| RadioDaDa 01.02.2018 19:53 |
Has anyone in here actually met or were friends with Freddie? |
| NastyQueenie74 01.02.2018 20:09 |
Look at the Thor Arnold/Lee Nolan threads |
| mooghead 01.02.2018 21:04 |
Please don't start asking questions like this new guy :/ |
| matt z 02.02.2018 06:20 |
^vee arrrt oldurr dan vee tink Have some patience in your new role as Yoda. It's a mark of their appeal to have new fans that "know naught" of thy favorite band. |
| Star* 02.02.2018 11:03 |
Not Freddie but i have met one of Freddies friends, Wayne Sleep! He never gave anything away when i asked him about Freddie and those lavish wild parties! |
| RadioDaDa 02.02.2018 14:16 |
Happystar that’s great to hear. Hey Moonheag if you don’t like the question simply save your time and don’t reply. |
| jrd1951 02.02.2018 17:56 |
Yes I have.Met them early in 1989 at Olympic studios in Barnes,arranged by the fan club as a competition win.Thought we might get a glimpse of Freddie and maybe chat with a roadie or something but he was the first to greet us,superbly dressed in white.Just the nicest guy in the world..wanted to chat about us rather than him! best day ever.Strange to have a quiet chat with this softly spoken guy who was probably the greatest rock star in the universe at that time.John was quite chatty as well,him and Freddie just got on so well and were such a laugh together,Brian was chatting to a few others about guitars and AC30's and whatever.Roger wasn't there,Freddie was asking if he had phoned in sick yet(!) Mentioned that A Night At The Opera was my favourite,Freddie smiled and hinted that this album(The Miracle) was getting back to those days,we didn't get a jam sadly............but did get a copy of the album sent to us on the release day and some signed photos and stuff.This Guy really did care for his fans,and he looked so well,hard to imagine that he would be dead in just over two years,I even got one of his sausage rolls(made by Joe? he said his 'chef' made them) |
| RadioDaDa 02.02.2018 20:23 |
JDR that’s an amazing story. Thanks for sharing |
| Vocal harmony 03.02.2018 02:20 |
happystar wrote: Not Freddie but i have met one of Freddies friends, Wayne Sleep! He never gave anything away when i asked him about Freddie and those lavish wild parties!happystar I'm sure in your previous life on here, as Gerry, you used to claim Wayne Sleep was a friend of yours. |
| someonewholikesadam 03.02.2018 03:19 |
Where did Freddie get his crown and where is it today? |
| beemack74 03.02.2018 14:44 |
Wow jrd1951,that is fantastic! I have seen a photo of what I believe to be the meeting you were at. As for the sausage rolls, Peter Freestone mentions in his book that Freddie would bring to the studio an assortment of sandwiches and Joe's home-made sausage rolls which Freddie would proudly hand out, perhaps eating only one himself. |
| jrd1951 03.02.2018 14:49 |
You are welcome.This is a photo from the day.It is a scan of the fan club mag,but we were not permitted any others. |
| jrd1951 03.02.2018 15:11 |
Very true! actually it was a vast picnic hamper,with sausage rolls,sandwiches and.of course,champagne! John had a mixture of drinks himself.I am sure only Brian actually did any work that day as Freddie and John were pretty 'happy' by the time we left.They did invite me to be the drummer,as Freddie announced that his 'didn't turn up' (Roger we were told was ill).The thing I remember most was how much Freddie and John got on so well with each other,I am really not surprised that he was knocked back by Freddie's demise.A week after The Miracle was released I got a signed copy,a thank you for attending(!) letter,a signed message from all three and some fan club stuff(thanks Jacky).They say never meet your heroes,well with Queen(OK 3 quarters of them) I am so glad I did.But great to see Freddie so relaxed,he hid his illness amazingly well(some rumours at that time) Fab,fab day! XX |
| jrd1951 03.02.2018 15:11 |
Very true! actually it was a vast picnic hamper,with sausage rolls,sandwiches and.of course,champagne! John had a mixture of drinks himself.I am sure only Brian actually did any work that day as Freddie and John were pretty 'happy' by the time we left.They did invite me to be the drummer,as Freddie announced that his 'didn't turn up' (Roger we were told was ill).The thing I remember most was how much Freddie and John got on so well with each other,I am really not surprised that he was knocked back by Freddie's demise.A week after The Miracle was released I got a signed copy,a thank you for attending(!) letter,a signed message from all three and some fan club stuff(thanks Jacky).They say never meet your heroes,well with Queen(OK 3 quarters of them) I am so glad I did.But great to see Freddie so relaxed,he hid his illness amazingly well(some rumours at that time) Fab,fab day! XX |
| beemack74 03.02.2018 15:12 |
Yes that's the one. How incredibly lucky you were!! I have also heard and read other examples of individuals who were lucky enough to have met Freddie and they also say that he was indeed friendly,humble, welcoming and kind. Just goes to show, the bigger the star, the nicer they are. In stark contrast to other "stars" such as Jamirouquai's Jay Kay and Roland Gift who's inflated egos and general tosspottery far outweigh thier 'talents' or impact on music. |
