| ***JAN*** 20.07.2017 01:33 |
25 years of fandom and I've never met them. Gotta say that I've never "stalked" or tried to push things either, though... Dreamt of meeting them several times throughout the years as well. I was amongst the 10 guitarists selected during the first part of the auditions for WWRY Italy in 2009, but I didn't make it to the following step where BHM & RMT were present. Last year I happened to be at the same restaurant where BHM and Kerry Ellis had dinner the previous night. The owner told my table that BHM had booked the restaurant for lunch and he was due to arrive shortly...so we decided to prolong our stay after coffee. At some point a body guard shows up, the waiter hands him a couple of doggy bags and that was it. In 2007 I did my Bachelor's Degree thesis on BHM, wrote to ask him if he could be interested in writing the preface...silly student with lots of expectations. Eventually "Jen" replied that he was "unavailable" at that time... Any similar stories of misery? |
| The Fairy King 20.07.2017 01:58 |
***JAN*** wrote: 25 years of fandom and I've never met them. Gotta say that I've never "stalked" or tried to push things either, though... Dreamt of meeting them several times throughout the years as well. I was amongst the 10 guitarists selected during the first part of the auditions for WWRY Italy in 2009, but I didn't make it to the following step where BHM & RMT were present. Last year I happened to be at the same restaurant where BHM and Kerry Ellis had dinner the previous night. The owner told my table that BHM had booked the restaurant for lunch and he was due to arrive shortly...so we decided to prolong our stay after coffee. At some point a body guard shows up, the waiter hands him a couple of doggy bags and that was it. In 2007 I did my Bachelor's Degree thesis on BHM, wrote to ask him if he could be interested in writing the preface...silly student with lots of expectations. Eventually "Jen" replied that he was "unavailable" at that time... Any similar stories of misery?Yyyyeeeh...please don't go Mark David Chapman on his ass. Thanks. |
| ***JAN*** 20.07.2017 02:05 |
Yes...and what about those camping outside hotels and chasing them at airports etc.? Never been of those, sorry... |
| The Fairy King 20.07.2017 02:06 |
***JAN*** wrote: Yes...and what about those camping outside hotels and chasing them at airports etc.? Never been of those, sorry...So why are you bothering us with it? :D |
| ***JAN*** 20.07.2017 02:14 |
Feel free to ignore me if you feel stressed, mate... ;) I just wanted to share some "missed close encounters" stories, sorry... |
| The Fairy King 20.07.2017 02:17 |
***JAN*** wrote: Feel free to ignore me if you feel stressed, mate... ;) I just wanted to share some "missed close encounters" stories, sorry...Why so defensive? I'm only (partially) kidding. And i'm the one who's stressed? :D |
| ***JAN*** 20.07.2017 02:22 |
No offence intended ;) Have you ever met them? Any stories to share? |
| The Fairy King 20.07.2017 02:32 |
***JAN*** wrote: No offence intended ;) Have you ever met them? Any stories to share?Never met them. |
| Sebastian 20.07.2017 02:41 |
A few close calls, but never met any of them either. I've met some people who claimed to have been their temporary drivers, roadies, bodyguards, teaboys, balance engineers, etc., but who knows if they're telling the truth... |
| Golden Salmon 20.07.2017 04:45 |
I missed Roger by 30 minutes and that's the closest I've ever been. However, I've met some people who work with them and that was probably more fun and relaxed than meeting the stars. With that, I mean that I really don't understand the hysteria. They're talented, rich, famous and some of them have massive egos too. Meeting them could be devastating if you happen to be a nuisance and asking for their attention is a Russian roulette. If they happen to be in a bad mood or the fans are being overwhelming, you are in for a crushing blow from your heroes however subtle it may be. Having fun with your fame is great until it becomes annoying, and that's how they feel many times and real quick. You want a signature, a picture, shaking hands, smiles and nice words after they've done that a hundred times that same day? Fuck off... Just remember that story about some fans shoving a pen and paper in Freddie's face as he was about to have the first bite and him being rude to them in that particular moment. Yet he was such a nice guy that he felt bad and went over to comply when he was done. There's this day I met an actor at a restaurant and I thought the most appropriate interaction was just saying "Hello" and stopping right there. I could tell that he wanted to go unnoticed as he was alone, his eyes never left the ground and it was a very quiet day in an unusual part of town. Other than saluting back, he didn't engage in conversation any further and I fully understood. |
