Driven By No One

Chapter 6 - Under Pressure

                It had been two hours since the typing noises had started to fill the cramped office. Stacks of papers were piled here and there on the floor or on chairs, and an old and lonely poster of Liverpool's waterfront was taped on the largest wall. On the wooden desk rested a tiny vase full of white flowers, next to a frame containing a picture of two women. One of them was sitting on a chair, her bald head covered with a silk scarf, and her left hand holding the other woman's hand. The latter was standing up, facing the camera and giving it her broadest smile. She had a short brown bob, and her eyes were dark.

This same woman was sitting on the big chair behind the desk, and she had been the source of the typing noises, which suddenly ceased. Her hand ran through her hair as she read what she had just typed. A loud sigh escaped from her lips.

Kyra was desperate. She had never written any article of that kind, and even if it seemed so easy, it was not. She took a sip of her cold tea and cringed at the taste. Putting her cup aside, pushing it away from her, she read the beginning of her article again.

QUEEN HOLDS PRESS CONFERENCE TO DISCUSS THE FUTURE OF THE BAND

The three remaining members of legendary rock band Queen, Brian May, John Deacon and Roger Taylor, alongside their manager Jim Beach, invited journalists from all the world to a conference held by the label to answer their questions. They also announced their decision regarding the future of the band, following the tragic passing of their frontman, Freddie Mercury.

The conference took place at the Congress Centre of Bloomsbury in London, on Friday afternoon. More than eighty journalists attended the event, eager to hear about what the musicians of Queen have in store for the world. After a short introduction presented by Mr Jim Beach, long-time manager of the band, the meeting officially began.

Rudy Leigh, reporter for New Musical Express, asked the first question, focusing on late Freddie Mercury and his disease. The band members, obviously not at ease, tried to move on quickly to the next question.

Two journalists working for a Portuguese magazine focused on an unreleased song May performed with fellow keyboardist Spike Edney, in April at the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert. 'Too Much Love Will Kill You', a song written by May and friends, is a sentimental ballad originally written for Queen album The Miracle. The song did not feature on the album, because of copyright issues. Although May recorded his own version for his recently released solo album Back to the Light, rumours has it that an alternative version featuring the four members of Queen existed. When asked if the world will ever have the chance to hear Queen's version, May replied, 'I don't know if we're going to release the Queen version of the song.' However, he added, 'Maybe one day, when we're ready to work with the unfinished materials we have with Freddie's voice on them.'

Kyra sighed and stretched her back. She felt like calling Brian and telling him she gave up. She was a simple music critic, writing reviews all the time. Why did she accept to write an article about a press conference, for an official magazine?

For the first time since she started her career as a journalist, her confidence was gone. Professionalism was her goal, but what she had just written sounded like a middle school essay to her.