Posted by When discussing the most influential musical artists of the 1970s and 80s, Queen is bound to make an appearance. Queen quickly became one of the most commercially successful music groups of all time, popularizing a uniquely flamboyant British pop-rock sound. The Usenet group alt.music.queen centers around the band–from in-depth discussions of iconic lyrics to debates on the most ‘underrated’ tracks to members’ personal lives.
Unlike many other fandom-based Usenet newsgroups, alt.music.queen had no formal moderation or rules to follow when submitting new discussions. However, this is not to say the forum was unregulated. Rather than following conventional moderation standards, members of alt.music.queen demonstrated the circuit of culture’s aspect of regulation by means of self-enforcement. Users mediated discussions themselves to limit spam and promote meaningful discussions, providing feedback when conversations became off-topic or unfounded.
In a discussion entitled “Queen’s Worst Song Ever!!!!,” a user named Lee prompts the community to share their lowlights from Queen’s discography. At the end of the post, Lee gently reminds users to keep the conversation fun and lighthearted amid such a controversial debate.
One particular interaction in the “Queen’s Worst Song Ever!!!!” discussion sticks out. In a blunt reply to Lee’s original post, a user named Cathy cites her least favorite Queen song as “Cool Cat” from the band’s tenth studio album, Hot Space. Scathingly, Cathy critiques the song, stating: “[“Cool Cat”] was underproduced, under-rehearsed, and just about under-everything…it was a major comedown…it sounded like a lazy recording to me.”
Another forum commenter, Matt, staunchly disagrees, claiming that Cathy must not understand the song’s lyrics. He prompts Cathy to elaborate on her negative stance–not necessarily to demean her opinion, but to get a better idea of why, out of nearly 200 songs, this would be considered the worst. At first, Matt’s replies come off as a bit passive-aggressive, but he softens his approach and asks Cathy to elucidate her thoughts.
What follows is a respectful conversation, with Cathy explaining more in-depth why “Cool Cat” is so low in her Queen ranking. She speculates the reasoning behind one line she found to be lackluster: “Cause you’re a cool cat, tapping on the toe with a new hat.” Cathy’s response offers insight into her qualms with the lyricism, fostering a more meaningful conversation with the originally dissenting Matt.
Acting as a makeshift moderator, Matt provoked Cathy to expand upon her once baseless criticism. By encouraging users not to offer critique without explanation, alt.music.queen cultivated a space in which users were inspired to provide more thorough and comprehensive insights into their opinions on the band. Instead of enforcing strict forum-wide guidelines, users simply urged each other to create consequential arguments and explain their grievances maturely amongst each other.
Other forms of self-regulated community moderation in the forum were less productive than those of Cathy and Matt. Since the discussion’s target audience primarily included Queen fanatics, most highly opposing viewpoints were met with scrutiny. The discourse surrounding hatred of particular songs or albums, especially replies that branded material as ‘unlistenable,’ ‘skippable,’ or ‘crappy,’ were met with harsh criticism.
In response to a comment by a user named Ryan saying that “Hammer to Fall” should have never been made and would be better off unreleased, critics bombarded him with insults. One user named Steven claimed that Ryan must be “[deaf] or just plain stupid.” Another especially angered user under the pseudonym ‘Save’ commented twice, telling Ryan: “You gotta go see a doctor :)” and “Hmmm, you’re sure you like queen????”
Self-regulation in the alt.music.queen Usenet newsgroup demonstrates the nuances in formal means of moderation versus community-imposed guidelines. Although fandom culture discussions can often become contentious, community-guided moderation can lend itself to interesting conversations. In the absence of specifications regarding who has access to the newsgroup and what sort of content is allowed, the scope of the community expands–anyone with something (positive or negative) to say about Queen is welcome. Without the imposing pressure of formal regulatory bodies, users feel more free to speak their minds while still being kept in check by their peers.
Feature Image: Queen (Spotify, 2024.)
Works Cited:
ALT.MUSIC.QUEEN “Queen’s Worst Song Ever!!!!” Usenet Archives https://www.usenetarchives.com/view.php?id=alt.music.queen&mid=PDIwMDAwNjEzMTQ0MDE3LjA5NjQyLjAwMDAyMjEzQG5nLW1mMS5hb2wuY29tPg Accessed October 7, 2024.
Cultural History of the Internet 