Ordinary people who were lucky enough to meet Freddie Mercury in person share their impressions
Bold, mysterious, pompous, epic rock star! Yes, a bright stage image Freddie Mercury contained all these things… However, loyal Queen fans seem to agree that the iconic frontman's stage persona is far from the whole picture of his amazing personality. Unfortunately, most people don't really know who the legendary vocalist really was. "Queens"... After Mercury's death, rumors and fables about him and about his personal life began to turn into legends, but ... only a select group of people knew how an outstanding person named Freddie Mercury. And the stories of people who were lucky enough to meet him personally prove that the frontman Queen there has always been a softer side… In fact, despite his cult status, Freddie remained a very modest, kind and simple person in the most beautiful sense of the word in real life…
"He went barefoot, but was more concerned about the welfare of the fan"
In his book "Classic Queen" photographer Mick Rock recalls:
“One day through Bowie I met a young guy who really wanted to meet Freddie. I don't know if this guy loved Queen's music or was just in love with Mercury... Nevertheless, I took him backstage to introduce him to Freddie. He was very drunk and ended up throwing up right on Freddie's shoes... What struck me was that Freddie just took off his shoes and told this guy not to worry. He took care of him: Freddie took a glass of water, looked for some bicarbonate or soda ... He - the legendary artist of all time - went barefoot, but was more worried about the well-being of the fan! He was concerned with the well-being of the young man, not with the boots…”
"He smelled damn good"
From the memories of one fan:
“I met Freddie at a bar in Charlotte, North Carolina after a concert. He was very sweet and smelled damn good! At the same time, he hid his real identity ... I was shocked - people did not understand who was there! However, we had a nice chat and he was able to have some fun and enjoy some peace without people hanging around him…”
The fan continues:
“Three days later my friend and I saw him in Philadelphia again! He walked over to where I was standing and said, “Oh, we have family here, hello!” and he waved. Special moment, special time, special person…”
"If people respected Freddie, he would respect them back"
Despite his flamboyant stage personality, Freddie's longtime personal assistant - Peter "Phoebe" Freestone - claims that the singer almost never refused an autograph:
“Freddie knew that everything he had, he owed to his fans, because they were constantly buying his records ... Thus, he very rarely refused to sign things and take pictures with fans ...”
However, this happened sometimes. And there were reasons for that...
“I remember once our group went to a restaurant and there were a couple of fans who noticed Freddie coming. We sat down and ordered food and soon they came... One of the fans finished eating and came to the table, at the moment when Freddie raised a fork full of food to his mouth and pushed a sheet of paper in front of his face, asking for an autograph! Freddie asked him to leave, saying a couple of impolite words ... But even after this unpleasant incident, when we were leaving, Freddie still approached the fans and gave an autograph. He told the guy that what he did was actually quite rude. If people respected Freddie, he would respect them back…”
"He always strived to make his fans happy"
According to the journalist Lesley-Anne Jones, Mercury "always strived to make his fans happy"! Jones' most vivid memory was show in Budapest, in honor of which Freddie was determined to perform a special song for the audience in their own language:
“We were in Budapest when he was trying to learn the words to a traditional folk song… He really spent a lot of time and effort on it, but he could not understand them. Then he wrote them on his left palm! During the performance, he made bright gestures with his hand, which allowed him to read the words written on the palm of his hand ... It was so important for him to do everything right. I melted…"
"Family's Best Friend"
record producer Reinhold Mack met the legendary frontman Queen during the recording of the first of the group's five albums:
“I came straight from the airport to the studio and there was a huge amount of equipment! The door swings open and Freddie comes down the stairs. Behind him were six, seven people, like a tribe of bodyguards! When he saw me, he said, "What are you doing here?" “Well, I thought I should work with you,” I replied. He said, “Hmm, no, not really. But since you're here..."
As a result Mac and Mercury became very close! During their joint recording of the second album, the pregnant wife Reinhold she even joked that they would be working on the album longer than their child with Mac was born! Actually - that's what happened. The baby's name was John Frederick or Little Freddie, and his godfather was none other than himself Mercury! At some point the frontman Queen became the best friend of their family ... Once Freddie asked his eldest son Mac, Julianawhat he wants for his birthday, to which he replied, "All I want is for you to show up to my party in the costume from the video It's a Hard Life! And he did it!
“Well, he didn’t come straight to the door in a suit… I heard him changing in my bedroom, muttering, “I can do it on stage, I can do it at this party!”
"You could always laugh with Freddie"
One of the first roadies Queen, Peter Hince, was with the band on tour A Night At The Opera 1975 years before last show Freddie in 1986 year. Hince recalls:
“People talk about Freddie and his ego, but his ego wasn't as big as a lot of people think. It was all just an image... He could play pranks on himself, while some of the other guys in the group couldn't do the same. You could laugh with Freddie, but you always knew where the line was…”
“When he sat down at the piano, I realized that in front of me was a real musician”
Many people would describe the music Queen like operatic rock, so fans shouldn't be surprised that Mercury was a great admirer of classical art and had a great desire to perform with one of the greatest figures in opera ... Delightful Montserrat Caballé about their first meeting with Freddie:
“When he sat down at the piano, I realized that in front of me was a real musician ... He began to improvise, and it was excellent! Then he told me about his illness and we had the opportunity to write songs that still make sense... I was touched because we were creating something special... You don't often get the chance to sing with someone great who is gone forever... »
“I held out my hand, and surprisingly, he shook it gently!”
From the memories of one fan:
“At some point, Freddie took off his sunglasses, causing a stir… When I finally got to him, I saw his eyes. I knew I would only have a minute at the most so I ignored the other band members (sorry guys) and went straight to the vocalist. I handed Freddie my newly acquired Queen and Queen II… When he saw my choice, he looked up and saw a long-haired child smiling at him!”
Fan recalls nervously telling Freddiehow he and his friend enjoyed the show, and that Freddie "signed one of the albums while looking at them with a friend with a hint of fun..." He thanked the fan with a "thin smirk". The fan also claims that he "reached out his hand and, amazingly, Freddie shook it tenderly!"
"I liked it, she liked it, and that's all that matters!"
Once a fan accidentally hit Freddie in the face at the first meeting with him ... She described what she felt:
“The moment you get this close to your idol for the first time, you just want to grab onto everything you can. You just can't do anything about it. You lose control… and just do what you do…”
Meanwhile Freddie like, giggling to himself, "Oh my gosh... I liked it, she liked it, and that's all that matters!"
