| Dunno223 24.02.2013 13:42 |
Fair enough John has retired and keeps out of public view these days, don't blame him, but does anyone know about his actions regarding the following... 1. Roger and Brian both mentioned that they visited Freddie at Garden Lodge in the weeks before he died. Did John? 2. Did John attend Freddie's funeral? 3. Has he completely cut off all contact with Roger and Brian? Do they still see him occasionally in private or have they fallen out never to speak again? 4. Why did he suddenly leave the band in 1997? Most people's views a that John did not want to continue with Queen without Freddie but if that was the case, why did he wait six years to leave? 5. Are there any interviews at all from John since 1991 out there? Cheers guys. |
| David Jones 24.02.2013 14:01 |
There is footage on the Champions Of The World/Queen Phenomenon of John getting out of a car at Freddie's funeral. I can't answer the rest I'm afraid. |
| MartynTS 24.02.2013 14:20 |
David Jones wrote: There is footage on the Champions Of The World/Queen Phenomenon of John getting out of a car at Freddie's funeral. I can't answer the rest I'm afraid.^ A few of these i doubt anyone here could answer. |
| Imagine091280 24.02.2013 14:40 |
I have sometimes wondered about Deacy's motivations. Someone wrote in a paper a few years ago that getting his interview would be the Crown Jewels of music journalism. I would like to think his reasons for retiring were that Queen were no longer QUEEN without Freddie although as you say it took him a while to decide. Did John go to the funeral? I kept a scrapbook when Freddie died and filled it with newspaper pages and clippings for weeks afterwards. It is the saddest book I own and since then I've only had the courage to revisited it two or three times. The look on Brian's devastated face is very hard viewing. Perhaps I shall pluck up the courage to get it down from the loft. Interestingly, if you play Greatest Video Hits 1 with Brian and Roger's commentary on, and I can't remember the track concerned or what they're referring to, but one of them says something like 'you'll have to ask John - but that wouldn't be a good idea at the moment'. Anyway, it's that kind of gist. The DVD was released in 2002. I think the remaining Queen band are not Queen without Brian, Roger or John as well - I still remember he got the loudest cheer when he was introduced at the Tribute Concert. Regards |
| Holly2003 24.02.2013 14:57 |
He was planning to go to the Queen exhibition in London last year but decided at the last moment not to go. That info was posted on here and it apparently came from his son. |
| mooghead 24.02.2013 15:19 |
There is only 1 person on the planet who can answer these questions. |
| Raffy 24.02.2013 15:54 |
1. Roger and Brian both mentioned that they visited Freddie at Garden Lodge in the weeks before he died. Did John? As far as I know John never visited Freddie's house during those last months. Their relationship was based exclusively on work, they were never close, intimate friends. For sure they met during TATDOOL video shot (30th May 1991), but after this I don't know. In studio (Montreux were Freddie recorded his last vocal tracks) maybe but there is no evidence. In my opinion John completed those tracks only after Freddie's death during Made In Heaven sessions (late 1993-early 1995). 4. Why did he suddenly leave the band in 1997? Most people's views a that John did not want to continue with Queen without Freddie but if that was the case, why did he wait six years to leave? John last live exhibition with the band was on 17.01.1997 during France Bejart Ballet premiere at Theatre National de Chaillot, Paris. Then he recorded No-One But You on August, 1997 (source: link and the video for the single was its last appereance with the band. On 2001 Bri & Rog (together with Robbie Williams) decided to record a version of We Are The Champions for the movie A Knight's Tale and maybe then John decided to leave the band. He declared during an interview: 'I don't want to be nasty, but Robbie Williams is no Freddie Mercury. Freddie can never be replaced and certainly not by him.' (source: link, so I think that he left the band for this reason. According to him (and lot of us agree with his view) there's no Queen without Freddie. |
| Raffy 24.02.2013 16:02 |
3. Has he completely cut off all contact with Roger and Brian? Do they still see him occasionally in private or have they fallen out never to speak again? They still see each other but for working reason. They discuss about new project and releases under the name Queen but nothing more, |
| Raffy 24.02.2013 16:13 |
5. Are there any interviews at all from John since 1991 out there? link link An article about John: link |
| Raffy 24.02.2013 16:17 |
2. Did John attend Freddie's funeral? link As other replied previously, here is the video proof at minute 5:52 |
| GratefulFan 24.02.2013 16:23 |
Crappy |
| GratefulFan 24.02.2013 16:27 |
forum software |
| GratefulFan 24.02.2013 16:28 |
