John S. Stuart calling Greg Brooks - Open invitation/request

Lets get to the heart of the matter.

"Golder's Green Hippodrome"
Queen recorded for this live for the BBC.
This was done using BBC eqipment and BBC facilities. The BBC owned the one and only master tape - not Queen.
The only reason the gig was recorded in the first place, was because the BBC could repeat the radio concert at some time.

After a number of years the BBC (under licensing agreement) decided (in their wisdom) to destroy the master tape.
Even though earlier (edited) transcription discs were made from this tape, the full recording was never released.
Under the BBC's "search and destroy" policy of the 1980's, the tape was actually trashed and theoretically "destroyed".
In point of fact the recording was salvaged (with the full permission and approval of the Corporation) by an engineer - who later contacted me - and whom I bought this tape from. If I were to burn this - a better quality version would NOT exist, but, according to Greg, this is somehow not the case!

No better version CAN exist ANYWHERE (or in any Queen, Brian or Roger's vaults) because THIS IS THE MASTER TAPE.
I have NEVER denied that I own very rare pieces.

I have been very vocal towards Queen Productions and have PLEADED with them to meet me.
It is THEY whom are the stumbling block - not I.

I refuse to deal with Greg personally.
I do not trust him, there is too much history between us, and in all the communications I have ever been involved in, it has always been a one way street. In effect "I show him mine" but he "does not show his", and for this I am always cast (in Freddie's word) as a Pr*ck teaser, and as such, deserve to be to be treated with contempt. So let me turn the tables:

Queen Productions are WELCOME to ANYTHING in my collection.
They can have FULL access to what I own, without reservation.
My PM on this forum is public, my email is public.

However, I refuse to deal with middle-men.

So I advertise here -  If I am Personally contacted by Queen Productions, Brian May, Roger Taylor, or John Deacon, (and I am sure that CAN be arranged), and if they provide me with the guarantees that were promised - but  not provided for my Wreckage material, I guarantee here and now that I will deal under these circumstances. PROMISE.

In my worst Lloyde Grossman impersonation:
"Queen PLC - It's over to you".

John, I'm afraid you're still living in a bit of a Dreamworld there.  You want John Deacon, Roger Taylor or Brian May to contact you personally.  Do you think that is going to happen? Oh dear! I think probably not.

Do you think that is a reasonable point of view or expectation? 

Look, in my posting I said that it would be VERY SIMPLE for you to go over all your old grievances again and dig up all that bad history again, and remind everybody again about how hard done by you were in the past.... and of course that's precisely what you've done.

That stance helps no one at all. 

Never mind. It was, let's all be honest, totally predictable.   Who here expected John to do anything OTHER than rake up the past again?

I WROTE THIS...

It is VERY VERY SIMPLE for you to now list all the reasons why you WON'T do that, why you CAN'T do that. You can sit there and cite all the bad history you and I have, and all the ways in which you feel you have been badly treated, and so on and so forth, for the next 10 years, but ultimately it will lead nowhere. Nobody benefits that way. 

JOHN, YOU, RIGHT ON CUE AND AS EXPECTED BY MOST, REPLIED THUS....

First: The tape was stolen. (It was NOT returned to me as promised)
Second: It was widely bootlegged - and I made not one penny from those illegal discs.
Three: I did not recEIve an official apology - ever.
Four: I had to buy my own boxset.
What was it Ian Hunter said; "Once Bitten Twice Shy?". 

So.... I asked you sincerely John. I put to you a reasonable proposal. But you don't want to deal with Queen's Middle Man, as you put it. You'll only deal with the Band members directly!!!!!!!!!!!    You see what I mean?  You are the most irritating individual to deal with that I have ever encountered. There just is NO getting thru to you, past your resentment and obvious bitterness over things that happened TEN YEARS AGO, and which WERE apologised for - profusely - as you very well know.

You are unable to put the history behind you, in the past where it should be, in order that we might progress things for the betterment of ALL Queen fans.  I think you are selfish foolish chap, with an unhealthy grudge that does you or anyone else no good at all. It is so very you though... that's why you and I get nowhere fast.  I'll not bother again. I can rest assured (if I'm ever asked) that I did make a decent genuine attempt to reach a compromise, but you declined it - again.

