| Kahle33 15.11.2014 11:34 |
Despite all the people who say he was dying before our eyes....despite all the drinking, smoking, parties, HIV/AIDS. Freddie looks almost the same. His hair is a bit shorter in 87 and he is just a slight bit fatter. But that's it. Most normal people would look a lot worse than this in 8 years time. |
| Costa86 15.11.2014 12:42 |
Who ever said he was "dying before our eyes" in 1987? He only started showing clear outwardly visible signs that he was seriously ill in 1989, or late 1988 at the earliest (bar the KS mark on his face in 1986/87, which would have been missed by most people). In 1987 he looked the same as he did in 1986, but without a moustache, and with a slightly puffier face. The only thing which kept him looking relatively healthy till around 1989 was the AZT. |
| PrimeJiveUSA 15.11.2014 13:50 |
I think his voice was noticeably deteriorated starting in 1984 not only in live performance(which was downright awful at times) but also in the studio. I realize that Freddie apparently *wanted* the lower/gruffer voice voice that smoking gave him. I'll never understand it. His '70's voice was soooooo much better(especially in the studio). There *was* a slight return of the old voice on parts of The Miracle album and a real improvement in Innuendo. In hindsight I can hear the *thin-ness* in his voice but when it was released I was bowled over at the return of clarity and range in his voice. |
| RafaelS 15.11.2014 16:34 |
Freddie changed alot from 1981-1982 to 1984. A lot of hair and skinny in the former period, he had a rounder face in 1984, you can clearly see it when the camera focuses on him when he sings "someone still loves you". And it's not because of the camera. Freddie's body was already starting to change because he was groing old and because he already had contracted the HIV virus. Starting 1986-1987, he was starting to put white or skinned color makeup to cover shingles/herpes blisters. He had an oedemic face starting 1986-87. Anyway that subject was covered in that thread: link |
| steindl 15.11.2014 21:41 |
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| Heavenite 15.11.2014 23:24 |
PrimeJiveUSA wrote: I think his voice was noticeably deteriorated starting in 1984 not only in live performance(which was downright awful at times) but also in the studio. I realize that Freddie apparently *wanted* the lower/gruffer voice voice that smoking gave him. I'll never understand it. His '70's voice was soooooo much better(especially in the studio). There *was* a slight return of the old voice on parts of The Miracle album and a real improvement in Innuendo. In hindsight I can hear the *thin-ness* in his voice but when it was released I was bowled over at the return of clarity and range in his voice.Yes! Nicely said! Bang on in my opinion! I wonder if he stopped or reduced smoking towards the end and that is what this improvement can be attributed to? |
| madprofessorus 16.11.2014 06:17 |
propably yes,quitting smoking brings your lungs and all that system like it was before smoking,so that helped a lot,or he did changed his singing technique due to his illness |
| Kuijpy 16.11.2014 06:51 |
He did have a lot of changes from Live Aid - The Great Pretender.. |
| thomasquinn 32989 16.11.2014 07:13 |
Not to be a cynic here, but stage make-up and lighting can add or subtract 15 years, make a corpse look like a supermodel and a supermodel like a corpse. Two staged photographs do not constitute anything resembling proof of the point TS makes. That aside, I do agree that Freddie didn't physically decline much before '89. |
| Supersonic_Man89 16.11.2014 07:31 |
I think his face in general stayed very similiar even from the mid 60's to the late 80's. If i could be bothered i would put a moustache on the 18 year old Freddie from that lost footage and see if he looked too different. I don't think he would. However saying that, i don't think any of the Queen members aged badly between 1970 and 1988, possibly John the worst. |
| Vocal harmony 16.11.2014 08:13 |
