riotnikki

I will firm up as it gets closer - will all the young folks mind have an oldie like me (41) around?

I lived in Key West for 8 years, Fort Myers for 8 years and Ocala for 3 years - so I am definitely a Florida girl! Please include me!

And they thought he was too flamboyant? Excuse me? Someone else already said - they just don't get him. But that worries me. It worries me that I never hear him on the radio. And that my 22 year old niece didn't know who he was (I know she is a bit of a dingbat though). Could it be that he is not commercially viable?

My Mom is not a fan. She thinks he is ok but looks young. She can understand why I like him but I swear she acts like I am cheating on Freddie Mercury because I enjoy Mika. She keeps saying things like, "He can't hold a candle to Freddie." "He's not as good a singer or songwriter." "I Don't like his dance music." To be fair she was a huge Queen fan, especially Freddie, so she really hates to see the comparison. I have made the comparison before but truly see Mika as his own unique persona, frankly a bit healthier than Freddie emotionally I believe. A little more optimistic. But anyway - loving Mika, his music, his art - in no way detracts from my connection to Freddie and Queen. This is just different. Another facet of my personality at another time in my life. As for Mika's art, my Mom isn't too interested in things like that, so she would never comment on it. And yes she has pronounced him gay since "Grace Kelly" and somewhat harps on it (not in an intolerant way) but just that she thinks it is silly for me to be attracted to a bisexual man. (Um, hello, and what was Freddie - but since he is gone, he is elevated to Godhead around here.) As for other family members, my brother doesn't know who he is and until I played "Grace Kelly" for my sister-in-law and 22 year old niece (who must be living under a rock) they had never even heard of Mika. That seriously floored me. I just about went berserker and blurted out, "How can you not know who he is? He sold 5 million albums!" My sister-in-law liked him but my niece didn't seem that impressed. She has horrific taste is music though, so it was not unexpected. My husband (a musician himself) thought Mika was really talented and appreciated his songwriting abilities (for being able to write songs that won't get out of your head) and musical and vocal prowess too. High praise coming from him since he was a studio musician and played and toured with bands in the seventies like Pure Prairie League, The Grateful Dead and Jimmy Buffett.

This one. Oh, man.

This is one of my fave pics of Mika. Wow.

Nice. Very nice. Great photo.

This is gorgeous - where did you get it? I want!

No offense to those who loved it but this video is ridiculous, dismal, poorly conceived and executed. At least with Blame It on the Girls it looked as if someone went to the trouble to do the costumes and a little choreography. This one - oh man, where do I begin? I'm confused about the Gypsy-thing he's doing, on the one hand I liked his outfit and how it all looked like a Romany campground. Perhaps the creatures have something to do with magick of some kind, not sure, someone else posted about symbolism and that's fine but since this was a song supposedly taken from a break-up letter, I was expecting it to be a bit more literal. And yes, I get that Mika wants to be artistic and unique and do the unexpected and it would just be so BORING right to have a song called Rain that had a video with actual rain so lets do fireworks instead? Sometimes an artist reaches and fails and Mika has done that here. No one should sit there watching a video actually WAITING for it to rain and then NOT have rain. Sometimes to do the expected IS the best artistic statement after all. Overall I have not been impressed with the last two videos. Blame It on the Girls looked like it was done on the cheap in some empty warehouse in Encino. Rain looks like it was done in a field on the edge of some airstrip or something. Just a wretched location. Ugly, terrible lighting, absurd costumes which you never even get a good look at. Mika's videos have never been his strong suit but We Are Golden really raised the bar. That is a stunning video that I never get sick of watching because it is electrified and the best part is the eye candy which is Mika himself. Also I think Rain was a weak pick for a single since it is patently my least favorite song on the record. I don't see it getting a lot of airplay in the US but then none of his songs do, which really bites. If you think I'm full of crap go ahead and say so just tell me WHY you think the video is good.( or the song for that fact).

and boyfriends and friend friends too. He's a 26 year old pop star! How many females right here in MFC would jump at the chance to have a go with Mika? The guy stumbles down the street and probably has a hook-up every third step!

Thanks for posting those. I have not seen them on youtube. I am only just now discovering all the videos and things out there on Queen. I haven't listened to much since Freddie died truth be told. Yes, I've been in mourning (and still am) since 1991. But now there is so much available, all these wonderful interviews I never saw, photos etc - things that were never seen here in the US. You wouldn't believe how dreadful it was that Queen stopped touring here after Hotspace.(Yes I am that old that I have seen them in concert!) That was practically the only way I could get any information on Queen - going to see them in concert and hooking up with other fans! I should have moved to London like I wanted to when I was 15!

I did find a shot of Mika on his bed in Spin magazine though surrounded by all kinds of cool stuff (except me which would have been really cool). The only thing the flag makes me think of is..."Do you have a flag?" Since he does I guess he can feel free to take over the world.

I get the feeling this would be the face he gave me followed by, "Back off old woman, you can not have my knickers while I am still wearing them!"

eye catching. Not t'be naughty or anything but er..where'd he sock his uh..sock? Jock-strap? What's the encore? A fig leaf? Carefully positioned bunch of grapes in a fruit bowl? Whats a good gone girl gonna do?

Are there more photos of his apartment? Does he really live in the basement of his parents house in London? That would be a pretty pricey piece of real estate. I'm assuming his family is financially well-off?

What exactly is this thread about? Also how naughty do you have to be? Does that mean having naughty thoughts about Mika? (check!) Does that mean general naughtiness in other venues of your life? (check!) Is this a confessional? Can someone explain to this newb? Thanks!