Move ON John. Move forward. How long you gonna live in the past, harping on about.... having to buy your own Freddie boxed set / not making one penny from those illegal discs /  not receiving an official appology - ever, etc etc etc.....??????

I SAID SORRY 4 or 5 TIMES TO YOU, 3-4 TIMES ON THIS SITE, PLUS ON THE PHONE AND EMAIL.  WE INVITED YOU TO THE FREDDIE BOX LAUNCH IN LONDON in 2000, AND YOU CAME. YOU LOVED IT. YOU THANKED ME.   YOU FORGOT TO MENTION THAT IN YOUR LIST OF "FEEL-SORRY-FOR-ME" BITS!!

God almighty!!!! Stop harboring the grudge and resentment man. Move forward.

I tried to build bridges with you. I failed. But only because you're too mean-spirited and miserable to take an olive branch when it's offered.  How sad it must be to live that way.

Why are the two archivists fighting?

"You want John Deacon, Roger Taylor or Brian May to contact you
personally.  Do you think that is going to happen? Oh dear! I think
probably not."

why not you fucking penis eater ..... you can be a conduit and arrange to this ......   fucking fat douchebag in sweater sitting in waerhouse all day wanking

andreas_mercury wrote: "You want John Deacon, Roger Taylor or Brian May to contact you
personally.  Do you think that is going to happen? Oh dear! I think
probably not."

why not you fucking penis eater ..... you can be a conduit and arrange to this ......   fucking fat douchebag in sweater sitting in waerhouse all day wanking
LMFAO! Brilliant.

I believe Greg, that if you care to re-read John's post, he quite CLEARLY states "Queen Productions" before the names of the band members, so if Brian , Roger or John don't want to contact him personally (and why would Brian not - he replies to me often enough when i email him via his brianmay.com), then there's nothing stopping Jim Beach contacting John. He is, after all, the bands manager!

Greg - you miss the point.

1: I have never received an OFFICIAL apology (by word of mouth or in writing).
2: If this is to be official - QPL can contact me direct.
3: I want everything to be transparent, open, above boad and legally recognised.
4: IF QPL do NOT wish to contact me (the legitimate owner) - NO DEAL.
5: I refuse to work in the dark, in secret or via middle-men.

Now then, if serious - how hard would it be for QPL to contact me directly?

Brians wig: I believe Greg, that if you care to re-read John's post, he quite CLEARLY states "Queen Productions" before the names of the band members...

This is an artificial stumbling block. As Brians wig so correctly points out, I do NOT really EXPECT a personal call from one of the band members, but I do expect a bona-fide OFFICIAL approach.
If I ever received any OFFICIAL approach (either by the band or their legal representatives), then YES; I will deal with QPL.

As I said above, I will not deal with middle-men in the dark
I believe, this is a very open and reasonable approach.
Anything OUTSIDE this, to me, would be unreasonable.

Noel Edwards impersonation time:
"Deal or no deal?".

i wouldnt trust either of them but mister Stuart says the right thing and is right here - why trust the small man in the middle like Archivist, he is just a minion and of no importants.

This is getting absolutely pathetic, can't you both use PM to have these "discussions"?

To say you are NOT "dangling carrots" is insulting to the die hard Queen fans. both young and old who come here. You should both no better. To me it looks nothing more than you both using this place to list off all the material you know will probably never see the light of day, doing nothing but show off to those of us who would get the most excitment out of such material. To different extents you both have been priveleged to owning or having daily access to gems that you are perfectly aware the community here would relish.

You should both be ashamed and should take time to think of the fans here who get REALLY excited by the titles you both enjoy boasting about, and try remember how it feels to be nothing but a fan who year in year out gets let down by the failure of such things to EVER come to light. I know I've gave up, but I still remember what it's like to read such posts here and genuinely believe that new stuff is on the horizon, to keep coming back day in day out to see if anythings has progreseed further. I sadly have passed that phase now, but I respect the new fans (and old) who still get that thrill.

IMO...

John, I have always found your Queen knowledge truly wonderful, but you are coming across as a tad bitter that someone else has access to such a wealth of Queen material and you don't. You seem to be grasping at straws trying to prove that you still have something of any significant value to him too.

