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a-froger-epic · 3 years

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Stories told by Freddie's bodyguard

One of my followers, who read a book written by Vic Robinson, a former celebrity bodyguard, was so kind as to share all the stories from it which related to Queen and Freddie! (Thank you so much, anon! 💕) Vic worked as Freddie’s personal bodyguard during their US tour in the early 80s (I think it was the Hot Space tour '82?). He has some interesting stories to tell.

The stories include, among other things:

a kind-hearted, intelligent, shy Freddie who will, however, punch people in the head if need be

some serious shade thrown at Paul Prenter

Brian, Rog and Deaky taking a limo of strippers back to their hotel

a lot of appreciation for Queen

and Bill Reid: Arsehole Extraordinaire.

But apart from that, Vic’s account of working for Freddie is the tale of a straight guy having his mind blown by the existence of gay people and their lives.

And it is incredibly entertaining!

This is Vic (the dude with arms like tree trunks), just to give you an idea of the man behind these stories.

And here is the only picture I could find of him with Freddie, and Phoebe on the right there.

I am sorry, I couldn't help but take the mickey out of Vic just a bit in this, but in actual fact, I think he sounds like a good guy at the end of the day. He was simply, like most people, the product of the era-typical homophobia he was surrounded by.

So let’s dive in.

Crystal both “warns” and, I suppose, reassures Vic. (Poor, terrified, huge muscle man that he is, praying to God for his safety at the prospect of having to work for a gay man he could easily throw across the room one-handed.)

“Chris Taylor let me know Freddie was gay. I hadn't know that - not that it made that much of a difference, but when you're a single man and you're going to take a job with a gay man, I guess mentally there is a little bit of apprehension. I had some concerns at the beginning, but I just prayed to God and left it alone. After a serious talk with Chris about past experiences, because he had been with the band for a while, I didn't see it as a big problem whatsoever.”

Vic meets Freddie, and immediately gives Paul Prenter some serious side-eye.

“I had been given a heads-up by Chris Taylor that there would be three or four people travelling with him. [...] After a couple minutes, three gentlemen walked through the gates, and I finally saw Freddie. The manager of the band Paul Prenter was with him, as was his personal assistant Peter Freestone. They were quite, as I would say, vociferous as they walked out. They were having a lot of fun. I saw Freddie, walked up to him and said, ‘How are you doing, Freddie? I’m Vic.’ Immediately, Paul Prenter said ‘where’s the car?’. Paul was probably five three or five four - and that might be pushing it. He wasn’t very tall. Freddie pretty much looked like I thought, like a true rock star. He wasn’t dressed flamboyantly or anything like that. He said ‘Nice to meet you’. As we were driving to the hotel, Freddie asked me where I was from and how long I’d been in the business [...] I felt he respected me, just from how he started talking to me. It definitely didn’t take long to realise that Paul Prenter liked to be in control. He wanted to show that he was the so-called man in charge when it came to the band, which didn’t bother me [...] I had only been around Paul for teen or fifteen minutes, and I already knew I personally didn’t care for him.”

Vic’s first impressions of Queen, in which everyone is really cool, but especially Brian.

“Freddie seemed to be quite smart, pretty low key, and somewhat shy.”

“John Deacon was the second band member I met, a really cool guy. One thing that I did notice with Freddie and John was they were very intelligent, definitely musician's musicians. The next person I met was Brian. He just looked like a rock star. He was a very cool brother. [...] He was the glue of the band, in addition to Freddie.”

“Roger Taylor was the last person I met and the one I really hit it off with right away. Everybody was cool. No divas, as you would call them, so far. Everybody seemed to be pretty grounded. I just felt comfortable with the whole situation.”

Vic is very impressed with Queen as a band, and Freddie: great communicator and confident, seasoned performer.

“When it was time to go on stage, I had an energy that I'd never had before. The crowd was going crazy, chanting, 'Queen! Queen! Queen!' [...] I knew from looking at the stage and how it was set up that it didn't have all of the so-called bells and whistles of a Rolling Stone stage, but it was quite different in the lighting - it was spectacular and of course, having a grand piano at the front of the stage really made for a different feeling. When Queen took the stage [...] the crowd went absolutely nuts. [...] The other three members [...] went up and took their positions. They started playing, while Freddie was still in the quick change room with me and Peter Freestone, his personal assistant. He turned and gave me a high five; they gave him his microphone, and he pranced out there like he owned the crowd and the stage right off the bat. I had never seen anything like that before [...] Freddie was different. After hearing him hit that first note, I knew he could sing like no one I had ever heard perform before. He was just an incredible singer, and his stage presence was awesome as well. It was a constant learning process for me doing that first show. But it was one that he made very easy for me because he was very good to work with. Right off the bat, there was nothing hard about communicating with him on stage, and it seemed like the more I was around him, the better our communication got.”

Vic goes out with Freddie and his friends for the first time and is SHOOKETH by the sheer level of GAY.

“I went and brought Freddie down. Paul Prenter and Peter Freestone were going with us as well. I wasn't sure at the beginning, but it didn't seem like people were calling each other by their real names. [...] It took me a while to really catch on to it, but I noticed Paul Prenter and Peter Freestone didn't call Freddie by his name all the time. [...] They called Freddie Melissa. [lol, I don’t know if this was anon’s auto-correct or if Vic simply wrongly recalls the name Melissa, Melina being a bit rarer.] Freddie called Paul Trixie, and Peter Phoebe.”

“Stages was the very first discotheque or club that I went into with Freddie [...] As soon as we walked through the door, I knew this was definitely different for me. Every guy in the club was basically gay. Every woman or lady in the club was gay as well - not that I had a problem with that. My only problem was keeping myself focused on the things that I needed to focus on, namely my boss Freddie Mercury. When we walked through those doors, people flocked to Freddie almost like there were people who were apparently old friends of his. [...] They all went up to the bar for a drink. Freddie chilled for a little bit, just talking to some friends and enjoying the music. [...] Eventually, everybody went out onto the dance floor and started dancing. [...] I was just kind of standing at the bar. [...] It was the first time in my life that I'd had two men standing to my left hugging and kissing and two beautiful women standing to my right hugging and kissing. Here I was, single, standing in between the two pairs, going, WOW.”

“I realized in working for my new boss, I had to do my absolute best not to pass judgement of any kind. I had never worked for anyone gay [...] I knew it was most important for me not to get caught up in prejudging anyone. [...] I treated him with the same respect that I would have wanted to be treated with myself.”

Vic meets more of Freddie’s friends, fans and entourage, and boy, they’re all really gay too! And Freddie is easily taken advantage of in his desire to show people how much he cares and to make them happy…

“So many different kinds of people came to see Freddie. Some came dressed as nuns, and they came dressed as drag queens by the thousands. It was just all kinds. The ones who were lucky enough to get a backstage pass or who were just friends of his were able to come back and hang out after the show. They really showed their love for him, and he showed his love for them as well, sometimes almost too much because he let people get away with things. They would get things that I didn’t think they needed to have. In one particular case, we had a off day in San Francisco, [...] and I thought we were going to an amusement park. [...] Just getting out of the hotel and getting to where we had to go was a chore, because a lot of Freddie’s friends came too. We ended up having to get a second limo. We ended up at a resort. It was quite a unique resort because all it was, was a lot of gay men around the pool. [...] We spent like eight hours there.