thomasquinn 32989 wrote: Not to be a cynic here, but stage make-up and lighting can add or subtract 15 years, make a corpse look like a supermodel and a supermodel like a corpse. Two staged photographs do not constitute anything resembling proof of the point TS makes. That aside, I do agree that Freddie didn't physically decline much before '89.True, and with this in mind maybe the best photos to judge this on are ones taken in recording studios or sound checks where there has been no preparation. IMO BM changed the least from the mid 70's till late 80's |
| Oscar J 16.11.2014 10:07 |
Supersonic_Man89 wrote: I think his face in general stayed very similiar even from the mid 60's to the late 80's. If i could be bothered i would put a moustache on the 18 year old Freddie from that lost footage and see if he looked too different. I don't think he would. However saying that, i don't think any of the Queen members aged badly between 1970 and 1988, possibly John the worst.Well, Roger kinda let himself go in the 80's, me thinks. |
| Martin Packer 16.11.2014 10:27 |
At the risk of sounding ghoulish something was up in '86: He looked - to me at the time - older and more serious. And then progressively so. |
| Kahle33 16.11.2014 11:01 |
Well as proved, people seem to think Freddie was dying before our eyes during this period..... ANd personally, I think the picture proves, it looks like nothing more than normal aging. Freddie aged better than most during an 8 yr period. People read way too much into his appearance during this time. By 1989 aids was obvious. Before that, not really IMO. |
| Costa86 16.11.2014 13:19 |
This appears to be a sub-genre of the AIDS-porn genre - the "Freddie's changing looks" AIDS-porn variation. |
| musicland munich 16.11.2014 13:53 |
Kahle33 wrote: Well as proved, people seem to think Freddie was dying before our eyes during this period..... ANd personally, I think the picture proves, it looks like nothing more than normal aging. Freddie aged better than most during an 8 yr period. People read way too much into his appearance during this time. By 1989 aids was obvious. Before that, not really IMO.No offense, but the fact that he doesn't look bad is not relevant...he had it...and there are a lot of pictures that shows him with KS stains or the results of the laser treatments before 1989. |
| The Real Wizard 16.11.2014 14:22 |
Kahle33 wrote: Well as proved, people seem to think Freddie was dying before our eyes during this period..... ANd personally, I think the picture proves, it looks like nothing more than normal aging. Freddie aged better than most during an 8 yr period. People read way too much into his appearance during this time. By 1989 aids was obvious. Before that, not really IMO.And that really should be the final word. Before this starts to get a bit morbid .... again. |
| Costa86 16.11.2014 15:06 |
The Real Wizard wrote:Hear, hear. FFS.Kahle33 wrote: Well as proved, people seem to think Freddie was dying before our eyes during this period..... ANd personally, I think the picture proves, it looks like nothing more than normal aging. Freddie aged better than most during an 8 yr period. People read way too much into his appearance during this time. By 1989 aids was obvious. Before that, not really IMO.And that really should be the final word. Before this starts to get a bit morbid .... again. |
| stevendabudgie 17.11.2014 10:57 |
In the "Time" video you can see a red mark on his front, just underneath the hairline- just after 0:30 link |
| brENsKi 17.11.2014 11:52 |
think you're seeing things that aren't there....congrats on passing your entrance exams to the "AIDS Porn Fiends Club" |
| Hangman_96 19.11.2014 11:23 |
stevendabudgie wrote: In the "Time" video you can see a red mark on his front, just underneath the hairline- just after 0:30 linkYou don't think you should visit an oculist, do you? |
| thomasquinn 32989 19.11.2014 13:01 |
Or maybe an occultist? Just for fun? |
| Costa86 19.11.2014 14:29 |
Shit, that's a good idea. Maybe he can put him in contact with Fred in heaven, and we'll get to know all about the exact moment that the HIV-infected sperm entered his asshole! |
| brENsKi 19.11.2014 17:18 |
