Nathan H 04.01.2019 22:38 |
Now having read a lot more Queen books, seen/read more interviews (old and new) and seen the biopic recently, I've started realising that they 'hated' each other at times. They had bad relationships in the 80s which led to (as Brian as put it) to leave the band for a couple of days. For example, John kept disappearing as he took random holidays without telling anyone and he got quite depressed (he also took lots of drugs in this period and according to Brian never fully recovered). Most of the bitching with each other because of musical differences or attitudes to certain issues. Live Aid brought them back together but that didn't stop the bickering. Freddie and John who were very close to each other fell out badly towards the end of the Magic Tour and that affected one show they played. Was it when Freddie said that he doesn't think he can tour again? It was nowhere near as bad by The Miracle because they shared songwriting credits. This is their biggest mistake as they should've done it on their first album. It might've stopped their worst arguing and even improve songs. What do we think? |
MisterCosmicc 05.01.2019 10:24 |
Most likely Roger and Brian had the most fallouts. A second would probably be Freddie and Brian. John wasn’t close to Freddie as in, “so close, they needed to see each other frequently.” I have never read that John dida lot of drugs, but I’ve read he did lot of drinking, and he also got a DWI. He has a big beer belly now. |
paulprenter 05.01.2019 19:28 |
Apparently Brian and John didn’t get along very well. |
bucsateflon 06.01.2019 08:52 |
No one here knows for sure, all you will see written here about this subject matter is pure speculation.... |
emrabt 06.01.2019 10:29 |
Totally speculative but Brian and Freddie probably had quite a few heated arguments, I fully believe they had made up any differences by the time they recorded the miracle too. If you watch behind the scene videos from the works era Freddie and Brian don't interact a whole lot, where as Freddie and Roger were always giggling and prating about, by the time we get to the miracle and innuendo all the band seem to be having fun again. |
Golden Salmon 06.01.2019 14:00 |
Freddie and Brian had a huge argument once (not sure when), and as an apology Freddie made some kind of mix of various Brian guitar solos and then showed him the result, saying that his work always sounded like a symphony of sorts to him, and that was what it was always like in his head. Brian really appreciated it, I believe he told this anecdote at his site. |
bucsateflon 06.01.2019 16:04 |
In the making of One Vision footage there is a discussion between Freddie, Roger and John and Freddie is saying that someone else will make things that much harder "you'll see" and John in agreement while Roger is ignoring them. I speculate they were talking about Brian. |
spiralstatic 06.01.2019 18:24 |
From the few clips we have, I get the impression Roger and Brian.... Here's one... link But clearly they all argued. I have heard people say Freddie was in fact more often the peacemaker (than the others at least!) I get the impression that contrary to his usual kind and patient demeanour, in the studio Brian may have been the most difficult? I extrapolate this idea from clips like this, from stories of how long Brian took recording solos and from the idea that (I've read) the only time Freddie wasn't at the sound desk at least in the early years was during Brian's solos and from the way I've found in interesting that when you heard the band talk about specific songs and songwriting in interviews, the other band members will often say things including other band members in their creations such as "Oh well we all contribute to every song" and "X person added this to my song" I have noticed that Brian will often say "Oh well I wrote this part on that song" when talking about a song that isn't his. His desire to (musically) take credit I think may give a clue to him in the studio. With Roger, I get the impression he can be pretty impulsive so I can imagine him starting many an argument, but maybe getting over it. Freddie could have a right temper, so I am sure he was the head of his fair share of arguments too. Though my impression of him in the studio is more often one of coercion - coercing the other members into doing what he wanted. Some people have that skill, and I think Freddie did, just enough for Queen. Obviously he didn't get his way all the time and Queen are all the better that he didn't. I'm sure there were their fair share of Freddie-Brian arguments too. Both in the early years when they were the two main songwriters and since they were both perfectionists who like to be in control! And in the later years when they wanted different things musically. We can of course only surmise. I think it is pointless to suggest certain band members were close and others not. I think none of them really socialised outside of the band, and in another sense they all knew each other for 25 years and a band is a kind of family, so they were all very close. I think it is interesting to wonder though! |
emrabt 06.01.2019 19:20 |
spiralstatic wrote: I think none of them really socialised outside of the band.Roger and Freddie worked together and I'm pretty sure, if I remember correctly, were flatmates pre-queen. |