| Wiley 20.07.2017 07:26 |
I had a couple of disappointments before actually getting to see them years later. In 2002 Queen (Bri and Rog) were supposed to perform with the WWRY cast in Hyde Park for Party in the park. I was coincidentally taking a summer course in France so I convinced about 5 or 6 friends to go to London for the weekend and attend the show. Neither were fans really but I told them Shakira, Shaggy and Enrique Iglesias would be there. In the end, Brian and Roger were there but didn't come out because they 'didn't want to take the spotlight from de WWRY cast'. Those fuckers, hahaha :) Disappointment #2... I booked tickets to Eric Clapton's Crossroads Guitar festival 2004 in Dallas, TX. Took a bus for about 6-8 hours to attend but, by then, Brian had already cancelled so he didn't show either. The last one I won't call it a disappointment because I was kind of a little annoying bitch. When I finally met Brian in Prague 2005 I got his autograph in the afternoon before the Q+PR show. Then at night I was hanging out with other fans outside the band's hotel (first and last time I've done it) after the show and Brian was obviously tired but he still stopped to sign autographs. When he did mine, I was so excited that I inadvertently put my sweaty thumb on top of his fresh signature and it got smudged. I stupidly gave it back to him and said "it rubbed off" (I still regret it to this day) and he obviously didn't sign it again, gave it back to me and said "It's not too bad." His security guard kinda laughed and said it was a midnight autograph. I was embarrassed to say the least, haha :). |
| matt z 20.07.2017 08:51 |
Yikes! FairyKing...please don't invoke that asshole's name... especially here. That's just creepy. Ya always hope that nobody does anything like that again. That said...does this count? (*for miserable fandom) Attending their unpublicized "Hollywood Walk of Fame Ceremony" but being 3 weeks short of 21...so I couldn't attend the evening party/Greatest Hits Dvd presentation [that apparently had sound glitches/performance issues] It was the first time I'd met Nuno. Got a really bad photo some asshole took for me and I lost the dollar I'd asked him to sign (*who on earth carries EXTREME cds along with themselves on a daily basis? ) I've "met" Brian. ...but that's just in store book signings. Handshake, nod, photo, thanks etc. (*Though I did give Brian a sketch I'd made of him) Roger seems like the kind of guy that would spend half the year in resorts, the other half working. Oh and I ran into Fred Mandel when he was a contestant in a beauty pageant. He'd asked me to help tape his tits up. ....but then again, I could be misremembering |
| The Fairy King 20.07.2017 09:09 |
matt z wrote: Yikes! FairyKing...please don't invoke that asshole's name... especially here. That's just creepy. Ya always hope that nobody does anything like that again. .....Haha! Nah the opening post came across a bit stalkerish/entitled/homicidal. ;) |
| ***JAN*** 20.07.2017 09:31 |
Thanks everyone for the contributions...that was exactly what I was after! :D Stories of """losers""" just like me...haha! The idea came to my mind after seeing the umpteenth post on my FB feed of the umpteenth person who, apparently, gets a personal invitation from BHM himself everytime he finds himself in Italy. I was wondering what makes those people "elected"... At least in Italy, it feels like there's some sort of "private, impenetrable caste" surrounding (what's left of) Queen...Is it the same in your countries? p.s.= I should change my username to "GrumpyFan" -_- |
| Daniel Nester 20.07.2017 09:34 |