Costa86 wrote: Shit, that's a good idea. Maybe he can put him in contact with Fred in heaven, and we'll get to know all about the exact moment that the HIV-infected sperm entered his asshole!not a chance: None of the "Freds" i can think of are in heaven...they're all bound to the inferno (for different reasons) Freddie Mercury, Fred West, Fred Flinstone - all bad f*ckers. |
| musicland munich 19.11.2014 23:44 |
Censored out of pure sadism :) And I also have the SPECTACULAR EXLUSIVE Story(s) from the inside P.Prenter told "The SUN" Inclouding ( no joke): -Phone Call of Terror -He liked his men hunky -Star's Dead Lovers -Freddie in Plea over AIDS Scare -and more... Oh man Prenter and "The Sun" what a lovely couple. |
| Costa86 20.11.2014 05:58 |
brENsKi wrote:Fred Astaire is probably tap dancing his way in hell as well...Costa86 wrote: Shit, that's a good idea. Maybe he can put him in contact with Fred in heaven, and we'll get to know all about the exact moment that the HIV-infected sperm entered his asshole!not a chance: None of the "Freds" i can think of are in heaven...they're all bound to the inferno (for different reasons) Freddie Mercury, Fred West, Fred Flinstone - all bad f*ckers. |
| Costa86 20.11.2014 05:59 |
musicland munich wrote: Censored out of pure sadism :) And I also have the SPECTACULAR EXLUSIVE Story(s) from the inside P.Prenter told "The SUN" Inclouding ( no joke): -Phone Call of Terror -He liked his men hunky -Star's Dead Lovers -Freddie in Plea over AIDS Scare -and more... Oh man Prenter and "The Sun" what a lovely couple.Kudos to you for keeping those cuttings and not using them for your fish and chips instead. |
| thomasquinn 32989 20.11.2014 13:34 |
Hey, be honest: would you eat anything wrapped in The Sun? |
| Costa86 20.11.2014 14:12 |
No, but I'd find a use for them if ever I ran out toilet paper. |
| FreddieCat 20.11.2014 18:57 |
Definitely looked more mature in 1986 and 1987. |
| Radio Gaga 30.12.2014 12:56 |
Freddie Mercury was legendary. He knew he would be dead soon while recording Show Must Go On. How about knowing the day of death? He publicly stated that he had HIV on the 23rd of November in 1991, and one day later he was dead. |
| Holly2003 30.12.2014 13:08 |
"I don't want Freddie to be remembered for his death or what killed him: [I want him to be] remembered as a singer" -- Brian May |
| miraclesteinway 02.01.2015 12:46 |
Actually Freddie changed as much as anyone in that period. I look different to how I did 8 years ago too. |
| Day dop 02.01.2015 14:57 |
He changed a reasonable amount in those years - loss of hair and weight gain. Within that time frame I think he changed most from '82 to '86. Compare Queen on Fire – Live at the Bowl to Queen Live At Wembley 1986. |
| Nitroboy 02.01.2015 16:42 |
Day dop wrote: He changed a reasonable amount in those years - loss of hair and weight gain. Within that time frame I think he changed most from '82 to '86. Compare Queen on Fire – Live at the Bowl to Queen Live At Wembley 1986. Just compare the '82 videos to the videos shot in '83-early'84 |
| miraclesteinway 02.01.2015 16:54 |
Not sure he actually lost hair, just had it cut shorter and thinned out, which could be the style rather than hair loss, but anyway, mid 30s to early 40s will see a fair change in anyone! |
| The King Of Rhye 02.01.2015 17:24 |
brENsKi wrote: not a chance: None of the "Freds" i can think of are in heaven...they're all bound to the inferno (for different reasons) Freddie Mercury, Fred West, Fred Flinstone - all bad f*ckers.Fred Flintstone? Whaaaaaaaaat? lol |
| Day dop 02.01.2015 18:24 |
miraclesteinway wrote: Not sure he actually lost hair, just had it cut shorter and thinned out, which could be the style rather than hair loss, but anyway, mid 30s to early 40s will see a fair change in anyone! His hair-do receded at the front, and thinned out at the back. That's hair loss. |
| Martin Packer 03.01.2015 04:13 |
I always thought the weight gain was to offset the digestive issues with AIDS. But that was after I knew he had AIDS. |
| Zamidoo 05.01.2015 04:16 |