Greg, you should really know better and possibly just stay away, unless you actually want to answer the hundreds of questions folk here have asked you over the years? Stop abusing the position you have and stop acting like a spoilt child. If you think for one minute that any of us here actually apprecaite you rhyming off Queen rarity after Queen rarity for any reason other than to prove you've listended to it then you are sadly mistaken. Grow up.

Get one thing right, this childishness does not benefit this forum in any way and you both should stop this nonsense immediately.

The last two topics you have both started do nothing but make me appreciate and respect the QZers who have been SO generous in sharing bootlegs over the years, which IMO acts as the next best thing to hearing the material you two do nothing but chat about. The likes of SirGH, YV, Pittrek, P_Guru, Ginger, Pim D, Holly, Bokkepot... these guys understand that fans who come here are most likely Queen fans who truly cherish the group that little bit more than the average Queen fan and the fans who get most excited by hearing something new. I challenge you both to find a topic these guys have started that sets out to tease the community with size of their collection or to boast that they own something that nobody else does.

Queen Archivist wrote: John, I'm afraid you're still living in a bit of a Dreamworld there.  You want John Deacon, Roger Taylor or Brian May to contact you personally.  Do you think that is going to happen? Oh dear! I think probably not.

Why on Earth not??  Brian replies personally to emails to him (although more about stars and foxes than music these days) so it's not unfeasible.

Do they think they are above us, and not worthy of contacting to make a sensible, suitable, business deal with??

Queen Archivist wrote:

WE INVITED YOU TO THE FREDDIE BOX LAUNCH IN LONDON in 2000, AND YOU CAME. YOU LOVED IT.
Who's 'We'??  I though the invite would have come from EMI and/or the Mercury Estate, so you are now (or were in 2000) part of those organisations then Greg?!!

By the way, I, along with several other Queen Fan Club members also got invited to the Freddie Box Set launch (and still have the invitation and a laminate pass as momentos), but at the very last minute, the invitation was recinded to fan club members.  They obviously decided that the places were better off going to champagne swilling record co. execs rather than plebs like me.

Van Basten 9: A tad disapointed with your reply in that I too have donated to this forum (with yet more to come) and I have openly stated I am willing to "do business" with any "official" Queen representative.

That is NOT bitter. In fact I can not see see how I can be MORE helpful - unless I pyhsically drive down to London and hand in my collection in person!
What more do you want me to do?

I have "been called out" by a middle-man, with whom (from previous experience) I do not want to deal with, and do not trust. That sir, is MY perogative. Just as it is my perogative not to trust Gary Glitter as my babysitter. He can apologise all he wants, but he would NEVER babysit for me again. Sometimes, one bad experience is all it takes. Why is that so difficult to understand?

On the other hand; this forum is public. My email is public.
I am NOT a MI5, Brian May or Salmond Rushdie type figure.
If Queen PL can not afford me the courtesy of dealing direct (which I think would be the professional solution), then they can sod-off.

So for the sake of all Queen fans around the world, let me say this once, let me say it clear, and allow me to shout from the rooftops:

I AM HERE.
QPL, PLEASE FEEL FREE TO CONTACT ME ANY TIME.
I WILL NOT BE A STUMBLING BLOCK TO ANY ANTHOLOGIES OR ARCHIVAL MATERIALS.

Sorry for the rant, but I hope that I have made my position crystal clear.
Any attempt to discolour, misquote, or deliberately miss the point is outside my sphere of influence, and cannot be laid at my doorstep.

Maybe moderators can just delete these kinds of posts.
It's such a huge shame these discussions thrive on this board.
I hope that wouldn't be considered censorship but will be seen as a sort of spam-filter :p

anyway, I hope I can refrain myself from commenting on these discussions in the future, but they just make me very sad.

This says it all:

"If Queen PL can not afford me the courtesy of dealing direct (which I think would be the professional solution), then they can sod-off.
So for the sake of all Queen fans around the world, let me say this once, let me say it clear, and allow me to shout from the rooftops:
I AM HERE.
QPL, PLEASE FEEL FREE TO CONTACT ME ANY TIME.
I WILL NOT BE A STUMBLING BLOCK TO ANY ANTHOLOGIES OR ARCHIVAL MATERIALS."

Apart from Greg whining further, what else is there to talk about in these two topics?