Raffy wrote: 3. Has he completely cut off all contact with Roger and Brian? Do they still see him occasionally in private or have they fallen out never to speak again? They still see each other but for working reason. They discuss about new project and releases under the name Queen but nothing more,Unless something has evolved, Brian has said there is no contact of any sort except through lawyers or other representatives. He has left the impression that there is no avenue to John for either him or Roger. Perhaps Jim Beach speaks to him directly. With regard to John's son's comments about the 'Stormtroopers' exhibition, IIRC the nuance of that was the son imploring him to go, almost having him agree, or having him agree, and John ultimately declining at the 11th hour. It would be interesting to know if he was avoiding the attention or the present association or nothing at all. |
| GratefulFan 24.02.2013 16:28 |
Crappy crappy |
| Raffy 24.02.2013 16:40 |
GratefulFan wrote: Unless something has evolved, Brian has said there is no contact of any sort except through lawyers or other representatives. He has left the impression that there is no avenue to John for either him or Roger. Perhaps Jim Beach speaks to him directly.There was an entry on Brian Soapbox from some months ago (I can't find it unfortunately) about John where he gave me that impression, maybe I'm wrong... |
| GratefulFan 24.02.2013 18:10 |
I think one of the bits of information I was thinking of came from a fan Q & A with Brian published in a music magazine in the April 2011 issue: When was the last time you contacted John Deacon? Ishkur, Croatia Well, we don’t communicate. That’s an odd thing to say, isn’t it? And that’s really his choice, because he doesn’t want to be connected to the business, if you like. We communicate in a roundabout way when there are business decisions to be made, ‘cos John’s still very much concerned with that side of things. He was always good at that role. But he doesn’t want anything to do with performance. And that’s just something that we respect. link And from a 2010 interview: How often does he speak to the other two? John Deacon, Queen's bass player, has not performed with Queen since 1997. "I speak to Roger [Taylor, the drummer] a lot. But I don't speak to John because he doesn't want to, which is sad, but it's the way he wants it. He prefers to be isolated from it, and that's his choice. I respect it." Have they fallen out? "No, we never completely… We got strained at the time, but…" Oh well. There are other ways to communicate than by speaking. On Thursday 19 August, May posted a message on his blog that read: "Happy birthday Deacy! Bri." link |
| notimeforlosers 24.02.2013 18:32 |
I remember this stuff about John going to the "Stormtroopers..." exhibition. Actually, I had Jacky Smith as a friend on my Facebook profile, and this came out there. Someone asked her if John had come over (to the exhibition), and she told that two of his sons were there (Robert and Luke if I'm not wrong), and they had this conversation, telling her that John had almost make up his mind about going with them, but decided not to in the last last minute. As for interviews (or him merely speaking), there is on youtube, footage of him and Brian and him and Roger during the Made in Heaven sessions ('93 or '94) where they are recording a video for the Fan Club convention. Also, there is an interview by him on a Queen Fan Club magazine from '96, and that is apparently the last time he gave a full interview. Check out deaky.net and youl'll find some very good articles about John and some of his own interviews. |
| notimeforlosers 24.02.2013 18:56 |
And, as far as I remember, by 2002, John was involved in at least two events concerning Queen. He attended both the Party at the Palace (Queen Elizabeth Golden Jubilee) where Bri&Rog had an important part, and the opening of the We Will Rock You musical in may 2002 at the Dominion Theatre. Sometime ago I've found the photo attached, that is from the WWRY opening, and he is signing autographs for some fans. |
| Arnaldo "Ogre-" Silveira 24.02.2013 19:13 |
The Cowdray Ruins gig in 1993, with Roger and John billed as Queen, has always been a puzzle to me: link Cheers, Ogre- |
| deleted user 24.02.2013 23:16 |
Since John lost his dad when he was 11, something must have clicked in his brain in 1992. His oldest son was 18, almost grown. As Brian May shared of his own depression, he (Brian) felt the loss of Freddie, his dad, his marriage and the valuable years of his family. John Deacon also must have felt a loss of watching his kids grow up. Did Deaky just want the the time and fellowship, nurturing love of his family, rather than the fast paced ugly sometimes cut-throat world of the music biz? I think he just lost the stomach for it and 1997 was not too late to capture some of life as a family man. |
| GratefulFan 24.02.2013 23:38 |
There was an interesting 1993 interview with Roger in which he talked about he and John continuing with Queen that left the clear sense that there was some tension with Brian, who seemed the odd man out during that period. That certainly turned on its head eventually. You have to wonder what changed. Perhaps just John's wants and needs evolved by time, or perhaps something about the reality of working within a band dynamic presumably vastly changed by Freddie's death. Brian often credits Fred as the diplomat in the band, mitigating tension and smoothing over disagreements. Absent that it perhaps all became a very different prospect. It seems that something probably happened, even if just in John's perception. Surely it is a little unusual to build walls that high and a moat that deep between you and people you worked closely with for 25 years and with whom you have an ongoing business relationship. It seems unnecessarily distant and oddly final. The interview I referenced: link |
