Stacy is off today—she’s covering Lollapalooza in Chicago and will be back on Tuesday with all sorts of good material and crazy stories. In her absence, here’s a Quick 10 that originally ran last November. And to keep up with Stacy’s adventures this weekend, you can follow her on Twitter.
It was on this day (November 24) in 1991 that Freddie Mercury passed away. I’m a fan, so I thought I’d pay a little tribute to him in our Q10 today. I was born a little too late, but I would have loved to see Queen in concert. They sound like they were amazing. If any of you have first-hand concert experience, let me live vicariously through you – share it in the comments!
1. He designed the Queen emblem (AKA the Queen Crest) himself, thanks to a degree in art and graphic design from Ealing Art College. The crest is made of the zodiac signs of the whole band – two Leo lions for John Deacon and Roger Taylor, a Cancer crab for Brian May and two fairies to represent Freddie’s Virgo sign. The “Q” and the crown represent the band name, of course, and a phoenix protects the whole thing.
2. His birth name was Farrokh Bulsara; he started going by Freddie when he was at St. Peter’s, a boarding school for boys near Mumbai. He legally changed his name to Freddie Mercury around 1970, when Queen was formed.
3. He and family (parents and one sister, Kashmira) were Parsis and practiced Zoroastrian religion. Even though he hadn’t practiced in years, his funeral was performed by a Zoroastrian priest.
4. Freddie was born in Zanzibar – his family moved there so his dad could continue his career at the British Colonial Office.
5. Freddie had a recorded range of three (almost four) octaves. Mariah Carey claims five, for some perspective. When he spoke he was more of a baritone, but majority of his singing fell in the tenor range.
6. He had a long-term girlfriend in the early 70s named Mary Austin. Even after they broke up, they remained incredibly close. He gave an interview in 1985 and said that she was his only friend and he didn’t want any other friends. He wrote “Love of My Life” about her and was the godfather of her first son. When he died, he left her most of his money, his house, and his recording royalties.
7. Although he was obviously very flamboyant on stage, most people who knew him intimately said he was very shy in his personal life – one of the reasons he very rarely granted interviews.
8. Freddie and his manager issued a statement confirming that he had AIDS the very day before he died. It had been widely speculated for a couple of years due to his gaunt appearance and Queen’s sudden lack of touring. Some people were very upset by this delayed statement, saying that an earlier announcement could have raised a vast amount of money for the cause.
9. He loved cats and had as many as 10 at one point. He even had an album and a song dedicated to his cats (Mr. Bad Guy). He wrote a song about his favorite cat, Delilah. Here’s a bit of it:
Delilah, Delilah, oh my, oh my, oh my – you’re irresistible
You make me smile when I’m just about to cry
You bring me hope, you make me laugh – you like it
You get away with murder, so innocent
But when you throw a moody you’re all claws and you bite -
That’s alright !
Delilah, Delilah, oh my, oh my, oh my – you’re unpredictable
You make me so very happy
When you cuddle up and go to sleep beside me
And then you make me slightly mad
When you pee all over my Chippendale Suite
10. The “bottomless mic” was among Freddie’s many trademarks. Here’s how that happened: early in Queen’s career, he was apparently mid-show when his mic stand snapped in half. Instead of having it replaced, Freddie just used it as-is. He must have liked it, because he used the mic “stick” from then on.
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awesome performer who was taken too soon. My parents claim its the best concert they have ever seen.
posted by Ian on 8-7-2009 at 3:43 pm
He had a girlfriend? I thought he was gay. You gotta love a guy who writes an ode to his cat!
posted by Siobhan on 8-7-2009 at 4:01 pm
I’m pretty sure Freddie was bisexual. I saw Queen back in ’80, and yes, they were incredible. Some friends and I were standing outside the arena before the show, and we heard what we thought was thunder. We looked up, and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. That rumble was the sound crew on Roger Taylor’s drums!
posted by KS on 8-7-2009 at 4:17 pm
nothing relevant to say, but how can I pass up this reCapcatcha:
senator Bidyn
posted by PartiallyDeflected on 8-7-2009 at 5:05 pm
quite possibly on of the best singers & frontmen in music history !
with no disrespect to Paul Rogers but QUEEN without Freddie just isn’t the same.
Siobhan – yes Freddie was Bi-sexual, i remember back in the 80′s Elton was actually married to a woman!
posted by Scott T. on 8-7-2009 at 5:36 pm
Was fortunate enough to have seen Queen in concert 11 times. They always put on an amazing show! Freddie had such a commanding stage presence and natural rapport with the audience.
posted by Jill on 8-8-2009 at 2:56 am
His recordings with Montserrat Caballé the Spanish opera singer) were incredible. The album is called Barcelona. If you get a chance, check it out. The title song was used for the 1992 Summer Olympics.
posted by MattG on 8-8-2009 at 6:34 pm
I miss Freddie. :(
posted by J. on 8-8-2009 at 6:41 pm
Anyone else remeber the 3 day tribute conerct they had for him after he passed? Think it was a mtv thing..
posted by Amyoops on 8-10-2009 at 8:04 am
I always thought it strange that Freddie wrote “Jesus” that was on the first Queen album since he and his parents were/are Zoroastrian.
My kids (9,12,16 all girls) love Queen.
posted by KevinGa on 8-10-2009 at 8:27 am
This is a great post. Im a Freddie Mercury SUPERFAN and feel the same way – I was just a bit too young when he passed away (and also didnt have broad enough musical tastes) to take full advantage of his greatness.
