| MercurialFreddie 17.03.2018 00:41 |
Hello dear Queenzonzers! I will be doing a small lecture about the life and music composed by "our" Freddie. When discussing AIDS, I want to remind people how Freddie was treated by the press back in the day and how disgraceful some of the reports were. I seem to remember one newspaper that had on the frontpage Freddie singing to a microphone, sitting on a piano but instead of his head there was a skull, partly rotten. I would like to ask you for help. Could you help me find the newspaper in question and all other disgraceful ones so I can show properly how Freddie and those close to him were hunted by the media ? Greetings, Martin |
| mooghead 17.03.2018 22:14 |
Fuck off. How is that for a contribution to your lecture? |
| MercurialFreddie 18.03.2018 00:01 |
I will be organising a closed event connected with lecture and listening to LP's for audiophiles and elite circle of music critics in Poland. Basically, in Poland, music critics are slamming Freddie off, forgetting about his voice, his unique personality, song-writing skills and (mainly even) composition skills. I wanted to give them a full picture and even a harsh one, an ugly one and THAT"S THE REASON I NEED THESE NEWSPAPERS! Moog, why did you respond that way ? I have never on this forum used this word when responding to your (usually silly) comments and rude behaviour. |
| Kevin Spacey 18.03.2018 09:14 |
I'm sorry, but that's utter bullshit. What kind of elite do you mean? Which music critics slam Freddie? Either we live in two different countries or your talking bollocks. Start looking for a more convincing excuse than your bogus story. |
| MercurialFreddie 18.03.2018 14:19 |
I strongly disagree. Yes, the music critics are saying things like: "Yeah he was great" "Yeah, a great voice" but that's it! That's like they're forgetting about all the other things that made him a great musician. Composition, classical training (I'm not speaking about his voice technique), excellent taste in arts and so on and so forth. Kevin, we really must be living in two different countries. In Poland, the *greater value* for music critics have PRODUCTS like Lady GaGa, Lana Del Rey etc. Only some of the best music critics have still a great respect for Freddie. People tend to forgot that the first time that FM paid a songwriter because he and Mack were stuck was during the Barcelona project. Queen did many things themselves when writing, composing, even producing.... I know it sounds suspicious, mysterious but I cannot provide names here or places as NDA is always a must with projects like this one. I can give you a hint though.. In the Warsaw's downtown there is a studio (yes, proper music studio) where are held lectures and premieres of forthcoming albums. Not so utter shit now, huh ? So, good people on Queenzone, please help me find these damn disgraceful newspapers as I want to depict the timeline 1987-1991 in a depressing, gruesome BUT sympathetic way. |
| Daniel Nester 18.03.2018 16:23 |
I don't recall a skullface newspaper cover, but I wouldn't put it past the daily tabloids. particularly in the UK. |
| MercurialFreddie 18.03.2018 16:35 |
I believe it was a modified picture of Freddie sitting at a piano and signing with his black cap on (1980/ 1981 Tour?) and yes it was one of the tabloids. It was one of the ugliest, gruesome and disgraceful thing made by the press in 91'. |
| Star* 18.03.2018 17:22 |
The gutter press here in the UK always slagged Freddie off, and in one of the music papers i think it was "The Musical Express" they had a picture of Freddie with the caption "is this man a prat" Every single Queen single that got released was slammed here in the Uk by the press, so i find it hypocritical that the press now praise Queen & Lambert after years of giving Freddie grief. |
| Kevin Spacey 18.03.2018 21:52 |
OK. First of all, sorry for the harsh words - I might have overreacted (fatigue). Now I see your point. But I still disagree and - don't take it the wrong way - I don't feel there is need for such projects as yours. Here are my reasons. Regular critics (i.e. not elite) in Poland (and elsewhere) rarely write about Freddie nowadays and usually as a footnote, so they don't really get into the specifics that you mention. And this is for a reason. The "products" as you call them still release records, so they get written about (and some of them do have musical training, even if not classical), just like the Rolling Stones, but unlike Freddie. On an anniversary he might get a proper treatment every once in a while in the proper media (and who cares about the rest), but that's it. I don't think this is because critics have forgotten about him, but rather that there is no need to write about him for the general public. From their point of view he's there with his moustache and a couple of songs, an icon and a part of the history of pop culture, just like Einstein with his unkempt hairstyle. And those who feel the need to know more, do not stop at popular articles. I don't think your project is going to change that. And I don't know how the discussion of the press coverage of Freddie's illness and death could possibly contribute to the achievement of your goal. In any case, good luck to you on your crusade. I won't bother you going off topic anymore. |