| john bodega 25.02.2013 02:13 |
He's dead anyway, who cares |
| Arnaldo "Ogre-" Silveira 25.02.2013 05:37 |
GratefulFan wrote: There was an interesting 1993 interview with Roger in which he talked about he and John continuing with Queen that left the clear sense that there was some tension with Brian, who seemed the odd man out during that period. That certainly turned on its head eventually. You have to wonder what changed. Perhaps just John's wants and needs evolved by time, or perhaps something about the reality of working within a band dynamic presumably vastly changed by Freddie's death. Brian often credits Fred as the diplomat in the band, mitigating tension and smoothing over disagreements. Absent that it perhaps all became a very different prospect. It seems that something probably happened, even if just in John's perception. Surely it is a little unusual to build walls that high and a moat that deep between you and people you worked closely with for 25 years and with whom you have an ongoing business relationship. It seems unnecessarily distant and oddly final. The interview I referenced: linkThank you for the information and link, GratefulFan. I remember being told that before, but it is always very nice to hear it straight from the source. It seems like Brian was pursuing his solo career at the time and that Roger and John were working in Queen stuff. I would suppose Roger's mention to Queen work with John would mean they were working on Made in Heaven. It could also mean that and "something else", or only "something else", but I think it is more probable that he was talking about Made in Heaven. I remember Brian saying that it was very difficult to bring John in for the No One But You sessions, so something serious might have happened between the last months of 1993 and 1997. What a shame. What a waste of an enormous talent... Cheers, Ogre- |
| Belladonic haze 25.02.2013 06:29 |
mooghead wrote: There is only 1 person on the planet who can answer these questions.ditto |
| Queenfred 25.02.2013 07:11 |
Belladonic haze wrote:mooghead wrote: There is only 1 person on the planet who can answer these questions.ditto ...so his wife has a gag order too? |
| Rick 25.02.2013 08:31 |
I'm still hoping that he will speak one day... |
| Raffy 25.02.2013 10:02 |
Maybe he's working on a project like "Chinese Democracy"... Biggles Democracy will be the title perhaps ;) |
| Fireplace 25.02.2013 13:07 |
To John: "It's the one thing we wish you would do - talk." |
| Holly2003 25.02.2013 16:42 |
Rog and John began work on what would become the Made in Heaven album. Brian was off on his solo career and didn't like what the others were doing. He then took over the project and it chaged directopn considerably (and probably not for the better: far too sentimental and mopey). I imagine that's when John got a bit pissed off. Let's not forget, Brian thinks Queen is his and Roger's band. It started with them in Smile and Fred then John came afterwards. Brian is extremely stubborn about Queen's legacy. Without Fred to support John, he probably had enough of Brian by the late 1990s. IMO. |
| Holly2003 25.02.2013 16:42 |
Another interview: link |
| notimeforlosers 25.02.2013 21:33 |
Holly2003 wrote: Another interview: linkYou really think this is a John Deacon real interview?! I don't get sarcasm straight away... |
| Jimmy Dean 25.02.2013 23:40 |
I completely see his point of view. If I was in his shoes, and I wish I was... I would have done the same. After 1997, it was about carrying on... how could you? why would you try? You had a legend on vocals, what are you going to rely on now? So he had in right in that respect. Going forward, the only interest he would have would be to continue the legacy by preserving recordings, box set, etc... In that respect, his opinion means shit. Why? Because he knows Brian and Roger will always out-vote him no matter what he thinks. "Should we carry on after Freddie?" --> Brian, "I don't see why not"... Roger, "Yeah, we'll give it a go"... John, "Umm, no."... That's where it ends. (By the way, those weren't actual quotes - so don't ask for a source) I respect the man, he made the right decisions at the time and in hindsight. |
| Holly2003 26.02.2013 02:18 |
notimeforlosers wrote:Absolutely. Fatty has never been known to tell a lie.Holly2003 wrote: Another interview: linkYou really think this is a John Deacon real interview?! I don't get sarcasm straight away... |
| gregorsamsa 26.02.2013 02:55 |
- John was said to have a recording studio in his london house. No one seems to know wether he still plays bass and write songs, let alone recording material. It could well be that he has not played for the best part of twenty years, that means chances of seeing him taking the stage again with brian & roger have got slimmer over the last years. I do not think that we'll ever see him again with a Precision in hands. Was he not already less active in the band in the last years of Queen with freddie ? - Made in heaven was a sucess commercially. I remember all the promo material laid in record shops at that time as well as the broad TV and press coverage. That was not the case of the No one but you single, which did not chart well accross Europe (by the way, was it not a success in South Africa or somewhere ?). That disappointment may have been one of the factor that led him to give up, as I was told by Jackie around that time when I visited the Fanclub Office in Barnes - This particular interest in John within Queen fans is fuelled by his very absence and the mystery that surrounds it. I am not sure that this interest is shared by a wider audience. Hence, I wonder if he has been approached by serious journalist lately and wether he would accept a serious interview with national press. |
