Say That Again Love Freddie Mercury
Dear Freddie,
We are almost one-half way through the Mercury alphabet and that'due south good. I am adamant to cover as much stuff equally I tin can. I will not do annihilation half-way. You didn't and then I won't.
I was on Amazon the other 24-hour interval buying what I am sure is something I absolutely don't need, and I saw that there is a book called Freddie Mercury A to Z and I went to investigate. Of grade, because information technology'south like all illustrated and seems they used some kind of publishing software and non a weblog format, I tin can't go an online version.
I went through the reviews and they weren't great. Plainly they got the day y'all died wrong. I mean….how? So it had a one star review saying that the person who wrote it must not know annihilation about you and it was full of errors.
So, instead of being worried this was a tired idea, my hope was renewed. I don't desire to purchase information technology so I tin can't actually see where the errors are and like I said it's not online, so there's that.
I retrieve I'm doing a fleck better job than that person. I do my homework and I make certain if I notice out something and don't know if it'due south true I don't keep printing it. (Princess Diana in drag?) I swear there are no responsible journalists these days.
So I think we were on L'due south. I promise that I did Honey of My Life and talked about it, simply I tin't honestly remember. We have to move forward though. I'thousand certain I'll find a not-so-sneaky fashion to plug it in somewhere once again anyway. I'thou skilful like that.
That leaves us with Chiliad. Every bit I get farther in the alphabet some things start to repeat but might be like Jim in J's instead of Mercury and Me. That kind of thing.
I try to not exercise that, but in the last post I repeated in the same post. How sad…..M words are hard and piece of cake at the same time. At that place are a few, though it's inevitable at that place will be an oh yes I forgot weblog later we are past Z.
M IS FOR
Money
Brian May once said that you lot never minced words and he's absolutely correct.
Yous ever said that yous valued being genuine and you held to that for your entire life.
Whatever musician with any level of success will most of the time, deny that they brand music for the money. Who are they kidding? I mean you lot worked your ass off on phase and in the studio, this wasn't some function time job.
I am a firm believer in if you lot work hard yous deserve to earn and spend the money y'all make. Yous had a job that paid amend than nigh, but it was still at the cease of the twenty-four hour period, a job. You did it spectacularly too.
Some musicians say oh I do information technology for the fine art of information technology…..and you lot said once in an interview that was complete hogwash. They don't care near the coin, they said, yous said bullshit.
Information technology irks me when they act like we don't know they are rolling in it. You notwithstanding, never made a secret of it. Money is something you lot can merely use while you lot are living so why not? Why exist aback? I can't name many musicians who are successful who didn't work hard and earn it.
Why are they interim like that'due south a bad thing? I mean yes, do it for the art too, but don't be ashamed that you like the coin. Money is the only thing that makes fame endurable. Nearly of the time they go hand in mitt, just non always.
Beingness famous without money would be utter hell. It's non worth it. That's why I ever wonder how much reality show people actually make.
They have to pay them enough to make it worth taping every embarrassing, or gross, or shameful moment of their lives. Fame is hard, and without the money it's not worth it.
You however adapted very well, but that'south no surprise,from the moment you were born information technology seemed that fame was e'er your destiny.
When you died you lot had plenty of coin and there is even so controversy over it all these years later. Near likely because the money is piling upwardly even faster now than it always has. Later that sham of a movie a couple years ago, Queen has had a huge resurgence and you in particular so in rolls the dough as they say.
Music
I am going to get out on a limb with nearly zero reservations or worries and say that you were basically music in man form.
You moved gracefully every bit if walking and moving to your ain inner soundtrack. You could write a keen song in minutes and sing them better than anyone.
Jim Hutton said that music and making music was your life's blood and he described it to perfection
Music is Freddie and Freddie is music.
You created number i hit songs in minutes considering y'all happened to walk exterior or someone walked by and on clicked the artistic gears.
We Are The Champions was written in 30 minutes at a kitchen table!!!!
Crazy Niggling Affair Called Dearest was written in ten minutes and the chords came to you lot in the bathtub.
