| 4 x Vision 27.05.2009 17:25 |
To those who grew up with Queen, when did the fans know Freddie was sick and it was obvious he was fatally ill? Just watching The Making Of Innuendo clips on YT, he shows such energy for someone at that stage with AIDS, although he still clearly looks very ill... but did this necessarily suggest to you guys at the time he was going to die? |
| marcenciels 27.05.2009 17:45 |
since i'm what you call old Queen fan ;) when they said no tour for THE MIRACLE, that was very not Queen. and when i saw INVISIBLE MAN, the vidéo, it was obvious that he was thinner. what else to add ?... i'll let the other oldies talk ;) |
| 4 x Vision 27.05.2009 17:53 |
you sound old enough to continue... after the Miracle came Innuendo... |
| marcenciels 27.05.2009 18:16 |
héhéhé... i'm soon too be 47 old ;)...saw Queen everytime they came to Montréal. won a back stage pass and got signed my JAZZ LP, inside the gatefold. that's my best souvenir !!! i was 16 then. some one stoled my LP a few years later :(( When INNUENDO came out, i was very happy and very excited. I loved THE MIRACLE. i thought that was back to form. but INNUENDO was even better, very different in the contexte. i had a bad feeling when i listen to THESE ARE THE DAYS OF OUR LIVES and THE SHOW MUST GO ON. Again, no tour, but no straight forward confirmation of that. a few months pass...then Freddie did as well. i was not suprised...but had this odd sadness, i was stuned for weeks. |
| Mayday999 27.05.2009 18:59 |
I'm a Queen Fan since 1989. I have received an article from BRAVO magazine reporting about The Miracle Video shot. Freddie looked different. I liked the A Kind Of Magic video very much at that time because it was my first Queen song ever back in 1986 and he was so powerful then. Something seemed to be wrong and as far as I can remember, back in 1990, the magazines wrote some speculations about Freddie's state of health and of course about his gay interests from time to time too. The speculations became heavier after the release of Innuendo over here in the German Press. I remember first hearing and reading and realising AIDS in 1991 in general when 2 Germans, Michael Westphal (Tennis Player) and Klaus Schwarzkopf (German Actor), died. And some time later the speculations about Freddie's state of health became much heavier (e.g. he had an relationship with R. Nurejev (Ballet Dancer) who died of AIDS as well back in 1992). When MTV played the new Queen Videos in 1991 it became obvious to me that something was definitely wrong - that he was ill - seriously ill - probably with AIDS. I have collected lots of newspaper stuff - but in the UK Freddie got really stalked each time he left the house or was seen with his docter. In Germany you had more the speculation stuff about his lovers or whatsoever. It was sad when I heard it on the radio that he died - it is still sad. But I think he was brave. He never gave an official statement to the press until the day before he died. With or without the statement I am quite sure that the effect would have been the same - he would have been stalked by the press. He was at least a public person. Dunno how to explain it otherwise. |
| Mr Mercury 27.05.2009 19:03 |
I also had my suspicions round about the time of The Miracle, and based on the "no tour" that usually came with the release of a new Queen album at the time. In my mind I suppose I had a vain hope that Freddie would come through it all ok, but sadly that wasn't to be. |
| doxonrox 28.05.2009 00:00 |
In the US, we didn't have the press for Queen that Europe had back then - they were basically a forgotten band. The Miracle was anticipated by fans, but the album quickly disappeared (for good reason). Yet I Want it All got quite a bit of MTV airplay. I remember being struck at how skinny he was and how forced his movements and interactions with the band seemed. There was nothing natural about that video, and all of the production in the world couldn't fake the power that the man once had. You have to realize that for the most part the last time we had heard of Queen in the US was the AKOM videos which showed a strong and healthy Freddie in true form. It was quite a contrast. A year later, they announced that Innuendo was coming out. My brother and I planned a personal listening party the day of the release, which also had Brian and Roger debuting the album that evening on a radio show (can't remember the name, but it was a Westwood One show). Anyway, we listened to Innuendo and we were thrilled! The title song just knocked our socks off, and most of the rest of the album sounded like the Queen we had fallen in love with. That was, until we hit All Gods People and on. That song sounded very much like a studio creation - it was pretty obvious that the musicians on that song were not in the same room when they recorded it. I mean, listen to Brian's