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Freddie Mercury questions

Freddie Mercury questions

Old Jul 16th 2008, 2:48 pm
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Default Freddie Mercury questions

Ok, I wasn't even born when Bohemain Rhapasody was released, and when he died I was 12 and don't remember much of it but I have some questions that hopefully people can answer who were around at the time as a lot of my knowledge is based on wikipedia which we all know isn't 100%.

Ethinicity
What is the story behind hiding his Indian roots? Looking at photos you can tell there is something 'different'? No photos then of his parents available? When did he reveal his roots?

Gay or Bisexual
Wikipedia says he is gay, then says something about him being bisexual, I read various things which state he is one or the other Not the most important thing in the world but curiosity

Death
Was it an open secret that Freddie had AIDS amongst people based on his appearance?

Bohemian Rhapsody live
Was it impossible to do the whole song live? Did Queen ever try doing it anywhere?
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Old Jul 16th 2008, 4:22 pm
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Default Re: Freddie Mercury questions

Originally Posted by babsi
Ok, I wasn't even born when Bohemain Rhapasody was released, and when he died I was 12 and don't remember much of it but I have some questions that hopefully people can answer who were around at the time as a lot of my knowledge is based on wikipedia which we all know isn't 100%.



Ethinicity
What is the story behind hiding his Indian roots? Looking at photos you can tell there is something 'different'? No photos then of his parents available? When did he reveal his roots?

His parents were Parsis from the province of Gujarat in India, from what I understand it's not so much that he lied about his roots, merely never discussed them. It seems he was a very shy, private man, even his fellow band members didn't know that much about him.

Gay or Bisexual
Wikipedia says he is gay, then says something about him being bisexual, I read various things which state he is one or the other Not the most important thing in the world but curiosity

His one true love was a woman, Mary Austin, who was left his house + money in his will, she still lives in his house. Sexually he preferred men.


Death
Was it an open secret that Freddie had AIDS amongst people based on his appearance?

The band only knew in the last year, it was not spoken about much, if at all. They knew he was dieing when they were recording the last album. No one talked about it publicly out of respect for his privacy.



Bohemian Rhapsody live
Was it impossible to do the whole song live? Did Queen ever try doing it anywhere?


Did'nt they play it live at Live Aid?



This is good:- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4eoxknrfBZ8
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Old Jul 16th 2008, 4:42 pm
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Default Re: Freddie Mercury questions

Originally Posted by babsi
Ok, I wasn't even born when Bohemain Rhapasody was released, and when he died I was 12 and don't remember much of it but I have some questions that hopefully people can answer who were around at the time as a lot of my knowledge is based on wikipedia which we all know isn't 100%.

Ethinicity
What is the story behind hiding his Indian roots? Looking at photos you can tell there is something 'different'? No photos then of his parents available? When did he reveal his roots?

Gay or Bisexual
Wikipedia says he is gay, then says something about him being bisexual, I read various things which state he is one or the other Not the most important thing in the world but curiosity

Death
Was it an open secret that Freddie had AIDS amongst people based on his appearance?

Bohemian Rhapsody live
Was it impossible to do the whole song live? Did Queen ever try doing it anywhere?
Death- it was a closed secret that he had aids, as he lived his last few years as a recluse. I don't think the band were aware for a long time. He stopped touring, just saying that he had, had enough of being on the road. He only ever admitted that he aids the day before he died.I don't think he hid it because he ashamed of it he just didn't want the sympathy.The last album innuendo which was released shortly before he died, I think it was at this stage that he told the band that he had aids. All credits for the songs on this album went to Queen as a whole and not to one of the group members individually like previous albums.So you could say this was perhaps the band showing one last unity together.

The first video on the last album was a cartoon (innuendo) to enable him to hide his illness. The 2nd video(I;m going slightly mad) where FM was heavily costumed to disguise and apparently took days to film as he had to take frequent breaks. The 3rd song came out after his death (Those were the days) and this clearly showed how ill he was to the public for the first time.

It was impossible to sing BH R live with the group as it stood, the opera bit was never tried live until the musical by Ben Elton, where they were able to achieve it due to the numbers of people on stage.

His first and true love was Mary Austin although for a lot of years it was purely platonic, however he left most of his estate to her on his death.

These are my views, may be a bit wrong on some as can't be bothered to double check and its quite a few years ago now

Last edited by Flogger; Jul 16th 2008 at 4:44 pm. Reason: spelling
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Old Jul 16th 2008, 4:42 pm
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Default Re: Freddie Mercury questions

[QUOTE=babsi;6577201]Ok, I wasn't even born when Bohemain Rhapasody was released, and when he died I was 12 and don't remember much of it but I have some questions that hopefully people can answer who were around at the time as a lot of my knowledge is based on wikipedia which we all know isn't 100%.

Ethinicity
What is the story behind hiding his Indian roots? Looking at photos you can tell there is something 'different'? No photos then of his parents available? When did he reveal his roots?

I don't think that Freddie ever 'revealed' his roots. I think his background emerged after his death. He moved to Feltham with his family in the 1960's from Zanzibar. I think his Dad was a diplomat. His parents definitely look Asian and they are darker skinned than Freddie. I think his family were Pharsee's, an ancient religion from Persia.

Gay or Bisexual
Wikipedia says he is gay, then says something about him being bisexual, I read various things which state he is one or the other Not the most important thing in the world but curiosity When Freddie was a struggling musician he used to live with a woman called Mary Austin. Even after they broke up in the early 1970's they remained closed friends until Freddie died in 1991. Mary helped to look after Freddie during his illness.

Death
Was it an open secret that Freddie had AIDS amongst people based on his appearance?

