I've been listening to some Queen this morning, from their Wembley Live Aid performance. Someone once said that one thing that distinguishes great performers is that they hold nothing back, that they 'leave it all on the stage.' That is certainly true of Freddie Mercury, who knew at the time that he had AIDS, as was portrayed in the recent movie about him. At.that time, the mid-1980s, I had not yet become a Queen fan. I guess partly it was because I was just too conservative to appreciate them. Partially it was because I was a medical student/resident at that time, and some of the first hospital patients for whom I provided care were men dying from AIDS complications, which were horrifying; it sort of colored my perception of gay men and of Freddie. In my older age I've come to like Queen's performances more, and I'm in awe of the power that Freddie had over the huge audiences.