Brian May on BBC Radio 2, 2 Dec 2018

Saint Jiub wrote:

Is there any evidence that Queen broke up the band for three years?

That's obviously a Hollywood fabrication.

Is there any evidence that Freddie had to beg to get back in the band, and was dismissed from the room while the rest of the band decided his fate?

You'd have to ask the band or people in their close circles at the time. But I doubt you'll get a straight answer.

The event in question actually happened after Live Aid. This has been spoken about before, but naturally people weren't too keen on even entertaining the possibility because it doesn't cast Mercury in the greatest of light.

The Real Wizard wrote:

Rami wrote:

German Album Charts:
1985 Mr. Bad Guy - Peak 11 / 21 Weeks

German Single Charts:
1985 I Was Born To Love You - Peak 17 / 13 Weeks

It bombed in the UK, and it bombed in the US. German charts are irrelevant.

The majority of the album sales were advance sales on his name alone, not the quality of the product.

The label dropped him. That should say it all.

The German market is the third biggest after UK and USA and was always very important for Queen. Stop embarrassing yourself with your clueless drivel. YOu are a May sheep and bought the movie's lies. We are still waiting for your evidence that Freddie got "dropped". And Obviously Mr Bad Guy is sooooo damn bad that Maylor took two songs off of to work on them for MIH. I am sure you believe the Works tour was 3 years before Live Aid right?

The Real Wizard wrote:

Rami wrote:

Concerning the Works Tour: Roger himself has stated it as one of his favourite tours.

You're right, he did say that. But perhaps he was just referring to the European dates in 1984. Things went south after that. He's also said this was the tour where their show became stale.

Sun City happened, and they were blacklisted by the UN. And they realized they'd lost America. There's not a chance that anyone in the band looks back on this period fondly.

I have no idea why you guys are so aghast by history. Bands fall apart, and history can be messy. It's normal.

The Works European tour was HUGE. So saying the dates were great only in EUrope is a bit of a joke as The tour in Europe makes about 70% of the whole tour. Then there was Rock in Rio their biggest gig ever. I have no idea why you desperately want to believe the lies the film is delivering. YOu just embarrass yourself with your drivel. May won't read your crap here so you can stop posting it. Might save us some time here

The Real Wizard wrote:

Rami wrote:

Out of the blue, everybody slams Paul Prenter, as he is needed as the big villain in the movie. And Freddie crawling back to Queen "with his tail between his legs" (what a ridiculous phrase by Jim Beach!) after Mr. Bad Guy. Yeah, that was very clever plot hatching. Historical revisionism on two levels (documentary and movie).

It's not out of the blue. Anyone who worked for the band in the 80s will tell you that Prenter was the worst thing that ever happened to them.

As I've stated in another thread - the fact that a story hasn't been previously told doesn't mean it's not true. Were the new stories told in the Days Of Our Lives documentary in 2011 not true because they hadn't been told in 2010 or earlier? McCartney tells new stories about his past to this day. Are those all untrue too because Beatles fans didn't already know about them?

You don't have to take my word for it, but in the interest of intellectual honesty, just know that there is far more to any band's story than superfans know about. Books and documentaries never tell the whole story.

I think it is every Freddie Mercury fan's duty to openly speak out, as the movie is damaging his legacy, imprinting a totally false (and negative!) image of him into people's minds.

No - his legacy is well intact. It's just a few hundred people on internet forums who are complaining. The only thing this film is ultimately doing is exposing more people to Queen's music. People walk out of the theatre thinking Live Aid was amazing, not about his difficult period.

I guess you guys missed my post about Mercury smashing a mirror over his assistant's head, and the fact that there is only one brief reference to cocaine in the film. The film was far too lenient compared to what it could have been. I can only imagine what you guys would be saying about the portrayal of those things - and they actually happened.

Can you PLEASE stop your crap now? You are the first one telling the story that Freddie almost killed an assistant. The film shows Freddie as a drugged up loner without any friends feeling miserable all the time except he was working with Queen. Load oif bollocks. A friend of mine was in the movie with me and his first thing he said to me afterwards was "Freddie had a really sad life and was a jerk" Thats what the movie is picturing. Just live with it and don't believe all the crap the Guitarplayer with dementia is catering. Stop being a Maylor sheep. Thank you

runner_70 wrote:

Can you PLEASE stop your crap now? You are the first one telling the story that Freddie almost killed an assistant.

