John Deacon in 2014/2015

I just hope that he will release some kind of (brief) message to the world one day and not die and leave us in limbo. Unless his children are willing to speak up. Don't think that Brian or Roger will ever come clean, especially when they started all of this.

[QUOTE] [b]Ron wrote:[/b]

I just hope that he will release some kind of (brief) message to the world one day and not die and leave us in limbo. Unless his children are willing to speak up. Don't think that Brian or Roger will ever come clean, especially when they started all of this.[/QUOTE]
This topic has been beat to death IMO, but I will offer up my thoughts in the form of a post I posted elsewhere some time back;

I feel it pretty safe to speculate that there was no one "reason" for his disappearance but instead a combination of everything that had transpired to the point of his no longer wishing to remain active in a public manner.
People are complicated animals- our decisions are very rarely the result of logical thought. We act as we feel we must- very often even we ourselves have no idea why we feel as we do. Our actions are the result of the cumulative events of our life coming together to shape our thoughts.

And, as with any of us, my thoughts are of course colored by my own life experiences.
It cannot be any other way.

I worked with the same group of five people for 20+ years, some of whom I got along with very well and others less so.
One of us died a slow, lingering death towards the end of my tenure- right about the time I left the job. In fact, the last time I saw her was the day she learned that there was no hope. It affected all of us deeply. I did not feel the need to "say goodbye" as she lay dying- our friendship stood on its own merits and did not require such a formal bit of closure. Our bond existed, it still exists- we both knew that. We were in each others hearts.

Throughout the decades of our association there were days we all got along famously and other days we tolerated being in the same room together. Sometimes A and B fought with C, D, and E and other times A and E disagreed with B, C, and D. Sometimes everyone hated D! There were times I may have socialized a bit with this one and not that one, then ten years later spent more time with a different person. People change, they go through stages, and not everyone "evolves" (for lack of a better word) at the same pace. Interests and directions come and go, and as a result our dynamic was very fluid over the years.

Once I decided that I no longer wanted to be part of that world and retired, I found other interests to fill my days. So I no longer keep in touch with any of these remaining people. Even though we spent huge amounts of time together, traveled together, held hands through death, divorces, births, and remarriages, and at times lived up each others asses in great camaraderie, those times are over. I don't do chit chat, I don't attend reunions, and I don't follow their lives at all. With the job no longer a factor I have nothing in common with these people.
That doesn't mean we had a falling out, or don't like each other, or the pain of losing my co-worker was to great to carry on.
It just means that those times are over.

There were many, many times one or another of us tossed out some snark, a joke, a bit of snappy repartee- something that if overheard by someone else or quoted ten years after the fact would most certainly be misinterpreted. One unfamiliar with our personalities and styles of interacting would simply not get it. Often the jibes contained a hint of truth, other times were just people trying to be funny. Not every word said is serious or deserves too much focus.
We laughed and moved on and the comment faded away into the ether- God help us if every comment had been parsed and dissected obsessively by strangers. 99% of the time those comments simply weren't that significant and were certainly not representative of the totality of our group dynamic.

So while all this speculation is fun in an almost voyeuristic sort of way, I doubt any conclusions reached have much validity. We will simply never know.

Even if the remaining three had a public group kumbaya a la Metallica's "Some Kind of Monster" we would still lack 25% of the story. None of those remaining have the ability to view (much less speak of) past events in a 100% objective manner- it just isn't part of being human.
We all see life through our own eyes.

One of the things I like most about the band is the way they managed to keep their disagreements and differences out of the public eye. That we are still speculating about their differences in this manner so long after the fact proves how little we really know.

Would I love JD to write a book?
Absolutely!
I often think of putting pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard) to chronicle my past. But as it stands my 'now' is more important to me and, time being fleeting, I choose to spend my time in my now rather than in looking back.
That doesn't mean that I don't remember those times fondly, or wish everyone remaining a long and fulfilling life. Nor does it mean I have insurmountable disagreements with any of them. There is no one "big bad" reason- I have simply moved on.
I have other, newer, and more interesting ways to fill my time. It's not a big deal, it's just the way I feel.

To continue:

Fan entitlement is a big bugaboo of mine- what fans want is, in many cases, irrelevant. Especially when the subject of their wants has retired and made it very clear of an intent to remain so and undoubtedly wants not to appear.
To me it is very apparent that he's given all he is able to give.

Not to be overly critical those who want more- it is after all human nature.
But all a fan is entitled to from a musician is music- everything else is icing on the cake. When they retire and no longer release music their responsibility is done. If he enjoyed appearances it would be different, but he quite obviously does not.
As you said, this is his right.

Now we'll hear "But it wouldn't kill him to wave at a camera."
You know- maybe it would. Maybe he is so thoroughly sick of the whole business that he cannot bring himself to make even the tiniest acknowledgement to his fandom.
I think that's ok- we have to let go.
It's a bit similar to artists who die young- those that simply disappear seem to gain such a mythological status that we focus inordinately on their absence and ascribe so much importance to even the smallest of glimpses.
To what end?
Really- what would a glimpse and a wave give you that you do not already have?