I wanna add that there’s a great demo “More to Life Than This,” by Freddie and Michael Jackson. Instant tear-jerker.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j7hrUU-UeHk
posted by Thembi on 8-11-2009 at 11:38 am
I am a HUGE Freddie Mercury and Queen fan. Unfortunately, Freddie died before i was even born. But I miss him like you would not believe, and i am so totally in love with him! His voice was amazing, unlike anything ive heard before. I love Freddie… RIP, we want you back!!! <3
posted by Cassie on 8-12-2009 at 8:55 pm
The first concert I saw was Queen – in 1984 in Sydney. Some of those tracks still give me goosebumps.
Freddie RIP. :’-(
posted by b on 8-19-2009 at 11:25 pm
Long time Freddie fan(atic!)~
Relatively new Mental Flosser!
Warms my heart to see that after almost 18 years his legacy lives on~
“just a musical prostitute indeed!”
It always make me sad to hear his
glorious voice and know how he suffered at the end.
From one cat fanatic to another:
RIP Freddie~Long may you reign!!!
posted by julianne on 8-21-2009 at 2:27 pm
I was never old enough to see them live.
I still listen to them and I consider myself a big fan!
RIP Freddie!
posted by Romina on 10-2-2009 at 8:38 am
this guy is my idol
and yes he was gay
posted by Dylan Zucati on 10-2-2009 at 11:17 pm
In a few words:
HE WAS THE BEST AND NOBODY CAN REPLACE HIM
posted by Jacky on 10-4-2009 at 4:04 am
One of the best singers in History.
Love him and Queen.
Also, him having had a girlfriend doesn’t mean (at all) he was bisexual. It just means he was in the closet. he left her when he came out.
posted by Cristina on 10-12-2009 at 11:26 pm
Great post! I was fortunate enough to see them twice in the LA area during their last US tour (pre-Paul Rodgers, of course). Both awesome performances!
Over the last few years, multitracks of Bohemian Rhapsody and a few other Queen tracks have turned up on the net. I understand the headache this likely causes the copyright holders, but for a hardcore fan of 30+ years it’s a rare and thrilling treat to be able to dissect, remix, and study this song that has been part of my life since I rode my bike to the local music store (where a parking structure now stands) to buy the 45 in 1975.
I mention all that because hearing the multitracks only confirms the genius of Freddie (which I already knew). Brian, Roger, and John were no small part of its creation, or of Queen as a whole, but many people in the Queen family have been quoted as saying that BoRap was Freddie’s vision.
Thanks for the post.
RIP Freddie!
posted by John on 10-17-2009 at 8:49 pm
Montserrat Caballe: “The difference between Freddie and almost all the other rock stars was that he was selling the voice.”
Here I’ve tried to collect all notable tributes and quotes on Freddie Mercury from peers: http://www.tributespaid.com/quotes-on/f/freddie-mercury
posted by Dawood on 11-2-2009 at 12:00 pm
actually, his girlfriend left HIM, and he never really got over it. He loved her until he died, though he loved his male partner at the time as well.
posted by Osthrys on 1-24-2010 at 9:41 pm
I first saw Queen in concert in 1978 (Yes, I am that old) at the Oakland Coliseum in California, USA. They were touring with Thin Lizzy. Awesome show! I believe that this was their second or third concert tour in America. I bought their Sheer Heart Attack album when “Killer Queen†was released, then bought their two previous albums and waited in line at Tower Records the day that “A Night at the Opera†came out. The man could write music, sing and perform like a muse for the Gods. “March of the Black Queenâ€, “Nevermoreâ€, “Too Much Love Will Kill You†and of course, “Bohemian Rhapsody†are classics that will live on forever! I saw Queen perform eight times. Once, me and a bunch of friends watched them play in the San Francisco bay area and then after the show, we drove 7 hours to see them play in LA the next day. Yes, they were that good! The shows were always sold out and their musical performances were stellar each and every time. Mercury held the audience absolutely captive. As much as I loved music 24/7, there were very few bands that I would actually pay to see. Boston, Ted Nugent, Styx and a few others. But to see Queen, I would cut school, call in sick to work, cancel a first-date and spend my last dollar. Now, 31 years later, I still have every ticket stub, concert program, tour shirt (both “official†and knock-off) and newspaper clippings and show reviews. Of course, I own every record (and then, CD) that Queen ever made as well as a lot of the concert boot-leg albums. At my wedding, we had the DJ play 7 Queen songs. The first dance was to “Love of My Life’.
Queen’s music is one of the very few constants from my youth to my all too adult life. I have this great home video of my then, 4 year old son, sitting in the living room wearing headphones pounding his little hands on the floor and then yelling, “We will, we will rock you!â€
posted by Jerry Rooney on 7-3-2010 at 7:27 pm
About the AIDS announcement: It’s said he donated anonymously to AIDS research while undergoing the treatments still in embryonic (=useless) stages at that point.
He did his part as a private citizen, but didn’t use his celebrity because let’s face it – it’s a double-edged sword. He’d be hung out to dry (remember this was WAY before Elton/George Michael were forced out), as would his band mates, family, extended family/friends etc. Even without announcement, his family et al were already hounded day and night.
It got bad enough a late 80s Queen song addressed this in the single “Scandal”. He & guitarist Brian May were hounded for a good 2-3 years for their personal life, all the while fighting for their lives, marriages, sanity etc.
All the “He should’ve come out, revealed illness earlier” need to be taken with a modicum of context and compassion I think. It’s akin to an average Joe being fired from his job due to incurable disease at a time when what/how he got it is heavily stigmatized, and have the social, financial lynching magnified 100x due to his fame.
posted by jaq on 3-28-2011 at 8:29 pm