'The Goldbergs' rewrite of Queen's 'Bohemian Rhapsody' is executive producer's 'favorite moment of the entire season'; missing Freddie Mercury tribute concert was biggest regret of Adam F. Goldberg's childhood
"The Goldbergs" Executive Producer Adam F. Goldberg has a lot of obsessions, but nothing comes close to his love for the music of Queen.
"Anyone who grew up with me knows that Queen is my favorite band of all time," he said. "I grew up obsessively collecting Queen T-shirts and concert posters and rare U.K. imports of their CDs."
Goldberg has always wanted to pay tribute to Mercury in an episode of his hit sitcom, "The Goldbergs." But when he learned there was a new Freddie Mercury biopic, "Bohemian Rhapsody," coming to theaters on Nov. 2, he knew he had to produce a "Bohemian Rap City" episode for "The Goldbergs." It will air Wednesday, Nov. 7 (8 p.m.), on ABC.
"This episode dives into how much the band inspired young musicians of my generation," Goldberg said. "Thanks to the upcoming 'Bohemian Rhapsody' movie, Queen is back in the headlines these days. But for me, this band has been a daily part of my life for as long as I can remember. I'm looking forward to the movie to see all of their greatest moments one last time."
When Queen lead singer Mercury passed away (1991), Goldberg wore black to school for a week to mourn his loss.
"I desperately begged my parents to let me go see the tribute concert in London in 1992," Goldberg recalled. "That turned out to be (bassist) John Decan's final performance with the band. It's the biggest regret of my childhood that I didn't get to attend."
"Queen was incredibly generous allowing us to feature their masterpiece, 'Bohemian Rhapsody,' on my show," Goldberg said. "They even allowed us to write an absurd rap for Barry Goldberg (Troy Gentile) to add into the song, as he mistakes the word 'Rhapsody' for 'Rap City.' It's incredibly rare for a legendary band to be so generous with their music and have a sense of humor about it. The way we cover the song on the show is truly my favorite moment in the entire series."
"The Goldbergs" is an autobiography of executive producer Goldberg's experiences of growing up in a Philadelphia-suburban family in the 1980s. He often inserts recreations of his personal life into the show, including actual videos from his youth.