Now I was a straight man around two or three hundred gay guys. There was only one woman on the premises that I saw; she was the bartender and turned out to be a lesbian. This was not the most fun I had on this whole tour. [...] Even though, I loved my boss Freddie, because he was a very lovable and likeable person, I was just getting tired of all of the friends and people who tried to go overboard and take advantage of him by talking him into doing things that he really didn’t need to do. And when I say those things, please don’t take it the wrong way, because the bottom line of it is we all have friends like that, people who just get spoiled as friends, even if they also have money. They think that everything you have, they should have. Or if you’re having that, they should be having that. They know that you’re going to foot the bill because they know you have a kind heart. In that way, I thought a lot of people tried to take advantage of him.”

But! Freddie also has some really awesome friends - and he sure knows how to take care of himself, and will punch you in the head.

“A lot of Freddie's friends and associates had money. They were soap opera stars, doctors, a lot of them were professors. All different kind of people. They were all nationalities and races - white, black and Hispanic. I thought that was really cool. If you're not a person who's prejudiced you should have friends of all shapes and colors. Being in that situation, being around people that I absolutely had to make sure weren’t really trying to get next to my boss in the wrong way, it was tough sometimes. My boss occasionally took chances that he didn’t have to take or shouldn’t have taken. When we were in these bars [gay bars], I tried to keep away and give him his space as much as possible without being so far away that I could not strike and do whatever I needed to do in case of extreme emergency. Freddie was a person who, believe it or not, could take care of himself. If you got up in his face, he would punch you in the head. For the most part, that was what he had me for. [...] You had to push people away and maybe pull them away sometimes.”

Queen had a gay and a straight hospitality room, and Vic had to work really hard to make absolutely sure people knew he was Definitely Not Gay, no sir, no homo.

"All of the band members would get together in one hospitality room where all of their guests and friends would meet after their show. For Queen, the three band members had their hospitality room and Freddie had another hospitality room a little bit further down the hall for himself and his friends. All of the people in the band's hospitality room were straight. All of the people in Freddie's hospitality room were gay, it seemed. And the interesting part of it was how they came. Some were dressed in drag. Some were dressed like everyday bussiness people, but there was a wide variety of the kind of people who were Freddie's friends or guests. [...] It opened the door for me to learn about something that I really had known nothing about prior to working with Queen on that day. Quite often, it seems when we are not used to certain situations, we automatically pass judgment - for example, when someone is gay. But when you are a straight man, you're used to being around straight men in most instances. I found out I had to carry myself in a certain way early because I didn't want to give the impression in any way, shape, or form that I was gay to anyone. At certain times, friends of Freddie's would approach me with comments, so I wanted it known that I was not gay.”

It’s okay, Vic. Nobody thought you were gay. *compassionate shoulder pat* It’s okay, my friend. Ahem, moving on...

Vic is very impressed with the Spartacus guide.

“I noticed that Freddie, Paul Prenter and Peter Freestone were looking at this little black book and were talking about different places in Boston to go - clubs and different restaurants. I asked Paul Prenter, the manager of the band, what the book was that gave them the information. He told me it was like a little black book that had all of the gay clubs, gay restaurants, gay resorts, gay-owned shops, etc. It was like a 'where's this and where's that' kind of book, and it really just showed all of the different places that they could go to and know that they were among their peers. I found that to be very interesting, because I never knew that anything like that existed.”

Vic goes out shopping in New York with Freddie and, wouldn’t you believe it, there are a lot of gay people in NYC! Where are all these gay people coming from, like damn!

“Going out in New York City was quite interesting, because - I didn't know it at the time - New York City had a very large gay population. Freddie was very excited about going shopping and getting out and about to different restaurants owned by friends of his and past acquaintances. We were out all the time while we were there. More and more on a daily basis, not only was it eye-opening, but it was fun to work with him and basically see the whole thing take place. We went to some very unique restaurants and shopping areas. All of the shopping areas that we went to were owned by gay men or women. With my everyday friends, first of all, I never did anything like this [...] I never went shopping per se, other than maybe to go buy a pair of tennis shoes with one of my friends I worked out with [...] I never went shopping per se [...] Freddie and his friends, when they went shopping, they went shopping. We would come back and get in the limo with tons of things that had been purchased [...] It was really cool because they had fun together. They argued, they laughed, and they tried to pick up other gay men. It was just an interesting thing for me [...] It took me a while to get used to it, but I did, as much as I possibly could, I guess.”

Vic goes out clubbing with Freddie and is introduced to ass-less chaps. He sort of almost takes it in his stride at this point.

“Freddie and a couple of his friends wanted to go out. Whenever you are going to go out to a spot, you leave your boss in the limo, especially if it's a place you've never been to. I would go in, kind of check it out, and look for different exits and places to get out. I would maybe go and introduce myself to the owner, tell him that I wanted to bring my boss, so-and-so, in, and they would get us a nice table. It wasn't very often that Freddie needed a table because he liked to move freely about wherever we were. I walked into this particular club and talked to the doorman. He introduced me to the club owner. [...] The first thing that I saw when we got into the club that totally surprised me was a guy dressed in chaps, the motorcycle pants with the butt out. And the butt was out. He was dancing with his partner. I had never seen anything like that before. We all went in, and they had a good time there. That was all that really counted. They were used to that atmosphere. I wasn't really, but it turned out to be one of their favourite spots. [...] Freddie wasn't someone who needed to come into a place and be showcased. He wasn't about standing in one spot and doing autograph sessions and that kind of stuff. [...] Very seldom did I see him do autographs or anything like that. A lot of the people we were around, he just basically talked to like he'd known them for years, even if it was someone he had just met that day.”

An introduction to Bill Reid, Freddie’s jealous, violent, douchebag “mate”. (I suppose Vic couldn’t bring himself to refer to him as Freddie’s boyfriend, that would have been just too gay.)

“Someone whom I haven’t mentioned a whole lot in this part of my book was one of the mates that Freddie had met in New York City on the tour. He had started hanging out with us a little bit more of the time. He used to come and ride on the plane, but that ended pretty quickly because the band members didn’t really like Freddie’s mate being on the plane.

We made our way down to our next city, which was Atlanta, Georgia. Now, without a doubt, I had heard a lot about underground Atlanta but I didn’t know that underground Atlanta was GAY underground Atlanta. The nightclubs, the restaurants, just everything. More power to them. I like people who are trying to be positive, but smart and surround themselves with people who can elevate their minds. It seemed to me that throughout the tour, since I’d been on it, one thing that I’d learned was, most of the gay people that I was around, especially Freddie’s friends, had money. They had businesses. They networked. They helped each other. I thought that was very interesting. We went out to a club in Atlanta. It wasn’t too often that Freddie’s mate came with us to a club, but he was in town and we were going out so he came with us.

