QueenZone discussion #1423923

miraclesteinway wrote: lovely interview! I hadn't realised quite the level of humility he could show. What a man!

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 ^^

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.

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.

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.' .

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...

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.

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".

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.

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.

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.

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. .