On the Spot… Christian Mendoza
Following the surprise announcement of the Outsider tour in 2021, virtuoso guitarist Christian Mendoza was like many others in being extremely excited about the prospect of Roger Taylor going out on the road on his own for the first time in over two decades. In an exclusive interview that originally appeared in the Official International Queen Fan Club summer 2024 magazine, Christian spoke about joining the touring band following Jason Falloon’s withdrawal from the originally announced line-up due to health issues. This interview by Dave Fordham is reproduced with permission and the full version is available in the fan club’s members only archive. For exclusive interviews in the winter 2024 magazine with Queen collaborators Mack, John Harris and Bob Catley, join the fan club now at www.queenworld.com.
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What can you tell us about the events that led to you becoming a member of the final line-up of the Outsider band?
I saw the tour announcement and thought to myself ‘wouldn’t that be a nice gig to have, it would be so cool’. I’d been on the peripheral of the Queen family because I knew Roger’s wife Sarina and had briefly met Roger a few times in social circumstances. I’d also met Jim Beach many times as I’d played with his son Ol.
I had a lightbulb moment and thought it wouldn’t hurt to contact a few people that I knew would relay my message to Roger, saying ‘I’m pretty sure you’ll have this covered but I’m just putting it out there that I’d love to do this tour… and without being presumptuous, I believe I’d do a good job’. He probably already had somebody but what’s the worst that could happen in asking?
They replied thanking me but said they already had it sorted. However, two weeks later I got a message asking if I could send some videos of myself playing. I wasn’t told it was for the Outsider tour and I wondered if it was for the Queen Extravaganza as my friend Marco Briatore had played drums with them.
A few days later I was asked if I was available to meet Roger for a chat… and if I was available for those dates in October – that’s when it clicked! I didn’t really audition, Roger and I just sat down and I played him some random and improvised things… and he seemed to really like my sound.
Then he played me the Outsider album and I loved it. Sonically I thought it was brilliant and lyrically very powerful. It translated to me as a very honest and artistic statement of where Roger was at.
He then explained what he wanted on the tour and asked if I wanted to do it. We shook hands and he hired me right there – I was floored.
I loved Roger’s demeanour because he really made it feel like he trusted me. I did tell him it was a dream come true and he was so cool about it. Roger is just such a gentleman and genuine human being.
Were Queen an influence when you were growing up?
I grew up with their music in my house continuously. As a kid, I remember being mesmerised by Killer Queen and feeling the harmonies were almost futuristic.
I was a big Flash Gordon fan as a child, and after seeing Wayne’s World I remembered we had the Greatest Hits CD so went home to play Bohemian Rhapsody and the rest of the album.
I remember being in the car with my dad on the day Freddie passed and reading the news… it had an impact on me. As I got older, watching the video of These Are The Days Of Our Lives always broke my heart.
Whatever sort of music I got into in my life, Queen was something I’d put in another place in my head stylistically because they were so versatile.
Had playing with Roger ever been on your radar?
You dream of playing with certain artists as a child, but as an adult I’d never even thought about playing with Roger or Brian because Queen would never need another guitarist, especially me. So when it happened it was a very special moment, a gift that the universe gave me. Moments like that are all the reasons why I wanted to be a musician in the first place; I never take it for granted and I’m aware these are once in a lifetime moments.
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On your first visit to Roger’s studio, did his extensive guitar collection take you by surprise?
He really is into them – I saw all these great guitars but didn’t initially realise that they were all pre-CBS Fenders! It was really nice finding out that he’s such an enthusiast and a great player as well.
Roger was very kind to ask if I’d like to use one of his guitars on tour, but I was a bit on the fence about taking such a valuable instrument on the road so used my own.
Was Roger keen for you to emulate the guitar sound from his Queen songs?
I did ask how close they wanted me to get to the original material. Roger said he wanted us to respect the music but it wasn’t a cover band and these would be our interpretations, and Spike suggested great ways to honour Brian’s playing while also doing my own thing. It was obvious to me which parts had to be played note for note and where I could have liberties.
So my approach was to respect the music and parts that Brian wrote and to take what I could in terms of his phrasing. But it would’ve been silly to try and sound like him because no one sounds like Brian May.
