Is it true that, sometime in the 70s, a member of the audience heckled Freddie with a gay slur then Freddie stopped the performance, spotlighted the kid and told him to say that again (innother words)? Is there really a tape of this somewhere? Thanks in advance!!
No tape that I am aware of but I have a strong recollection it was an early show in Manchester. He didn’t suffer fools gladly. On the live Rainbow great king rat recording he can be easily sneering “you bugger, you!”
No tape that I am aware of but I have a strong recollection it was an early show in Manchester. He didn’t suffer fools gladly. On the live Rainbow great king rat recording he can be easily sneering “you bugger, you!”
Manchester, March 20, 1974 link
A roadie tells a story about what seems to be this show.
"Queen had just taken the stage, and this bloke shouted to Freddie, 'You fucking poof.'
Freddie demanded that the crew turn the spotlight on the crowd and find this fella.
He then said to him, 'Say that again, darling,' and the bloke didn't know what to do.
I saw him literally shrink this six-foot bloke down to an inch."
@dysan: Bob Geldof met Brian and Roger at a party and he told them to get "that old faggot", meaning Freddie, to agree to play for Live Aid...it bothered me that he used the term
I think it was meant as an endearment in a moment of frustration but that doesn't mean it wasn't also hurtful. At the time people did use that word a lot more, which isn't an excuse, but most people weren't recorded. I would guess, and hope, that Geldof himself might cringe if he saw that today.
I don't know how their relationship was and maybe Geldof would have been comfortable using that word in front of Freddie and maybe Freddie didn't mind. Such things happen, black comedians have done bits where they encounter white guys who use the n-word freely because they say that some other black guy gave them "a pass". I think Chevy Chase tried to use that excuse when he used the n-word on the set of Community. People like that don't understand that even if some friend of theirs gave them such a "pass", it isn't a universal pass. Other people might still be hurt.
I don't think the point of a discussion like this should be shaming people, it should be trying learn from the mistakes of the past.
I don't think anyone is being shamed here. I think we all know it isn't a word commonly used now, not that I know of, but back then were different times. It's not worth getting upset now over something Bob Geldof said over 30 years ago.
I don't think he'd cringe seeing it now as he knew the context and his relationship. Phil Collins also said something clearly tongue in cheek in that. So did Ratty. So did Steven Berkov. It's all super. Like a roast.