Re: the HIV/AIDS thing that people are commenting on, if Freddie had died of cancer, would you be going back through old photographs, trying to spot the first signs of weight loss, hair loss due to chemotherapy, saying 'wow, he didn't change much before the effects of the cancer really set in, apart from natural ageing, and then gee he looked sick!' and, 'Hey, you can see his eyebrows haven't grown back properly in that picture.' Probably not, because it would be morbid and mawkish (and pointless). In terms of natural ageing, I agree that he aged very well, especially given his lifestyle in the late 70s/80s (I mean late nights, smoking, drinking and cocaine, general praying etc). It looked like his hair was thinning from the mid-80s, but apart from that he looked great for his age. People with cheekbones like that are just lucky. I think that the changes in his voice were predominantly due to prolonged chain-smoking and over-singing while touring, and then stopping both these things. His speaking voice seemed to be higher after he stopped smoking as well, in hard-to-find footage from interviews or informal videos post-1987. |
| Zamidoo 05.01.2015 04:18 |
*partying* - not *praying*! Stupid auto-correct! |
| The King Of Rhye 05.01.2015 06:44 |
LOL....slight difference.....'general praying'....hahahaha.....I love 'auto-correct fails'.......:D |
| miraclesteinway 05.01.2015 12:07 |
If Freddie had died of cancer there probably WOULD be someone who commented on his appearance due to the illness. So many threads about Freddie start off in good faith, this one included I believe, and end up crawling with comments about his HIV/AIDS. We know now, after 35 years of AIDS in the western world, or thereabouts, that you simply can not tell when someone is infected by looking at them. You know what, there are even some pictures of Freddie with the beard, outside his house, taken in 1990-1991, and actually, he doesn't look particularly bad - he looks thinner, yes, but I mean, it wasn't proof that he was ill. The video for Slightly Mad was pretty well done, although it was obvious there that something was wrong, but really, all the shoots for the Miracle videos he looks OK, in Headlong he looks like he's having a good time - yes, I know, it's edited, and yeah, there are some shots where he looks tired - 1990 Brits for example are not his best pictures by a long shot, and of course the last publicity shots, but I mean, apart from that, it's simply not possible to know exactly what is wrong, how much of how he changed was down to HIV and how much of it was natural ageing. Apparently Freddie was never a big eater, and he could have just changed his regime. I ask another question - if Freddie was still alive, would we be having this conversation? No, probably not. There are no threads on here dealing with 'Roger didn't change much between 1986 and 1990', or 'Roger's weight gain in the last 5 years, is that down to illness or over-eating, or simply that he's in his 60s?', and I haven't seen any threads about 'Brian May's appearance 1988-1995' or 'In 2003, Brian really started to look his age, whereas previously he was OK, do you think this was the onset of what became a problem with his prostate?' To the original poster - these comments are not directed at you, but I'm highlighting a point - we don't seem to talk too much about the other band members appearances, or why they looked certain ways in certain videos, and I suspect that the reason is, it simply isn't as interesting as speculating on Freddie's health, and trying to spot the signs in retrospect, which is a pointless exercise anyway. It's true Freddie looked like shit when he performed with Cliff Richard in Time, that could have been stage make up, he could have been puffed up with drugs, or he could have been eating the same amount as when he was on tour the previous year, and not doing the same amount of exercise - it could be that boring. The pale complexion is simply pan-stick make up. It's only because we know in retrospect that something was terribly wrong, that we look for it now in pictures. Sorry, I didn't quite mean to have an outburst there. |
| Mark_Glasgow 05.01.2015 12:35 |
I believe he sneezed once in 1974, clearly evidence that he was actually patient zero for the AIDS epidemic that swept the world in the 80s. |
| miraclesteinway 05.01.2015 13:21 |
Yes, but more than that, he had the runs when he was a baby at least once, and that was in 1946. Quite clearly he was the source. |