Normally I am working between Christmas and New year as it is a quite period where you can really finish up some stuff. This year was no exception but it was completely different.

2013 was quite an interesting year but also very exhausting year, running your own company and an economy in very bad weather. And on the other hand doing completely new and very exiting stuff and a complete focus on the future. So I decided to going to visit a place where I have never been before, but also a historical place and only around 50 years old. Getting some inspiration of hero’s from my past, Montreux in Switzerland was set as destination. During my life I always been fond of music. The reason is simple, music was always there for me, you just switched on you walkman (Sony iPod of my generation). It never rejected you, always some music available for some mood and always there to support you when you need it.

Influenced by my older brother, the first album I ever bought was “A Night at the Opera” from Queen. Yes, that is the one, with Bohemian Rhapsody. A few years later I went to my first concert, also from the same band and it impressed me a lot. And, of course, I bought the next album of the band “A Day at the Races”. And in fact I bought all the albums, first on LP and replaced them all by cd’s. And I visit every concert I could get a ticket for. In those days, late 70’s early 80’s you had to get a ticket early otherwise it was sold out. And getting a ticket early meant standing in line for hours and hours to be sure you were one of the first to enter the store. There was no such thing as buying it via the internet 🙂 And it gave me wonderful memories which, in combination with the music, helped and comfort me in more difficult situations afterwards. I was emotionally attached to music more than to other things. And I still am, after all those years. I can forget my passport when I am traveling but my iPod with almost 6000 songs and Bose headphone I will not.

For me it was their music and their music only, I never was interested in their private life. For me it was a huge shock when Freddie Mercury died in 1991. I did not see that coming and for me Queen stopped there. Probably I was the first one to buy a ticket for the Freddie Mercury Tribute in 1992. Although I bought it, I did not play Queen music for a few years.

Was it only Queen who I liked? No, I have seen a lot of artists/bands from Sarah Brightman to the Stones. It is about the emotion for me. My favorites now? Mika (where are you or should I say where is your music??) , Bryan Adams (seen a perfect performance in Kathmandu), Roger Waters/Pink Floyd, George Michael (stole my heart during the FM tribute), Coldplay but more recent are Bruno Mars and even Beyonce (not everything). I can be deeply touched when I hear George Michael sing “You have been loved” or the Stones with “Fool to cry”.

When I have to work under pressure to finish some stuff, my favorite album is Pulse of Pink Floyd (unfortunately without Roger Waters), especially the long versions of “Run like Hell” and “Comfortably Numb”. I play that album over and over again because I know it so well it comforts me and takes me on a flow. I associate music/songs with events/things/persons. When I go an make pictures of kitesurfing I always play “Long Road Out of Eden” from the Eagles with Don Henly. In other words, music is there always around me.

But when I arrived in Montreux I was only aware that Queen had recorded their last album there and there was a statue of Freddie Mercury in Montreux. The hotel I booked was the Montreux Palace because that looked so beautiful and they offered a (relative) nice deal. But Montreux had some unexpected surprises for me!

The kickoff was not good. As we did not reserve the Christmas menu in front (how stupid can you be) in the luxery Montreux Palace we forced to find a local restaurant which was ok but not as planned for Christmas. We probably spend more time on dressing up than in the actual restaurant.

But the first surprise was also there on the first day, I was surprised to find out that Queen bought the Mountain Studio’s in 1979 and owned it until 1993, when their last album was finished. And that not even three weeks earlier Queen (Roger Taylor and Brian May) had opened the “Queen Studio Experience” in their old studio. But did I know where that studio was? No, of course not. As there was a Christmas market in Montreux, I walked around there and I had to run into the Freddie Mercury Statue. That part I did check in front 🙂 It was nice to see, but it is only a statue. No music, no memories, no emotions. And a lot of people making pictures so I stood there for a minute and decided to come back another day early in the morning to see if I could make a serious pictures.

