Stelios 28.02.2015 06:33 |
(translated not by me) Headline: 'PRIDE ALMOST KILLED ME' Queen's Freddie Mercury personal. 'I admit I hardly thought about Queen during finalizing my solo album', says Freddie Mercury smiling. 'I wanted to make it on my own. That I didn't succeed in that is only a blessing for Queen in the future.' It's impossible to upbraid Freddie Mercury any lack of honesty. That shows during this up-front interview. Remarkable hobby Freddie, is it true that your real name isn't Freddie Mercury? 'Yes. I'm actually called Frederick Bulsara, but I thought that name wouldn't work in snowbizz. (He laughs) I was born 39 years ago on the isle of Zanzibar, but I lived till my 13th in the Indian harbour town Bombay. Then I moved to England with my parents.' Were you a talented singer already then? 'I always liked to sing. At school I was in a choir. I didn't have a idea then I later would make my living with that.' Do you remember your first band? 'Not really. I can remember at first I was very attrackted by what they called during the sixties 'progressive music'. My first bands were called Wreckage and Sour Milk Sea, but don't ask me which one was first.' Did you have had a lot of boring jobs? 'Not as manny as a lot of colleagues, I think. I can remember I once had a stand on the Kensington Antiquities Market in London. I sold various so called hippie stuff.' You saved a remarkable hobby from those years. 'Absolutely. I am still a very enthousiastic collector of antiquities. I bring all my savings to the famous auctionhouse Sotheby's.' TERRIBLY LONELY How would you define yourself? 'That's a tough one. How do you like this? Workaholic, restless, honest, humourous, and incorrigible romantic.' Do you have a steady girlfriend? 'No. And I don't have to. The on-going quest for the big love is very inspiring for me as an artist. I think that if I ever will find one immediately my musical career will be over.' Are you very wealthy? 'I think I don't have to work anymore during my entire life, but I can't stop.' You are always very busy. Do you ever rest? 'I don't need a lot of sleep. Three or four hours a night will do for me I guess. Therefor air flights are very relaxing for me.' What do you like less about the life of a star? 'A lot of times I can feel myself terribly lonely. It's no fun, living in hotelrooms. On tours very often roadies, bodyguards and managers are running behind me, but at the same time I am on my own.' How do you look back at your recent solo trip? 'With mixed feelings. On one side it was a fantastic challenge to try it once without Brian, Roger and John. On the other hand it was very dangerous. I felt so strong that I suddenly thought I didn't need the other guys anymore. Fortunately the album wasn't that succesfull like a lot of people expected. Maybe the pride had killed me and I quit with Queen. But when I finished One Vision with the boys I realised that that would be the worst thing that could happen to me. With the pictures: Picture above: With very good girlfriend Barbara Valentin. 'I didn't find my big love yet', Freddie admits. Picture underneath: Freddie with the other Queen-boys. 'The group is stronger than ever', the singer says. In the yellow: Win all QUEEN albums On the editorial office we have a box-set with all albums of this superband. Alltogether thirteen albums with some never before released songs in special covers. We would very like to give this away to a loyal reader and Queenfan. If you want to be the lucky one, answer very fast the following questions. 1 In which ocean is Zanzibar, where Freddie Mercury was born 39 years ago? 2 With which British supestar Queen recorded a duo-record? 3 Which member of Queen was the first one who dared to walk the solo path? (Sorry, actualy this magazine is from Belgium where they use Flamish Dutch, which is a bit different in use of the language than Dutch of The Netherlands (LB)) Send your answers on a postcard to our editorial adress quoting 'Queen box'. As consolation price we have some Queen goodies in stock. SOURCE link |
Oscar J 28.02.2015 08:11 |
Wow, great interview. |
The Real Wizard 28.02.2015 08:57 |
Unbelievable that he was this honest. No stock answers at all. So the unity they felt after Live Aid and One Vision was definitely the real deal - the boys saying "ditch Prenter or we walk" worked. |
miraclesteinway 28.02.2015 10:00 |
lovely interview! I hadn't realised quite the level of humility he could show. What a man! |
musicland munich 28.02.2015 13:10 |
Nice one Stelios and thanks to the one who did the translation. One of the reasons why I ask people to do those jobs more often. |
The Real Wizard 28.02.2015 14:11 |
miraclesteinway wrote: lovely interview! I hadn't realised quite the level of humility he could show. What a man!Indeed - he came around full circle. He certainly wouldn't have been that humble six months prior. What a stark difference from the man we see in the interviews where he's promoting his solo album. Furthermore - maybe it was around this time that he learned about his health, too. That could've perhaps been a contributing factor. The things we'll never know... |
