Hi Thor , hi Villiers,
Sorry, to hijack your thread Thor. I hope it’s ok to explain briefly where my “adversarial” mood came from as indeed I was initially outraged.
My reaction was provoked by the sentence “ he handled it better than most others” without seeing any explanation. I am very, very glad that Villiers cleared that up as indeed I thought OMG, someone really places FM fight with AIDS above everyone else.
Where I live ( China), HIV is even nowadays strongly stigmatized. Homosexuality btw was taken from the list of mental diseases only in 2001 and decriminalized in 1997 ( before it was considered “hooliganism”).
Thank you Villiers for explaining your comment to which I ‘d like add my summarized memories which came back to my mind when I was under the impression you were going to belittle “ most others”.
Through my profession I had humbling experiences by spending time with and documenting lives of HIV positive patients in villages & provincial towns , underground gay communites, a hospital and a red light district (I spent time as well with counselors from UNAids and the RedCross Australia and 2 local medics ). One of those patients that will stay forever in my mind was a young boy , Song Pengfei, and his family who were chased from their village ,being thrown apples and mice at when his status was leaked in public; I met him and his family right after they found refuge in a shoddy building on the outskirts of Beijing that was on the verge of collapsing. Some other patients during my time in the HIV communites/ diasporas had lost their jobs and family connections , some had to move to different towns out of fear of being “discovered”, only very very few were lucky enough to get treatment in the few hospitals that treated HIV positive people. That time , 7 years after Freddie Mercury died, HIV/AIDS patients lived in an atmosphere of national ignorance and terror. The AIDS ward in the place I got access to was a hidden side building, rooms with filthy floors , iron beds and not much else. ….Due to national pride and ignorance those who very courageously dared to raise attention to their suffering , as a result were controlled and bullied by local authorities and neighbours. Song Pengfei, who I mention earlier on, was one who did not put up with such treatment. His reply to people who tried to belittle him was :” Everyone is equal, incl. AIDS patients”. What united HIV/AIDS patients here and to great extent still does was/is fear of being bullied and ignored . It takes heroic courage and confidence to live with such a situation without giving up. --- --
I hope this short summary helps to explain my reaction. Without Villiers further explanation I’d left this form.
Who knows ? Maybe one of the more fortunate things that’s been done with Freddie Mercury’s memory is the foundation of the Mercury Phoenix Trust that reaches out to the worldwide HIV/AIDS community where everyone struggles to the best of her/his abilities .
Have a nice weekend !
Thread
Posts in chronological order
@kokax and Villiers,
Enjoyed reading both of your thoughtful posts about HIV/AIDS. I respect the important work each of you has done. Thank you for sharing your stories.
With the immense financial resources available to him, Freddie’s fight against this terrible disease was undoubtedly made easier by his access to the best doctors and medicines available. I would say that put him in a very small subset of all the HIV/AIDS sufferers. It's probably why he survived as long as he did after his AIDS diagnosis. That was certainly not the experience of most people and like kokax said, it takes "heroic courage" to not give up in the face of either outright hostility or indifference.
However, Freddie was not immune to the bigotry, ignorance, and fear that surrounded this disease, especially in the 80’s. His fame also brought him unique problems. We all know about the unrelenting media speculation and the shameful photos that callous newspaper editors disrespectfully published while he was sick. (Topic for another time…those people are contemptible)
By all accounts Freddie pushed through an extreme amount of discomfort to continue recording, especially in the last couple years of his life. Not only do I admire him for being able to do that, but I have a profound appreciation for the music he left us with from that period, which unfortunately was often forged in pain.
Probably in those final weeks, days, and hours as Freddie’s tired body was rapidly declining and his resources could not protect him from his cruel fate, he shared a commonality with those who did not have his financial advantages. The heart wrenching emotional reality of death does not discriminate between rich and poor.
Part of Freddie's enduring legacy is not only his supreme musical talent, but that he was so beloved that people to this day gladly support the organization set up in his name to fight the disease that took his life.
Enjoyed reading both of your thoughtful posts about HIV/AIDS. I respect the important work each of you has done. Thank you for sharing your stories.
With the immense financial resources available to him, Freddie’s fight against this terrible disease was undoubtedly made easier by his access to the best doctors and medicines available. I would say that put him in a very small subset of all the HIV/AIDS sufferers. It's probably why he survived as long as he did after his AIDS diagnosis. That was certainly not the experience of most people and like kokax said, it takes "heroic courage" to not give up in the face of either outright hostility or indifference.
However, Freddie was not immune to the bigotry, ignorance, and fear that surrounded this disease, especially in the 80’s. His fame also brought him unique problems. We all know about the unrelenting media speculation and the shameful photos that callous newspaper editors disrespectfully published while he was sick. (Topic for another time…those people are contemptible)
By all accounts Freddie pushed through an extreme amount of discomfort to continue recording, especially in the last couple years of his life. Not only do I admire him for being able to do that, but I have a profound appreciation for the music he left us with from that period, which unfortunately was often forged in pain.
Probably in those final weeks, days, and hours as Freddie’s tired body was rapidly declining and his resources could not protect him from his cruel fate, he shared a commonality with those who did not have his financial advantages. The heart wrenching emotional reality of death does not discriminate between rich and poor.