Freddie came in and saw a group of people he knew, who had met us there because they were friends of his. Freddie’s mate didn’t like it. There was a big group of people dancing on the dance floor, having a good time. This guy had gotten a drink and wanted Freddie to dance with him, but Freddie was truing to talk to his friends a little. So he went out to the dance floor and was doing his thing, all of a sudden, something wet passed my face. It was a glass that he’d thrown toward Freddie. Now the number one thing that cannot happen when you’re on the road is for anyone to hurt your boss [...] After talking to Freddie for a couple seconds, I immediately went over and told his mate that couldn’t happen again. He continued to tell me what he could and couldn’t do so I had to grab him and escort him out. [...] Freddie’s mate did appear to be jealous a lot when he wasn’t getting the attention he thought he needed.”

Wait, what was that about the rest of Queen not wanting Bill around very much?

“The other band members weren't real cool on his mate, it wasn't the first time something like this had happened. [Bill acting crazy while drunk] It was pretty uncomfortable and it was one of the reasons they didn't want his mate on the plane. Freddie and I used to have conversations. [...] I mentioned to him the downfalls of having his mate around but I couldn't tell him what to do, [...] I just tried to do the best to protect him.”

Excuse me, Queen RPF fandom, I would like to request a fic in which Vic tries to talk Freddie into breaking up with Bill. “All I’m sayin’ is he’s not acting in a good way, boss. Not around you, not around nobody. Now far be it from me to tell any man what to do, it ain’t my personal business, I know. But that mutha- mate of yours-”

Another instance when Bill proved to be an absolute arsehole and things got pretty scary.

“After the show, we went out, which was nothing unusual. This was one of the nights we came back with a lot more people than we had left the hotel with, as far as friends, the manager of the band, and the personal assistant. We came back with three cabs and a limo following us; the limo was packed. I even had people sitting on my lap. [...] When he wanted his friends in the limo, they got the limo. [...] I could keep an eye on him, so we were all good. We got back to the hotel, and after about an hour, I decided to retire and go to my room. They were having a party. Freddie's mate was there, and sometimes when his mate had a few too many drinks, the jealousy that he carried all the time got worse. His mate decided to create a situation with another one of his friends, and it got really crazy, so people started leaving. Now, it was like 3:00 or 4:00 in the morning when I got a telephone call. I was butt-ass naked in my room, minding my own business asleep. I got a call from Freddie. 'Get to my room as fast as possible'. I was thinking somebody was trying to kidnap him or something really bad was happening. I got there, and his mate was throwing things and acting really crazy and stupid like a drunken person would. [...] I ran through the hallway with nothing but a towel wrapped around me because it was so much of an emergency, I didn't think I had time to put clothes on. It was another situation where I had to escort his mate out of the room and away from him, because he wanted his mate gone. [...] There were only a few people left because hotel security had also come up to the room. The next day, the damage was fully visible. Freddie's room had a very nice mural on the wall. His mate had thrown a champagne bottle through it and screwed up the whole thing. [...] I was just glad that it wasn't worse.”

Once sort of over the shock of All The Gay, Vic is also very much in awe of Freddie’s talent.

“More and more I worked for Queen and got an opportunity to be around Freddie Mercury, it just became an extraordinary thing for me. I didn't know it prior to finishing the tour, but it ended up being, musically, the best tour that I had ever been on. I mean, the Rolling Stones tour was awesome, but the Queen tour was so incredible theatrically, music-wise, and vocally, and the light show was second to none. It was like some kind of [...] I don't even have the right words for it. All I can tell you is, if you ever had a chance to see a Queen show back in the day, then you had an opportunity to see something very special, because Freddie Mercury was an incredible vocalist and an incredible showman [...] If there are five people who can sing and perform better than Freddie Mercury could, show them to me. [...] If there's even one, I'd be surprised, because when it came to singing, performing, and theatrics [...] he was just incredible.”

Vic visits his home turf with Queen and Freddie and realises there have been gay people where he grew up all this time!

“Going into Chicago was quite an experience too, mainly because of the fact that Chicago was the place where I was born and raised. [...] I had an opportunity to see a lot of different people. I never knew, I absolutely never knew, the population of gay people was that large there in Chicago either. It just seemed like every city that we went to, we found more and more places that I never even knew existed. I guess the fact that it wasn't my lifestyle had something to do with it. As I've said before in this book, it was just a constant learning experience. [...] I thought that the Chicago shows were a couple of the bests shows that Queen did. Even though every Queen show was different, one thing I can say about them is that they were always consistent in how they performed. But Chicago stood out.”

Freddie went out A Lot. (No surprise there.)

“A lot of times when you're on tour, your ass doesn't go out every night, but Freddie went out every night. It was not a situation where we sat still after a show. If we weren't travelling immediately afterward on the private jet, then we were going out and about. A lot of time, we'd go straight out to the limo and hit a club immediately before going back to the hotel. When we did go back to the hotel, most of the time it was back with a couple of his friends or the manager of the band and his personal assistant, who oftentimes came out and about to have fun with us. By the end of the night, it would be just me and him. They would have left.”

Vic is STILL surprised that gay culture exists in places he thought he knew!

“To be out and about with a band like Queen was phenomenal each and every night, but I tell you what, coming home to Denver, the place where I lived at that time was very spectacular for me. I went out and about in Denver with Freddie. We went to a couple of different spots; I tell you what, we went to a male impersonator show and a drag queen show. I never even knew that those kinds of things existed in Denver.”

But, thankfully, at long last he also gets to go to a strip club with Roger, Brian and John and gets a day off from all the gayness. Good for him.

“Just like pretty munch any place else, it was a new learning experience as far as who might be there and who might not be there when it came to how many of our spectators were gay or not gay. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't about just focusing on who was or wasn't gay. My boss was gay. [Really? I’m not sure you’ve mentioned that enough, Vic.] I spent all of my time around the gay people out and about on the tour. I spent very little time with the other members of the band, which wasn't a bad thing, but I can tell you that in Dallas, Texas, Freddie needed a chill day. He did not go out. He stayed in his room pretty much the whole time. [...] The rest of the members of the band were going to go out and go to a club [...] They were going to go to out to a strip club called Babydolls. [...] I had become used to going out and seeing men all the time and being with men, so it was a treat. So I said, 'Okay, I'm going to hang out with you guys'. So we went to this club. Everybody immediately started catering to the band members once they found out who they were. Not that the band members were looking for that, but we definitely got a lot more attention than a lot of the other so-called paying customers [...] That was one of my first real treats being out on the Queen tour, because they had some honeys in there. They really had some beautiful women dancing in that place. When we left there, there were two cabs and one limo full of women. We went back to the Antelope Hotel, where we were staying, and the party was taken back there, which was very unusual. All in fun. People had a damn good time. It was like an off day for me.”

Although sometimes the gay nightlife is also pretty damn impressive.

“Another spectacular memory I have [...] When I went out with my boss and a couple of his friends. We went into this club, and there was a drag queen show. I saw the most amazing artist. We went to a Sylvester show. It was incredible. [...] For anyone who doesn't know who Sylvester was, he was born a man and decided to be a drag queen. He was a phenomenal musician and one of Freddie's friends, as well. [...] I'll never foget that either.”

Vic was excited to meet the Jacksons, and Freddie and MJ appeared to be great friends and excited to see each other.