I exchanged pleasantries with Brian when he signed Village Lost and Found. It didn't make me miserable. |
| ggo1 20.07.2017 10:01 |
I was 15 when I saw Queen on the Crazy tour in 79. Went to both shows at the Liverpool Empire. Waited backstage for autographs after the first one but was told the band had already left. The 2nd night didn't bother trying and left the show straight away, my Auntie Jean gave me a ride home and as we drove past the theatre we saw John deacon in the back of a Merc and she (always a little crazy) decided to follow. We chased them 2 blocks before we got stopped at a red light they just beat. Not sure where he was going, I'm pretty sure they stayed at the Adelphi which is close to the theatre. Strange thing is, it turns out that after one of the shows, not sure which, Brian, Roger and Freddie had gone to a club in town after the show for a meal and drinks. The club was owned by a family friend and they comped them the food once they found out who they were. The band signed a menu for them but they weren't really fans and didn't think much about it. I found out about this a couple of weeks later and was told I could have the menu. But they couldn't find it. Despite this setback I have somehow remained a fan for the subsequent 40 years. I do suggest not meeting your heroes if you don't want to look silly. I had a curry with Fish once (long story of how is irrelevant), I was in awe of the man, there were about twelve of us and I sat basically mute throughout the whole meal. I managed to get the courage to ask him for a photo when he left and he was gracious enough to allow it. I departed shortly afterwards, left money on the table for my meal and found out a few days later that Fish had paid everyone's bill without telling anyone when he left. Top Guy, but I have always felt embarrassed about that night. I'm usually very articulate and regularly give presentations without any worries but I was just completely tongue tied. Must have been 2001 or 2002 cause he was touring the Fellini Days album. |
| matt z 20.07.2017 10:35 |
^interesting. Derrick William Dick. ....fish. Never heard of em. Now I've got some tunes to listen to thanks. Fandom Hell pt2 i probably mention this one too much, but I was playing a gig at a local bar & grill. Arrived 2 hours earlier to get parking, practice, get a little buzz on. Turned out Ronnie James Dio was near the door watching this folk band onstage (*woman playing guitar lute etc) with a "fixed face" (surgery) turned out to be his wife. Anyways, when Ronnie stepped outside I went to go thank him and hopefully have a chat. Instead his nephew comes by. (They played afterward)..cuts in...i was a bit stumped and said something like "but that's him! " To which Ronnie said smart assedly "no, I am not HE" So i respected his space...and didn't bug him. Although he WAS watching me as i tuned up outside. Ronnie was walking on top of the flower bed enclosing. ...it was weird. I had things to say and would've loved an autograph but HEAVEN AND HELL had just cancelled their tour on grounds of RJDS diagnosis of stomach cancer. I let the guy be. Sill bothered me a bit. I knew damn well who he was but was very concerned and hesitated with my words leading me to apparently sound like a fool to him. Argh |
| Oscar J 20.07.2017 13:00 |
Personally, I am not as much a fan of the actual Queen members as I am of their music. Freddie would certainly have been interesting to meet though. |
| Pim Derks 20.07.2017 15:17 |
Waited for the band in Paris 2005. Met Paul and decided to leave at (I think) around 12:30 am or something. Only to find out a day later that literally 5 minutes later Brian showed up and spend a lot of time with the remaining couple of fans who were there. |
| Golden Salmon 20.07.2017 16:37 |
Pim Derks wrote: Waited for the band in Paris 2005. Met Paul and decided to leave at (I think) around 12:30 am or something. Only to find out a day later that literally 5 minutes later Brian showed up and spend a lot of time with the remaining couple of fans who were there. Hey, at least you got to hang out with Queen's singer! Just don't say his name when asked :-P That reminds me that when I missed Roger, I actually missed him three times that day: I had left one hour earlier the same bar he showed up to, then I left the street where he was 30 minutes earlier, and then I left the venue about 10 minutes before he went out. Not that I would have gotten closer, but I would have loved seeing him out in the wild. |
