this show were working as caberet singers or on cruise ships.

 

[loopymommy]

I saw a Freddie Mercury sound-a-like on Stars in their eyes a few years ago - I don't know if it was him. He was a very slight and ordinary looking man but when he cam through all made up and started singing he was amazing.

He was on TV and in the papers for a few weeks after he'd won the show but I haven't seen anything of him since. I'd assumed all the really good singers from this show were working as caberet singers or on cruise ships.

YESYESYES!!!!! That's him! He's got quite a receding hairline, brownish hair, glasses, is quite small and looks nothing like Freddie, but as you said, once he's made up and starts singing, he's absolutely Freddie. It's kind of strange looking at his interviews when he's not in make-up and then seeing him with his wig, moustache, and costume. He's living a dream. Apparently, his band has been touring around the world since he won the show. There are tons of YouTube videos of him and the band.

We received an advertisement today for a club in NY that has another Queen tribute band playing. I looked at their videos and though they looked more like the band, the performance was so sad.

I'm getting a little obsessed with this. I may need an intervention.

 

[mousette]

Hi,

I remember Gary Mullen very well.
As soon as I read the first line of your post I knew exactly who you were referring to.

He won "Stars in their Eyes" , ohhhh 5 or 6 years ago (in fact maybe more).
I LOVED him at the time.

I've been lucky enough to see Queen in concert and I was a massive fan so I can understand why you are soooo impressed with Gary Mullen.
Like you I remember thinking, he doesn't look anything like Freddie, too skinny and just doesn't have Freddie's imposing "aura" , if that makes sense??

Anyway as soon as he started singing and moving around that stage with the Freddie swagger on poise I was impressed.

I've seen him in concert too, and wow it was a terrific night.

If I remember correctly he won "Stars in their Eyes " with a record number of votes and I can remember at the time he was in the newspapers and magazines.
As I say it was a while ago hence the reson many people probably don't remember him.

I think he's Scottish (maybe thats why I voted for him lol)

Anyway so glad to hear you enjoyed his performance

 

[loopymommy]

Hi,

I remember Gary Mullen very well.
As soon as I read the first line of your post I knew exactly who you were referring to.

He won "Stars in their Eyes" , ohhhh 5 or 6 years ago (in fact maybe more).
I LOVED him at the time.

I've been lucky enough to see Queen in concert and I was a massive fan so I can understand why you are soooo impressed with Gary Mullen.
Like you I remember thinking, he doesn't look anything like Freddie, too skinny and just doesn't have Freddie's imposing "aura" , if that makes sense??

Anyway as soon as he started singing and moving around that stage with the Freddie swagger on poise I was impressed.

I've seen him in concert too, and wow it was a terrific night.

If I remember correctly he won "Stars in their Eyes " with a record number of votes and I can remember at the time he was in the newspapers and magazines.
As I say it was a while ago hence the reson many people probably don't remember him.

I think he's Scottish (maybe thats why I voted for him lol)

Anyway so glad to hear you enjoyed his performance

Mousette, I'm so glad you posted. You are truly lucky to have seen Queen. I wish I had the foresight to see them before it was too late.

He is Scottish! He hid his brogue so well that we weren't sure if he was an American putting on an accent or if he was genuinely from the UK. I was shocked to see his YouTube interview and hear his actual accent (I do love a Scottish brogue!).

You seem to have had a similar reaction as me to his performance. Plus, I also had no clue how much of a transformation it was. How cool it must have been for you as a Queen fan to see a sort-of-nerdy guy suddenly belt out those songs with such passion and perfect pitch!

I'm so glad you posted! I feel like there's at least one other person in the world who felt what I felt. Thanks so much!!

 

[imme]

Last week, my husband, son, and I attended a performance called "One Night of Queen" at the Tarrytown Music Hall in NY. Queen is one of my son's favorite bands (he is 11) and I love them, so I thought it would be fun.

When we arrived, the usual pre-show merchandise was available and there was a sign posted that said, "Gary Mullen will be available for 10 minutes after the show." I assumed he was Freddie, but thought it a little pretentious since this was just a tribute band.

The show started and the supporting musicians looked nothing like the original band. They sounded great, though. Then Freddie/Gary came out in white pants and a cropped yellow military jacket. At first, I thought "Well, he's slim, has dark hair and a moustache, but his face looks nothing like Freddie." Then suddenly, none of that mattered.

He was amazing. He had the body language, the silhouette, every single move down perfectly. His voice couldn't have been closer to Freddie's. When he sang "Somebody to Love." I burst into tears. I turned to my son and said, "This is the closest you'll ever get to seeing him live." I then realized the same was true for me. It was one of the best shows I've ever seen.

When I got home, I looked him up online and found out his story. Did any of you see him on "Stars in Their Eyes" when he was competing? Have any of you followed his career?

P.s. I can't tell you how much I regret not getting his autograph after the show.

Just ended up in here....don't really know how, actually.....BUT...I saw One Night Of Queen over the weekend. WOW! I never heard of them before either. I'm a huge Queen fan from wayyyyyyy back, so I too thought it would be FUN to see a Queen tribute band, expecially since it was close to home.

I got in the front row, and had a BLAST! That Gary is just GREAT! He sounds more like Freddie, than any other person *trying* to sing like him, than I've EVER heard!

I DID get his autograph, (I made my husband go out and get one of those books at intermission).....AND I also got to take *real* photos of him in concert the next night!!!!! I'm a photographer, and had photos of the ORIGINAL Freddie in my phone.....I told ya I'm a Queen fan! I showed Gary my photos, and next thing I know I'm at the concert shooting One Night Of Queen.....from anywhere I wanted to be...even backstage.

After the concert I went down to the green room, and showed some of the band, crew, manager, and of course Gary.....some of the MANY photos I got. Some make him look JUST LIKE FREDDIE! The guys were all really nice, and loved my photos. I was told next year, I'd be taking pics for them again!

I've only been learning about him since I saw the concert....He's quite a spectacular guy. Very nice too! I have looked at many of the videos of other Queen tribute bands......and HANDS DOWN, Gary and The Works are the BEST of them all! I feel honored that I was able to photograph and talk to all of them!

Ohhhh....and I got to see him in costume.....and when the show was over....in his real clothes....He doesn't look ANYTHING like he does on stage! ...and that Scottish accent, is VERY cool, but sometimes REALLY hard to understand!

He said bye with a warm hug and a small kiss....and said "See ya next year, for sure!" I sent them a few pics....waiting to hear back from them....They are on tour, and really busy, so it may be a few days before I hear back....

They have a new fan in me...that's for sure!