Rami 28.02.2015 14:17 |
Very interesting, thank you very much indeed! |
k-m 28.02.2015 17:34 |
Thanks to the poster and translator. A very good interview with some very honest answers. |
noorie 28.02.2015 20:51 |
Freddie's interviews were always honest and refreshing - even when he was blatantly promoting himself. None of that pretend humility or the insincere sincerity. Stelios, thanks tons for this lovely read! |
matt z 01.03.2015 01:24 |
"Cocaine is a hell of a drug" Leads to irrepressible boastfulness, ego trips, babbling and restlessness. He probably DID think he was better than the band at one point. Hostilities breed. All speculation but he probably thought he'd hit the 80's bandwagon alone. Unfortunately he wasn't very innovative with Mr Bad Guy. And it's not a very strong album. Thanks for the interview |
MercurialFreddie 01.03.2015 05:36 |
I wonder how much Paul Prenter contributed to foundation of the thought of being better than the rest of group in Freddie's mind. |
hobbit in Rhye 01.03.2015 12:30 |
Thank so much for this refreshing interview! I think one of the reasons that lead to Freddie going solo and his "illusions of grandeur" is the utter loneliness that he mentioned. That wasn't the band's fault, but when all the other 3 have family and kids, Freddie remained alone and didn't have a proper lover. Believe me I know how painfully lonely it feels, that at some point I don't even want to see my friends at all (sorry for inserting my boring self here). In his state of mind it's easy for Prenter to influent him. When the band started they practically lived together so it's easier to connect to each other's music ideas. I remember some crew said that Queen's members supported each other's songs better in the early days. Fortunately it comes back in their final days. Wizard: could you show me some reliable source of "ditch Prenter or we walk" please, I'm interested to know, thanks ^^ |
The Real Wizard 01.03.2015 13:45 |
hobbit-in-Rhye wrote: Thank so much for this refreshing interview! I think one of the reasons that lead to Freddie going solo and his "illusions of grandeur" is that he felt utterly lonely. That wasn't the band's fault, but when all the other 3 have family and kids, Freddie remained alone and didn't have a proper lover. Believe me I know how painfully lonely it feels, that at some point I don't even want to see my friends at all (sorry for inserting my boring self here). In his state of mind it's easy for Prenter to influent him. When the band started they practically lived together so it's easier to connect to each other's music ideas. I remember some crew said that Queen's members supported each other's songs better in the early days. Fortunately it comes back in their final days. Wizard: could you show me some reliable source of "ditch Prenter or we walk" please, I'm interested to know, thanks ^^Excellent insight. The discussion actually just happened here recently. I forget who told the tale, but they were close to the band at the time and said that that band came to Freddie after Live Aid with the ultimatum. Everything changed (for the better) after that. |
kosimodo 01.03.2015 15:01 |
Do you have a steady girlfriend!!!1!one!! Great questioning;) |
hobbit in Rhye 01.03.2015 15:46 |
The Real Wizard wrote: The discussion actually just happened here recently. I forget who told the tale, but they were close to the band at the time and said that that band came to Freddie after Live Aid with the ultimatum. Everything changed (for the better) after that.Thank you for the info. So glad that the boys realised there was a snake in the nest and decided to cast it out before too late. Now I know what One Vision is really about: neither Martin Luther King nor Bob Geldof, but about the band itself. Just give them fried chicken already. |
The Real Wizard 01.03.2015 20:25 |
hobbit-in-Rhye wrote: So glad that the boys realised there was a snake in the nest and decided to cast it out before too late. Now I know what One Vision is really about: neither Martin Luther King nor Bob Geldof, but about the band itself.^ ding. It was the happiest they'd been in years. Mind you, they'd still lost America - but they had everyone else they'd worked on. And each other. Net gain. |
MackMantilla 02.03.2015 09:13 |
Interesting reading. Thanks for sharing this translation. |
Costa86 04.03.2015 08:13 |
Thank you Stelios. |
Mr.QueenFan 04.03.2015 17:50 |
