“I always knew I was a star. And now, the rest of the world seems to agree with me.”.
Freddie Mercury
Introduction
I mourn the voice that a certain Freddie Mercury produced. Bold and distinct, it defines the music of the band Queen. He had the moves, a true showman who owned a microphone and sent an audience into a frenzy. Freddie defined the music of a generation with his moustache and extravagant outfits. A shy man in private but someone who came alive as his alter ego on stage. Agile and flamboyant, Freddie’s songwriting was a masterclass, cutting memorable lyrics and ones which resonated with his adoring fans.
Freddie was a one-off, and his legacy is eternal. A man who lived out his dream, living in an era when being gay left you open to hate with verbal and physical abuse, an abhorrent stain on society. An age when the AIDS virus killed so many. A death sentence that swept the globe and eventually took the life of Freddie. Mercury loved his job but hated the intrusive media. He was one of the pillars of Queen but relished the opportunity to work on solo projects and carve out his individuality away from the band. Queen was always about four strong characters fighting to include their input, a “cock fight” as Freddie mischievously phrased it. Fighting kept them together and enthused creative ideas. A brand of music that was ahead of its time and lit up the music video generation with bold and imaginative projects that worked brilliantly with their songs.
The Man
Born in 1948 in Stone Town, Tanzania, Farrokh Bulsara came from Indian heritage; his parents, Bomi and Jer, went from the Parsi community of western India. His parents moved to Zanzibar so his father, Bomi, could continue his job as a cashier in the British Colonial Office. Born as a British subject, the family to the UK in the 1950s to avoid a revolution. Young Freddie, born with four extra incisors, relocated to Feltham in Middlesex, attending Isleworth Polytechnic and Ealing Art College, studying art and graphic design. Working in Kensington Market, selling second-hand Edwardian clothing with Roger Taylor and later as a baggage handler at Heathrow Airport, this quiet and shy man, was a member of several bands, Ibex and Smile which would go on to be renamed Queen. A band made up of Freddie Mercury, Brian May, Roger Taylor and John Deacon. Freddie also legally changed his surname to Mercury. The rest is history with a swathe of iconic songs and a band that embedded a seismic benchmark in music history.
Behind Closed Doors
It must have been so difficult for Freddie to live out his life as a gay man. Someone who loved Mary Austin but had in the end to reveal his sexuality. Although their relationship ended, the two remained life-long friends and always referred to Mary as his only true friend. A deep bond was forged as she was the only one who knew and understood the real man. This release was probably the making and downfall of Mercury. Although his artistic personality was second to none, Freddie decided to take a hedonistic path in life. A choice that was fraught with danger. Promissive and littered with a countless number of lovers, Mercury flitted across Europe, especially Germany, leaving himself open to the wrong decisions and deciding to not listen to the warnings of his friends. Although Freddie did find love in later life with Jim Hutton. A hairdresser who he described as his husband. Tragically this relationship based on solace and understanding ended not through choice. Hutton tested positive for HIV and Freddie developed the AIDS virus. Working until he became too weak and his voice weak, the two remained inseparable until Mercury’s death in 1991. Wearing gold rings to show their deep love for each other. A music icon who left this earth too soon at the age of 45 but whose legacy lives on in his vocal genius.