| Kuijpy 20.07.2017 16:54 |
Met Brian in Vlissingen in 2011.. Great Guy ! |
| *goodco* 21.07.2017 06:45 |
Had the good fortune with my wife to talk and have pix with Brian and Roger after the Walk of Fame ceremony on day one of our honeymoon fifteen years ago (pix on Brian's website). Disappointment: winning a drawing through the fan club as a group of 25 to meet Brian and Roger the afternoon before the WWRY premiere in Las Vegas. We knew a handful from Queen message groups such as this. We're gathered, and then Jackie announces that neither Brian or Roger could make it because they were feeling 'under the weather' and that 'schedules had changed'. Rather than at least popping in for five minutes instead of the scheduled 30-60 minutes, they simply cancelled. No other meeting time was arranged. We were going to attend the premiere regardless, though it meant a plane trip from Maryland. Others travelled long distances as well. One couple we knew spent the money to fly all the way from Pennsylvania (and had hotel expenses of course).....ONLY because of winning the chance to finally get to meet these two men. They were not 'poor', but they weren't 'rolling in the dough' either. We'll always have that glow of Hollywood, but the memory was dimmed because of the Vegas experience. My wife and I shrugged it off somewhat, as for some reason Kevin Dubrow spent hours with us on three different occasions during our stay, signing autographs and chatting with many flirty well-wishers that he would turn his back on after a minute or two and continue his conversation with us. But we'll never forget the disappointment of so many, and the hurt on the Pennsylvania couple's faces that day. |
| philip storey 21.07.2017 06:47 |
I met Freddie and Roger whilst i worked in a Hotel in the Peterborough area, they were filming Breakthru at the Nene Valley Railway.Had a nice chat with Roger about The new album and Fun In Space.Just said hello to Freddie and asked him if he was enjoying his stay and if the video was going well.Great day indeed. |
| andres_clip 21.07.2017 13:38 |
Sebastian wrote: A few close calls, but never met any of them either. I've met some people who claimed to have been their temporary drivers, roadies, bodyguards, teaboys, balance engineers, etc., but who knows if they're telling the truth...Balance engineers wtf is that hahaha |
| scollins 21.07.2017 17:50 |
met them at the 10th anniversary of freddies death at the ocean club in hackney london where they did a gig with different singers eg bruce dickinson paul young fabba girls spike jamie moses etc etc etc and after the song no one bud you i jumped onto the stage and hugged brian and roger and they said thanks for coming then me and my girlfriend and our friend monty ended up blagging into the vip lounge then i managed to get us into the executive area where everyone from the band to jackie from the fanclub and her sister were there and we had a great time drinking and smoking some stuff lol till about 430am in the morning :) it was fuckin awesome and i managed to get a double cd of the show about 10 days after it from one of the guys who are well know for stuff like that :) so all in all the was feckin awesome. |
| matt z 21.07.2017 19:06 |
^ never heard of it. Proof? Or bull? |
| Sebastian 21.07.2017 19:16 |
andres_clip wrote: Balance engineers wtf is that hahahaIt's just an old-fashioned way to refer to sound engineers who worked the faders. In Queen terms, those would be the likes of Mike Stone, etc. |
| matt z 22.07.2017 06:46 |
^^ ah durr...it's the SAS BAND gig you were referring to. My mistake. Though I'm not sure how that's in keeping with the original post. Funny. I found an outdated SHARE of it from 2016 |
| andres_clip 22.07.2017 13:54 |
Sebastian wrote:OH I see thought it was some term Freddie invented for something. But teaboys was surely something Freddie hired alot.andres_clip wrote: Balance engineers wtf is that hahahaIt's just an old-fashioned way to refer to sound engineers who worked the faders. In Queen terms, those would be the likes of Mike Stone, etc. |
| bucsateflon 22.07.2017 15:04 |