I listened to a lot of recent versions of Queen playing live and was influenced by what Brian is doing with the music now. It wasn’t just learning the songs but also trying to sculp my own sound and having great tone. To me that’s most important – tone, phrasing and good time. The music had so many cool guitar parts that it was fun to dive in and try to create sounds… and when I presented them to Roger, I believe he dug my sound.
Did your interpretations vary from track to track?
Yes – for example, Brian still plays the same Days Of Our Lives solo now because it sounds to me like it’s a written solo, not an improvisation. So I tried to play it as close to Brian as I could – it’s a beautiful musical statement and it would have been very silly to think I could do better. I also love that solo so was more than happy to play it every night.
But for instance with Tenement Funster, I felt like the original guitar solo was quite improvised so I looked at the chord changes and just tried to play it with my own approach, although I still threw in some of Brian’s inflections from the solo.
And with A Kind of Magic, my solos were improvised with a few quotes of Brian’s licks/phrases thrown in.
How was it to play Roger’s solo tracks and did he offer any guidance when you were learning them?
It was the same as with the Queen material: respect the music written and sometimes add your own thing. There was a moment on Strange Frontier where I was playing some lead lines but Roger wanted me to give it a more Pete Townshend vibe with big chords instead. It was fascinating getting feedback from Roger.
I loved playing the acoustic version of Foreign Sand, and Say It’s Not True was very special to me because we did the Jeff Beck version with that really nice intro stuff.
Man on Fire was so much fun as well as it had a sort of Bruce Springsteen vibe. And even though it’s tricky on guitar, Up was particularly cool to do with Roger on drums and I got to play some cool delay special FX stuff on that one.
Did you enjoy playing the covers of Rock and Roll and Heroes?
Playing legendary Led Zeppelin and David Bowie songs with a legendary musician who is a contemporary of those guys and was friends with them was a real highlight. And Under Pressure was a beautiful moment in the show.
With the setlist covering several musical genres, was it challenging to adapt your playing?
To make a living playing music these days, you really need a more diverse palette of styles and sometimes you play things you never thought you’d be doing… and that takes you to other places. So being able to play pop, progressive, Latin, rock n roll, jazz, funk and fusion etc is something I’m proud of. I believe one of the things that got Roger’s attention was noticing I played a wide range of styles.
How would you describe the band dynamics?
They were great and we all travelled together in a bubble because of Covid regulations. Socially this tour was a bit different than normal and in a way it made us quite close to each other because we couldn’t really socialise with anyone outside our touring bubble – so we spent a lot of time in each other’s company. We were able to be there for one another yet at the same time give each other space when needed.
Tina [Keys] and I went into an already formed family and they were super cool with us. Tina is such a great human being and a really talented individual. Neil [Fairclough] was so welcoming and a joy to be around, as well as being a marvellous musician – we laughed so much and he’s one of my favourite people ever to travel with.
Tyler had gone through some unfortunate personal matters, but he managed to play beautifully every night and still spend some time with us socially. I have nothing but respect for how he was able to manage everything while enduring what he had going on.
And Spike has been around Queen for so long that it was always a treat to hear his amazing stories… but what was cool was we weren’t asking about the crazy parties or superficial things, it was more about certain gigs, songs and writing processes etc.
Roger treated us like a proper band and would come and have his dinner with us in the dressing room and have vocal warm ups. In this industry there can be big egos and people who keep their distance; there is nothing wrong with that but Roger is one of the biggest and most successful artists I’ve worked with, a true legend and yet I felt treated like a band member, not a sideman. It was a beautiful experience to be treated as a peer by someone you’ve admired and who’s artistry has been part of your journey since the beginning.
Did you feel any pressure performing the big Queen hits to diehard audiences?
I’ve played many gigs where it’s been all about the popstars with big productions and backing tracks… but this really was a guitar driven show. So suddenly I was back in front of audiences after Covid and in charge of a lot of the sonics. It was really exciting but with the pressure and responsibility of people wanting to hear the songs they love. That pressure has to inspire you to go and really bring it and you can’t let it put you down.