overdubs - was he playing the same song? TATDOOL sounded like surrender, which was not Queen. Hitman really showed Freddie not being able to growl like he used to and it sounded as weak as anything they had done from a rock standpoint. But The Show Must Go On is an experience I'll never forget. We listened to it, and as the "go on, go on, go on, go on..." faded out, we sat in silence. We knew something was wrong. Then we listened to Brian and Roger on the radio show, and we could tell they were not being honest. Yes, it was in their friends behalf, but they were pretty transparent. They made obvious excuses about why Freddie wasn't there and weak excuses about why he didn't want to tour. They said that they wanted to tour again, and Roger mentioned that they would like to play side two of Queen II in its entirety. And the more they talked, the more obvious it was that they were covering for Freddie. We hadn't been subjected to the constant rumors of AIDS here in the States, but I remember the mixture of feelings that I had that day. Innuendo was the best album they had put out in over a decade, but there was obviously something very wrong. A few months later, we would find out what it was. I was heartbroken, but not surprised. His death was not major news here. I listened to BBC radio on shortwave to gather information on what had happened. Hell, Waynes World gave Queen more exposure here than Freddie dying. Sorry for the long post, but I can't begin to express how his passing affected me. The day that Freddie died, a piece of my youth died as well. He is sorely missed. |
| marcenciels 28.05.2009 00:19 |
doxonrox MAn !..this gets to me ! i'm a man of few words. i hate to beat around the bush. your exposé reaches me a lot. not completly but very close to 100 % i was 11 when i heard KILLER QUEEN. I became a fan ! curious to whats next ? i loved music before Queen. i became addicted to it because of them ! and my Queen vinyl collection moves on :) i hate CD'S ! |
| Togg 28.05.2009 04:04 |
I got into Queen around 1975 like many others around the first release of Bo Rap When rumours of Freddie's illness came to public attention the press in the UK had many articles on him, suddenly he stopped being seen in public and the press went wild I remember hearing Brian on the Radio stating nothing was wrong, but I think we all knew the truth. Of course the making of innuendo stuff didn't come out till much later, and we had no You Tube The first time many saw him ill was in the headlong video, then These are the days... Up until then the only real clue was a shot of him comming out of a Harley Street clinic looking very thin. I remember the Sun stating he had Aids way before it was announced and feeling gutted after reading it..stopped reading the press after that. The day he died I went to his house for just ten mins or so to pay respects. Felt empty inside for days, and in some ways because so many were feeling the same it was one of the most comforting times to be a genuine queen fan., after that it became very trendy to say how you'd always loved them!!! Heard Roger on the radio announcing the tribute concert a few weeks later and got tickets that evening. Probably the most emotional show I have ever been to. However seeing all those stars sing Queen songs made me realise Queen could go on, and I could still hear Brian and Roger and hopefully John play the songs I loved with others, which is why I am happy with collaborations, at least that way I get to hear Brian's guitar live and see Roger pound the drums! |
| Markman38 28.05.2009 06:52 |
Hi there, I'm a fan since 1980 when I bought a cheap version of News of the World (being 12 at that age). The first sign I noticed is that he didn't close the shows in the Magic tour with see you next time. It was if he all ready knew it would be the last tour. But at the time Barcelona came out and he was completely blown up in his face, I had the feeling he was using medicine against AIDS, because that was a well known side effect. It's just a pity he didn't get it some years later because then he could still be alive like Holly Johnsson from Frankie goes to Hollywood. He got it in 1991 and is still alive. |
| andreas_mercury 28.05.2009 08:30 |
i knew he had in 1988. |
| 4 x Vision 28.05.2009 09:17 |
Markman38 wrote: But at the time Barcelona came out and he was completely blown up in his face, I had the feeling he was using medicine against AIDS, because that was a well known side effect. Is this a fact? |
| beautifulsoup 28.05.2009 10:14 |
Van Basten 9 wrote:Markman38 wrote: But at the time Barcelona came out and he was completely blown up in his face, I had the feeling he was using medicine against AIDS, because that was a well known side effect.Is this a fact? Yes. |
| 4 x Vision 28.05.2009 10:30 |
I always wondered why he looked so podgy in that video... now I know... ta |