| beemack74 03.02.2018 15:28 |
I'm not much of a one for "what ifs" but just imagine if Roger had been there, and had been in the same "happy" frame of mind as Freddie and John, and Freddie asks you "would you like to hear some stuff off the new album?" as the four of them assemble around the drum kit.....!!!! |
| jrd1951 03.02.2018 15:37 |
Hey I am just a session musician...just turned up an played the drums with this 'Queen' bunch of geezers................... |
| jrd1951 03.02.2018 15:47 |
OK I will admit it,Freddie asked me to 'audition' for the band as his drummer couldn't be arsed to turn up....I think i actually got the sausage roll that was earmarked for Mr Taylor that day........... |
| jrd1951 03.02.2018 15:47 |
OK I will admit it,Freddie asked me to 'audition' for the band as his drummer couldn't be arsed to turn up....I think i actually got the sausage roll that was earmarked for Mr Taylor that day........... |
| RadioDaDa 03.02.2018 15:48 |
Amazing story. You are truly lucky to have that memorie that I’m sure you will cherish forever. |
| jrd1951 03.02.2018 15:57 |
I will yes.But I will also remember the (unplanned) meeting when I bumped into Brian a few months later at Camberley arcade with his son Jimmy.(he recognized me and said hello!) He mentioned that he wanted to get on the road again,but you could tell something was seriously wrong..Bri is a fab,sweet guy but could not hide his emotion when I asked what Freddie was up to,the biggest live band on the planet,with massive sponsorship deals being thrown about? we shook hands,but I KNEW and so did he,that it would never be the same.........RIP Freddie x |
| beemack74 03.02.2018 16:16 |
Indeed. As much as I LOVE The Miracle album, with hindsight it's tinged with an uneasy quality because of what we now know Freddie was going through at the time. But at the time, despite the rumours, I saw the photos of Freddie looking fantastic in the accompanying booklet and heard him singing as fantastically as ever on the album and thought "no way is this man ill". A mixture of denial and hope, I suppose. I thought he looked great in the Breakthru video and even when I saw the videos for Scandal and The Miracle, I did not think that there was great cause for concern over Freddie's health. Very little was known about the illness in those days, so I thought OK, if he IS suffering from this disease, he would be unable to record and perform in these videos. I was of course as shocked as everyone else as I watched Freddie take to the stage at the 1990 Brit awards, but a year later I heard his incredible vocals on the Innuendo album and, again, brushed any such thoughts aside. |
| jrd1951 03.02.2018 16:45 |
Great reply,thanks.I can relate to that..how Freddie sat through the 'Queen for an hour' thing on radio 1 in 1989 whilst remaining so positive is an inspiration to us all.This man knew that he was dying? and still joked with the others.Same with meeting him,so positive and 'up' You would never had guessed.But then,he had the Queen legacy to protect(business and all that....) I think he knew that the others would still achieve great success even with out him.I have never met anyone like him,then and since...we chatted a bit but I was a bit in awe to be honest.Even in 1989 he admitted that music was dying..lots of RAP and stuff in America,'computer music' taking over.A guy so far in advance? I mentioned that I loved the Barcelona album,he laughed and said yes but it would not be accepted in America.Did he care? NO! He told me he was not bothered about America? |
| beemack74 03.02.2018 17:23 |
Yes, I've heard that as well. I think after Hot Space and the IWTBF video, Freddie's eyes were opened to how narrow minded some of the industry, and sadly some of the audience, could be in certain parts of the USA. So I do think that as they were waning in the states, instead of getting upset or angry and breaking thier backs to be a success there again, they adopted a "bollocks to them, let's concentrate on the people who enjoy what we do and accept us for what we are". In fact, dur to the rather silly backlash to the Break Free video, the band were asked by thier American record company, as possibly also MTV, can they make a performance video for the song, and they flatly refused. I do think at that point they just thought if you cannot accept us for what we do, it's your loss. And none of them ever had to visit the local dole office after the USA shunned them. |
| SmokyQuartz 04.02.2018 01:32 |
jrd1951 wrote: Great reply,thanks.I can relate to that..how Freddie sat through the 'Queen for an hour' thing on radio 1 in 1989 whilst remaining so positive is an inspiration to us all.This man knew that he was dying? and still joked with the others.Same with meeting him,so positive and 'up' You would never had guessed.But then,he had the Queen legacy to protect(business and all that....) I think he knew that the others would still achieve great success even with out him.I have never met anyone like him,then and since...we chatted a bit but I was a bit in awe to be honest.Even in 1989 he admitted that music was dying..lots of RAP and stuff in America,'computer music' taking over.A guy so far in advance? I mentioned that I loved the Barcelona album,he laughed and said yes but it would not be accepted in America.Did he care? NO! He told me he was not bothered about America?jrd1951, thanks for sharing all your memories! It sounds like Freddie was open and chatty, it must have been amazing to meet him. It's an eye opener to me that Freddie considered music to be dying back in the 80's. He clearly had a serious side, but I agree with you, he was always incredibly positive and that interview on Queen For An Hour, it was so inspirational, considering what he knew and was facing. |
