Skip to main content

Time & Perspective Quote by John Deacon

"No, we have our ups and downs, but we're all very up at the moment"

About this Quote

The line lands like a grin you can hear through the microphone: a tidy bit of band diplomacy wrapped in wordplay. John Deacon takes the most overused cliché in group-life interviews ("ups and downs") and flips it into a quick, disarming punchline ("we're all very up"). It’s a musician’s way of refusing the narrative journalists love to script onto famous bands: the simmering feud, the fragile egos, the inevitable collapse. Instead of denying tension outright, he acknowledges it just enough to sound honest, then redirects the spotlight onto momentum.

The specific intent is reputational maintenance without sounding managed. Deacon wasn’t Queen’s frontman; he was the quiet architect of grooves and structure, which makes this kind of low-drama charm especially on-brand. The subtext: yes, there are pressures, arguments, mood swings, and fatigue, but right now the machine is working. And crucially, he says "we're all" - a democratic framing that smooths over the usual hierarchy in rock bands. It implies unity without insisting on perfection.

Context matters because Queen’s public image often toggled between flamboyant spectacle and tabloid appetite. Deacon’s sentence is a small act of control: it keeps the story in the present tense, away from both scandal and mythmaking. He doesn’t romanticize struggle or sell conflict as authenticity; he sells steadiness as excitement. That’s why it works: it’s funny, it’s modest, and it quietly insists that success can be functional, not just dramatic.

Quote Details

TopicOptimism
SourceHelp us find the source
More Quotes by John Add to List
John Deacon on ups and downs of Queen
Click to enlarge Portrait | Landscape

About the Author

United Kingdom Flag

John Deacon (born August 19, 1951) is a Musician from United Kingdom.

29 more quotes available

View Profile

Similar Quotes

Benmont Tench, Musician
Benmont Tench
Earl Nightingale, Writer
Earl Nightingale