I hate stalker fans, fuck'em!... and the pictures they have taken with celebrities. |
| matt z 22.07.2017 19:02 |
^ yeah. Run ins or autograph sessions are cool but stalking is all kinds of wrong. Somehow it gets listed as "cute " and endearing when a woman does it. (That chick aussie singer who rushed into Prince 's Paisley Park, chick Beatles groupies sneaking into hotel rooms) But when a guy does it it's seen for what it is. Double standard |
| matt z 22.07.2017 19:03 |
Double post |
| thomasquinn 32989 23.07.2017 18:38 |
matt z wrote: Double postStandard double post or double standard post? |
| matt z 23.07.2017 21:39 |
thomasquinn 32989 wrote:Double-standard double post.matt z wrote: Double postStandard double post or double standard post? |
| thomasquinn 32989 24.07.2017 11:49 |
Ok, that seems fair. Just don't expect us to double over to meet the standard post-haste. Or something. |
| adrian b 25.07.2017 12:21 |
Musicians I've met on the whole have been really receptive and gracious. Duff mckagan didn't have a lot to say from guns and roses but it was a meet and greet, buy some stuff for £30 and ill sign two CDs only. Met fish in hmv in 1994 and he's a nice guy, but I forgot to say more than a few words. Bet he has some memories of Fred and queen from 86, he's about to retire from touring this year. Most recently met garry talent who is the long term bassist in springsteens ester et band. Top fella, dedicated a few CDs to my two young sons and I said I wouldn't be cashing in on them. His daughter helped on the merch and it was as relaxed as it could be. I'm sure they have to be wary of signing tons of stuff as people will trade. His support was the son of buddy Holly's best friend and writer bob Montgomery, small world! |
| Pingfah 25.07.2017 15:04 |
Roger & Jim Beach walked into a resturant in Falmouth and sat down and had dinner on the table next to me once. I didn't say anything, I felt it would be rude to interrupt. A painful 2 hours! I met Roger a few times in other situations though. |
| matt z 26.07.2017 17:14 |
Surprised nobody's stated: "Met Rob Halford at a gay club wearing chaps,.... I asked him "What are you so bummed out about?"" ..he didn't get the joke, but bought me a beer. Me car broke down and we wus up at the ol "BLOKE N' POKE" we wuz. Waiting for repairs" Fine chap. |
| cmsdrums 28.07.2017 07:52 |
Sebastian wrote:Just for accuracy, 'sound engineers' as a rule generally would not be working the faders - the role of a ''sound engineer' is to be the one who set up the equipment (amps, mics and their positioning, leads, headphones etc...). The producer and often the band will be the ones working the faders, and then at a later stage also the person mixing and mastering. This is not to say that engineers weren't asked to help out on faders (especially back in the day when stuff was mixed in 'real time' and an extra pair of hands was needed), but as a rule they are employed to do the technical side of setting up the gear to enable the recordings.andres_clip wrote: Balance engineers wtf is that hahahaIt's just an old-fashioned way to refer to sound engineers who worked the faders. In Queen terms, those would be the likes of Mike Stone, etc. We do know however that on the later recording that Mike Stone was credited as engineer he has outstripped that remit and was basically producing with the band, but RTB's name stayed on the credits due to contractual arrangements.. |
| noorie 27.08.2017 00:13 |
This story is not my own, it is my uncle's, and it is not 'miserable' - quite the opposite. My uncle and Freddie were classmates at St. Peter's in Panchgani (back in those days Parsi boys who lived out of India were sent for a couple of years to Mumbai or close by to learn Parsi customs, culture, etc.) They were very good friends and Freddie spent quite some time with my uncle's relatives in Mumbai during the holidays. Then they went their separate ways. Years later (my uncle thinks around 1974), my uncle happened to be in London and was having a meal at a restaurant. A man detached himself from a small group nearby, and came up to him, and asked if he was X. It was Freddie! My uncle did not recognise him at all - he looked completely different from school-boy Freddie. Naturally once he said he was