Stelios wrote: Were you a talented singer already then? 'I always liked to sing. At school I was in a choir. I didn't have a idea then I later would make my living with that.' .Thank you for the translation stelios. It was a great interview and this was a great question to ask Freddie. At least, someone adressed Freddie as a talented singer when he was still alive. This warms my heart! The other day i was thinking about these TV shows like Idols and similar where people use the word genius as it's nothing special. "Oh. he's a genius!" they say, even when in talent they are refering to someone who isn't talented. And i started to question myself: How many times did Freddie heard the words genius and best singer in the world when he was still alive? Did he ever heard his peers saying: "Freddie, what a beautiful voice you have". And by the press? he only heard that he was shit. Of course, now that he's dead, he the best ever! So, to have a reporter asking him if he was "a talented singer when he was young" means the world to me, and i believe that Freddie must have got real happy with the question. The reporter showed respect, and he got one of the best interviews i've read from Freddie. Very honest! Something he couldn't be in UK. Great read, thanks again! |
Apocalipsis_Darko 04.03.2015 18:26 |
Yes, the Prenter thing I wrote it because Peter Freestone told me in a interview. Specific words: " Paul Prenter was pushing Freddie to break away from Queen and the others in the band were worried that Paul would succeed in getting Freddie away. They were not worried for themselves, but for their great friend, Freddie, who they thought was being led to a world that he would be totally reliant on Paul. The meeting was set up in a neutral place that gave Freddie the breathing space that he did not have with Paul around, and he was able to see what was happening". Said that, Freddie was adult to know what he was doing, not being so obvious to say Prenter was a mentalist... |
Apocalipsis_Darko 04.03.2015 18:26 |
Yes, the Prenter thing I wrote it because Peter Freestone told me in a interview. Specific words: " Paul Prenter was pushing Freddie to break away from Queen and the others in the band were worried that Paul would succeed in getting Freddie away. They were not worried for themselves, but for their great friend, Freddie, who they thought was being led to a world that he would be totally reliant on Paul. The meeting was set up in a neutral place that gave Freddie the breathing space that he did not have with Paul around, and he was able to see what was happening". Said that, Freddie was adult to know what he was doing, not being so obvious to say Prenter was a mentalist... |
musicland munich 04.03.2015 18:42 |
And in April / May 1987 Prenter sold him to the tabloid... |
miraclesteinway 05.03.2015 03:04 |
OK this is going to sound completely crazy, given what I told you about a family friend who did the blood test..... but in an equally small-world style twist of fate, a girl I was at conservatoire with married Paul Prenter's nephew. Now, the guy is in his mid 30s, and because Paul Prenter lived in London, and died a long time ago, he only has his family's word on the subject of Paul. Neither of the people that told me this story, in other words, had ever met Paul. Paul's family obviously knew that he worked for Freddie, but they did not meet Freddie, did not know Freddie, and had nothing to do with the business side of Paul's life. What I've been told though is that the way Roger and Brian spoke about Paul, sadly fits in very well with the way Paul's family think about him. Apparently he was a born manipulator, and fell out with everyone. Actually he sounds like a classic narcissist. Paul Prenter used to try and claim his family fell out with him because he was gay, and his family maintain it was nothing to do with that (despite being devout Irish Catholics), and that basically he treated them all terribly, had everyone walking on eggshells, changeable personality. I know you're going to think I'm a stalker or a liar, and without actually mentioning names or putting you directly in touch with people I can't prove the story, but it's not a story about Freddie, so much as a second hand story about Paul Prenter kind of disconnected with the Queen thing. It sounds to me like Paul Prenter was a very sick man in need of psychiatric help, actually, and I always feel a little pang of compassion for that type of person. But much as I feel any kind of compassion it's not as large as the massive "DONT BE FRIENDS WITH THIS PERSON, DONT GO NEAR THIS PERSON" sign that flashes in neon lights in my brain whenever I meet someone like this. Unfortunately, working in music (albeit not the record or pop/rock industry), you meet massive egos in damaged people all the time, and they tend to latch on to more sensitive types who take them under their wing, and can manipulate from a more trusted position. In fact it's so common in the arts that it's practically the norm. Usually these people come across as bright, intelligent, charismatic, well-connected, super-confident and sometimes they end up being highly influential. Quite often they find themselves working for booking