Blog 39

Doesn’t time fly when you are enjoying yourself, although come to think of it, you don’t even have to be enjoying yourself! I must admit I have spent the last couple of afternoons in different friends’ pools, as the temperatures here in Czech Republic are breaking records. The thermometer read 42C yesterday at about 5 pm.

Starr wanted to know if anyone ever thought about creating a museum for Freddie and Queen.
Ideas have been doing the rounds for many years, but until now there have only been temporary exhibitions. People in London, Japan and Dresden in Germany have been able to see the exhibition mounted by Queen, and I also saw a very good presentation in the Rock Museum in Gronau in Germany. There are now plans for a more permanent exhibition in the old Mountain Studios in Montreux in Switzerland. Fans at the UK Convention were told about this by Greg Brooks, Queen’s archivist.

Tom asked if Freddie could play the guitar better than he made out.
Yes, Freddie could play more than three chords on the guitar. I think the reason Freddie said this in concerts was to make the audience smile. When Freddie was composing his songs, he usually created the melodies on the piano, as that was the instrument he was most familiar with. Also, come to think about it, Freddie could only feel a little bit small in the guitar stakes when he had Brian May as a co-composer on tracks.

Melinda wanted to know if Freddie would be satisfied with what happened after Freddie’s death.
Before Freddie died he was most concerned that the people closest to him were taken care of. He made plans with the executors of his estate as to what would happen in the following years. He did not say one word about what sort of funeral there should be. Basically he wasn’t interested in that, he wasn’t going to be there, so why worry about what happened. He really just wanted to make sure that everything was in place for those around him, and then spent any more time he had making music so the band had something to work with when he could no longer record with them. Looking at the big picture over the last 20 years or so, I think if he could have anything to say now about how his legacy has been handled, he might make a few tweaks here and there, as he used to do when he was around, but over all, he would be satisfied.

Javier asked what happened to the white guitar Freddie used for Crazy in live shows.
Simple truth, I don’t know. I did hear that it has disappeared somewhere along the line. Someone went to the old warehouse Queen had for their equipment, looking for a few things and noticed that the white guitar was no longer there.

Steve asked a couple of questions about Freddie and New York.
Freddie’s apartment was in the Sovereign Building on 58th and 1st. I remember one of the first days we were there, we tried counting the visible bridges. We were also there for the 100 year birthday of the Brooklyn Bridge. We watched the fireworks from the window and also the live tv relay in his bedroom. Tourist sights didn’t figure highly on his agenda. His favourite restaurants would be Julie’s, Pearl’s and a great local restaurant near Christopher Street. There were a couple of others we frequented, One 5th and also one called One if by Land, Two if by Sea. Freddie and his friends used to go to many different bars and clubs, but I had membership, which was very hard to come by, for one called The Saint and he often went to Studio 54 on a Sunday evening.

Kriszti wanted to know which was Freddie’s balcony of the apartment building in Montreux.
Freddie’s apartment was on the top floor and was the right side of the building, looking from the lake.

Eliana asked if, when reflecting on his life, Freddie was happy with what had happened in his life.
I am sure Freddie was happy with what had happened. A boy from Zanzibar becoming part of a huge band, writing some of the world’s best known songs and being able to make millions of people happy, just for starters. He had traveled the world and been able to spend time in places he loved, with people he loved and indulge his passion for all art Japanese. Yes, I think he was happy with what he had achieved.

Eddy asked if Freddie would still be in the music business today.
As Freddie once said in an interview… he didn’t know how to do anything else. As to the genre, I don’t think he would pay any attention to a specific genre, he would just be writing what felt good for him at the time. Freddie hated boxes, and the way music was this, that or something else. Music was music. If you think of the songs that he wrote over his lifetime, the styles were so varied, I don’t think his attitude would have changed with age.

Nick wanted to know if Freddie had any connections to Ireland.
Not really. Apart from Jim Hutton and playing dates on tours there, Freddie didn’t? visit Ireland at any other time. It wasn’t that he didn’t like the place; I think it was just that he didn’t have enough time to do everything else he wanted to do.

Hazan asked if birthdays were important to Freddie.
Birthdays were very important to Freddie, but not only his own. Freddie would organize a party for all his friends’ birthdays. He loved entertaining people and seeing smiling faces. Like most people, Freddie loved receiving gifts, but it really was more important to him to give them. He would think about what the other person might want or need and he would ensure that he would get the right gift for the right person.

Ok, time to go out and face the sun again. They have been promising thunderstorms everyday for the last week, but NOTHING! Have a great time till the next one.