“I had no idea, but after the show, I found out the Jacksons were there. That was unbelievable - to have Marlon, Randy, and Jermaine there. It was wonderful to be able to see artists coming out to visit at a Queen tour. [...] I was very humbled to see them. They were very down-to-earth. They came backstage and visited with the band members and hung out for a little bit."

"The next night when we played, Michael Jackson came to visit with Freddie. I had no idea that Freddie and Michael had been great friends for a long time. Michael, along with one of his personal assistants, came into the dressing room. He and Freddie were both extremely excited to see each other. As a matter of fact, afterward, we went back to the Beverly Hills Hotel and had a dinner. It's always interesting to see people in the same business share ideas and just talk about everyday things, and that's what they did. [...] Freddie had mentioned to me before that he was a friend of his. [...] Just seeing Michael show up was the ultimate. [...] I was extremely thankful that, once again, I had been given an opportunity to see something that I had never seen before.”

And finally:

“I appreciated the whole organization of Queen, because, by far, it was very organized. People were extremely friendly. If there's anything that I wish I would have had more of an opportunity to do, it would have been to spend a lot more time with the other band members: John Deacon, Brian May and Roger Taylor. They were all cool people. I only had the opportunity to spend time with them one night, and that was at the Babydolls nightclub when we were in Dallas. [...] They always talked with such positivity. Just the knowledge that they had, I could tell they were all well-educated people. That was the ultimate highlight of my security career.”

Anon, thank you once again so much for sharing all this! 😍 What an incredibly interesting look at Freddie and Queen, and that time in their lives, from the sidelines. So much great stuff here.

#Vic Robinson #Freddie's bodyguard #Freddie Mercury #gay culture in the 80s #Queen band #there's just so much here #I have so many thoughts

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scubyrojo · 6 years

Conversation

Bodyguard AU2

Freddie: Well, you don’t look like a bodyguard.

Phoebe: What’d you expect?

Freddie: Well, I don’t know, maybe a tough guy?

Phoebe: This is my disguise.

#queen #freddie mercury #peter freestone #bohemian rhapsody #incorrect quotes #original: the bodyguard

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freddiemercurydaily · 2 years

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Queen flew to Stockholm, Sweden

2 June 1986 - Queen flew to Stockholm, Sweden The band will prepare for their most successful tour in their career, “Magic” - a 26-date royal progress through Europe in 8 weeks!This would also be Queen’s last tour with legends Freddie Mercury and John Deacon Bearing in mind how much money the band put into the visual and technical aspects of their show over the years, ‘Magic’ reportedly is the only tour where they would actually turn in a profit. T

heir light show and overall stage production on this tour was the biggest ever at the time. "I think we are probably the best live band in the world at the moment, and we are going to prove it. It'll make Ben-Hur look like the Muppets. No one who comes to see us will be disappointed," Roger Taylor was humbly quoted saying before the tour. Years later, he would recall it to be Queen's best tour.The picture is of Freddie Mercury with his bodyguard and chauffeur Terry Giddings in Stockholm June 1986

#Queen #freddie mercury

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freddiemercurylegendabovelegends · 22 days

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Late August/Early September - In these days in 1987 Freddie Mercury organizes his 41st birthday party at Pikes Hotel in Ibiza, Spain

📸 Ibiza, Spain, September 1987 - From left: Peter Straker, Pino Sagliocco (Queen's Promoter in Spain), Freddie Mercury and Terry Giddings (Freddie's personal chauffeur and bodyguard);

From right: Jim Hutton and Mike Moran;

Front: Tony Pike (died in 2019), founder of Ibiza’s legendary Pikes Hotel and Barbara Valentin (1940-2002)

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natromanxoff · 2 years

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(x)

SUN SCOOP: Secrets of Queen star’s minder

FREDDIE ASKED ANDY TO A GAY CLUB!

• BEEFY MINDER Peter Jones shared the secrets of pop superstar Freddie Mercury.

For more than five years he comforted, cooked for and protected the lead singer of Queen.

• NOW Jones has quit — and today for the first time, he talks about the astonishing private life of the rock cult figure and the stable of stars who were his friends.

[Photo caption: Andrew… keen to take up the invitation]

Interview by IAN SMITH

THE PRINCE was poised to accept a Queen's invitation to Heaven — until royal bodyguards stepped in and brought him back to earth.

Prince Andrew had innocently jumped at the chance of adventuring into the unknown. But his protectors saw the danger immediately. The knew the trip would cause a public scandal.

Because Heaven was not on the astral plane — it was an exclusive gay club in the heart of London.

And the invitation was extended by Freddie Mercury, multi-millionaire pop star and self-confessed gay.

Can you imagine the headline? “Randy” Andy’s Night With Gay From Queen.” Anti-royalist MP Willie Hamilton would have had a field day.

“The royal encounter was one of an endless procession of bizarre incidents which happened during my five years as Freddie’s minder, driver, confidante and father confessor. I spent more time with him than I did with my wife and three children.

Publicly Freddie presents a macho superstar image. Privately he thirsts for outlandish excitement — the more outrageous the better.

The unscheduled meeting with Prince Andrew happened at the end of a charity gala featuring the Royal Ballet at Covent Garden.

“Will you sing me a song,” asked Prince, recognising Freddie. “Only if you’ll swing from the chandeliers first,” was Freddie’s retort.

Laugh

The Prince had a laugh and they began chatting. After a few minutes Freddie suggested the Prince might like to join a group of us who were taking some members of the Royal Ballet Company on to a club.

The club was Heaven and even when Freddie explained what kind of place it was, Prince Andrew was still keen to go until his bodyguard said No.

Freddie's introduction to ballet came through Wayne Sleep.

He contacted Wayne when Queen wanted to incorporate some ballet movements into their video Crazy Little Thing Called Love.

Wayne arranged for some coaching from one […]

[Photo caption: Minder Peter keeps tabs on his boss]

[…] of the Royal Ballet’s principal dancers in their rehearsal studio at the rear of Covent Garden Opera House.

Later Freddie was invited to perform with the Royal Ballet at a charity gala in the Apollo Theatre. He got a standing ovation.

Unfortunately the same couldn’t be said for Wayne Sleep when he decided to give an impromptu performance at one of Freddie’s parties.

It was a “shorts” party held in the garden of Freddie’s London home in Kensington and everyone came dressed in short trousers.

While a group of us were in the lounge Wayne came over and told me he was going to perform and that, for the finale, he would leap across the lounge into my arms.

He was brilliant and everyone stood mesmerised — until the time came for me to play my part.

With a flourish Wayne leapt into the air and sailed across the lounge towards me, arms extended like a graceful swan,

And then I missed him…

Crash Down he (…), sending champagne, glasses and (…) flying everywhere.

One of the biggest parties Freddie threw(?) was at the (…) elite London night (…).

Between 500 and 600 of the biggest names in showbiz were invited for an end of tour party.

Excited

Freddie had a helicopter waiting to whisk him back from the group’s last concert at Milton Keynes, Bucks, and when I collected him, he was wildly excited that Diana Ross, one of his idols, was at the party.

We shuddered to a (…) in front of the club. Freddie leapt out — and almost cannoned into Diana Ross who was walking out of the door.