agents or artist managers, and furthermore they often end up forming their own company after they've pissed everyone off that they've worked for. Because they make the most noise, they can appear to be good people to know, but after meeting one or two, you can usually sniff one out at twenty paces. The thing about artists is that they are often not all that confident. They are often shy, awkward, under-confident, and wear performance like a cloak of protection, and would happily live a reclusive life off-stage. A charismatic character like Paul Prenter can allow them to be in performance mode all the time, living out a different version of themselves that they start to believe is real, until it all collapses. I've seen it many times on a small scale. People like to be connected with musicians and actors, even if they're not that well known, because it gives them a certain kudos, if you like. It's all bullshit in reality, most of the time, but Paul Prenter meeting Freddie Mercury, and then finding out he was actually quite impressionable, must have felt like all his christmases had come at once. Yeah, the slight pang of compassion I feel for manipulators who are clearly ill, like Paul Prenter (and others I have met), is heavily outweighed by the fact that they are total bastards. |
hobbit in Rhye 05.03.2015 15:15 |
Apocalipsis_Darko wrote: Yes, the Prenter thing I wrote it because Peter Freestone told me in a interview. Specific words: " Paul Prenter was pushing Freddie to break away from Queen and the others in the band were worried that Paul would succeed in getting Freddie away. They were not worried for themselves, but for their great friend, Freddie, who they thought was being led to a world that he would be totally reliant on Paul. The meeting was set up in a neutral place that gave Freddie the breathing space that he did not have with Paul around, and he was able to see what was happening". Said that, Freddie was adult to know what he was doing, not being so obvious to say Prenter was a mentalist...Thank you. That's the warmest thing I've read in years "They were not worried for themselves, but for their great friend, Freddie, who they thought was being led to a world that he would be totally reliant on Paul". Freddie might be smart and all, but he was a vulnerable soul and a trusting person, and he needed someone to commit 100% to him, which the band couldn't afford, and which Prenter was more than ready to do. And he did. miraclesteinway, thank you for another bit of inside information. I trust your story (until proven guilty, of course :D ) |
Gregsynth 05.03.2015 16:02 |
Nice to see some refreshing users and their posts on this site (I'm talking to you miraclesteinway). |
Costa86 06.03.2015 06:05 |
miraclesteinway wrote: OK this is going to sound completely crazy, given what I told you about a family friend who did the blood test..... but in an equally small-world style twist of fate, a girl I was at conservatoire with married Paul Prenter's nephew. Now, the guy is in his mid 30s, and because Paul Prenter lived in London, and died a long time ago, he only has his family's word on the subject of Paul. Neither of the people that told me this story, in other words, had ever met Paul. Paul's family obviously knew that he worked for Freddie, but they did not meet Freddie, did not know Freddie, and had nothing to do with the business side of Paul's life. What I've been told though is that the way Roger and Brian spoke about Paul, sadly fits in very well with the way Paul's family think about him. Apparently he was a born manipulator, and fell out with everyone. Actually he sounds like a classic narcissist. Paul Prenter used to try and claim his family fell out with him because he was gay, and his family maintain it was nothing to do with that (despite being devout Irish Catholics), and that basically he treated them all terribly, had everyone walking on eggshells, changeable personality. I know you're going to think I'm a stalker or a liar, and without actually mentioning names or putting you directly in touch with people I can't prove the story, but it's not a story about Freddie, so much as a second hand story about Paul Prenter kind of disconnected with the Queen thing. It sounds to me like Paul Prenter was a very sick man in need of psychiatric help, actually, and I always feel a little pang of compassion for that type of person. But much as I feel any kind of compassion it's not as large as the massive "DONT BE FRIENDS WITH THIS PERSON, DONT GO NEAR THIS PERSON" sign that flashes in neon lights in my brain whenever I meet someone like this. Unfortunately, working in music (albeit not the record or pop/rock industry), you meet massive egos in damaged people all the time, and they tend to latch on to more sensitive types who take them under their wing, and can manipulate from a more trusted position. In fact it's so common in the arts that it's