spiralstatic 06.01.2019 20:24 |
Yes, I meant more by the end. Before they became Queen I think they were all very close. Well, other than John, as he arrived later. But I don't think they spent a lot of their free time together anymore outside of work (work would include solo projects) by the 80's? |
Sebastian 06.01.2019 23:49 |
Roger did travel a lot with John in the 80's. According to Frederick's driver, Roger and Frederick would also go out to have supper, and Roger would be the only one Frederick would socialise with. |
kirkpatrickuk 07.01.2019 08:58 |
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kirkpatrickuk 07.01.2019 09:00 |
I get the impression that they all despaired of Brian a lot. If you watch live footage of the band there’s never any interaction between Brian and John. Watch the 1997 performance with Elton. Nobody looks particularly happy to be there. |
Martin Packer 07.01.2019 09:08 |
"Nobody looks particularly happy to be there" might be more the occasion than anything else. |
bucsateflon 07.01.2019 11:41 |
for sure |
dudeofqueen 07.01.2019 17:46 |
Guitarists are notoriously difficult to work with. Anyone that's rehearsed with one will tell you that they take fucking ages to set up and then can't resist twanging away whilst other members of the band have important ideas and issues to raise. They're asked to play in a certain way and, inevitably, when they're told that they haven't, they have a hissy fit because they think it's their raison d'etre to be creative and "play the blues, man". They'd also DESPERATELY love to be front-men but simply don't have the voice, chest hair or bulge. I'd reckon that Brian, when pissed and / or high, would be a fucking disaster to work with given his superiority complex and clogs. ;-) I'd also reckon that - as non-members of Smile, Freddie and John were reasonably understanding of each other as "outsiders" and their love of booze and the old Marching Powder an off-stage "thing" together. Freddie and Roger would have been forgiving of each other after their Kensington Market days together and Freddie understanding ad relating to Roger's promiscuity. Roger and John would have been pretty tight as a rythm section tends to be. |
paulprenter 07.01.2019 18:06 |
They argued about disco music |
Nathan H 07.01.2019 19:33 |
I think this is the worst right they ever had: http://queenlive.ca/queen/86-08-03 |
spiralstatic 07.01.2019 19:56 |
A film just of Queen's fights would have been mighty entertaining, I fancy.... if everyone were able to be fully honest about their own characters for good and ill!! |
Nathan H 07.01.2019 20:44 |
I think this is the worst fight they ever had: http://queenlive.ca/queen/86-08-03 |
FunLovinCriminal 09.01.2019 01:52 |
The greatness of Mr May had been underestimated for far too long by far too many people - thinks Mr May. A few scenes in the movie made me think: Were they deliberately written to show the world what a genial character he was/is? All four of them probably had huge ego problems which made it impossible for them to really get along with each other. But Brian May has a tragic stubbornness attached to his ego, which could have made it more difficult to having worked with or alongside him. |
Dusta 09.01.2019 02:11 |
I saw an interview where Brian says that it was he and Roger who did most of the fighting, and that Freddie was actually the peacekeeper. |
jrd1951 12.01.2019 14:03 |
It was Brian and Roger.Freddie himself told me that when we met them at Olympic Studios in 1988,half joking possibly.Roger had phoned in sick,and Freddie said something like 'at least he can't moan about Brian's guitar parts for a day'.Thought we would get maybe a few minutes with a band member having won a fan club competition to meet them recording The Miracle.They had kind of vanished since the Magic Tour that I saw them on in 1986.Freddie wouldn't talk to journalists,but was quite happy to spend time with fans.Anyway he was first out,superbly dressed in all white,you had to double take,as you couldn't believe that this softly spoken polite guy was the same one I saw on stage.Brian chatted to some of us about guitars and AC30'S and all that,I spoke to John and Freddie who got on so well,not surprised John looks depressed today.This great Rock star wanted to know about our lives,what we liked etc(there was a glare when I said a Night at the Opera as my fave...)we got a fab sausage roll cooked by his chef Joe(had no idea who Joe Fanelli was then) and had a great day all told.Hard to believe in three years this great man was dead.RIP Freddie x |
Sebastian 12.01.2019 15:47 |
Are you the lucky fans who were photographed and then appeared on the fan club magazine? If so, any chance you remember the exact date you visited the studios? |
Chopin1995 12.01.2019 15:54 |
Jrd1951, do you remember the exact date of this meething with the band? Was anything about The Miracle album mentioned? Did you had an opportunity to see the band working in the studio? I find it interesting. I tried to find the date in the winter issue of the Fan Club Magazine 1988 but I can't see it anywhere. I remember you wrote a post in the past about this meeting and a conversation you had with Freddie about the Barcelona album. |