She swept past without a backward glance — she hadn’t even recognised

[Photo caption: Freddie… has the urge to be outrageous]

[…] her host! Freddie was mortified.

While Diana was leaving, others were trying to sneak in without invitations. Two of them were Boy George and Marilyn — before they found fame.

John Conteh made no attempt to hide when he came to one of Freddie’s parties. He tried to take over Freddie’s bed instead!

We had met John and his then girl-friend Stephanie La Motta in a restaurant and rashly Freddie invited them back to his party.

It was at a time when John was really drinking heavily.

Just a couple of minutes after arriving he disappeared.

I found him lying propped up on Freddie’s pillows in the bedroom demanding food.

He just wouldn’t move. When Stephanie pleaded that she wanted to leave, he snarled: “If you don’t like it then get out, you slag.”

She dissolved into tears and went.

I called Freddie and asked him if he wanted me to get rid of the guy.

He might have been world champion at the time, but in the condition he was in he could not have punched his way out of a paper bag.

“No, leave this to me,” smiled Freddie.

Leaning over the bed he put his mouth next to Conten’s ear and whispered: “John dear, you’re in my bed so I’m just about to take off my clothes and join you. Won’t it be fun?”

Conteh obviously didn’t think so.

By the time Freddie had slipped out of his trousers he was out of the bed and halfway through the door.

#queen #queen band #freddie mercury #queen scans #the sun #peter jones

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astrophysicist-guitar-god · 3 years

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This looks interesting:

FREDDIE MERCURY AND QUEEN: TECHNOLOGIES OF GENRE AND THE POETICS OF INNOVATION

By Barry C. Promane

A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. The School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies The University of Western Ontario London, Ontario, Canada (2009).

328 pages, seven sections. Main headings:

Queen, Genre and Technology

“Let Me Entertain You": Queen Primer

Any Way the Wind Blows: The Case of "Bohemian Rhapsody"

Sounding Disco, Selling Rock and Performing Gender: Hot Space

Montserrat Caballe, Freddie Mercury and Mike Moran's Musical Encounter: "Barcelona"

Living for Music, Dying with AIDS: Made in Heaven

God Save the Queen: Freddie Mercury, Cultural Memory and Posthumous Fame

Abstract:

Formed in 1971, Queen, comprising vocalist/pianist Freddie Mercury (born Farrokh Bulsara [ ]), bassist John Richard Deacon (19 August 1951-), guitarist Brian Harold May (19 July 1947-) and drummer Roger Meddows-Taylor (26 July 1949-), sought determinedly to present a diverse array of music in a consistently innovative manner throughout their twenty-year career. Although many examples of Queen's musical heterogeneity exist within their repertory, encompassing styles of glam and glitter rock, hard rock, heavy metal, progressive and psychedelic rock, country, ragtime, opera, gospel, vaudeville, celtic, flamenco, folk, funk and disco, this dissertation critically explores four case studies, probing questions of musical hybridism, genre paradigms and technological implications.

By exploring the ways in which Queen employed recording technology as a creative force, mnemonic aid, compositional device and domain for sonic experimentation, I consider the musical ramifications of "Bohemian Rhapsody" (1975), Hot Space (1982), "Barcelona" (1988) and Made in Heaven (1995). To do so, divergent viewpoints held by musicologists, journalists, the band members and fans are considered comparatively. Primary sources add to the methodological balance, obtained through interviews with John Brough (producer and engineer), Peter Freestone (Freddie Mercury's personal assistant and housemate), Terry Giddings (Mercury's bodyguard and chauffeur), Peter Hince (Queen's longest serving crew member), Reinhold Mack (producer and owner of Music land Studios), Mike Moran (musical collaborator), David Richards (producer and owner of Mountain Studios), Jacky Smith (chair of Queen's international fan club) and one of Mercury's attending physicians, who wishes to remain anonymous.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS:

Many kind-hearted individuals have assisted me throughout the research and writing stages of this dissertation. First, my gratitude goes to all those people with whom I corresponded from Queen's enterprise, including John Brough, Terry Giddings, Peter Hince, David Richards and Jacky Smith. In addition, my sincere thanks goes to Peter Freestone, one of Freddie Mercury's closest friends, confidants and assistants, for speaking with me on countless occasions, from various parts of the globe, to answer my questions and read my drafts. Your vivid memories transported me into the remarkable depths of Freddie's life. I would also like to extend special recognition to Reinhold Mack and Mike Moran, two esteemed figures in their respective domains of the recording industry, for their deep interest and intense commitment to this doctoral thesis.

The above link opens the PDF in an in-site document viewer. I have not read all of this, but what I have read looks interesting.

#Brian May #Roger Taylor #John Deacon #Freddie Mercury #Queen #Queen: Academia #real Queen academia!#someone in the DL server wondered about Queen academia and I remembered I hadsome things bookmarked...

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storiesforallfandoms · 5 years

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Masterlist!

Here’s the masterlist of all my imagines and preferences! Imagines marked as * are smutty imagines! Imagines marked as ` are requests!

IMAGINES

CRIMINAL MINDS the runner ~ aaron hotchner` punishment ~ aaron hotchner`

LUCIFER make you a believer ~ ella lopez silence ~ lucifer morningstar

HEMLOCK GROVE get away ~ roman godfrey (part one) midnight drive ~ roman godfrey (part two)

AMERICAN HORROR STORY freak ~ xavier plympton (part one) protecting you ~ xavier plympton (part two)` a surprise by the lake ~ xavier Plympton` taken care of ~ michael langdon don’t worry ~ michael langdon` loopholes ~ michael langdon*` change in plans ~ michael langdon` revenge ~ montana duke

RIVERDALE grief ~ archie andrews the new queen ~ fp jones (part one) seducing the queen ~ fp jones (part two) the list ~ jason blossom something more than just points ~ jason blossom’ no one will hurt you` ~ sweet pea

THE BODYGUARD new assignment ~ david budd (part one) nightmares ~ david budd (part two) the photoshoot ~ david budd (part three) take away and beer ~ david budd (part four) art ~ david budd (part five) threats ~ david budd (part six) getting her things ~ david budd (part seven)

PEAKY BLINDERS not part of the deal ~ thomas shelby private ceremony ~ thomas shelby superstar ~ thomas shelby` too good ~ thomas shelby` can’t lose you ~ thomas shelby crossfire ~ john shelby an accidental addition ~ thomas shelby family ~ shelby family the enemy’s sister ~ thomas shelby (part one)` a dangerous love affair ~ alfie solomons a woman leader ~ john shelby disapprove ~ thomas shelby (part two) no one’s whore ~ thomas shelby* daddy’s girl ~ thomas shelby take a break ~ thomas shelby

THE WITCHER dance partner ~ geralt of rivia (part one) company ~ geralt of rivia (part two)* stay the night ~ geralt of rivia*` some sort of miracle ~ geralt of rivia same problem ~ yennefer of vengerberg my lady ~ geralt of rivia*` imperfections ~ geralt of rivia`

DOCTOR WHO always loved you ~ thirteen

GAME OF THRONES betrothed ~ robb stark (part one) riding alone ~ robb stark (part two)

