Thoughts on Thor Arnold and Lee Nolan's eleven year friendship with Freddie

HAPPY NEW YEAR'S EVERYBODY!!!!!!!!!!

Dear Thor and Lee:

I read every page of both threads. Thank you very much for all your contributions to this forum and for sharing so much with us. You have been so generous with your time. I look forward to reading your book, can't wait. How wonderful of you both to do this! Thank you!

Hey All,

Long time reader, first time poster :)
A big thank you to Thor and Lee for an amazing insight, it’s been an amazing read over the last few months along with the input of others.
Look forward to the book and a Happy New Year to All!

To the Newbies,

I often thought that you, the quiet readers, must represent the silent majority on this thread. Glad you jumped in to say thanks to Thor and Lee. Maybe if this thread picks up at a later date with a discussion about the upcoming Freddie book, you will actively join in at that point. Just wanted to say welcome! Happy New Year!

Rainbow.....YOU'RE SO AWESOME!!! I Was always a silent one.........no Facebook, no tweet, absolutely No interest in social media whatsoever!!!!! Still don't really.....but once I stumbled on this site...You and Thor and so many others made it seem so safe, and SOOO comfortable I HAD TO LET MY GUARD DOWN N JUMP IN!!! ESPECIALLY TO TALK ABOUT FREDDIE MERCURY!!!!!!!!! That's why I hate to let this group go......it was my first, it was so much fun, and I grew to feel like we were a little family of Freddie admirers!! Keep in touch Rainbow!!! And Thank YOU and ALL the others(you all know who u are) for making this an AMAZING place to discover and participte in!!!! Mmmmmwah

This thread and the previous thread are only a few days short of 1/2 of year (July 7th 2017) ... time flies when you are having fun.

Lee & Thor -

Good luck with your upcoming book.

Blenkolove,

Thanks so much....

I was very hesitant to jump into this thread as well. Am not on Facebook, Instagram,Twitter or any other social media. The thought of posting a question or statement was honestly quite intimidating, so I was content to just follow along "in the shadows". Eventually, it was just too hard to stay on the sidelines....so I took the plunge when I was comfortable enough to do so...and I am so happy I did.

A book about Freddie's life? Wow, what "a huge surprise". Joining the Freestone bandwagon.

And this thing about haters and negativity. Oh for Christ's sake, there's been very, very little of that. Maybe some comments here and there and maybe some posters have been arguing about stuff but what do you expect? That will always happen everywhere. "The daughters" get upset very easily and it's very surprising coming from people who have lived through some serious times back in the day. One could imagine this stuff here is nothing.

The original thread was good in the beginning. After that it was just one big butt kissing contest.

Going through REAL serious stuff makes most people intolerant to trivial bullshit. As well as making them nicer people.

Hey Rainbow,

Thanks for your welcome,
I have read this forum over the last few months along side reading Ratty’s book which has been a good mix.

It’s been good fun sitting back and reading some of the great and random comments.

Hope you all had a good New Year!

I imagine the book will not be about Freddie's life, but rather the few years he lived in New York and the subsequent visits to England by the daughters. I also suspect and hope there will be a great amount of photographic content. I am really looking forward to it. If people such as Peter Freestone, Thor and Lee did not share their stories, those of us who love Freddie so dearly would never have the valuable insight only they can provide. Surprised? No. Happy? Hell yes!

Disclaimer: Confrontation and / or insult NOT intended. The views expressed are solely those of the writer.

I didn't think the guys became easily upset. I think Thor did his best to moderate some really stupid stuff. I realize there are some passionate people here (and others who show up, drop a turd for kicks and move on), but adults should be equipped to "agree to disagree", although sometimes that doesn't happen soon enough.

I did see what I considered butt kissing, but (myself included on all counts)...
A) Most people are excited by "celebrity", so no harm done.
B) People should look within themselves to realize the difference between perceived butt kissing and their own envy or insecurities.
C) One can try desperately NOT to come off as a butt kisser and still be viewed as such by someone else (including the owner of the butt, although I saw no such evidence here).