Cycle Race was written in less than an hour after while recording in France you lot saw the riders in the Tour De France. A song that is i of my personal favorites. How does anyone just practise that?
All yous demand to do is watch a concert and yous will run into that Freddie didn't just sing he poured his soul out on stage and delivered the music with a zeal and fervor that is impossible to recreate.
FREDDIE MERCURY WAS MUSIC FROM HEAD TO TOE!
Mary Austen
I'thou non going to go too in depth into her. I couldn't NOT include her in the M's of Freddie, just there are numerous posts and words about her in this blog, so see those for more than of an explanation.
I was thinking the other day. Other than her life with Freddie and what they put in the movie, which is basically fiction, so who knows how much of how they portray Mary is true, we don't really know anything almost her.
We know she worked at Biba as a teen in London and that'due south where she met Freddie. Only there has never been also much published about her personally. There is plenty of the Freddie/Mary story, only her story individually is a chip of a mystery. We tin discover basic facts, but even if you actually looked, which I don't experience like doing, information technology's hard to find a full motion picture of her pre-Freddie or really even after Freddie. Nosotros know she was married and divorced and has 2 sons and lives in The Mews. But except that she inherited most of Freddie'southward estate nosotros don't know much near her personally.
I am sure she engineered it that way. When Freddie said in his argument before he died that he had not told to protect those around me. He meant everyone. Freddie never talked about Mary's personal stuff the aforementioned style that Mary never talked about his personal business when he was alive or even now.
No matter what nosotros think about her, to exist a true Freddie fan you have to beloved everything about him and Mary was a HUGE part of him.
To love Freddie you have to respect their relationship, no thing what you remember of her, he loved her so to dear him is to love her. The same goes for anyone important to Freddie including Jim Hutton. Then no matter where you fall in that "debate" or whatever y'all think about either of them, they knew and loved him and both were important parts of his life and his heart, so to truly honey Freddie is to at least accept and respect them. Menstruation!
Milton-Keynes
One of my personal favorite Queen concerts is Live at the Bowl in 1982 at the Milton-Keynes Bowl in England. This was the "Hot Infinite Bout," the last tour that Queen e'er did in the U.s.a., which is super ironic considering their 1984 anthology The Works was recorded entirely in California, simply I digress. (I'm notwithstanding furious at the former head in charge of media back and then for basically killing Queen in the Us. Cheers Mike Meyers for Wayne's World or I wouldn't have known them.)
There are many concerts in the Queen catalog. I think I said most 706 total throughout their career and of form all took identify before I was born or when I was a toddler. The main iii I am talking near are: Rock Montreal, Live at the Bowl, and Live at Wembley.
I am aware there are more than and at that place's one from the Hammersmith Odeon in the seventy'south, but it'southward not possible I haven't mentioned that I oasis't mentioned I'1000 non a huge fan of the 70'south. The music is okay merely the whole artful wasn't for me.
There are many more concerts on YouTube of other dates, only the most prolific and professionally produced concerts. I can't comprehend them all and so I have selected those three in particular and equally Montreal is an G word….hmmmm…..tin you see the future?
Live at the Bowl was done in the summertime of 1982 but a couple of months later on the album Hot Space, Queen's most controversial album, was released. In hindsight it's not a bad album. Information technology was just bad in that it was about 6 months too early on. A few months later Michael Jackson would release Thriller, all the same one of the best selling albums of all time and Michael's most famous and well-known out of a long career of bully albums.
At that place is a intro guitar riff on one of the songs on Hot Space that sounds so much like a Michael Jackson song intro that I when listening in the shower one morning, idea Alexa had messed up and was playing him instead of my usual Queen morning time playlist. Equally the song continued I realized that it was a Queen vocal and marvelled at the similarities.