Z NATION facing it alone ~ 10k’ let me go ~ 10k what are we gonna do? ~ 10k

THE UMBRELLA ACADEMY love and drugs ~ klaus hargreeves the horror~ ben hargreeves’ no one helps but you ~ klaus hargreeves` and they were roommates ~ klaus hargreeves` lock the door ~ ben hargreeves*`

VICTORIOUS a little too good at acting ~ beck oliver faint ~ beck oliver`

THE VAMPIRE DIARIES living dead ~ damon salvatore eternity ~ damon salvatore*`

HANNIBAL are you going to hurt me? ~ hannibal lecter his type ~ hannibal lecter

BARRY what they do in the movies ~ barry berkman

BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY i have no one ~ freddie mercury

K-12 don’t send me home ~ leo` jealousy ~ angelita`

BREAKING BAD/EL CAMINO hideaway ~ jesse pinkman* project partner ~ jesse pinkman

DCEU the new intern ~ clark kent rescue mission ~ harley quinn man’s world ~ harley quinn

SCREAM scary movies ~ billy loomis talk me down ~ stu macher`

HARRY POTTER tutor ~ draco malfoy stood up ~ draco malfoy

MCU see you again ~ loki my hero ~ mysterio delivery boy ~ peter parker locked up ~ clint barton`

KINGSMAN not a damn damsel ~ eggsy

A QUIET PLACE keep quiet ~ emmett no time for love ~ emmett’

MIDSOMMAR get out of here ~ mark` may queen ~ mark` little sister ~ mark*` secret thrills ~ mark*` don’t go ~ mark’ sacred ~ mark’ seven minutes in heaven ~ mark*` friendship necklace ~ mark` it meant nothing ~ mark` awful ~ dani ardor` something’s wrong ~ mark` whoops ~ mark` enemies to lovers ~ mark`

1917 not the same ~ will schofield

DIVERGENT recruit ~ eric coulter’ rookie ~ eric coulter (part two) don’t belong ~ eric coulter`

8 MILE embarrassed ~ jimmy smith jr.

TWILIGHT soulmates ~ paul lahote`

THE DIRT glorified groupie ~ tommy lee maybe i should ~ tommy lee` be like daddy ~ nikki sixx` normal family christmas ~ nikki sixx`

DIARY OF A WIMPY KID done pretending ~ rodrick heffley the girl next door ~ rodrick heffley`

IT: CHAPTER TWO picking up the kids ~ richie tozier

LES MIS for the revolution ~ enjolras

CHRIS EVANS set ups

BEN HARDY doing him proud

MACHINE GUN KELLY not so bad (part one) remember me` secret meeting (part two) surprise` awkward family dinner (part three) staying the night (part four) out on the town (part five) a very special meeting (part six) feeling used` christmas in cleveland (part seven) lady killer*` we’ll be okay (part eight) the one` getting caught* sweet revenge` get off my girl` can’t do it anymore seeing it all` hear your voice*` do you love me?` one and only (part nine) photographs` why are you here?` happiest i've been` trying` i believe` welcome home*` killshot (part ten) i think i’m okay` it’s not over (part eleven) mistake` drunk fun (w/yungblud)*` reunited (part two of photograph)` bad girl*` fixed` meeting the family (part twelve) good enough` the question (part thirteen) kissing lessons` the wedding (part fourteen) too rough*` teach me` sneaking you out` red carpet` on beat` what if i can’t` role reversal*` massage*` secrets` celebrating*` almost caught` back off*` first time*` trying something new*` missing` not yours` hurting mommy` sweet disaster` loved you first` running lines’

DANIEL WEBBER nothing happened` misunderstanding` advice` loving father` beach day`

TARON EGERTON take me to the pilot*

RICHARD MADDEN lost`

YUNGBLUD not a rebound (part one) a great team` no hope (au)` cuffed, literally (part two)` sick baby` coming home` kisses` drunk fun*` (w/machine gun kelly) lessons` struggling` father to be` coachella` the song’ front row` love you as you are’ cliche`

HARRY STYLES saved (au part one) always a winner` exploring eroda (au part two) picnic (au part three) awkward

KENDALL SCHMIT just us`

CODY FERN distance`

ANDREW SIWICKI secret first date a regular guy` beautiful to me wear my hoodie`

DAVID DOBRIK only yours science experiment bon appetit`

DYLAN GARDNER surprise date`

JEFF WITTEK busy my oh my! passing the time* in trouble a fun game six feet apart you won’t be able to`

EMINEM surprise performance age gap’ private` chains`

ROOK pretty picture` love on tour` protective` toxic love` why are you like this?’ keep it down*` taking care` sick` you’re cute when you’re jealous`*

CILLIAN MURPHY proud`

GEORGE MACKAY medic (au)’

ARIANA GRANDE done with boys

SCOTTY SIRE stuck together

SEBASTIAN STAN the boss’ girl (au)

G-EAZY unimaginable pain` bad reputation` hate*` i do`

CORPSE proposition (part one) caught feelings (part two) actually excited

ZAC EFRON fatherhood`

HENRY CAVILL you deserve better`

AARON TVEIT i thought it’d be happy` a baby next christmas

PREFERENCES

tiktok trends that they participate in with you ~ the vlog squad who walks in on the two of you ~ the umbrella academy

#masterlist #imagines #imagine #requests #request #reader #x reader

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knives-out20 · 3 years

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The Impact Of The Intergalactic - David Bowie Opinion Essay - by Beck S.

This is an essay I wrote about the span of David Bowie's career. I wrote it for a summer school course I took last year (August 2021) for a course called History of Rock & Roll.

My teacher gave nice feedback after he marked it, talking about how it was an "Excellent paper. It charts Bowie's progress throughout his career well, and includes significant detail. I could really feel the passion you have about him throughout. In fact, there is *too much* detail! The paper was supposed to be 3 pages max, double-spaced. Still, this is a good problem to have; better too much than too little."

So...enjoy!!

From his early works like Hunky Dory, to Black Tie White Noise in the 1990’s and stretching over to Blackstar as his final album, David Bowie has rarely had a bad album or song- in my opinion. His career has had ups and downs, his musical creations ranging in the way he would pitch his voice and what instruments he would use, the people he would produce with, and the wild things he would say. Charting David Bowie’s development over time is in fact an interesting journey.

Early on in his dreamy career, Bowie would have done nearly anything- or in fact, anyone- to grow in the music world. Hopping from band to band (like The Velvet Underground), producer to producer, doing whatever he could do to get ‘in’ in the industry. His early albums weren’t taken very highly in their times- especially with the ‘man-dress’ he wore on the British release of his The Man Who Sold The World album. Although, this dress was only the start of the androgynous appearance he would soon be known for, over the course of his 5-decade-spanning career.