But my internal curiosity fire was lit, now i was in Montreux, I did want to see the studio as well as I had no plans to ever return to Montreux. Back in the hotel we booked dinner (24th december) but space was only available at 9pm. And as everything is closed and quite on an evening like that, I checked the internet and found out that the Queen Studio Experience was open for the public, every day, 365 days a year, from 10am until 10pm. I knew that it would be quite and as I had to wait anyway I decided to go there. These days there is a casino and it is in fact a small part in the Casino. It was difficult to find as you really have to go inside the Casino, something I did not expect. But I found it. Luckily you don’t have to go into the gambling part of the Casino itself but you are guided there from the reception. When you enter you find lots and lots of information about Queen. The space is not that big and it consists of 3 rooms. A very nice small kind of museum with all kind of special things from Queen. A lot of them from the private collection of the guitarist of the band, Brian May. And for me recognizable suits of the concerts tours they had done in Europe. And the hand written lyrics of songs.

But by far the most impressive part was the control room which was not changed since Queen sold the studio in 1993! In that room the band mixed their albums. And not only the last one as I thought but 7 of their albums (recorded 6 in the studio there). That was another big surprise, this was becoming more and more interesting. And including 2 of my favorites “Kind of Magic” and “Innuendo” with the most emotional song for me “The Show Must Go On”. Listen to that song and imagine that this song is written while the composer knew he was going to die. And he refers to it in that song. How is it possible that you can write something as beautiful as that while you have that knowledge.

I learned in that room, from the video of Brian May, that the last 2 songs written and recorded were “A Winter’s Tale”, a song about Montreux and the view itself, and “Mother Love” which was never finished by Freddie Mercury so the last couplet had to be song by Brian May. And the last vocals where recorded in that room. Too many surprises in one day. The only more or less disappointing thing was that I could not go to the actual studio where all those hits (besides the last recordings) were actually played and recorded. But you cannot have it all.

And because it was the night before Christmas, I was completely alone there, sitting in that room with a superb sound system, playing Mother Love and Made in Heaven and be able to mix it on the mixing table of 2 meters wide. AMAZING. For the first time I had the feeling that is was more than music. Of course I did my donation to the Mercury Phoenix Trust fund on my way out.

I came to Montreux to get some inspiration and this was so unexpected and so much more then I could imagine.

But life goes on and so were my days in Montreux. Both Christmas days past and I found out some other interesting things. The hotel I had booked, the Montreux Palace, was the hotel where Queen stayed for months during their visits to Montreux. And not only Queen but also David Bowie and the Rolling Stones, another surprise. They even have a Freddy Mercury Suite in the hotel named to. Very funny how my path brought me here.

Another disappointment came when I tried to book a table for the New Years eve (31 december) and it was completely booked. So again we had to search for an alternative. The only serious alternative was in the Casino in Montreux, yes that building where the Queen Studio Experience was held. I have to tell that I complained to the Hotel and they arranged a table in the hotel itself, but we already booked in the Casino.

So on New Years eve we went to the Casino and I had in mind to go to the Queen Studio Experience one more time because I expected that it would be empty on 31th December at 9.45pm as well. In the Casino I showed my reservation and we were brought to our seats. It was in a hall one floor higher than the Queen Studio Experience. And there was the biggest surprise Montreux had saved for me. We got a table in the space which actually WAS the famous STUDIO. In that room Queen recorded 6 albums with at least 30 hits, David Bowie recorded “Heroes”, “This is not America”, “Absolute Beginners”, The Rolling Stones their album “Black and Blue” with my favorite “Fool to Cry”, AC/DC, Chris Rea, Yes, Iggy Pop, Brian May Solo, Freddy Mercury and Monserrat Cabelle, Roger Taylor solo, The Cross and even Smokie recorded albums and where Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, Miles Davis and a million others have been playing and where Queen played together for the very last time. And in that room I had my New Years evening…………… Of course I sneaked out to be the last one to visit the Queen Studio Experience one floor below. Just before 10PM and I was right, again I was alone an probably the last one in that magic room in 2013.

After an unbelievable New Years day Brunch in the Montreux Palace it was time to pack up and go home.

I went to Montreux to get some inspiration but it turned out to be so so much more. This was far beyond my expectation. I just created a playlist on my iPod called “Montreux”. And the music sounds even better now….

Thank you Montreux. Might see you again.

It’s bliss