| SmokyQuartz 04.02.2018 01:51 |
Beemack, I too brushed aside all fears about Freddie back then. I was around 19 when Breakthru came on tv, sat with my mum and boyfriend, watching.....And suddenly mum piped up 'poor Freddie, he's seriously ill isn't he...' It was the first I heard, but mum couldn't remember where she'd heard that, or what the illness was....and this was 89. That's what a lot of people don't realise, even then, people were not thinking of AIDS necessarily (I know some were and there were rumours, but AIDS itself wasn't foremost in the average person's mind). Being 19 and seeing a healthy looking man on the screen, I just replied 'oh don't believe everything you read in the papers, look at him, he's healthy.' RIP Freddie. |
| jrd1951 04.02.2018 09:43 |
I LOVED Breakthru and the video,I remember some Saturday morning show cut the video by half and played the whole of a Jason Donovan song....Freddie still in top form there.A jealous close friend in New Jersey was mad at my Freddie meeting and wanted to know everything,there was a 'Classic Rock' radio show on over there with Queen and Aerosmith,so at least they were still relevant in the States,indeed the album sold pretty well(number 24 on Billboard he said,or number 9 on some Rock chart thing).He thought the album was great,Capitol wanted them to tour of course but I told him what Brian had said,that Freddie didn't want to be running around stage at 'this age'. |
| jrd1951 04.02.2018 09:43 |
I LOVED Breakthru and the video,I remember some Saturday morning show cut the video by half and played the whole of a Jason Donovan song....Freddie still in top form there.A jealous close friend in New Jersey was mad at my Freddie meeting and wanted to know everything,there was a 'Classic Rock' radio show on over there with Queen and Aerosmith,so at least they were still relevant in the States,indeed the album sold pretty well(number 24 on Billboard he said,or number 9 on some Rock chart thing).He thought the album was great,Capitol wanted them to tour of course but I told him what Brian had said,that Freddie didn't want to be running around stage at 'this age'. |
| jrd1951 04.02.2018 09:43 |
I LOVED Breakthru and the video,I remember some Saturday morning show cut the video by half and played the whole of a Jason Donovan song....Freddie still in top form there.A jealous close friend in New Jersey was mad at my Freddie meeting and wanted to know everything,there was a 'Classic Rock' radio show on over there with Queen and Aerosmith,so at least they were still relevant in the States,indeed the album sold pretty well(number 24 on Billboard he said,or number 9 on some Rock chart thing).He thought the album was great,Capitol wanted them to tour of course but I told him what Brian had said,that Freddie didn't want to be running around stage at 'this age'. |
| Katydyd5 04.02.2018 19:53 |
Thanks for sharing your memories JRD. I always enjoy reading stories from people who actually met Freddie and the others. He really knew how to treat his fans. |
| Chopin1995 05.02.2018 12:46 |
Thank you JRD1951! A lot of valuable info in your posts. |
| beemack74 05.02.2018 18:42 |
The Breakthru video is my favourite. Summer 1989 was, for the UK, uncharacteristically hot and sunny, and this summer sunshine video transports me back to those happy days. Jrd1951, another reason for Queen's star fading in the states was of course the infamous Paul Prenter. TV and radio stations would seek interviews with Freddie, only to be rather abruptly shot down by Prenter who would say things like "Freddie doesn't want to speak to you" when, in actual fact, Freddie knew nothing about the requests. So Freddie and the band were wrongly labelled as aloof prima donnas, when the truth was very different. |
| RadioDaDa 05.02.2018 18:45 |
Beermack. I seen that as well in a documentary. That’s the only documentary that mentioned that fact. I was trying to find interviews with Paul Prenter but I guess they do not exist. |
| beemack74 05.02.2018 19:52 |
RadioDaDa , I think I've only seen clips of Prenter being interviewed, I believe from South America 1981. There must be more footage, although I have zero interest in listening to that weasel. What he did to Freddie was unforgivable. He was from here in Belfast, and he was a DJ /presenter on local station Downtown Radio. This was in the mid 70s shortly before he started working with Queen. |
| Bertus 06.02.2018 00:40 |
Met Brian, John and Roger a lot of times.. ;) in 1980 till 1986, 1990 The Cross in Amsterdam |
| LOTV 07.02.2018 16:42 |
It's very narrow minded to use rap and computer music as examples of how music was dying. After all WWRY is basically a rap and they used loads of synths and effects, especially on Flash Gordon. |