| Rick 26.02.2013 03:44 |
John and Roger were very keen on the Made In Heaven project. They also performed together at a festival as Queen (without Brian). I believe Brian once said that John and Roger had made a mess concerning the MIH project and that he had to re-arrange everything, like putting back together a jigsaw puzzle. I think something happened between Brian and John in those days. Taking Brian's huge ego into account, I don't think it was something pretty. |
| Pelle VT 26.02.2013 05:42 |
Hi, new to this place so I don't know any of you people here. What sources, if any sources, you have. I'm a life long fan from Sweden and I don't have any other sources than the media. :) Anyway, someone said that John's relationship with Freddie was strictly the music business. First of all it's hard to be in the same band and don't have any other relationship, I'd imagine. And all the band members speak of Queen as its family. I've always got the impression that Freddie was kind of a big brother to John. Not literally, of course. I might well be very wrong on this, but I always got the impression that Deacy's absence from Queen after '96 was that it was too hard for him when Freddie wasn't around anymore. Tehre are for sure no reports of him visiting Freddie before he died, but he hasn't spoken about it himself either, has he? All the other stories that I've read or heard about people visiting Freddie was told by the persons themselves. But I could well be wrong. |
| Pingfah 26.02.2013 05:54 |
To be honest I am long past caring whether John plays with Brian and Roger or not. In fact, unless he can get them to do a u-turn on their direction, it's probably best he doesn't. But I would dearly love to hear John playing on something, there are so many musicians out there he could have a fruitful relationship with. |
| splicksplack 26.02.2013 07:09 |
Another piece to add to the jigsaw. In 1994 Roger played my local (S Bush Empire) twice. I was very well acquainted with the venue and staff. On one of the nights the venue's own stage manager told me that they had to sneak Brian and Anita in after the show had started and were told ON NO ACCOUNT was Roger to know that Brian was there. They were basically hidden away in some old disused cloakrooms in one of the circles. The stage manager said "I don't think they get on". Whether he knew that as fact I can't remember. |
| Jazz 78 26.02.2013 08:42 |
I think it would be a nice gesture on John's part just to put out a statement to his fans that say's, "thank you, I'm doing fine, the kids are great, the wife is still with me, I've given up strip clubs and please look for my new book coming this fall." Afterall... it was we fans that made him a success and he could at least take notice of us. |
| Benn 26.02.2013 11:21 |
Re: >Let's not forget, Brian thinks Queen is his and Roger's band. It started with them in Smile and Fred then John came afterwards. Brian is extremely stubborn about Queen's legacy. Without Fred to support John, he probably had enough of Brian by the late 1990s. IMO. This hits the nail on the head. MIH began as a project whilst Brian was 'out of the picture'; when he returned having had limited success with his solo effort, he went in like a bull at a gate, changing everything John and Roger had done. John was out on a limb as the last to join and lacked the support of Freddie (who had been his writing and musical direction supporter) during the bands career. John - IMVHO - figured that he'd happily live from the spoils of th band's success but that fighting out of a corner was just not worth the hassle. He's been INCREDIBLY dignified in staying to himself and I think it's power to his elbow that he hasn't given the interviews that other members of other bands would have done with an axe to grind. I'm happy he's silent about it and hope that it stays that way. For his and the band's (original Queen!) sake. |
| Missreclusive 26.02.2013 16:42 |
Holly2003 wrote: Another interview: linkOh my Holly, thanks for this, way funny! |
| Khizzy 26.02.2013 22:23 |
John Deacon is a legend, quite literally. He used to be my favourite member of the band when I first got into them but not so much these days. I don't think we will ever see him being back in the band again. Roger and Brian aren't getting any younger, so the chances of reconciliation are growing smaller by the day. They're both in their mid-60s now so how long can they really keep the band alive for? Maybe 5-10 years absolute max. If one of them pops their clogs within that timescale then the band will just fade away I think - but let's hope that doesn't happen. Although it may be our only chance of seeing some good releases..... |
| Khizzy 26.02.2013 22:24 |
Hey Pelle,
Do you also post on Villa Talk? If so then it's good to have a fellow Villa fan on here! You won't know me but I post on there very occasionally too under the same username :P (UTV!)