I would only say "Thanks John for the two decades of music and performances you have given us and thank God we have recordings to preserve the magic you created. You have enriched my life beyond belief and for this I will be forever grateful. I wish you a long and fulfilling life in whatever manner makes you happy."

Because I already am.
I already have the best of him on my CD's, my iPod, in my car, and in my heart.
I don't need anything more.
And wanting to see him or thank him or show him love is about our needs, not his.
And I for one don't think it should be about us, not any more.
For me, in this case, his needs trump ours.
And for whatever reason/s, he needs not to appear so I have to accept that.

All I can do is go listen to "Spread Your Wings" and thank God he existed in the first place.

[QUOTE] [b]theCro wrote:[/b]

[QUOTE] [b]Mr.QueenFan wrote:[/b]
And even if he did, it doesn´t prove anything that they did afterwards, because after that John signed Brian´s soapboax in 2003(?) with a little humor and Brian later confirmed it was John indeed.
[/QUOTE]
Where can we see this? Could you find it? Thanks

[/QUOTE]

I tried to find it a while ago but i couldn´t. There was a section in Brian´s soapboax that people could sign and leave a comment. There was a comment signed by John Deacon that said something along the lines of "i´m enjoying the checks coming in, and i enjoy life" or something like that - i´m sure others will remember this was well, or even better than me. The impression at the time was that he was enjoying the checks while doing nothing. It was funny!

Then, someone linked Brian to it, and Brian confirmed on his soapbox that it was John. This tells me that John reads things on the Internet, and i wouldn´t be surprised if he was reading this thread.

That´s why i say : John, i Love you man! You fucking Legend.

[QUOTE] [b]Chrisallstar wrote:[/b]
Hi Ludwigs, very interesting point you make. Out of interest where did you meet him, did he discuss Queen at all?
[/QUOTE]

Hi Chrisallstar - I bumped into him purely by chance when I had to pop down to see one of my brothers in London. We used to live in Crystal Palace/Anerley so we went back to have a reminisce.
Along our old haunts we popped along to Sainsbury (supermarket) in Wandsworth. As we left the car to go in we spotted this familiar looking bloke. Fuck Me!!!!!

What the hell do we do? Anyway....."Hi John, you ok"?
Play it cool......pah!
A few nervous utterings of chit-chat crap and then ...."wanna ciggie"? He took a smoke as did we. Bought us an excuse to spend a few more minutes.

He WAS just so nice and we didn't talk about Queen other than to gush our appreciation of the last 42 years.
This is why I disagree with so many arm-chair critics on here!!!
Why does he look miserable?
It was a few snaps - have you never had a shitty pic taken?

British passports nowadays require you to sit natural - no smile etc - we all look miserable!

Yeah, it's worth noting that there are no reports of any negative interactions with John. People want to paint him as some autistic hermit based on some snide comments from Roger - comments Roger wouldn't have made if there was genuinely something "wrong" with him and if they were on good terms. Also worth noting - Roger was closer to John in the band than he was with Brian, and that extended to them working on the MIH material by themselves initially. John's refusal to sign up to a reunion involving Robbie Williams clearly led to a further change in dynamics between the 3 of them. No one suggested John has the weight of the world on his shoulders. Although saying that, that is actually the picture Brian and Roger have tried to paint - so that's strange point for anyone to bring up her in relation to them falling out... which they did.

John also still signs photograph etc via the post and signs off with Queen. So it's fairly obvious that he does care. That is one thing that he could easily choose to not continue doing. He continued being involved with Queen projects for several years after Freddie died, so the talk of him being "fragile" and not handling his death well are surely not all that relevant and bordering on comical.

There isn't any evidence of them falling out so no-one can categorically say that they've fallen out.

What is for sure is that John didn't like to give interviews, and did not enjoy public appearances as has been proved when he backed out of attending the opening of stormtroopers at the last minute.

[QUOTE] [b]ludwigs wrote:[/b]

[QUOTE] [b]Chrisallstar wrote:[/b]
Hi Ludwigs, very interesting point you make. Out of interest where did you meet him, did he discuss Queen at all?
[/QUOTE]

Hi Chrisallstar - I bumped into him purely by chance when I had to pop down to see one of my brothers in London. We used to live in Crystal Palace/Anerley so we went back to have a reminisce.
Along our old haunts we popped along to Sainsbury (supermarket) in Wandsworth. As we left the car to go in we spotted this familiar looking bloke. Fuck Me!!!!!

What the hell do we do? Anyway....."Hi John, you ok"?
Play it cool......pah!
A few nervous utterings of chit-chat crap and then ...."wanna ciggie"? He took a smoke as did we. Bought us an excuse to spend a few more minutes.

He WAS just so nice and we didn't talk about Queen other than to gush our appreciation of the last 42 years.
This is why I disagree with so many arm-chair critics on here!!!
Why does he look miserable?
It was a few snaps - have you never had a shitty pic taken?