I'm a vegetarian. Do they have tofurky in Canada?

I hated that ridiculous review. Totally RUDE. And obviously the person didn't get the music or the message. If there even IS a message - who cares? It's music, for singing along with, dancing to, listening to - and in that respect - BRILLIANT! As for Mika's personal life, this is the trade-off of fame. He is intelligent enough to know this and the timing of the "bisexual" comment was not accidental. It was planned for one (or several different) reason(s): 1. Mika may have felt pressured by business interests regarding the "gay" question. Gay popstars do not do so well in the USA for instance. Even Queen stopped touring in the USA in the mid-eighties. And Freddie was not even "out" (though everyone knew) and he never discussed it with any American media outlets. The suits might have told Mika to "pick a middle ground" since his fan base is predominantly female. 2. Mika may have been instructed to do a David Bowie. Bowie changed so many times over his career that the only way he can know what his sexuality is would be to have Iman tell him. In a similar way this could peak interests in Mika as a bit of a curiosity and then in later years he could marry some gorgeous model and have a couple of kids. Who knows? 3. Mika could be gay as a goose and have decided it would not behoove his future as a major popstar to have snugglebunnies with a guy considering his female fan base. Thus the bisexual comment gives the girlies hope without denying a part of himself. Being a popstar means that you will be viewed as an object of sexual interest and fantasy to many fans thus there is no real way to get around this consideration. I would say - don't become a popstar if you don't want fans to desire you and be interested in your personal life, specifically your sexual proclivities. Mika could have always stayed in opera or been a composer, producer, music teacher - whatever. So ultimately this is Mika's choice - he wants this and he has to pay the piper. Only he knows if it is worth it to him. It may be right now - perhaps in a few years it won't be. (I hope that is not the case but everyone does deserve to live as they choose.) To me personally I would have difficulty identifying with a gay popstar since I am not gay myself. This would not lessen my enjoyment of their music but it would effectively neuter the fantasy aspect for me. Which is ok if I don't find an artist attractive, compelling or fantasy-worthy. And Mika for me is ALL THREE, so I am happy no matter what his reasons for the declaration are - subterfuge, lavender-washing, attention-seeking, business-pressured - makes no nevermind to me. Believe me this kind of thing has kept an active Gerard Butler adoration going with me for years! Ignorance can be bliss.

Total Freddie lover here. HATED that book by Jim. So tacky! Its a good thing Freddie was already dead because that book would have killed him. He was so PRIVATE. I think it is NEVER in good taste to write about someone after they are dead because they cannot defend themselves and who is to say what is true or not. Plus since most of the men who were involved were also dead from AIDS it really became one man's "idea" of Freddie and truthfully if he was so important to him I think Freddie would have left him a little more than he did. I'm sure Jim meant something to Freddie on some level but I do not personally believe that it was a "love" relationship. Freddie was not capable of loving a man (in his own words). His soulmate was Mary Austin plain and simple. I love having found this thread and will be going through the next 100 plus pages! You'll find when it comes to Freddie I have very definite opinions!

I love to come here because you folks know everything! What are the dates for Letterman?(and by that I don't mean members of his staff.) I agree I like to see actual interviews too though Mika's performances are always worth the time certainly. He's a natural for Ellen because she loves to dance! (ha you thought I was gonna bring up the lesbian and bi thingee!) (and by saying thingee I am in no way belittling anyone's sexual preferences) (they can be be happy doing whatever they would like with their thingee)

That FAQ is a great read - good to know what all this stuff means now. Such dedicated fans - Mika is so incredibly fortunate. It isn't easy to make a mark when the world is overly inundated with such mediocre musical talents. Unfortunately that means a lot of truly talented people never get the chance to have their say. Once you get the chance to do your thing the problem becomes staying power - will you make it to the next album? Next tour? Does anyone still want what you are offering? Will you be a flash in the pan? It's not like it was twenty years ago when there weren't as many media outlets all vying for attention. It was easier then to stand out. Now it is such a morass of competition that the pressure must be intense. It is fans though ultimately that are the fuel to the fire. The support and encouragement fans give to the artist is everything and it is obvious that Mika understands this. To go from his first gig where he played to a crowd of 8 (and 3 were pissed that they had to pay) to 65,000 in France you've got to be able to keep perspective. Mika's perspective doesn't suck and I say bravo to him and to all of you.

I've belonged to this site for a long time, just never posted before. You are all so nice and so much fun! I love to be around people who enjoy great music and like such a sexy dark Arabian prince like Mika. Yeah baby yeah!

Thank you so much for the feedback, it is nice to be so warmly welcomed here. I really don't understand why Mika is not bigger here in the US since he is very attractive, has incredible music and is like a breath of fresh air compared to most of the crap that masquerades as music nowadays (and I don't mean to put anyone's faves down but I just cannot get into Lady Ga Ga for one example). Finding Mika two years ago was like waking up into a dream, really. Not only did he have the musical chops and this irreverent soulfulness, I loved everything about how he marketed himself - his artwork, colorful kawaii-ness, adoration of robots and Japanese kitsch. It really resonates with me. I really don't know much about him though and there seem to be so many inside-jokes on the site that I don't get. Is there a thread that explains things a bit to a novice like me? I try not to think I am too creepy-weird for digging a guy who is only 26! It shouldn't matter I suppose since my heart is that of a child anyway.

Mika is practically a NASCAR fan in comparison.