Pelle VT wrote: Hi, new to this place so I don't know any of you people here. What sources, if any sources, you have. I'm a life long fan from Sweden and I don't have any other sources than the media. :) Anyway, someone said that John's relationship with Freddie was strictly the music business. First of all it's hard to be in the same band and don't have any other relationship, I'd imagine. And all the band members speak of Queen as its family. I've always got the impression that Freddie was kind of a big brother to John. Not literally, of course. I might well be very wrong on this, but I always got the impression that Deacy's absence from Queen after '96 was that it was too hard for him when Freddie wasn't around anymore. Tehre are for sure no reports of him visiting Freddie before he died, but he hasn't spoken about it himself either, has he? All the other stories that I've read or heard about people visiting Freddie was told by the persons themselves. But I could well be wrong. |
| Pingfah 27.02.2013 05:05 |
Jazz 78 wrote: I think it would be a nice gesture on John's part just to put out a statement to his fans that say's, "thank you, I'm doing fine, the kids are great, the wife is still with me, I've given up strip clubs and please look for my new book coming this fall." Afterall... it was we fans that made him a success and he could at least take notice of us.I think being one of the most tasteful and talented bass players ever to play in a rock band might have had something to do with his success too. |
| The Real Wizard 27.02.2013 10:31 |
Dunno223 wrote: 1. Roger and Brian both mentioned that they visited Freddie at Garden Lodge in the weeks before he died. Did John?According to Fatty he did: link |
| The Real Wizard 27.02.2013 10:50 |
It's pretty well-documented now that Brian was estranged from both John and Roger in 1993/94. There's an interview with Roger during that time where he has some not too nice things to say about his old bandmate. He was resentful of Brian appearing to cash in on Freddie's death by releasing Driven By You right around that time. What Roger may not have been aware of is that Freddie encouraged it. Brian came to Freddie with those concerns, and Fred said something like, "Darling, you must release it. What better publicity could you ask for?" He never lost his sense of humour. Brian and Roger clearly made up at some point, but for plenty of reasons John opted out. It's probably a combination of many factors - not having Freddie around as his creative partner (and in arguments), Brian greatly changing the Made In Heaven concept, the commercial failure of No-One But You, and the chance of finally having a normal family life after years of the ups and downs of being in one of the biggest bands ever. He was smart with his money and doesn't have to work another day in his life, save for the occasional chat with Jim Beach or his lawyer about royalties. Good on him - he's earned it. |
| Raffy 27.02.2013 16:51 |
Ahahaha Fatty's stuff was epic! ;) |
| john bodega 28.02.2013 07:36 |
There is totally a precedent for the success/non-success of reunion albums having an impact on whether or not more stuff gets done. The Threetles were totally up for doing a 3rd reunion single (a non-Lennon song was even in the offing) but George Harrison didn't like the reception they got for the first 2, so they shitcanned it. |
| Raffy 28.02.2013 12:38 |
The strength of the greats lies in the fact of knowing when enough is enough. John understood this in 1997, Brian and Roger will reach that point (perhaps) one day. I mean, nobody forbids them to play live or stay musically active with other projects. But in pursuing obscene collaborations under the name Queen (5ive, Robbie Williams, Pink, Beyonce, Britney Spears, Adam Lambert among many others) they offer a distorted view of the group. I can save only (and I'm generous) Q+PR project, but only we (the fans) saw it like it was (a collaboration), the rest of the world saw Paul Rodgers like the new singer of the band and that hurt so much, THERE CAN BE ONLY ONE 'nuff said! |
| Belladonic haze 01.03.2013 08:22 |