practically the norm. Usually these people come across as bright, intelligent, charismatic, well-connected, super-confident and sometimes they end up being highly influential. Quite often they find themselves working for booking agents or artist managers, and furthermore they often end up forming their own company after they've pissed everyone off that they've worked for. Because they make the most noise, they can appear to be good people to know, but after meeting one or two, you can usually sniff one out at twenty paces. The thing about artists is that they are often not all that confident. They are often shy, awkward, under-confident, and wear performance like a cloak of protection, and would happily live a reclusive life off-stage. A charismatic character like Paul Prenter can allow them to be in performance mode all the time, living out a different version of themselves that they start to believe is real, until it all collapses. I've seen it many times on a small scale. People like to be connected with musicians and actors, even if they're not that well known, because it gives them a certain kudos, if you like. It's all bullshit in reality, most of the time, but Paul Prenter meeting Freddie Mercury, and then finding out he was actually quite impressionable, must have felt like all his christmases had come at once. Yeah, the slight pang of compassion I feel for manipulators who are clearly ill, like Paul Prenter (and others I have met), is heavily outweighed by the fact that they are total bastards.This is an interesting bit of insight - thanks for sharing it. Recently (Novemeber 2014) a god-daughter of Paul Prenter's posted on this forum (here: link. She took umbrage to the way folks on QZ wrote about Paul. She said we didn't know him and had no right to speak badly of him. She must obviously not know much about him, it seems (she definitely never met him) |
Stelios 06.03.2015 06:24 |
What i get from miraclesteinway's input is that Paul and Freddie may have shared some same traits but in totally different quilites. Prenter was a pure narcissist. Perhaps some borderline personality disorder issues as well (..."basically he treated them all terribly, had everyone walking on eggshells, changeable personality" ). Often those two go hand in hand. Freddie on the other hand had a well abjusted and functioning narcissism. The one that makes one shine,beeing motivated in personal growth ( even is a superficial way sometimes) but most importantly benefit his surroundings. Family, friends and all.. |
The Real Wizard 06.03.2015 08:18 |
Apocalipsis_Darko wrote: Yes, the Prenter thing I wrote it because Peter Freestone told me in a interview. Specific words: " Paul Prenter was pushing Freddie to break away from Queen and the others in the band were worried that Paul would succeed in getting Freddie away. They were not worried for themselves, but for their great friend, Freddie, who they thought was being led to a world that he would be totally reliant on Paul. The meeting was set up in a neutral place that gave Freddie the breathing space that he did not have with Paul around, and he was able to see what was happening".Wow. This is pretty monumental, especially for all those people who have somehow been defending Prenter to this point. |
thomasquinn 32989 06.03.2015 08:42 |
Note that I am not questioning Apocalipsis_Darko nor miraclesteinway's (or Peter Freestone's) motives, honesty and integrity, but when it comes to subjects like this, I kick into professional-historian-mode, and sadly have to point out that this is all hearsay. The quotes/paraphrasings provided are in the third-degree (quoting or paraphrasing the testimony of a person who was two steps removed from the subject) and made decades after the fact. Even if the people in question strive for complete honesty, you have to assume a considerable degree of compression and construction in their memories. It is very interesting, but it can never be more than circumstantial evidence that needs further data to be considered reliable. Again, nothing to the decrement of anyone who posted information on the subject, but you just have to be extremely careful with material like this. |
The Real Wizard 06.03.2015 08:51 |
