Life is beautiful
Venerated rap legends Public Enemy have made our year with one of the most amusing, ultimately encouraging tales of human kindness to emerge in recent memory: the time they hitched a lift to their own show in the UK, taking the time to snap a selfie with their impromptu chauffeur, and even engaging in a bout of Queen's iconic Bohemian Rhapsody on the trip.
As the BBC reports, the iconic hip hop outfit had been conducting a signing at the Record Collector record store in Sheffield, England, on Saturday, ahead of their performance that night with at Sheffield Arena, with The Prodigy. Long-time fan and experienced photographer Kevin Wells, 50, had been in attendance at the signing, ultimately finding himself unexpectedly as the band's new driver after an apparent transport hiccup.
"By the end of the signing, due to a mix-up, the taxis did not wait and had driven off," Wells told the BBC. "They asked, 'Anyone got a car to take us to the gig?' I replied, 'I will take you, I've got a Ford Focus down the road."
According to Wells, during the drive, Bohemian Rhapsody came on the radio "and they all started headbanging in the back like in the film Wayne's World".
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In case you're wondering, Public Enemy mainstay Chuck D has since corroborated the almost urban-legend-like turn of events in a separate interview, describing the trip with Wells as "a pleasure". According to the BBC, "once inside [the car], Chuck D … kicked off an in-car rendition of Bohemian Rhapsody, similar to that in 1992 comedy Wayne's World, although he himself did not sing".
"I did the riff," Chuck D told the BBC. "You don't sing at that part, that's the part when you slam your head."
The Public Enemy-filled Focus arrived at the venue, where the now-viral selfie was taken, and Wells was treated to hugs from the band as well as offers of a guest-list spot — "We were going to have him on-stage for the last song, Harder Than You Think," Chuck D said — but he was unable to stick around due to a previous engagement. Regardless, the band were clearly thankful for Wells' offer, having apparently had a difficult time sourcing a ride before the photographer stepped up.
"It was a pleasure that we happened to interact in our lives at that particular moment and it worked out for all of us," Chuck D said.
We know there's a lot of bad news out there at the moment, so take the time to appreciate how genuinely wonderful this entire series of events is. Thank you, Public Enemy, and thank you, Kevin Wells.