Did John actually retire in 1997?

^oh is that what they mean by spending more time with the wife and kids or was that the result of spending more time with the wife and kids???

true story bro

I think the key date in John's total disappearance is December 2002 when the Sunday People ran the story about buying a house for a lap dancer. Roger And Brian have said that sometime in 2003 John sent them a letter giving full approval for their future activities. I'm sure the two events are linked.

I would think JD refusing to work with Robbie Williams, scuppering a full blown Williams fronted reunion and then publicly calling the collaboration shit is probably more relevant than JD buying a house for a stripper...!

I think he was just desperate for his privacy by then though and gave up any attempts to define the post Fred legacy and disappeared

I'm going with a massive hissy fit following an almighty fallout with Brian and subsequently Roger after the Robbie Williams nonsense, which resulted in him throwing a strop and actively refusing to involve himself in any and all Queen related projects. Even as late as 1999/2000 he is actively involved, and then suddenly completely removes himself from the situation in public and even behind the scenes. There probably was a bit of a meltdown, but a meltdown caused by dealing with Brian May not Freddie's death several/many years previous.

Here's my especulation: I doubt there was a single reason. He had always had mixed feelings about being a rock star, the idea of Queen without Freddie was too painful to him and he probably had some disagreement with Brian and Roger about what to do with Queen.

I also noticed something. After Freddie's death, John still played with Queen for a while, talked to fans etc. But as far as I know, he has never talked to a journalist again. Not once. I think the way the press treated Freddie, especially when he was seriously ill, left John absolutely horrified, I wouldn't be surprised if it had been another reason for him to quit.

[QUOTE] [b]Negative Creep wrote:[/b]

I'm going with a massive hissy fit following an almighty fallout with Brian and subsequently Roger after the Robbie Williams nonsense, which resulted in him throwing a strop and actively refusing to involve himself in any and all Queen related projects. Even as late as 1999/2000 he is actively involved, and then suddenly completely removes himself from the situation in public and even behind the scenes. There probably was a bit of a meltdown, but a meltdown caused by dealing with Brian May not Freddie's death several/many years previous.[/QUOTE]

Brian pig-headedly selling out? Say it ain't so ...

I think John's energy just didn't mesh with Brian and Roger's...too many artistic and personality based differences. Earlier I think Freddie was someone who did keep them together and kept a certain diplomatic balance and peace in the band dynamic.

I have absolutely no doubt that John fell out with Brian, hence the silence.

I do think the Robbie Williams situation did get quite heated. As someone else has pointed out on this forum, when Robbie performed WWRY at Knebworth and Live 8 he sings about 'Johnny' rather than 'buddy' (a deliberate reference to JD?). Perhaps Robbie and his people were pushing quite hard for him to be lead singer of Queen and he got quite angry at being vetoed.

However we don't know what John's situation was like in the 1990s. There already may have been problems. Based on what I've seen on the internet he continued to write infrequent (quite bland) messages to the fan club, gave some fairly uninspired and depressing answers to a fan club Q+A in 1996 and apparently abandoned the stage during a performance with Spikes All Star Band in 1995. As well as giving no interviews to journalists he gave no recollections of working with Freddie to the fan club or Queen documentaries. Jacky Smith and Crystal do appear to offer assurances during this period that he is healthy and well in response to concerns that he is not. The infamous photo of JD with the stripper is from an Italian gossip magazine in 1998 and was apparently taken at Stringfellows where it states he was a regular (different to 2002 situation). There is not much else to go on...

The tone Brian and Roger take when talking about John confirm to me that they know he isn't mentally unwell.

[QUOTE] [b]Negative Creep wrote:[/b]

The tone Brian and Roger take when talking about John confirm to me that they know he isn't mentally unwell.[/QUOTE]

well put

John is MGTOW

[QUOTE] [b]dudley-fufkin 7834 wrote:[/b]

I have absolutely no doubt that John fell out with Brian, hence the silence.[/QUOTE]

Band members fall out all the time. It's been happening for 50 years. But John Deacon's complete retreat from public life is unparalleled. Even Grace Slick has granted the odd interview.

Someone wrote here a little while back that a bartender at his local pub urges people not to even mention Queen to Deacon because it gives him anxiety. Something is off with him, and we'll probably never know what.