TURN BACK THE TIME, BABE. BOOK 5. GIVING IT ALL MY SOUL

NO MORE OF THAT JAZZ

- Bri, don't forget your interview at the radio station tomorrow at noon.

Brian and Roger would end up being the members of the group who I often turned to, to deal with the press. Brian was like a high school teacher, he expressed himself so well and was extremely empathic and nice. An extraordinary spokeman to the press. Then Roger though more informal and big mouthed, could manage so well and he never caused troubles respect all I could ask him for.

On the contrary, John was too shy and private and Freddie regarded them such a sacrifice that rarely he allowed me to commit himself with a face to face interview or even by phone.

The tour was running smoothly and my work as the band's press secretary  demanded me so many hours. Little by little the controversy about Killer Queen's ass was vanishing, as any other controversy. As a good part of this american prude record stores denied to sell it, to not being diminished our choices, we decided to release a special edition without poster. Although by special request of the band, we provided any fan who wanted, to send the poster by mail with a previous request.

- I won't deny anyone to jerk himself off peacefully -Freddie said so irreverent as usual.

I always thought it was something quite challenging starting a tour promoting a record that didn't even has been released, but it didn't matter anyway. At this stage their fandom was so big that I was sure nobody cared they only played three new songs. People used to go to the shows to eye candy with the singer's beautiful bulge, to get lost among the complex and melodic the curly astrophysic's guitar solos, to watch the funny way disco Deaky moving and most of all stood ecstatic with Roggie's blonde lion mane and his way of understanding a drumkit. As Freddie well said, they came along to get free of their daily problems and having some fun for two hours. There was no other aim. And it wasn't easy keeping satisfied the crowds for two hours, but they did it quite easily.

The Jazz record was released on 10th november 1978, the free day between the two gigs in Detroit. I knew it beforehand, as usual. I knew the sellings would go well but they wouldn't be comparable to the former one, News of the World and it would reached only the position 2 in english charts, but it never reached the number one. Being number 2 is a huge success but sure, nobody wants to be number 2 when you can be number 1.

I liked Jazz. Not so much as News of the World that it would be forever more MY record or Hot Space, my favourite Lp that it still stood years away in time and only I knew it would exist.

Jazz had a horrible cover, Roger's idea, not a very appropriate title that only could serve to whenever they interviewed him, they would have to try convince the reporters there was not a single jazz note in the whole record. But the music in it that's all that mattered.

The sellings started to raise with Killer's bottom, I knew perfectly well wherever she was, she would think that way. My ass is the reason to this record is selling. Well, she might be right. Just for simple curiosity I told Fooling to find me information about the sellings of Fat bottomed girls single week by week in that other 1978 to make a comparison to this other 1978. He was an encyclopedia, he had all the data you could imagine about the band.

It was corroborated. They had sold 5000 more singles in England than with the original girl and in the States 20.000.

The band was developing as they were making records and therefore, their attitude to the stardom too. But their ambition was always huge. They wanted all; sellings and good critics. It was a too big ambition.

The new record's critics didn't last long in arriving. As Queen press secretary I got them before anybody else and I was thinking seriously to give them such information. Maybe it was not the best idea in the middle of such an intense and demanding tour. Dave Marsh, with whom I got on pretty well during the expedition to New Orleans was one of the firmest Queen haters. He didn't even write a single positive critic about them and this time it wouldn't be different. He called Jazz as a boring pastiche with nothing new to provide. He stated their lyrics only showed their elitist ideas. Fat bottomed girls treated girls like sexual toys. Or rather, just objects. And he said the band treated the people like that in general. And he finished that poisoned vomit describing Queen as the first truly fascist rock band. Dave was very hard not only because he didn't like the record, he got his right to think that way, but also for the personal insults. Something Queen have been dealing with since the very beginning.