Did John actually retire in 1997?

In all the official sources it states that JD retired in 1997. However is this actually the case? Was there any announcement? Was it stated in the fan club publication? It doesn't appear to have been mentioned when he was absent from the 2001 Hall of Fame Induction - I believe illness was given as the reason for his absence. I am just suspicious as it appears to be a story applied retrospectively. Perhaps someone who subscribed to the fan club in the late nineties-early mightiest can shed further light...

He stops writting fan clubs letters on 1998. So, for me, that's the year of his retirement

It’s possible a lot of you guys weren’t actively Queen fans back then... but there was very limited Queen activity between 1997 and 2004. In fact what made more waves was the Queen hub between us queenzoners and more bootlegs becoming available online.

So John Deacon didn’t officially retire. Brian and roger just announced that John wasn’t committing himself to new projects each time they came up. I think there was a comment from John saying he didn’t like the direction they were going in when rumors were swirling of Robbie Williams filling in for Freddie. But since then... nothing public.

Whether retirement was official or not isn’t relevant. His lack of interest is clear and respected.

Unless you think it’s a conspiracy, etc... but I highly doubt Brian and roger pushed him out etc.

Ok thanks. The internal politics of queen does fascinate me more than it should. Wonder what Freddie would think about the three of them and their various behaviours post 1991.

https://brianmay.com/john/sun21apr01.html

so he claims he retired around that time (ie, Robbie Williams)... but like i said - it was never an official queen announcement.

John didn't retire in 1997. He was involved in the mixing process of Under Pressure by Mike Spencer in October 1999:

http://www.queenonline.com/features/queen-remixed-mike-spencer-fan-feature-by-adam-unger

http://www.mikespencer.com/discography/under-pressure-mike-spencer-remix/

I'd wager that was the final straw

That stuff about Under Pressure is interesting. I never liked the Rah mix. Now I know that I can blame Brian.

You can just imagine that period when Brian would suggest something and start it, John hears about it and rolls his eyes and gets involved to prevent it from being totally shit.

Not the first time not Brian arrogantly and ignobly scrapped John's work, because Brian was not involved (like John & Roger's Made in Heaven sessions)...

I remember an interview from 1999 were Brian said he still saw Roger and John on a regular basis.

John probably left Queen in 2000 when he refused to perform with 5ive at the Brit awards.

http://www.mikespencer.com/discography/under-pressure-mike-spencer-remix/

Anyone that writes ‘Freddy’ doesn’t deserve to have their mixes released!!

Cmsdrums: Roger Taylor wrote that spelling in a letter to fans once... Don't make a big deal out of it

It irks me hugely too, but yeah, it's his name innit.

John retired to go and pursue hes other hobbies: drinking, gambling, women