ploughman 12.01.2019 15:55 |
Some of the 1984/1985 interviews with the band always made me wonder if Brian and Roger had a thing going on between them. For example the live aid rehearsal interview and the "limo-interview" from LA 1989. Roger particulary seems to be quite irritated. But many times during 1989-1991 they gave a lots of tv interviews together and were just fine. So maybe it was old friends having a thing here and there...like old married couple. |
Chopin1995 12.01.2019 15:56 |
Hahaha, Seb you wrote your post while I started to write mine :) |
Chopin1995 12.01.2019 16:00 |
ploughman wrote: Some of the 1984/1985 interviews with the band always made me wonder if Brian and Roger had a thing going on between them. For example the live aid rehearsal interview and the "limo-interview" from LA 1989. Roger particulary seems to be quite irritated. But many times during 1989-1991 they gave a lots of tv interviews together and were just fine. So maybe it was old friends having a thing here and there...like old married couple.Brian and Roger's relantionship was far from ideal in 1992/93: link |
jrd1951 13.01.2019 10:23 |
I am guessing this is around June 1988,as it was when I was preparing to leave college,the memory is a bit hazy,i am nearly 50! god knows where the years of gone.....my favorite member was John,as i played a bit of bass guitar and hence my username.He explained that they had set themselves up to play together as a band again,to try and get a 'Live' feeling.No we didn't get to see them jam or record(damn),but at the time John said they were working on one of Brian's songs(I want it all?)hence the comments of Roger not moaning about his guitar parts.Anyway,the thing I cherish the most was that each member had the same importance,the movie talks about 'The Family' and you just could sense that bond there.Freddie vanished after signing a few things and a brief chat,John said he had popped out for a pizza but i highly doubt it! Brian seemed so keen to go out on tour again.Would love to have met Roger,but he was apparently ill that day. |
jrd1951 13.01.2019 10:37 |
And sorry to crow on....but i amazingly bumped into Brian again in late 1989 in the arcade just off Camberley high street where his son Jimmy was playing on the arcade machines,Brian was at the kiosk thing getting some change and munching on some beef crisps(!).I mentioned the touring thing as The Miracle had been such a huge success and he hesitated before saying that they wanted to but Freddie was reluctant.I blurted out that I would sing for them(nerves i think) to which he said ok and shook my hand,my name by the way is Adam.That night I had heard that a traffic warden had ticked his Mercedes Estate parked outside the arcade and that he launched into abuse,so i knew then that something was VERY WRONG.Thank you for reading x |
Martin Packer 13.01.2019 12:28 |
In the photo it looks like Freddie has a cigarette in his hand. |
runner_70 13.01.2019 16:05 |
jrd1951 wrote: It was Brian and Roger.Freddie himself told me that when we met them at Olympic Studios in 1988,half joking possibly.Roger had phoned in sick,and Freddie said something like 'at least he can't moan about Brian's guitar parts for a day'.Thought we would get maybe a few minutes with a band member having won a fan club competition to meet them recording The Miracle.They had kind of vanished since the Magic Tour that I saw them on in 1986.Freddie wouldn't talk to journalists,but was quite happy to spend time with fans.Anyway he was first out,superbly dressed in all white,you had to double take,as you couldn't believe that this softly spoken polite guy was the same one I saw on stage.Brian chatted to some of us about guitars and AC30'S and all that,I spoke to John and Freddie who got on so well,not surprised John looks depressed today.This great Rock star wanted to know about our lives,what we liked etc(there was a glare when I said a Night at the Opera as my fave...)we got a fab sausage roll cooked by his chef Joe(had no idea who Joe Fanelli was then) and had a great day all told.Hard to believe in three years this great man was dead.RIP Freddie xCool story. Experience of a Lifetime. Any other pix from that meeting? |
Papa Emeritus IV 14.01.2019 16:36 |
They all fought about money. And they should have... Money is great... as long as it’s black *** Message from the clergy: *** “All hail to PAPA EMERITUS IV !!!” |
Chopin1995 14.01.2019 20:08 |
Thank you Jrd1951 for the story! |
spiralstatic 16.01.2019 07:44 |
What a cool story jrd1951 and wonderful memory, thanks for sharing. I had no idea Queen did anything like this, especially so late on. Did you have an overall impression of the nature of each band member? In any case, very happy you got such an experience and the photo makes me smile. We all wish we were 50 so we could have had a chance to be there too. I'm intrigued to hear you got a glare for saying A Night at the Opera was your favourite album. Haha, yeah, I guess Freddie was always moving on to the next thing! |
bucsateflon 16.01.2019 08:33 |
It may be that Roger fought a lot with Brian but Roger seems to be the most supportive of Brian's old fashion ways in making music. |