Later subsequently my obsession took total hold, I would find out that Michael had been hugely inspired by this album for Thriller and other songs. Nosotros all know that Michael Jackson loved Freddie and thanks to the fates aligning they got to record a couple of songs together. There are multiple stories every bit to why exactly that recording session was cut short, whether it was a Llama equally the third fellow member of a super strange singing trio. Or Freddie "supposedly" (not even) snorting a line of coke in front of Michael, they didn't end the songs. One of them would continue to be re-recorded with Mick Jagger and we would hear the true Freddie version of State of Daze decades afterwards.
At that place was one vocal on that album that is universally loved by all, not only Queen fans, but all music fans, Under Pressure level. Another peachy twist of fate would pair David Bowie and Queen in a recording studio and create one of Queen's nigh famous song, non to mention another genius moment from Queen'south undercover weapon, John Deacon.
The video for this concert is great. Yous see a hugely energized Freddie bounce out singing Hero to spectacular lights and the audience cheering wildly. He sings a couple of introductory songs as he gyrates and hangs off the phase construction similar an 8 year old at a fully stocked playground, and then it'southward time to say hi to his audience and his quote and that moment is so special and and then typically Freddie.
Freddie to the audience during the concert.Freddie: Hello, everybody. Hey, hey, hey, OK. Practise y'all know, it's not, it'southward not very often that we practise shows in daylight, and I fucking wish nosotros'd done before, I can see you all at present. And there's some beauties here this night, I can tell you. On with the show, this is Activity.
Freddie: Now, near of yous know that we've got a, some new sounds out in the last week, and, ah, for what it'due south worth, um, we're gonna do a few songs in the ah funk/black category, whatever you call it. That doesn't mean we've lost our stone 'n' roll feel, OK? I mean, it's but a bloody record, people get then excited about these things, I hateful um, we just wanna endeavor out a few sounds, this is 'Staying Power'.
*********I just constitute gold……I found a website that has the nearly comprehensive concert and anthology information that I take ever seen nigh Queen including the quotes above. Best thing I've found on Google in a long time. Hither'south the link to the greatest treasure I've constitute lately.
http://www.ultimatequeen.co.uk/
How did I not know nigh this sooner? Not only that but according to the homepage it's updated very oft and recently.
Ironically, I'm writing this web log and this particular "One thousand word" On Oct 25, 2020, on that aureate-mine of a site there is a today in Queen history affair and it says that the DVD and CD's for this item concert in 2004. Absurd man! I dearest when things like that happen.
This has a version of Somebody to Dearest that rivals in quality the version the year before at Montreal. It's a great version of the song and is equal to the greatness of the concert the year before.
Some great and classic moments came out of this particular concert, and as e'er some hilarious and entertaining Freddie personal stories.
The night before this concert would spell the end for Nib Reed. A long time lover of Freddie's who had accompanied he and the ring for a lot of dates in 1981-82, much to the hatred of those close to Freddie.
PRETEND I SPELLED Bill'Southward NAME CORRECTLY IN EVERY INSTANCE TO REID.
Here'southward what nosotros know. Bill Reed was exactly Freddie's type. He was chubby and dark headed with the expected mustache. The difference in him from near though was his peak, he was shorter than Freddie who was v'9." It's unclear how alpine he was, but his short stature was noted by a lot of Freddie's friends at the time.
He met Freddie in NYC during the years when Freddie adopted that city as dwelling house and from the moment they met was extremely possessive of him. He was probably one of the only lovers that Freddie had that he didn't cheat on, because he couldn't. He was glued to Freddie for most every moment from the time they met, on. Nib wasn't glued to him because of love or fifty-fifty admiration, he was his shadow because Freddie fed his greatest hunger, cocaine! Bill Reed was calumniating, with Freddie fleeing scared on more than than one occasion after a nasty fight. Their fights were highly abusive and dissentious. One time a hotel bill for damages was in the thousands. He is infamous for existence the 1 who almost ruined Freddie's just American television concert, at Saturday Night Alive in 1982.
The 2 had gotten into such an ugly screaming match that Freddie had lost his voice and he and his assistants and friends frantically did everything they could to restore it earlier the performance. Another point for reasons not to like Bill Reed for anyone in Freddie's circumvolve. It was the last fourth dimension Freddie would perform in the United states of america and Pecker nearly ruined information technology.