The 1970’s were strange, to say the least. He married Angela Bowie at the start of the decade, then welcomed their son Duncan Zowie Haywood Jones a year later. Bowie went on to be hopped up on cocaine. David donned the look of one of his famous personas, The Thin White Duke. The same persona with slicked-back ginger hair, a white button-up under a black waistcoat and paired with black dress pants. The same Duke who called Adolf Hitler one of the first ‘rock stars’ and gave off a lot of faschist energy. He said many statements he’d later apologize for and grow as a better man from, which is good- it’s better than standing by then, or even backing himself up and supporting them. David Bowie called that period the darkest days of his life, and blamed the crazy statements on his horrid addiction and deteriorating mental state. The late 1970’s were more favorable, seeing as it gave the world what was dubbed the Berlin Trilogy alongside Brian Eno and David’s personal friend, Iggy Pop. Made up of three of his albums: Low and Heroes (both in 1977) and Lodger (1978). He moved from Los Angeles to Switzerland, then to Berlin as a further decision to escape his addiction (the reason he moved away from LA in the first place). It was in Berlin, of course, where he wrote his famous song Heroes, about two lovers, one from East Berlin and one from West.

Speaking of Berlin, David Bowie performed near the west of the Berlin Wall in 1987; he played so loud that crowds gathered on the east to listen. At this time, Bowie had no idea he would be the beginning of the city’s soon-coming unifying. After his death in 2016, the German government thanked him for bringing the wall down and unifying a divided Germany.

Music isn’t all he is known for, though it is a majority. He also starred in movies from time to time. Being the titular man in The Man Who Fell To Earth in 1976, Jareth the moody goblin king in Jim Henson’s 1986 Labyrinth film (what is most likely his most famous role), Monte the barman in the 1991 movie The Linguini Incident, cameoing as himself in Zoolander (2001), Nikola Tesla in the 2006 movie The Prestige, and even Lord Royal Highness in Spongebob Squarepants’ Atlantis Squarepantis in 2007, among a few others. David Bowie dabbled in the art of acting, and was not that bad at it. He was good enough to gain a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, too. Sometimes it bends my mind that my first introduction to my all-time favourite musician was in a Spongebob Squarepants movie, back before I knew who he was, but David Bowie was never one to shy away from foreshadowing. At least one song from many of his albums would hint at the direction he’d go in for his next release. For example, his track Queen Bitch on Hunky Dory foreshadowed his soon-coming Ziggy Stardust. And the Diamond Dogs track 1984 actually hinted at the Philadelphian soul of Young Americans, which is a more famous song of his, which he went on to perform on The Cher Show with its host.

The 1990’s were certainly an experimental time for David Bowie. But to my knowledge, I think the 1990’s was a time for everyone. He married supermodel Iman some days after performing at the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert, and released the album I named earlier, Black Tie White Noise. It is known to have had a prominent use of electronic instruments, as was his other 1990’s album, Earthling. The early 1990’s greeted David’s first real band since the Spiders From Mars, dubbed Tin Machine. They recorded three guitar-driven albums which received mixed reviews from the masses, but Bowie looks back at this period- as do I- with a certain fondness; “a glorious disaster” he called it, when talking to journalist Mick Brown. Tin Machine is a period I don’t listen to often, compared to his solo stuff, but I don’t press the skip button when it comes on.

Alas, the starman’s career drew to a close as the 2000s rolled in. David Bowie greeted the 2000’s with the birth of his and Iman’s daughter, the beautiful Alexandria Zahra Jones. After suffering a- strange, as it were- heart attack symptoms mid-song during a concert in 2004, he took a hiatus from his career. I say strange because given what I know, he was trying his best to stay healthy at the time. According to my special Rolling Stone edition magazine about David Bowie (released at the start of this year), he was on tour and performing in a really hot arena. But Bowie was sober, and had quit smoking. He was taking medication to lower his cholesterol, and worked out with a trainer. Bowie looked great, and yet he felt a pain in his shoulder and chest, along with a shortness for breath. A bodyguard rushed onstage to usher Bowie off of it, cutting the concert short. He only performed live once or twice after that point, but was set on never going live ever again. And he kept his word on that, unfortunately but also fortunately. Unfortunately, because David Bowie live would have been quite the experience- I wouldn’t know, personally. But fortunately, because I do not believe anyone needs a repeat of the 2004 Reality scare.

I am actually not too fond of speaking of his final years. Nobody really likes to speak of the last years of their idols’ life before their death, so it’s no surprise. Blackstar was David Bowie’s 25th and final album, recorded entirely in secret in New York alongside his long-time producer, Tony Visconti. The album's central theme lyrically is mortality, and seeing as Bowie was undergoing chemotherapy for his cancer at the time, I see it as his way of coping with his incoming death. His producer Tony Visconti called him a ‘canny bastard’, when he realized Bowie was essentially writing a farewell album. Every song on the album is what is considered a swan song, a swan song in question being a phrase for a final gesture of some sort before retirement or death. In this case, death. Over the course of recording the album, David Bowie’s chemotherapy had actually been working and he had an eerie optimism while recording. But by the time they shot the two music videos Blackstar and Lazarus, where he showed off the definite passage of time and cruelty of chemotherapy through sparse and gray hair with sagging skin, he knew his condition was terminal and that this would be a battle he would lose. Blackstar wasn’t the first album to have been made by a musician succumbing to a fatal illness, but in my opinion it is in fact the most beautiful. It’s jazzy, and elegant, showing how at peace he had become with dying.

Blackstar the album was released on January 8th, 2016. Also known as David Bowie’s 69th birthday. Two days later, David Bowie died at his Lafayette Street home on January 10th after living with liver cancer for up to 18 months. Beforehand, he had let it be known he did not want a funeral nor a burial, but rather that his body be cremated and the ashes to be scattered in Bali by his loved ones. His wish was received, and planet Earth was very much bluer and quieter without his colour and wonderful noise.

As I said earlier on, David Bowie’s career came with ups and downs. His mysteriously close relationship with Mick Jagger, his cross with famous underage groupie Lori Maddox, the births of his two talented children, his faschist bender in the 70’s, and final bang of Blackstar in his final year on earth. Through the highs and lows, his career and his music meant a lot to the quote-unquote misfits and freaks of the world, myself included. David Bowie turned and faced the strange, shouted “you’re not alone!” To those who felt the loneliest, he surely spent his career helping those who needed to be themselves, feel more freer and braver in doing so, no matter what they may be when they are themselves. He never went boring, he never went stale, he sang what he wanted and dressed how he pleased, and kept to his word on how much more to life there is when you’re just that; yourself. A year after David Bowie’s untimely passing, his son Duncan Jones accepted an award for British album of the year that was won by Blackstar at the 37th annual Brit Awards. When he accepted it, he made a speech about his father that I will leave here, and never forget. Seeing as it perfectly encapsulates David Bowie’ legacy, and the true meaning of his extraordinary career.

“I lost my dad last year, but I also became a dad. And, uhm, I was spending a lot of time- after getting over the shock- of trying to work out what would I want my son to know about his granddad? And I think it would be the same thing that most of my dad's fans have taken over the last 50 years. That he’s always been there supporting people who think they’re a little bit weird or a little bit strange, a little bit different, and he’s always been there for them. So...this award is for all the kooks, and all the people who make the kooks. Thanks, Brits, and thanks to his fans.” - Duncan Z. H. Jones (February 22 2017, at The O2 Arena in London.)

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debdarkpetal · 2 years

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Freddie with his japanese bodyguard.

