"The real Freddie Mercury" - excellent Lesley Ann Jones article on BR

[quote=The Real Wizard]Because it is.

Research the 1970s-80s gay scenes in NYC and Munich. That was Mercury's life from about 1978-85. He found his identity, and music became second place. There's a reason why most of Queen's hits in the 80s were written by the other band members. It eventually hit the point where he wasn't even at the mixing sessions for his own songs.

But the biopic isn't going to be nearly that transparent. Nor should it be, as the band have a legacy to protect. But the reality is - Mercury leaving that scene is what resulted in him consistently creating great music again.[/quote]

I mean, that's an interesting and kind of valid point, but if you think the thousands of, at best, casual fans saying they want Sacha's version are saying so because they want a film that represents why the quality of Freddie's songwriting dropped a bit in the 80s, I think that's pushing it.

My point wasn't so much that Freddie's party lifestyle shouldn't be a factor in the film's narrative. Of course it should be. It didn't just lead to him being distracted, it essentially lead to his demise. I was more saying that we don't need to see an R-rated orgy scene in order to understand this. Which is what Sacha would have pushed for, I think.

@splicksplack If those are your views and curiosities regarding Freddie's life, then you wouldn't fall inside that Venn Diagram. I share those curiosities! I'm talking about a different thing: those who over the years have been all like "who needs to know about Freddie's [private life matter topic here]," and are now bemoaning the lack of some SBC-helmed Freddie biopic that allegedly would have-could have depicted same.

As far as the film that we have, and it prospectively sucking, it's stating the obvious that the movie industry is a whole other animal, and to think that this is some vanity project because Jim Beach and Brian and Roger have producer titles is, I think, a little naive. There's a huge studio behind this, along with another, higher-ranking producer involved, along with countless executives and collaborators, and so the idea that this is purely some whitewash hagiography is just too lazy of a conclusion. Will the movie be good is another subject. Whether the movie will "straightwash" or "heterowash" or not show enough cocaine being snorted on the Musicland Studios soundboard is another, too. I just don't think the Brian-Roger-Beach power trio ultimately had final cut or say. I'll gladly concede if someone can provide a photo of Roger sitting in an AVID suite, telling them to cut out this or that scene with naked mud wrestlers or whatever. But it's literally a corporate endeavor at the end of the day. And, frankly, that may be to the movie's detriment. A more realistic scenario might be that the presence of Brian and Roger et al--on set, at meetings--over the years has watered-down the decadence narratives, as has always been the case in biopic-making (see Jimi Hendrix, Eagles doc, Doors movie, Dead docs). Rare is the band that wants that to get it all out--maybe Motley Crue's The Dirt is the exception that proves the rule? Drugs and sex doesn't make a story--it's character and plot. So maybe we'll get one orgy scene, and one line of nose candy in a Minshaft t-shirt. We can only hope and pray. The WWRY making-of clip posted recently didn't light up my world. I do have tickets for the first screening at my local mall Thursday night...

I agree there is no need to show any orgies in graphic detail, but I do think a 15 rated movie would be very welcome. I suspect it would be a good compromise between what it actually was and what Brian and Roger would want us to see... And no, I don't get the whole "introducing Queen to a new generation" argument as an excuse for avoiding any controversy. Let's not forget that's how they often got attention in the first place, no need to play it so safe now.

We'll see, I suppose, since no one has seen the film here yet?

You'd be surprised what you can get away with showing with a PG-13, as it's rated in the States. Used to be you'd get an R just for having two boys kissing. And there definitely will be some sort of man-on-man action in the movie.

[QUOTE] [b]splicksplack wrote:[/b]

While there are individuals closely associated the majority would have no first hand knowledge of the man yet are happy to condemn him without knowing his side of the story.[/QUOTE]
His side of the story was pretty clear when he sold out Mercury to the press in 1987 for 40,000 quid.

[QUOTE]I'm not asking anyone to feel sorry for PP or to believe everything said about him is a pack of lies. I just think people should step back bit and realise they are not in a position to judge.[/QUOTE]
Fair enough. But speaking for myself, I'm not "judging" anything per se - I'm just going by the evidence I've seen.

Roger Taylor once referred to Prenter as a very subversive person. Not a single person close to the band has ever had something nice to say about him - and that's pretty telling.

Thanks for your thoughtful and level-headed post, all the same.

[QUOTE] [b]Apocalipsis_Darko wrote:[/b]

Mack told me Paul was an influence to left Queen if Mr. Bad Guy was successful.[/QUOTE]

Wow - that's quite the revelation. And not surprising in the least.

But I wonder how Mack even became aware of it. Does that mean Mercury opened up to him about it? Were they that close?

They'd spend time with each other socially and one of Reinhold's sons was called John-Frederick (or Frederick-John?), so yeah, they were fairly close. It wouldn't be too much of a stretch to think, had Paul tried to persuade Frederick to leave Queen if his first (and last) solo album sold well, Frederick would've told Reinhold.

Frederick John, yes. Mack was close friend. Mack saw how Paul was talking to Freddie trying to left Queen, but Freddie was very loyal to his partners. The Live aid and a reunion were what makes Freddie left and gave money to Paul Prenter.
Mack told me Paul was a cunt. Other persons like the wife of Mack, said with her Paul always was a gentleman with them, and Jo Dore said he was very funny. But Mack, Mike Moran and Peter Freestone don't have very goods about Paul. I remember Mike told Prenter a svengali.

[QUOTE] [b]Apocalipsis_Darko wrote:[/b]

Frederick John, yes. Mack was close friend. Mack saw how Paul was talking to Freddie trying to left Queen, but Freddie was very loyal to his partners. The Live aid and a reunion were what makes Freddie left and gave money to Paul Prenter.
Mack told me Paul was a cunt. Other persons like the wife of Mack, said with her Paul always was a gentleman with them, and Jo Dore said he was very funny. But Mack, Mike Moran and Peter Freestone don't have very goods about Paul. I remember Mike told Prenter a svengali. [/QUOTE]

That all makes sense.

Even the worst people can be nice sometimes - especially if they're seeking allies wherever possible.

[QUOTE] [b]The Real Wizard wrote:[/b]

[QUOTE] [b]splicksplack wrote:[/b]

While there are individuals closely associated the majority would have no first hand knowledge of the man yet are happy to condemn him without knowing his side of the story.[/QUOTE]
His side of the story was pretty clear when he sold out Mercury to the press in 1987 for 40,000 quid.
[/QUOTE]

This more than anything in the public domain is what points the finger at Prenter.

slicksplack had made the point about thinking about Prenter's family being the innocent party in this. It could be argued that he didn't share this view/ thought when he took the money and spilled details which until then had remained mainly "in house".

One could justifiably name Prenter as being the person that the Queen camp claim him to be

Why do you folks here take such issue with Lesley Ann Jones?

[QUOTE] [b]Day dop wrote:[/b]

Why do you folks here take such issue with Lesley Ann Jones?[/QUOTE]

Because people tend not to like their emotional connections to their favourite musicians of their youth to be tampered with by new information or ideas.

Lesley Ann Jones claims Barbara Valentin and Freddie Mercury had a very active sex-life together, that they were inseparable.

I mean, let's be realists. Lesley Ann Jones even claims Barbara cared for Freddie in his last dying days, when the reality is that she was pushed out of his life by that point and couldn't get through to him.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-6310851/New-Freddie-Mercury-biopic-slammed-airbrushing-best-friend.html