This has been written about in numerous biographies, and Pete Brown has even described the incident himself:

"He could be very tough. He often made me cry during the years I worked for him." Driving the band to the venue, Brown found the route led through a crowded fairground and suggested they'd have to get out of their respective limousines and walk. "We had to drive through at snail's pace so as not to injure anyone and Freddie acted up with the champagne all the way!" Irate pedestrians banged on the windows, flipped V-signs, and yelled "Pommy pussies!" "When we got inside, Freddie was in such a cold rage that he picked up a big mirror and literally smashed it over my head. Then he ordered me to find a brush and shovel to sweep up the glass at once." Oddly enough, Brown forgave him: "You see it was the humiliation he had suffered. He just had to take it out on someone. I understood."

Take off those rose coloured glasses. Your favourite singer wasn't a perfect person.

runner_70 wrote:

We are still waiting for your evidence that Freddie got "dropped".

What label was Barcelona on?

I'll give you a clue - it wasn't Columbia.

He had signed a two album deal with them. It is well documented.

The Real Wizard wrote:

runner_70 wrote:

We are still waiting for your evidence that Freddie got "dropped".

What label was Barcelona on?

I'll give you a clue - it wasn't Columbia.

He had signed a two album deal with them. It is well documented.

Runner won’t believe you, because he can’t bare it.

He has been mocking Lambert for months, because he thinks Lambert got dropped by his label. How would it look, if the same had happened to Freddie?
;)

>I guess you guys missed my post about Mercury smashing a mirror >over his assistant's head, and the fact that there is only one brief >reference to cocaine in the film. The film was far too lenient >compared to what it could have been. I can only imagine what you >guys would be saying about the portrayal of those things - and they >actually happened.

You are totally missing the point here. We are all adults here AND we've read the books by David Minns where he desribed Freddie's rages and antics and by Phoebe who took it for granted.

It is not about facts, it is about ATTITUDE.

Whereas even David Minns said - ok, there were fights, but I was written the most beuautiful song for me... and Phoebe and Jim Hutton said - OK. Freddie could be furious and vicious, but he always made up for his tantrums or wrongs with generosity and grace.

This movie does not show it. It shows a completely lost wronged man with no dignity and grace at all who has to beg for all the wrongs he has done to his bandmates.

And it is not about who was dropped by what lablel. Maybe Brian May and Roger Taylor have not been on any label of this scale at all! (I do not know for sure please correct me if I am wrong) It is ok that 4 strong creative forces have fierce competition and discussions "who's worth more".

This is just not right to retailate in form of a "Biopic movie about our dear Freddie"....and stretch facts to fit the attitude.

The Real Wizard wrote:

Rami wrote:

German Album Charts:
1985 Mr. Bad Guy - Peak 11 / 21 Weeks

German Single Charts:
1985 I Was Born To Love You - Peak 17 / 13 Weeks

It bombed in the UK, and it bombed in the US. German charts are irrelevant.

The majority of the album sales were advance sales on his name alone, not the quality of the product.

The label dropped him. That should say it all.

Sorry, but it did not bomb in the UK. You can check the UK chart history.

When did the label supposedly drop him?

The Real Wizard wrote:

Rami wrote:

Concerning the Works Tour: Roger himself has stated it as one of his favourite tours.

You're right, he did say that. But perhaps he was just referring to the European dates in 1984. Things went south after that. He's also said this was the tour where their show became stale.

Sun City happened, and they were blacklisted by the UN. And they realized they'd lost America. There's not a chance that anyone in the band looks back on this period fondly.

I have no idea why you guys are so aghast by history. Bands fall apart, and history can be messy. It's normal.

They must have realized that they had lost America before the European tour even started. That shouldn't have affected any aspect of the Works tour. Everywhere else their success reached new heights.

Nobody denies that Queen felt jaded after the Works tour and that Live Aid came exactly at the right moment. But Freddie's solo album (which had been encouraged by the band, btw.) really wasn't the problem.

I am not aghast by history at all, but I am aghast by the lies told in the movie.

It’s ridiculous to brand Germany as irrelevant. How many German dates were on the European tours

AlbaNo1 wrote:

It’s ridiculous to brand Germany as irrelevant. How many German dates were on the European tours

It’s not irrelevant. But if an album or a song by an artist from the UK isn’t successful in the UK, that artist is doomed and going nowhere.

Success in Germany would have been considered as nice, but it wasn’t the relevant market.

With Freddie the only goal must have been worldwide success. That didn’t work. Ergo the artist got dropped. That’s how the business works. For every artist.