#freddie mercury #queen #queen band #fred #japanese bodyguard #japan #70s #80s #credits to the rightful owners #ms

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a-froger-epic · 2 years

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🎊 Freddie Mercury Weekend 2022 🎊

❤️ 🧡 💛 💚 💙 💜

ABOUT THE EVENT

Once again, t’s time to shine a light on the man himself, Freddie Mercury! YOUR creative contributions are wanted! You can write, draw, edit, record, even cross-stitch. 😉 Any ship, any genre, any way you like, so long as it’s about Freddie. Everyone is welcome, there is no wrong way to be a fan! (Except maybe strangling him with his own scarf. That’s pretty weird. Don’t do that.)

WHEN? On the 3rd, 4th and 5th of June.

HOW? On the above dates (or after!), post your contributions to the AO3 collection or on Tumblr, tagged ‘#fmw2022’ or/and ‘#freddie mercury weekend 2022’. If you post on Tumblr, please also tag @a-froger-epic or @freddie-mercury-rising to make sure you get a reblog!

❤️ 🧡 💛 💚 💙 💜

THE PROMPTS

The prompts are here to inspire, there is no wrong way to write them! Change them around, mix them up, ignore them, make of them whatever you want! 😊

3rd of June - 400-800 word challenge!

No time to write? First time writer just testing the waters? No need for an epic, just write a scene! Surely you’ll find time for 500 words! Each of these mini-prompts is a separate prompt, but you can combine them!

Kitten 😺 | Crush 💕 | Panic 😱 | Letter 💌

Telephone ☎️ | Trapped 🧱 | Terminal 😔 | Tour bus 🚌

Boarding school 🏫 | Knickers 🩲 | Flying 🍃 | Microphone 🎤

Cooking 👨‍🍳 | Heartbreak 💔 | Baby-sitting 👶🏼 | Ballet slippers 🩰

First time 😳 | Eyeliner 👁️ | Bruise 😢 | Petals 🌸

4th of June - Is This The Real Life?

A list of real event prompts from Freddie’s life. How real you want to keep them is entirely up to you!

1964 - That time a violent revolution in Zanzibar caused Freddie’s family to flee the country.

1970 - That time Freddie’s idol, Jimi Hendrix, tragically passed away. Roger and Freddie closed their stall early. Later at rehearsals, Queen played Hendrix songs as a tribute.

mid-1970s - That time Ratty and Freddie almost died in a car crash, but things turned out unexpectedly hilarious.

1982 - That time Bill Reid was a dangerous, abusive, violent drunk during the Hot Space US tour and Freddie’s bodyguard went on to tell the tale.

1985 - That time Freddie would not stop calling Jim in the wee hours of the morning.

1991 - That time Freddie prepared letters/gifts for those he would leave behind. (Was Elton’s gift the only one?)

Or, let these quotes inspire you! ➡️

“Oh, I was not made for heaven. No, I don't want to go to heaven. Hell is much better. Think of all the interesting people you're going to meet down there!”

“I like to be surrounded by splendid things.”

“I can't cook, and I'd be a terrible housewife.”

“I am loved by thousands, but I feel like the loneliest man in the world.”

“Excess is part of my nature. Dullness is a disease.”

“It destroys the soul to hear that you're all hype, that you have no talent, and that your whole career has been contrived.”

“The bigger the better; in everything.”

“I think I'm sort of a chameleon. I change and I have moods, and I think it's a combination of a lot of characters that make up a person anyway. I think over and above I'm a person of extremes. I can be very soft, but that makes me that much more tenacious.”

5th of June - Is It Just Fantasy?

A list of AU prompts to spark your imagination. Going for the classics this time around, but feel free to change them up however you like!

Soulmate AU… in a society which no longer believes in such scientifically unsupported hogwash as soulmates, and yet…

Fairytale/Fantasy AU… Freddie isn’t exactly the dragon-slaying warrior prince he is expected to be, as a firstborn male heir to the kingdom. But perhaps the dragon he is expected to slay is no ordinary dragon…

High School AU… School sucks. Most days, Freddie would rather be anywhere else. That is, until a new student joins the class…

Modern Day AU… Who is Freddie Mercury in 2022? A jaded artist, like too many others who tried and failed? A social media celebrity? A primary school music teacher? A contestant on RuPaul’s Drag Race?! (We have no idea, you tell us!)

Horror AU… But who is the monster? And who is the villain? Are the two one and the same?

Or, let these incorrect quotes inspire you! ➡️

“I’d like to offer you moral support, but I have questionable morals, my dear.”

“I’m a fool, darling, but I’m not an idiot.”

“I regret getting dragged into this heterosexual tomfoolery.”

“I am not a whore! But if I were, I’d be the classy kind that gets flown to Dubai to stay in an underwater hotel.”

“My life isn't as glamorous as my wanted poster makes it look.”

“I tried to write ‘I'm a functional adult’ but my phone changed it to ‘fictional adult’ and I do feel that is more accurate.”

“What happens in Barcelona stays in Barcelona, darling.”

“Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t walk out that door.”

❤️ 🧡 💛 💚 💙 💜

RULES & FAQ

⛔ Strictly No Hate ⛔

This is the NUMBER ONE RULE of the event, to ensure that everybody feels safe. No rudeness, provocations or hate aimed at creators or other commenters will be permitted, not on AO3 nor Tumblr.

Please ensure that you EITHER have comment moderation turned on OR anon comments switched off. If you choose to ignore this rule, your work may be removed from the collection.

If you receive a comment or ask that distresses you:

Do not engage. (You can take a screenshot as proof.)

Delete it. No ifs, no buts. Just delete it. (Don’t hesitate to block anon hate on Tumblr.)

Alert @a-froger-epic or @freddie-mercury-rising, all questions are answered and everything runs smoothly. We are here to actively support you. We’ve got your back, and we will gladly talk to you and help you feel better.

But what if one of the works has upset me?

Can the thing that upset you be tagged, but it wasn’t? Then please inform @a-froger-epic or @freddie-mercury-rising, we will bring it to the creator’s attention.

Was the thing that upset you already tagged? Or is it perhaps simply the characterisation you find disagreeable? Then we suggest you click on the ‘back’ button, take a deep breath and remind yourself it’s just fanfic.

Who can participate?

Anyone who is inspired by Freddie Mercury in any way shape or form. This event is OPEN TO ALL.

Can I combine prompts from different days?

By all means, use the prompts however you like. Go crazy!

I’m not sure where my creation fits in, what day do I post it?

The days, like the prompts, are only suggestions. We don’t mind when you post it, as long as you post it! Even if it’s two weeks late!

Help, I’ve never posted fic before!

Don’t worry, we’ve got you! We are happy to walk you through the process of setting up an account, just DM @a-froger-epic or @freddie-mercury-rising.

I’m still too nervous to participate!

You can post anonymously to the collection. You can disable comments entirely and just collect the kudos. You can close anon asks on Tumblr temporarily. But most importantly, we are here for you and we want you here!

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“I love the fact that I make people happy, in any form. Even if it’s just half an hour of their lives, in any way that I can make them feel lucky or make them feel good, or bring a smile to a sour face, that to me is worthwhile.”

- Freddie Mercury

#Freddie Mercury Weekend 2022 #FMW2022 #Freddie Mercury #fandom event #reblog reblog reblog!

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