| MercurialFreddie 19.03.2018 00:52 |
It's not really a crusade. This project will be a reward for me for helping the company out with the exhibition they are producing and I'm greatly helping them with that. The CEO of that particular company knows that I'm a huge Queen fan, so I have one shot at organising a tribute to Freddie connected with listening to his songs and a lecture. I don't want to change the world. I just want to remind them that Freddie Mercury doesn't begin with Bohemian Rhapsody and ends with The Show Must Go On. I don't see anything wrong with that. I watched a section of The Great Pretender documentary about the end of his life and there it was, just like I want to do it. Show people in anti-hazardous uniforms, tell about doctors disagreeing to check the AIDS patients, mortitcians refusing to embalm bodies of those who died from this terrible illness. I want to show a stigma and how those people were treated afterwards. I will probably even use a snippet from the doco with Brian and Roger defending Freddie on the Breakfast show. |
| MercurialFreddie 19.03.2018 00:54 |
Apology accepted. I know that there are a bunch of people who are constantly asking about Freddie's last photos or some things like that and they seem to have a fetish about it but I'm not one of those. Could anyone help me out ? @Kevin, If you live in Warsaw, then PM me, I'll try the company to have proper invitation send to you. (The event/lecture/listening will be organised either at the anniversary of Freddie's Birthday or at the anniversary of his passing) |
| MisterCosmicc 25.03.2018 08:36 |
I think mooghead is just some alcoholic who has nothing better to do. Boring. |
| john bodega 25.03.2018 13:53 |
"but I'm not one of those" this is a virtual guarantee that you are 'one of those', in just about any scenario where someone uses these words. hahahha. |
| musicland munich 25.03.2018 17:12 |
MisterCosmicc wrote: I think mooghead is just some alcoholic who has nothing better to do. Boring.AGAIN ? Anyway, there is an issue of the MAD Magazine wich was released after his death but they make it look like they predicted his passing. They were using a wrong date - if I remember correctly. Can't find it right now but it's somewhere out there. |
| mooghead 25.03.2018 18:05 |
If I had nothing better to do than come here I definitely would be an alcoholic. |
| MercurialFreddie 25.03.2018 20:23 |
musicland munich wrote:But did they made some gruesome montage or edit of the existing photo or was it a regular and respectful coverage ?MisterCosmicc wrote: I think mooghead is just some alcoholic who has nothing better to do. Boring.AGAIN ? Anyway, there is an issue of the MAD Magazine wich was released after his death but they make it look like they predicted his passing. They were using a wrong date - if I remember correctly. Can't find it right now but it's somewhere out there. |
| MercurialFreddie 25.03.2018 22:28 |
@john bodega Yup, I instantly knew that writing that would colour me purple... Things like that, morbid things would hunt my mind for days so no, I'll pass by and let the weirdos have their weird fetishes |
| MisterCosmicc 03.04.2018 09:07 |
Shame on them |
| Dr Magus 03.04.2018 09:15 |
I still have all my cuttings from the newspapers the day after Freddie died. I seem to remember an article by a bitter hack called Joe Haines (Daily Mirror?) that was particularly nasty. |
| MercurialFreddie 03.04.2018 13:01 |
Dr Magus... any chance of scanning it and uploading it here ? I'd be tremendously grateful |
| Star* 04.04.2018 17:01 |
Yeah the press were pretty nasty about Freddie when he died. One local newspaper where i live even said Freddie deserved all he got for been a gay! Truly shocking. |
| k-m 06.04.2018 17:56 |