He was a huge leech that about say simply stayed with Freddie for the endless amount of coin to buy cocaine with and provided that disharmonize Freddie idea he needed to perform.
In the story that corresponds to this particular concert, Bill and Freddie got in what started equally one of their usual fights. According to PF, by this time Freddie was tiring of Nib's using and abuse and ready to motility on. Non to mention, Freddie was feeling smothered not being able to ever be out of his sight. The night before this concert, which upwardly until then was the biggest concert they had ever played in England, Bill Reed bit Freddie's right hand betwixt his pollex and index finger in a very deep bite. Peter wanted to accept Freddie to the hospital and postpone the show the next day, but Freddie wasn't having information technology, and very before long if not right after this concert, Freddie broke upwards with Bill Reed, much to everyone'southward please, but the breakdown was ugly and Bill fought it almost tearing down the door at Freddie's NYC flat in one case. Determined not to run across his repast ticket or golden goose fly abroad.
Freddie put upwardly with a lot from his lovers through the years; a lot more than anyone else would fifty-fifty mildly tolerate. Neb Reed was infamously the worst of all, which is saying something. There is one affair yous never, always, messed with, that would depict the line for Freddie no matter how he felt near a person. You never ever jeopardized his career. The SNL incident was forgiven because Freddie miraculously got his voice dorsum just in the nick of time to perform, though non to his usual vocal standard, that he could forgive one time, but when Neb bit him and hurt his ascendant correct hand, a hand he used to hold a microphone and play the pianoforte in a identify that was super painful the night before their biggest English concert e'er, that was messing with Freddie's job. No affair who it was, at that place was one affair that always came outset to Freddie, his job! Y'all didn't mess with his ability to sing or brand music without keen consequence. Bill had for the second time jeopardized his power to perform, and that was the last straw for Freddie and Bill Reed was gone and basically never heard from again. His next long term human relationship would be in Germany with Winnie Kirkenburger two years subsequently. (spelling?)
If you know to look for information technology, in two or three instances in this concert yous can merely barely see the cast on Freddie'south correct hand. An injury that had to accept hurt horribly, just you would never had known, had Peter Freestone not told us years afterward. During the concert Freddie lies on a speaker proverb "I'm positively knackered."
I bet you were Freddie, you'd been up all night fighting with your lover and in pain and bleeding.
As usual, except for the words, Freddie showed no sign of slowing down despite all that had happened and the lack of slumber, another instance where he pulled the free energy from the audition, a particularly dandy audience. The adlib "Ah Oh" portion of this concert is my favorite of all, and of course the red jacket during Fat Bottom Girls was AMAZING! This was my favorite version of Dragon Attack too and all of the Hot Space songs in the concert are my favorite versions. Run into video above for FBG'south.
This concert came with my favorite Freddie song adlib. Substituting Large woman yous fabricated an ASSHOLE out of me instead of the original lyric, and to this day is my absolute FAVORITE version of Fat Bottom Girls! Freddie would often do off the cuff things like change a line or two of a song on stage as it occurred to him. Later 10 years, which this concert marked the ceremony of, singing and performing together, Brian, Roger and John knew how Freddie would extemporaneous on stage and were used to it. This was also a display of Freddie'south incredible flexibility while performing this vocal.
This concert would besides be the last with Morgan Fisher. A stand up in pianoforte and guitar accompanist that would tour with the band to lend dorsum upwards and free upward Freddie to motion effectually and play with the audience more, he was a great friend of the band. There is ane thing that tin spell death to anyone with Queen, losing Freddie's trust.
Morgan Fisher famously angered Freddie past taking a limo and champagne designated for Freddie and his friends without asking, abusing Freddie's generosity and kindness. After that little escapade, Spike Edney would pace in. Was information technology worth it Morgan? You could accept been at live aid human!
Freddie introduces him in this concert with a fun-loving Morgan wearing a head to toe pink jumpsuit during Crazy Niggling Thing Called Love.