miraclesteinway wrote: OK this is going to sound completely crazy, given what I told you about a family friend who did the blood test..... but in an equally small-world style twist of fate, a girl I was at conservatoire with married Paul Prenter's nephew. Now, the guy is in his mid 30s, and because Paul Prenter lived in London, and died a long time ago, he only has his family's word on the subject of Paul. Neither of the people that told me this story, in other words, had ever met Paul. Paul's family obviously knew that he worked for Freddie, but they did not meet Freddie, did not know Freddie, and had nothing to do with the business side of Paul's life. What I've been told though is that the way Roger and Brian spoke about Paul, sadly fits in very well with the way Paul's family think about him. Apparently he was a born manipulator, and fell out with everyone. Actually he sounds like a classic narcissist. Paul Prenter used to try and claim his family fell out with him because he was gay, and his family maintain it was nothing to do with that (despite being devout Irish Catholics), and that basically he treated them all terribly, had everyone walking on eggshells, changeable personality. I know you're going to think I'm a stalker or a liar, and without actually mentioning names or putting you directly in touch with people I can't prove the story, but it's not a story about Freddie, so much as a second hand story about Paul Prenter kind of disconnected with the Queen thing. It sounds to me like Paul Prenter was a very sick man in need of psychiatric help, actually, and I always feel a little pang of compassion for that type of person. But much as I feel any kind of compassion it's not as large as the massive "DONT BE FRIENDS WITH THIS PERSON, DONT GO NEAR THIS PERSON" sign that flashes in neon lights in my brain whenever I meet someone like this. Unfortunately, working in music (albeit not the record or pop/rock industry), you meet massive egos in damaged people all the time, and they tend to latch on to more sensitive types who take them under their wing, and can manipulate from a more trusted position. In fact it's so common in the arts that it's practically the norm. Usually these people come across as bright, intelligent, charismatic, well-connected, super-confident and sometimes they end up being highly influential. Quite often they find themselves working for booking agents or artist managers, and furthermore they often end up forming their own company after they've pissed everyone off that they've worked for. Because they make the most noise, they can appear to be good people to know, but after meeting one or two, you can usually sniff one out at twenty paces. The thing about artists is that they are often not all that confident. They are often shy, awkward, under-confident, and wear performance like a cloak of protection, and would happily live a reclusive life off-stage. A charismatic character like Paul Prenter can allow them to be in performance mode all the time, living out a different version of themselves that they start to believe is real, until it all collapses. I've seen it many times on a small scale. People like to be connected with musicians and actors, even if they're not that well known, because it gives them a certain kudos, if you like. It's all bullshit in reality, most of the time, but Paul Prenter meeting Freddie Mercury, and then finding out he was actually quite impressionable, must have felt like all his christmases had come at once. Yeah, the slight pang of compassion I feel for manipulators who are clearly ill, like Paul Prenter (and others I have met), is heavily outweighed by the fact that they are total bastards.Excellent post. You're bang f&cking on. |
The Real Wizard 06.03.2015 08:56 |
thomasquinn 32989 wrote: Even if the people in question strive for complete honesty, you have to assume a considerable degree of compression and construction in their memories. It is very interesting, but it can never be more than circumstantial evidence that needs further data to be considered reliable. Again, nothing to the decrement of anyone who posted information on the subject, but you just have to be extremely careful with material like this.Of course. The plural of anecdote is never data. But still - the stories told by virtually every person who has ever spoken about their contact with Prenter basically confirm the narrative that he is the worst thing that ever happened to Freddie, and by extension the band. There has to be something to be said for that. |
Costa86 06.03.2015 09:02 |
thomasquinn 32989 wrote: Note that I am not questioning Apocalipsis_Darko nor miraclesteinway's (or Peter Freestone's) motives, honesty and integrity, but when it comes to subjects like this, I kick into professional-historian-mode, and sadly have to point out that this is all hearsay. The quotes/paraphrasings provided are in the third-degree (quoting or paraphrasing the testimony of a person who was two steps removed from the subject) and made decades after the fact. Even if the people in question strive for complete honesty, you have to assume a considerable degree of compression and construction in their memories. It is very interesting, but it can never be more than circumstantial evidence that needs further data to be considered reliable. Again, nothing to the decrement of anyone who posted information on the subject, but you just have to be extremely careful with material like this.I agree. When you think about it, all of the Christian Bible is hearsay, including the Gospels, and yet more than 2 billion people believe in it. Not even the historian Josephus' reference to Jesus is probably completely factual. No wonder the aliens want to keep close tabs on us bunch of idiots with nuclear weapons in our bunkers. |
