Hi Noorie,
Yes, we're in Hamilton! The nature is stunningly beautiful here, I love all our forests and waterfalls. Niagara-on-the-Lake is a place we always drive to when it becomes warm after a winter season. The view on the lake is just great there.
I really hope to get to Vancouver some day, I've heard from many people how gorgeous it is.
Hi Rainbow,
It is a great story, thanks a lot! Makes me appreciate Canada even more.
Thanks Invisible Woman; We agree.
All the persons I did interviews, from Roger Taylor to Mack, said the same. Jim was a good man.
I've been interested in the conversation started by Squirrely Woman and Smoky Quartz. I, too, read Jim's book. I came away thinking it was truly a love story and what a blessing it was for both men to share their lives, even for such a relatively short time. I've never understood the ugliness expressed in so many places against Jim, Mary and others who were an important part of Freddie's life. We will never know the true relationship he had with any of these people because he's not here to defend them, nor do I think he would have engaged in such a defense. It's nobody's business who he loved, or why. I think he had something special with Mary that few people experience or understand, but in the end, that's my projection, not his. Same with Jim. I'm just glad he had people in his life who allowed him to step away from "Freddie Mercury" and be himself.
The ending of both Jim and Phoebe's books are very painful to read, but illustrate the love surrounding Freddie as he approached death. If a death can be good, then I think his was because he was surrounded by a family of his choosing, and they clearly loved him. Many people are not given that gift.
Katydyd5,
So eloquently written. I agree. I haven't read Jim's book, but maybe I should. These conversations about Jim and Mary have been very interesting. The fact that we wonder who loved Freddie more, or who did he love more still bring me to the same positive conclusion...He had great friendship, warmth, and love in his life, and that is a comforting thought.
On a different Mary subject...I just read today that fans are upset with Mary because she removed all graffiti and signs from the Garden Lodge wall and that it has been repainted with anti-graffiti paint. She also put Plexiglass over the formerly green door with warning signs that people can be reported to the police ( I assume for defacing the property). I know there are two sides to this story, and that the Mary detractors will hate her for this, and the Mary supporters will understand.
I am assuming the media are kicking off cos it's his death anniversary this week. But she actually did this months ago; they're a bit slow...
I get it, it's her house to do what she wants with and the fans probably get a bit annoying at times...but she has also requested the wall is blurred out on Street View, which is kind of weird. It's just...a wall from which you cannot see into her property.
Hide that wall Mary...don't let people see that precious wall! -_-
I do not consider myself any kind of fan of Mary's, but I do feel strongly about the disregard for property. I say when it comes down to land and building property, one has to look at it in a neutral way. Not as a fan of Mary or against her, but as someone who understands the law and neighborhood rules.
Here in America, it's not legal to spray paint, carve into or mark on anyone else's property. I looked into it, and Mary could have had these fans arrested years ago and didn't do it. Its important to remember that this house is not a place where Freddie LIVES now. He will not see the markings on the walls, or the carved messages in the wood door, but his neighbors will. Keep in mind that graffiti of any kind (be it tribute or not) is considered an eyesore to real estate brokers and cities. Meaning the value of not only Garden Lodge, but those homes AROUND Garden Lodge goes down because of it. So in the end, it's not legal and it damages the value of the neighborhood. Not to mention she had to get the door (at least partially) replaced and fixed hundreds of times already thanks to those who felt the need to dig knives into it to leave a message. Thanks to the tribute messages left by fans, some of the original parts of the wall and door that Freddie had installed are now covered or gone completely. Fans were actually breaking down this home he loved so much.
We will never know for sure what Freddie thought of fans doing that to the walls for so many years, but considering Garden Lodge was once described by Peter Freestone as being the "one real love of Freddie's life. His sanctuary to escape fame and cameras.", I doubt he would be supportive of fans carving into the wood and leaving sharpie messages on the walls.
There was a time when Mary even had clear plastic over the walls to stop people from writing on it, but still allowed them to leave paper notes under the plastic for him. People carved into the plastic, the door, AND wrote over it. Sorry, but there comes a point when you have to step back and change your course of action when people won't stop.
If you've seen my past comments, you know I'm not exactly fond of Mary but I have never understood the issue some fans take with her trying to get them to stop writing on the walls. I have seen his will online and I saw nothing on it that came close to him requesting (or even suggesting he might be ok with) people covering the walls in graffiti and carvings. Had it been me, I would have had people arrested years ago.
Freddie has a statue in Switzerland, and there are plenty of other Freddie and Queen related places to visit around England to pay ones respects. There is no reason for anyone to need to deface private property to show their appreciation. I'm sure they mean well, but it's doing more damage than it is good.
captainjory,
I wondered how recently this had actually happened. Thanks for the additional info.
@CJ, u right, u right! Removing the property from Google earth WAS a bit much. Overkill!
Enjoying the comments on Jim Hutton and his book, I bought this book the very week it came out in very early 1995,and I've Lost count of the number of times I've read it. Jim always struck me as being an affable, decent and honest man, and the same with Phoebe. His book is another favourite of mine.
When Jim's book hit the stores, there was a large cardboard cut-out of Freddie in his pink Great Pretender suit, advertising the book. I was in town with my mum and she asked the lady who was serving if there was any way we could get one, the lady said yes, come back next week and you can have it! So I eagerly walked into town the following week and, true to her word, she had kept it for me, and I still have it to this day.
Hello All,
I'd like to share this with you. At the end of our romantic relationship, even buying a condominium together,
Brandon and I used to kid each other about eventually becoming old fools who would live our lives
together again. In 1994 after many ups and downs we became good friends. We had no sexual attraction
anymore but we both cherished our time together. We had travelled the world and can frequently refer to
old stories that no-one on the outside would understand but we often derive extreme pleasure from. Yes, he and
I, as cliche as it sounds, can finish each others sentences. Every summer now, Brandon will spend 4 months
with me in our condo in San Diego when Palm Springs temperatures become 120 degrees Fahrenheit. I will
spend next Friday and the following Monday at his place.
So, I guess my point is that ex-relationships can turn into wonderful friendships. To me, that explains Freddie
and Mary.
Katydyd, Rainbow, and Villiers - all extremely valid and well-put viewpoints.
I just feel happy that Freddie had so many people to love him and look after him and be there for him all through his life. And why should anyone hate any of them? We don't even know them!! They were all an important part of his life along with his friends from New York and friends from the music world. So, let's celebrate the love everybody felt for him. Haters will hate, even if they have no reason to. The only thing I hate, is hate! ;)
beemack74,
What a fantastic keepsake! Do you keep it in storage or is it actually displayed somewhere in your house?