Playing A Kind of Magic, These Are The Days Of Our Lives and Radio Ga Ga was an incredible experience. A couple of times I had to hold back tears playing Days Of Our Lives. Even though Roger and Spike were taking a break, Prime Jive was also such a fun song and Tyler sung it amazingly.
And I’m In Love With My Car starts so powerfully, it was such a trip!
Roger used superlatives such as ‘multi-talented’, ‘fantastic’ and ‘the most amazing guitar player’ to introduce you. Quite the accolades considering he’s shared stages with iconic guitarists such as Jeck Beck, David Gilmour, Tony Iommi, Jimmy Page, Mick Ronson, Ronnie Wood, Slash and a certain Brian May, to name but a few?
It was very special because he saw something in me that he appreciated and enjoyed. Even if nobody else had heard what he said, it would’ve been very vindicating because a career in music is not an easy career – even when you’re busy, the economy of things can be hard and you ask yourself questions about life. So to hear from one of your musical heroes who understands success and has such a high level of artistry that you are not just good but great is a validation that you’ve made right choices.
And I know from my experience of working with Roger that he is a completely genuine, authentic and honest person. So I don’t believe he was just saying those things, and even when I’m in touch with him now he is super gracious.
Before you could’ve ever imagined sharing a stage with Brian, did he influence you as a youngster when learning guitar?
Brian was always someone I loved. What always struck me about him was his own sound and his sense of harmony with that almost classical feel to it.
I remember as a child hearing his solo at the Guitar Legends concert in 1991 which he played with a delay, harmonising himself like an orchestra. It was so original and I was very curious how he got that sound.
So what are your memories of his guest appearance during that special night at Shepherd’s Bush?
It was a trip! It was wild during soundcheck because Brian was recording us – it’s a bit of WTF moment to play a Queen song with Roger Taylor while Brian May is filming on his phone! But Brian said I sounded lovely and had nothing to worry about – he was just recording for fun.
I was nervous but also really excited and it was so cool when Brian came on for Tutti Frutti. I was playing acoustic while he was soloing – I was just enjoying being there and hearing that massive sound!
I think it was very special for my family to see me playing with Brian too. My hometown in Mexico is very music driven and it’s really nice that people I grew up with saw me and couldn’t believe I was playing with Brian May. To have it happen was a real gift.
That concert was on the 22nd October and I turned 40 on the 23rd, so another beautiful treat was Bruce Dickinson coming backstage to sing Happy Birthday to me in his very own special way! Roger and his children also sang Happy Birthday and gave me a couple of whiskies.
Have you had a chance to see Roger perform with Queen + Adam Lambert?
Yes, twice – and they were fantastic. I was playing at the TRNSMT Festival in Scotland in 2018 and got to see Queen later in the day on the main stage. And then they were good enough to give me tickets for the o2 in 2022.
Adam is an incredible singer and he is a very smart individual that doesn’t try to copy Freddie; he knows where his place is and how important he is in the show. It’s an incredible stage for him to do his thing and his vocal ability is unbelievable.
The fact that Queen are arguably bigger than ever is a marvellous story and shows that it’s the timeless music that really continues to put them out there. Whether its purposeful or not, Queen’s legacy is always feeding the music to a new generation.
Do you have a message for the thousands of fan club members that attended the Outsider gigs?
I’m very appreciative because I’ve received nothing but really supportive and beautiful comments. I was always a bit worried of hardcore fans not being pleased, but all the Queen fans I’ve personally encountered have been very gracious and say they liked my job.
The fans, management, musicians, crew and everybody that worked on the show were very kind to me. The whole experience was something that was so unexpected; I’m not really a religious person but it felt like there was a good omen out there really looking after me, or perhaps just the universe coming together and I caught a wave at the right place, right time. It was one of the best experiences of my working career, both musically and personally.
This article is © Dave Fordham and the Official International Queen Fan Club and is not to be reproduced without permission. Join the fan club at www.queenworld.com
Many thanks to Christian for his time and to Zbyszek Kaminski and Thilo Rahn for images which should also not be reproduced without permission.
Follow Christian Mendoza on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/chrisguitarro?igsh=NzZ2bnljNDZyNzZk.
The Outsider Live range is at https://queenonlinestore.com/collections/roger-taylor-outsider-live