I get (sort of) what was said about the book being a "huge surprise". I'm not the brightest character, but I could see that coming a long way back, before it was even a notion to them. I hardly think this was all by design. We merely saw it before they did. Obviously, they just considered themselves Freddie's friends, not even realizing the potential for a book until it was pointed out to them. They didn't exactly have to share anything at all with us, but they did. I am grateful for it. I was, quite frankly, amazed. Why give it away when you can get paid for it, darling? (That's a joke, PC folks.) Besides, they deserve it and it appears the majority of us agree and wish them the best!

Peace!

miraclesteinway wrote:

Hi guys, I've been admiring this thread from afar, because I've been backed up with the lurgy and sleeping a lot this week, and because I was in London last week to see the Q+AL show at the O2 (which I unashamedly LOVED).

Thor - that thing about Freddie not wanting to be called Fred is interesting. I'd read it before that he hated being called Fred, but Brian May frequently refers to him as Fred. Perhaps this is because before he was famous he was known as Fred Bulsara, and I'm almost certain that I saw on "The Untold Story" a painting or something signed "Fred Bulsara". I guess if you meet someone who refers to themselves as one name for a few years and then changes their name, sometimes it's difficult not to revert back to the name you originally knew them as. I must confess I've had to apologise to a couple of transgender friends of mine for using the pronouns I formerly knew them by, automatically (I know Freddie wasn't trans, but there was the transition if you like between Farokh, Fred, and Freddie. Perhaps there was even Frederick in there somewhere - I wonder if Mrs Bulsara called him Farokh until the end?).

The other interesting and lovely thing in this thread is that it's clear now to everyone reading that Freddie was unashamedly gay, and out of the closet, in his personal life. Disregarding the fact that the public weren't told (and it's none of their business), it's great to know that Freddie lived knowing there was nothing to be ashamed of and that it's completely natural. To be fair that was one thing that Brian May said on TV the week after Freddie died - the question was something like, "what do you hope people learn from his death, Brian?" and Brian said something like "that there's nothing wrong with being gay". So obviously in his professional circle it was something that he didn't hide either.

Elton John said he came out as bisexual because it was simply easier than saying he was gay, somehow it would be more acceptable if people thought he was just kind of experimenting. At the time he made that remark he was free to say what he wanted of course. We live in very different times now here in the west where largely we are able to come out without too many repercussions. Of course there are still problems in families which is always a very sad situation, and the political climate has lurched quite far to the right in recent years even in what we thought was liberal Britain (In 1997 Britain was portrayed as the coolest, most liberal place on earth. In 2017 it's.... a bit different, sort of like 1977 with the racism but not so homophobic).

Freddie Mercury was never going to be revealed as an uncomplicated character, but the fact that he was Indian, gay, born an immigrant in Zanzibar, died an immigrant in London, and somehow in between those two points became the most revered rock musician of the late 20th Century is still pretty unfathomable. There are people who are born into the industry who can't do what he did.

I do have one question. The others in the band seem to be more inside the industry - more in touch with what others are doing in the rock and pop scene, they have friends who are also rock musicians etc, but Freddie seemed to be an outsider. Have I got that right?

Roger Taylor pretty much exclusively refers to Freddie as 'Fred'. As do a lot of his old mates, peers and colleagues in the music industry.

Rainbow61 wrote:

Sheldon,

I have watched that finale performance many times and I am always left with the same thought while viewing..."Could someone PLEASE hand Freddie the microphone?"

I'm frustrated every time I watch it!

You might be over thinking this a little. He wasn't on the original because nobody could find him remember. Think the chronology would have him lost in Munchen or even still hanging out with Thor and Lee? It was later something he and Queen openly regretted. In fact it was Freddie they had in mind for the line Bono eventually sang. So perhaps he didn't know the words hence no mike and a little sense of awkwardness? Not everything is a big deal or deep.

Just my twopenneth.

Thanks for sharing your memories chaps, most appreciated and interesting. Don't blame you for making a few quid either for yourselves or charity. Can't for a second believe the notion only just occurred, I imagine this thread has merely provided and indicator of appetite.

On a general note just because some may not tow every party line and accept unchallenged all agreed narrative does not necessarily make them haters or bigots. There has certainly been an element of hypocrisy to this thread and not a small amount of arse kissing.

King Mercury, long may she reign.