Freddie Bulsara, my uncle was delighted and they chatted for a few minutes, and Freddie asked about his family - catching up on old times a bit. And then he left with his friends. The funny thing about this story is that my uncle had absolutely no clue that Freddie Bulsara was Freddie Mercury! He was not into rock music, and this was way before the internet. He was just happy to meet his good friend from school. When he asked for the check, the waiter told him Freddie had paid his bill. My uncle was pleasantly surprised, and that was that. Few months later, when he went to a 'record shop' to buy some albums, he saw Freddie's face on an album cover. Only after asking the clerk at the store did he realise that his old school friend was now the rock star Freddie Mercury! |
| matt z 27.08.2017 09:50 |
^ that's a fantastic story. Thanks for the share. (..and yes, I'm awake at 3am...horrible, horrible allergies. ...I'm between cutting my own nose off or knocking myself out with a hammer) It's pretty funny to think of the guy as just a regular person. Thanks for sharing that |
| noorie 01.09.2017 15:40 |
Matt z, sorry, I had a crazy busy week at work and just saw your comment. I hope you're feeling better! Have you tried pure eucalyptus oil? Helped my friend a lot!! |
| smilefairyqueen 04.09.2017 12:23 |
That's an interesting story. I wonder why Freddie never talked about his boarding school days. Did your uncle ever mention what it was like at that boarding school? |
| noorie 04.09.2017 16:15 |
He said he had a lot of fun at St. Peter's once he got used to being in a boarding school far away from home. Although the food was horrible, dorms overcrowded, and the teachers extremely tough and at times mean (but I guess back then teachers were always like that...?) I honestly don't know much more. Naturally I kept pumping him about Freddie as a young boy, and all he said was that Freddie was just a very nice, normal boy, and a lot of fun once you got to know him. And that they all had some good times together. But no other details. Sorry. (Unfortunately, my uncle's not a very talkative man!) Perhaps Freddie never spoke about his past because he was re-inventing himself as a British rock star..? Just conjecture on my part... Like everybody else, I have no clue. |
| noorie 04.09.2017 16:56 |
One thing I wanted to mention is that I think it is so amazing that not once in their conversation did Freddie ever mention that he was Freddie Mercury! You'd think he'd want to brag a bit to his old school friend - I know I would! |
| smilefairyqueen 05.09.2017 01:31 |
Thanks for the reply noorie. Just goes to show you how humble Freddie really was. The boarding school sounds pretty rough. I know those schools have history of being pretty abusive. At least it sounds like they had a good time though. |
| smilefairyqueen 05.09.2017 08:45 |
It also makes me wonder why Freddie was so against talking about his childhood and boarding school days. Perhaps there was some trauma that happened there that Freddie wanted to forget about. |
| LOTV 08.09.2017 12:44 |
When it comes to Miserable fandom, mine is short and far from sweet. I was 11 when the Magic Tour started and my older cousin had two tickets. I spent weeks arguing with my parents and convincing them I was old enough to go (my cousin being 14/15). Eventually they gave in and agreed. Woo-hoo. I couldn't wait. Sadly I was too excited, the night before Wembley (Saturday I think) I was sick. Couldn't stop throwing up with nerves. My parents quite rightly thought I was ill despite my protestations and alas I never got to see Freddie live. I'm still miserable about it. |
| Chopin1995 08.09.2017 16:54 |
LOTV wrote: When it comes to Miserable fandom, mine is short and far from sweet. I was 11 when the Magic Tour started and my older cousin had two tickets. I spent weeks arguing with my parents and convincing them I was old enough to go (my cousin being 14/15). Eventually they gave in and agreed. Woo-hoo. I couldn't wait. Sadly I was too excited, the night before Wembley (Saturday I think) I was sick. Couldn't stop throwing up with nerves. My parents quite rightly thought I was ill despite my protestations and alas I never got to see Freddie live. I'm still miserable about it.Oh... This is really sad story |