The Real Wizard wrote:

Rami wrote:

Out of the blue, everybody slams Paul Prenter, as he is needed as the big villain in the movie. And Freddie crawling back to Queen "with his tail between his legs" (what a ridiculous phrase by Jim Beach!) after Mr. Bad Guy. Yeah, that was very clever plot hatching. Historical revisionism on two levels (documentary and movie).

It's not out of the blue. Anyone who worked for the band in the 80s will tell you that Prenter was the worst thing that ever happened to them.

As I've stated in another thread - the fact that a story hasn't been previously told doesn't mean it's not true. Were the new stories told in the Days Of Our Lives documentary in 2011 not true because they hadn't been told in 2010 or earlier? McCartney tells new stories about his past to this day. Are those all untrue too because Beatles fans didn't already know about them?

You don't have to take my word for it, but in the interest of intellectual honesty, just know that there is far more to any band's story than superfans know about. Books and documentaries never tell the whole story.

I think it is every Freddie Mercury fan's duty to openly speak out, as the movie is damaging his legacy, imprinting a totally false (and negative!) image of him into people's minds.

No - his legacy is well intact. It's just a few hundred people on internet forums who are complaining. The only thing this film is ultimately doing is exposing more people to Queen's music. People walk out of the theatre thinking Live Aid was amazing, not about his difficult period.

I guess you guys missed my post about Mercury smashing a mirror over his assistant's head, and the fact that there is only one brief reference to cocaine in the film. The film was far too lenient compared to what it could have been. I can only imagine what you guys would be saying about the portrayal of those things - and they actually happened.

I was referring to a documentary released more than 20 years after Freddie's death in which everybody slams Paul Prenter. That was "out of the blue". I was not referring to anything happening behind the scenes. In this documentary Brian stated that Paul Prenter single-handedly destroyed Queen's relationship with the USA. Yeah, Brian, alright...
Paul Prenter being rude to roadies is one thing (that had been documented before), but this hate against one person, making him the villain in the history of Queen, is ridiculous.

Of course, books and documentaries never tell the whole story. You tell me!

OK, if you say that Freddie Mercury's legacy is still intact, I am relieved. And it is really good that you know what people think after leaving the cinema, because I do not. I can only speculate.

What exactly happened in the smashing the mirror incident, we will never know. But what we do know is that all the following people have described Freddie and his relationship to the band members and his friends in a totally different way from the way it is depicted in the movie:

Brian May, Roger Taylor, John Deacon, Mary Austin, Jim Hutton, Peter Freestone, Dave Clark, Peter Hince, Mack, Rudi Dolezal,...

To me it looks as if Hollywood tried to give Freddie's on-stage persona an existence of its own, because it makes a much more interesting story than that of a caring diplomat.

And what do you mean by emphasizing that there was only one brief reference to cocaine in the movie? This has got nothing to do with the way Freddie treated his band members and friends in real life vs the movie.

The Real Wizard wrote:

Saint Jiub wrote:

Is there any evidence that Queen broke up the band for three years?

That's obviously a Hollywood fabrication.

Is there any evidence that Freddie had to beg to get back in the band, and was dismissed from the room while the rest of the band decided his fate?

You'd have to ask the band or people in their close circles at the time. But I doubt you'll get a straight answer.

The event in question actually happened after Live Aid. This has been spoken about before, but naturally people weren't too keen on even entertaining the possibility because it doesn't cast Mercury in the greatest of light.

Yeah, but a very bad and damaging Hollywood fabrication.

As far as we know, Freddie was the driving force to go back into the studio after Live Aid. So perhaps he felt the need to show a sort of responsibility towards Queen after his solo album. But that is miles away from the begging scene in the movie.

The Real Wizard wrote:

Saint Jiub wrote:

Is there any evidence that Queen broke up the band for three years?

That's obviously a Hollywood fabrication.

Is there any evidence that Freddie had to beg to get back in the band, and was dismissed from the room while the rest of the band decided his fate?

You'd have to ask the band or people in their close circles at the time. But I doubt you'll get a straight answer.

The event in question actually happened after Live Aid. This has been spoken about before, but naturally people weren't too keen on even entertaining the possibility because it doesn't cast Mercury in the greatest of light.

I really should proof read what I write more thoroughly. I meant to portray my displeasure at the implication that Freddie broke up the band (not Queen)

Can you please provide some links regarding "the event"?>