The set-list was pretty standard for Queen at the time, simply substituting a couple of Hot Space songs for others and was the last album they would tour in the USA, a fact I repeat considering it literally pains me to recollect near how I was deprived of Queen and Freddie for a very long time because of a-holes with stupid prejudices. Moving on…….grrrrr……..
Yous can google the set list very easily. No need to take upward room and put it on here right?
Of the three concerts this one ranks a very shut 2nd…..but I change the rankings oft. This concert and Montreal are cervix and neck always, but my favorite beingness Wembley, but doesn't that start with a W? shhhhh!!!!! We are on M's. The concert, despite sounding similar an ad, is bachelor on ii disk DVD and CD also bachelor on all the streaming stuff, though, on the DVD'southward take some extra footage from Japanese shows that are hard to find. I say that, but with YouTube, is anything hard to find anymore? Normally if y'all await difficult plenty yous can detect annihilation ever filmed. The audio was remastered, but not dubbed, as Queen never really dubbed their concerts. Why would they? It'due south non similar Freddie always sang desperately. Though, they say a couple of major errors that happened in seconds were corrected before the 2004 version was released. It's what Freddie would have wanted, don't ya call up?
To wrap up this ane a pic of the cherry-red jacket…..that I dear so much
Okay Freddie, that's all for this letter, much more than to come up, the Montreal concert will probably take up an unabridged postal service all on it'south own. What'southward dandy is even though Freddie is gone we take Roger and Brian and friends around to give us these amusing and and so fascinating backstories for what would normally look like whatsoever ole concert.
Well no Queen concert looks like any ole concert, but the backstories add to them and make us feel like we are in that location with him and he'southward still with u.s.a..
I have FINALLY gotten to the betoken where even the mention of Freddie'southward expiry doesn't make me want to bawl my optics out. The steps of grief seem to have finally let me graduate to acceptance, but don't for 1 second think I'm nevertheless non utterly devastated. November 24th is coming in near exactly a calendar month, and that is a twenty-four hours that breaks my heart every twelvemonth. No 1 understands why nosotros cry over him, 29 years later. Well all I take to say to that, is people even so weep over Elvis! Why is Freddie different.
With the new resurgence of popularity Queen'due south condition equally legends is rising fast in the ranks of all time greatest in music. Presently, the 70'due south and 80'south will be very closely identified with Freddie Mercury as the 50's and 60's are with Elvis or the Beatles. I don't call back it'southward a stretch to say that Queen's music holds up to both of those artists and will continue to. Goose egg volition always change the genius that was and is Queen. Not even an American Idol runner up.
Freddie is worth crying over because even though in his life he sought to take fun and live to the full, in that, and all his personality traits are things to emulate. Living in the moment, something most of us don't even know how to do, being generous despite what your happened in your by, how you tin overcome annihilation that people say nearly you if you work hard, just the lesson of working hard is a great one. Freddie had so many lessons to teach and Peter Freestone said information technology himself. In one case Freddie died school was over and it was time to take the lessons he taught us and go and apply them.
So why do we cry? Nosotros cry because our instructor had much more left to teach and because he created music that makes u.s. feel. It doesn't thing what you feel, it makes you experience and a lot of music never does that. Of all the countless songs and music created and played over the years, the ones that stay with the states are the ones that touch united states and our emotions.
I know i thing, when I see Freddie smile information technology's hard for me not to smile likewise. Even when I'g in the sourest of moods. If null else I smile considering I'thou happy to see him. That is honestly a priceless gift. Thank you Freddie, it's why your fans endure and why y'all choice upwardly more as time moves on. Time may move on, but your love and music stick with us. That'south what all musicians strive for. That'due south how they make a mark, and you lot sure as hell left the states a great and powerful marker and legacy to carry with us. Equally I've said countless times. Heroes Live Forever, but LEGENDS never die.
Therefore hither is one universal truth…….Yous ARE A Legend, FREDDIE! *hugs and love* Who is cutting onions in my office? Stop it!
Love,
ME
Source: https://dearfreddiemercury.com/2020/10/16/letter-thirty-three/?like_comment=163