Bohemian Rhapsody live
Was it impossible to do the whole song live? Did Queen ever try doing it anywhere? I'm not sure that they did?[QUOTE]
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Old Jul 16th 2008, 4:44 pm
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Default Re: Freddie Mercury questions

I went to see Queen back in 1986 at Wembley It was the best concert I ever went to and saddo that I am 20+ years on I still have the t-shirt and concert brochure
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Old Jul 16th 2008, 4:51 pm
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Default Re: Freddie Mercury questions

Originally Posted by babsi
Ok, I wasn't even born when Bohemain Rhapasody was released, and when he died I was 12 and don't remember much of it but I have some questions that hopefully people can answer who were around at the time as a lot of my knowledge is based on wikipedia which we all know isn't 100%.

Ethinicity
What is the story behind hiding his Indian roots? Looking at photos you can tell there is something 'different'? No photos then of his parents available? When did he reveal his roots?
He was born in Zanzibar to Indian parents. He went to school in India. I don't think he ever made his ethnicity a public issue.

Gay or Bisexual
Wikipedia says he is gay, then says something about him being bisexual, I read various things which state he is one or the other Not the most important thing in the world but curiosity
I agree it is not a great issue, but, AFAIK he was gay, but had a lifetime personal friendship with a woman.

Death
Was it an open secret that Freddie had AIDS amongst people based on his appearance?
Open secret amongst which people? I am sure his friends knew. He didn't announce it publicly until the day before he died.

Bohemian Rhapsody live
Was it impossible to do the whole song live? Did Queen ever try doing it anywhere?
Yes, they performed it live. EDIT: (Though, as mentioned by other posters above, it wasn't exactly the same.)

By the accounts I have heard, he was a very shy and quiet man (completely opposite to his on stage persona). Being gay and Indian was pretty tough for him in racist and homophobic 1970s Britain.

Last edited by JonboyE; Jul 16th 2008 at 4:54 pm.
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Old Jul 16th 2008, 4:55 pm
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Default Re: Freddie Mercury questions

Has anyone got a youtube link to the WHOLE of Bohemian Rhapsody being played live?

I mean open secret that the press never announced it but they knew what was going on but didn't publish it. If this was happening now in the internet age I think things would have been different.
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Old Jul 16th 2008, 4:57 pm
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Default Re: Freddie Mercury questions

This is from wikipedia:

Mercury has also been criticised for having kept his past of being a Persian living in India a secret from the public. As a journalist from The Times observed, "Freddie himself always played down his Indian origins. In the few interviews he gave, he remained deliberately unclear about them."[1] A close friend of Mercury's further related to biographer David Bret: "[Farrokh] Bulsara was a name he had buried. He never wanted to talk about any period in his life before he became Freddie Mercury, and everything about Freddie Mercury was a self-constructed thing."[47] A journalist from Times Online compared him to Michael Jackson: "He wanted to pass as a white European rock’n’roll star.

Is this fair or not fair?
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Old Jul 16th 2008, 5:00 pm
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Default Re: Freddie Mercury questions

Apols to MB realtor ,didn't read your post before posting and i have just echo'd most of your points
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Old Jul 16th 2008, 5:06 pm
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Default Re: Freddie Mercury questions

Is this fair or not fair?
Yes, it's fair in a way. You have to understand that society's attitudes at the time were very different to today. There was no way that a gay Indian would be accepted as the front man of rock band, especially one that crossed over into pop music.

Rock musicians were meant to be macho. Even Elton John had to pretend to be straight. As far as the media were concerned gay people were limp wristed, effete queens like John Inman in Are you Being Served.

White Britain was very anti brown people.

Thank God for progress.

Last edited by JonboyE; Jul 16th 2008 at 5:09 pm.
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Old Jul 16th 2008, 5:09 pm
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Default Re: Freddie Mercury questions

Originally Posted by babsi
Has anyone got a youtube link to the WHOLE of Bohemian Rhapsody being played live?

I mean open secret that the press never announced it but they knew what was going on but didn't publish it. If this was happening now in the internet age I think things would have been different.
In answer to press knowing but not anouncing.
No, the sun was forever trying to get photo's of Freddie looking thin,so they could scoope to the world he had aids.
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Old Jul 16th 2008, 5:12 pm
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Default Re: Freddie Mercury questions

Originally Posted by babsi
I mean open secret that the press never announced it but they knew what was going on but didn't publish it. If this was happening now in the internet age I think things would have been different.
There were rumours. I don't recall being surprised when it was announced he was about to die of AIDS.
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Old Jul 16th 2008, 5:28 pm
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Default Re: Freddie Mercury questions

I am 50 now and was a teenager when Queen first became famous.

I didn't know he was Indian for years and years, until I read a magazine article about "Famous Asians in England". It was a short article.

As for his homosexuality, having seen him on stage it didn't take a great leap of imagination, but it was not acceptable to be Out in those days. My OH meet him once, briefly, at a client's business. This must have been in the late 80s. She said he made no attempt to hide his campness, and he was escorted by two large, very "butch" (but equally very gay), men.
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Old Jul 16th 2008, 6:38 pm
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Default Re: Freddie Mercury questions

My turn , my turn

I remembet seeing a programme on Freddie after his death and he was talking about his "indian" life and living in Zanzibar.

He looked v ill in the SLightly mad video - you could tell he was seriouly ill at the time.

I too was at Wemnley in 1986 - FRONT ROW AND AM IN THE VIDEO ))))_

There was a live video for sale and they did BR - although as siad by others - the operatic bit was "pre-recorded" while FD went off stage to change.


and I still have the T shirt
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Old Jul 16th 2008, 6:43 pm
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Default Re: Freddie Mercury questions

here you go:

from 0.57

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NCo1OVNbYFQ
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