Part of Freddie's enduring legacy is not only his supreme musical talent, but that he was so beloved that people to this day gladly support the organization set up in his name to fight the disease that took his life.
kokax, Villiers and Rainbow61,
Excellent discussion! Kokax, I apologize for suggesting that you might have been in
a bad mood to start that conversation. I think you, Villiers and Rainbow61 all showed grace
in your handling of this topic. I was amazed at the selflessness highlighted in the thoughts
written by kokax and Villiers and the compassion that Rainbow61 always relates to us.
Thank you. I appreciate your comments on this thread. Great job!
Excellent discussion! Kokax, I apologize for suggesting that you might have been in
a bad mood to start that conversation. I think you, Villiers and Rainbow61 all showed grace
in your handling of this topic. I was amazed at the selflessness highlighted in the thoughts
written by kokax and Villiers and the compassion that Rainbow61 always relates to us.
Thank you. I appreciate your comments on this thread. Great job!
Hey conundrumme and Rainbow61,
I know so little about Freddie's reflections on his early life and upbringing. With me,
he always wanted to stay in the present. His reluctance to talk about it COULD indicate
certain unpleasant memories, but I do not know and this is just conjecture on my part.
I know so little about Freddie's reflections on his early life and upbringing. With me,
he always wanted to stay in the present. His reluctance to talk about it COULD indicate
certain unpleasant memories, but I do not know and this is just conjecture on my part.
Hello Thor,
Thank you for sharing these wonderful stories with us!
Thank you for sharing these wonderful stories with us!
@Thor,
How do you like song Bijou?
I love this song very much.
I was read some comments somewhere about song, some say that this song is dedicated to a cat.I don't think so.
I think,Bijou is so emotional, that it's actually dedicated to Jim.It doesn't mean that I am right,of course. Maybe it's not dedicated to anyone. What do you think about it?
How do you like song Bijou?
I love this song very much.
I was read some comments somewhere about song, some say that this song is dedicated to a cat.I don't think so.
I think,Bijou is so emotional, that it's actually dedicated to Jim.It doesn't mean that I am right,of course. Maybe it's not dedicated to anyone. What do you think about it?
@Thor
What did Garden Lodge smell like? Did it have that "old house smell"? Was there lots of cigarette smoke hanging around?
What did Garden Lodge smell like? Did it have that "old house smell"? Was there lots of cigarette smoke hanging around?
@Thor
Another Garden Lodge question. It seems like Freddie delighted in filling Garden Lodge with the things he loved to collect and that no expense was spared to make his home beautiful and refined. What was your first impression of the place? Did Freddie give you the grand tour? Was there a particular room, work of art, etc. that Freddie seemed really excited to show you. Did it have a homey feel?
Another Garden Lodge question. It seems like Freddie delighted in filling Garden Lodge with the things he loved to collect and that no expense was spared to make his home beautiful and refined. What was your first impression of the place? Did Freddie give you the grand tour? Was there a particular room, work of art, etc. that Freddie seemed really excited to show you. Did it have a homey feel?
Hey Silken,
Thank you so much for your kind thought. I enjoy sharing the memories that I have.
Thank you so much for your kind thought. I enjoy sharing the memories that I have.
Hi Invisible Woman,
I like the sentiment of "Bijou" but I find the long instrumental part a bit eerie.
The words do make me feel they were written about Jim Hutton but like you,
I do not know for sure. Now, "These are the Day of our Lives" is my favorite
song on "Innuendo" and it always chokes me up a bit.
I like the sentiment of "Bijou" but I find the long instrumental part a bit eerie.
The words do make me feel they were written about Jim Hutton but like you,
I do not know for sure. Now, "These are the Day of our Lives" is my favorite
song on "Innuendo" and it always chokes me up a bit.
Hello PrimeJiveUSA,
No, there was no old house smell at all. When Freddie did smoke in the earlier
'80s, he went outside of Garden Lodge as I remember.
No, there was no old house smell at all. When Freddie did smoke in the earlier
'80s, he went outside of Garden Lodge as I remember.
Hey Rainbow61,
Yes, thanks to Phoebe, the homey feeling was everywhere. Valuable items
were not displayed to impress but were discretely placed because Freddie
was not the show-off type. He loved his Japanese art but did not force it in
your face. He especially loved his garden and Coy Pond which Jim kept in
great shape for him. He also had a beautiful gazebo which would have made
any Bride full of envy.
Yes, thanks to Phoebe, the homey feeling was everywhere. Valuable items
were not displayed to impress but were discretely placed because Freddie
was not the show-off type. He loved his Japanese art but did not force it in
your face. He especially loved his garden and Coy Pond which Jim kept in
great shape for him. He also had a beautiful gazebo which would have made
any Bride full of envy.
No sorry, I was incorrect. it was a trellis not a gazebo
@Thor
Thank you for the response. Was there a "grand entrance/foyer" to the home where special/important guests were greeted but was not used much by the daily occupants?
Thank you for the response. Was there a "grand entrance/foyer" to the home where special/important guests were greeted but was not used much by the daily occupants?
PrimeJiveUSA,
No grand entrance. We were always "buzzed in" at the famous green gate and then
entered the front door which was not all that opulent, but you could tell it was made of a
a very good grade of wood. Sorry but I do not know if it was mahogany or not.
No grand entrance. We were always "buzzed in" at the famous green gate and then
entered the front door which was not all that opulent, but you could tell it was made of a
a very good grade of wood. Sorry but I do not know if it was mahogany or not.