British passports nowadays require you to sit natural - no smile etc - we all look miserable![/QUOTE]

Great story, thanks for sharing it!
You saw him in 2013, and that´s special.

I just don´t understand why you didn´t asked him anything Queen related - not judging you, just pointing it out.

If it was me, i would be all over him asking questions. Why? Because that´s what i think John wants to talk about. If someone stops John, i´m pretty sure he knows people want to talk about Queen. Nothing wrong with that!

There´s this myth that John doesn´t want to talk about Queen. I don´t buy that. Give me five minutes with him, and he´ll open up about everything.

Can you imagine if you had a Queen CD and a pen with you?

Thanks once again.

Erm.......Why would I use my lucky meet up to ask him questions that we can now in retrospect ask him??

I had 5 mins of his time which, I feel is a massive thing to me!!!!

Did I ask shit............. Did I Fuck!!!

The typical wolves seem to crop up......


That's quite sad!!!!

[QUOTE] [b]gerry wrote:[/b]

I think John Deacon vowed to be faithful to Freddie when he died and did not want to continue with out him, i also believe he was more closer towards Freddie than Brian or Roger.
They do say grief leads into terrible depression and some people never get over the loss.
I would say John is certainly one of those people.
He is however spot on for not continuing and he has a sense of pride to just leave the Queen legacy alone.
Queen should just have been left untouched as the 4 guys in the band were all very special as one working unit.
The magic has vanished now and the remaining members of Queen have trashed the once tingling spectacle Queen once were.[/QUOTE]

No one cares what you think. Have you figured that out yet?

[QUOTE]

[b]inu-liger wrote: [/b] Does anyone else think that perhaps by some small chance, John could possibly have a mild case of Asperger's? Some of the comments above did get me really thinking there, and considering I've got that too, it would certainly explain a lot of things. Social awkwardness is definitely a big factor, as are the confidence issues.

And John did have some special interests, particularly around electronics that were put to unusual use (built his own tape recorder to record off the radio, built the "Deacy Amp" out of scrap, etc.)

He could be just an extreme introvert.  He possibly seems to have had some issues with depression and alcoholism, perhaps mild Asperber's is possible.[/QUOTE]

Or maybe he is just like Mark Hollis from Talk Talk who retired from the business as well. Though he made a statement including "I choose for my family. Maybe others are capable of doing it, but I can't go on tour and be a good dad at the same time.".

[QUOTE] [b]Mr.QueenFan wrote:[/b]


Great story, thanks for sharing it!
You saw him in 2013, and that´s special.


[/QUOTE]

No. It was October just gone -2014.

[QUOTE] [b]Mr.QueenFan wrote:[/b]

I just don´t understand why you didn´t asked him anything Queen related - not judging you, just pointing it out.

If it was me, i would be all over him asking questions. Why? Because that´s what i think John wants to talk about. If someone stops John, i´m pretty sure he knows people want to talk about Queen. Nothing wrong with that!

There´s this myth that John doesn´t want to talk about Queen. I don´t buy that. Give me five minutes with him, and he´ll open up about everything.

Can you imagine if you had a Queen CD and a pen with you?

Thanks once again.
[/QUOTE]

This is where you and I (sic) differ completely.....Total polar opposites.

Sure, we talked about Queen cause we were thanking him for all the joy that he has given us. My brother is a Geddy Lee clone but we both had Queen as our favourite group - He learned all Deacys lines note for note (with help from me) so we could use that as a topic.

Given such a chance encounter, would I have a series of questions to fire at him? Not at all. If I were a journalist (like hard Northern lad) then I may (sic) be prepared to hassle him but it's not my nature. I have respect for him and people. Would I choose to gamble on ruining the moment or irritating him? I don't need a signature to give me some pseudo-sense of friendship or association. My memory of that moment is more than enough for me. Also, I believe that having been bombarded most of the time through their careers, it's a little light-relief to just talk 'shit' with fans?

I quite frequently come into contact with a fair few very 'famous' people. World champions, movie stars, rock musicians etc through my workplace. I even drove Nick Mason to a 'shoot location' and got him to have a look at my snare drum for some advice on tuning etc....Can you imagine that. Me and Nick Mason in my med car talking!!!???)
I spend hours in their contact BUT....I always respect them and only ask for an autograph or picture if I think they are free from what their work/reason for attending involved.(if that makes sense) and only for my son or daughter.
I watch just how vile and offensive people can be just to get a scribble.
Damon Hill was here for the day with his son - at dinner people were pushing cameras in his face as he was trying to eat with his family!! FFS!! How disgusting. There is a time and place for autograph hunting and even taking a pic. They don't even have the decency to ask, "Would it be ok to get a picture with / of you"?

So no, I didn't feel the need to ask for a scribble - in the whirlpool of it all, we didn't even ask for a picture.

That's a great attitude ludwigs. Nice one.

[QUOTE] [b]Holly2003 wrote:[/b]

That's a great attitude ludwigs. Nice one.[/QUOTE]

Thanks Holly.