MercurialFreddie: "I will be organising a closed event connected with lecture and listening to LP's for audiophiles and elite circle of music critics in Poland. Basically, in Poland, music critics are slamming Freddie off, forgetting about his voice, his unique personality, song-writing skills and (mainly even) composition skills. I wanted to give them a full picture and even a harsh one, an ugly one and THAT"S THE REASON I NEED THESE NEWSPAPERS!" Sorry, but that's complete fiction. I was born in Poland and it's actually the opposite. Queen are one of the most revered acts and both the critics and the audience seem to hold them and Freddie in high regard. It has been the case for many, many years, even before Freddie died with the "Innuendo" singles charting high at Poland's most influential radio station at the time. As you can still see on YouTube, his death was also covered in a lot of detail and the national TV seemed very respectful at the time. [I do wonder what the national TV - propaganda tube - would make of it today, but that's slightly off-topic]. I think the 25th anniversary of his death was still featured on the evening news and it was certainly the case on the 20th anniversary. Their records still sell well in Poland (despite the fact album sales have been generally low in Poland for many years now) and all albums were sold once with the country's biggest newspaper at one point. I could go on, but I hope I can rest my case now. MercurialFreddie, instead of wasting your time with that lecture, proceed straight away to writing sci-fi books. |
| Stardust Parade 07.04.2018 22:55 |
I have no idea. I was 5 when he died. That's a rather odd picture request OP. Maybe you're thinking of something that was in one of those trashy tabloid magazines? |
| ANAGRAMER 08.04.2018 07:13 |
As I recall, the British press were vultures BEFORE Freddie died After his death, very few were actually critical. I don't think there's much of a project here |
| Dr Magus 08.04.2018 10:38 |
MercurialFreddie wrote: Dr Magus... any chance of scanning it and uploading it here ? I'd be tremendously gratefulSorry I don't have a scanner or owt. |
| Star* 09.04.2018 19:44 |
What hacks me off is the press were always slagging Freddie for everything he did when he was alive, then he died and now they are saying he was the greatest rock vocalist ever ! Hypocritical prats. |
| MercurialFreddie 10.04.2018 17:55 |
@ k-m I know of only two main figures in the polish music critics society that hold Freddie in high regard: Marek Niedzwiecki and Wojciech Mann. Mann even translated most of Queen's songs back in the 90's if I recall correctly. You could count Piotr Metz among the music critics who admire Queen, but if you'd talk to him privately then.... he is still in the craze "Beatles were the best, all the others can fuck off".... Yes, at the time of his death the National TV was respectful but aside from anniversaries I wouldn't say that they are admired among the music critics. As I said, the general attitude is: "Queen? Yeah, Freddie got a great voice" It's like musicianship, composing skills, writing their own songs and their input in producing the albums is forgotten. I have the collection which was sold with one of the (now most hated) newspaper in Poland and if you saw the edition released in Italy 2 years ago then it's the same edition. |
| MercurialFreddie 10.04.2018 17:58 |
As for making something instead of the lecture.... well... you don't often get an opportunity to present Queen's songs with the best High Fidelity sound system and present the band and Freddie's persona in front of Polish music critics, journalists, musicians and fans. If you live in Warsaw, then just pm me, then maybe invitation will be sent. |
| k-m 10.04.2018 20:02 |
@ MercurialFreddie That's gobbledygook and I'm not even going to waste my time trying to respond to some of your claims above, your contempt for facts and logic seems self-explanatory. However, let me say that your response above shows me precisely where you are coming from. I suspect you also belong to the group of Poles who believe the Russians blew up that plane with Polish president in Smolensk in 2010 and Donald Tusk is a secret agent installed in Brussels by Germany. Well, good luck with that, but please be kind enough to spare us these universal truths, spread here hoping that users from other countries won't pick up on it. I also hope you invited "sympathetic" music critics, journalists and musicians to your lecture. Otherwise, it might prove quite painful for everyone involved. |
| MercurialFreddie 14.04.2018 21:26 |
1) I'm not sharing the views of these people. Poles... quick to judge and throw stones, aren't we ? 2) You shouldn't answer in the name of whole Queenzone, if you don't have the scans that I was asking then I don't see the reason to reply to my original post. |
| k-m 15.04.2018 20:47 |
I don't see anything wrong with correcting some of the false statements you made, especially that they relate to Poland and not everyone has to be familiar with these matters. You appear to be expressing views on behalf of the whole country and you see nothing wrong with that. Anyway, I'm done with this topic. Good luck. |