miraclesteinway 06.03.2015 09:36 |
Thanks for the comments guys. It's understandable that a god-daughter of Prenter would want to protect him. The chances are that she knew his good side, and it's not as if even complete arseholes can't be loving towards some people. Knowing what I know now, about the whole Freddie/Paul escapade, I can see that during the Prenter years, Freddie behaved differently and at times his head was so far up his own backside he couldn't even see daylight. By the way I don't think Freddie was a narcissist. Oh, yes, I think he probably could have the traits at times, but I think it's more that he was fully aware of his abilities, and his status. I don't think for a minute that he believed that he was more special than anyone else, except for during the Prenter years. You can see in the '70s interviews he'd make quips about "I love having so much money" etc, and he'd talk about talent and stuff, but it seemed more from the point of view of an ordinary man who had somehow hit the jackpot due to hard work and dedication. During the Prenter period, Freddie seemed to act like a god, and then post Live-Aid onwards, he seems to be back to a more rounded and mature human being. At times I get the feeling that although Freddie was hard in some ways, and knew what he wanted, that there was also this very humble side to him that was very grateful for what he had been given. That seemed to be absent from say, Hot Space to Bad Guy... |
Stelios 06.03.2015 10:09 |
^^^ By the way i dont tnink Freddie was a narcissist either. Actually this is a serious personality disorder and Freddie prooved to be quite the opposite, a rather balanced and well adjusted person. However some "narcissist traits" were there but in a very functional way. |
musicland munich 06.03.2015 11:55 |
thomasquinn 32989 wrote: Note that I am not questioning Apocalipsis_Darko nor miraclesteinway's (or Peter Freestone's) motives, honesty and integrity, but when it comes to subjects like this, I kick into professional-historian-mode, and sadly have to point out that this is all hearsay. .What's definitely is not a hearsay is that Prenter sold him to the tabliod for about 30.000 bucks. And the story was circulating for weeks...give us headlines like "Phone call of terror" and " He liked his men hunky", and many more. Freddie himself confirmed the storys, more or less. |
miraclesteinway 06.03.2015 12:43 |
Well, actually thomasquinn, you are right. Without empirical proof, everything is hearsay. I can't back up anything I've posted about Freddie's HIV test or Paul Prenter's relationship with his family. Technically, I could put you in touch directly with the people who told me, but I wouldn't do that anyway. I'm happy enough for people to take or leave what I say. As you say, from a professional historian's perspective, there is no evidence. When there's no evidence for something, it doesn't mean of course that it didn't happen, but it's really for the reader to decide if it's information that adds to the debate. A friend of mine who is a 'cellist was talking to this woman about playing a Brahms cello sonata. Over dinner she said 'Well, you're playing it this way, but Brahms wanted it played completely differently!' My friend said 'How do you know that?' the lady replied 'Joachim told my grandmother that Brahms told him'. Joachim was a violinist in Brahms circle of friends, but the particular piece of information given was never written down by Brahms. It could be said that this is a reliable piece of information from the horses mouth, but there have already been four people involved before the information gets to my ears, and each time the story is told, it could have been changed slightly so that by the time it IS written down, it has completely changed its meaning. So the two big information bombs I have dropped in the past week - one about Freddie's HIV test in 1985, the other about Paul Prenter's relationship with his family - are completely second hand pieces of information. In Paul Prenter's case, he definitely fell out with his brother, my friend's father in law. In family feuds, all sorts of things can be added and taken away from stories to make them suit. In the case of the HIV test, I have no reason to believe that the lady in question didn't test the blood, or at least no reason to think she wasn't present in the lab, but I can't be sure. All I can be sure of in both cases is that I was told these stories. All you, as a reader, can be sure of is that I am writing these stories down here. None of it can be proved, possibly not even by speaking to my original sources. |
luthorn 06.03.2015 21:29 |
That was a great interview, very open and deep. Thank you for this. |
miraclesteinway 07.03.2015 10:20 |
Greg - <3 |