Has anyone besides me noticed that anytime Brian discusses Innuendo in an interview, he acts as though during Innuendo, Freddie, was deaf, dumb, and blind.... he'll be like "Freddie said at this point bring me anything to sing, and I'll try to sing it with all my heart."
I think Brian has always had this complex that he wanted to be viewed as "the leader".... the "chief songwriter"...
Brian's wording to me sounds as though by the grace of god, he wrote the whole Innuendo album himself, and poor Freddie couldn't hardly put a thought process together at this point... it was all Freddie could do to get drunk on vodka, and read lyrics that Brian had wrote.
All of this is total Bullshit. As Mike Moran, Jim Hutton, Mary Austin, and Peter Freestone all recall Freddie working his ass off on Innuendo...knowing it would most certainly be the end.
We now know through various sources that Freddie wrote:
I'm going slightly mad
All Gods People
Bijou
Don't Try So Hard
Innuendo (somewhat in dispute, but friends of Freddie's say it was 90% his)
Hitman
Meanwhile, people in the studio have been quoted as saying the first verse of TSMGO is mostly Freddie's.
Roger told Modern Drummer magazine in 1999 "Days of our lives is a idea I had for awhile, but couldn't quite nail the lyric. I presented it to the guys, but it still somehow seemed unfinished. The magic occured when Freddie changed the chords around, and Brian put his solo in over Freddie's chords. I didn't know if I liked Brian's solo at first, but now, I love it."
So with the exception of Brian's "Headlong" and "I can't live with you", and Roger's "Ride the Wild Wind"...Freddie had something to do with every song.
Now don't get me wrong, I love all 4 Queen members...and they are at their prime together...
But I get pissy with Brian acting as though Freddie was incompetant during these sessions... while Deacon, Taylor, Mercury's friends, and production crew all act as though their wouldn't have been a Innuendo album and its songs without Freddie.
Thread
Posts in chronological order
Your Brian May quotes are probably out of context. For instance, I know one interview where he was saying that stuff and I'm pretty sure they were talking about Mother Love, or The Show Must Go On, both of which were collaborations.
And the guy was pretty ill. They say nothing bad about Freddie, they talk about his enthusiasm to work, we know for a fact that he wrote a lot of that latter material - they're just telling us the other side to it.
And - perhaps they're addressing the unreleased songs when they make such statements? Freddie might've gone "give me anything to sing", Brian might have offered up "Self Made Man" and it might've been laughed out of the studio.
Who knows. We don't.
And the guy was pretty ill. They say nothing bad about Freddie, they talk about his enthusiasm to work, we know for a fact that he wrote a lot of that latter material - they're just telling us the other side to it.
And - perhaps they're addressing the unreleased songs when they make such statements? Freddie might've gone "give me anything to sing", Brian might have offered up "Self Made Man" and it might've been laughed out of the studio.
Who knows. We don't.
For the first (and last probably) time I agree with Zebonka...
[QUOTE][QUOTENAME]Serry... wrote: [/QUOTENAME]For the first (and last probably) time I agree with Zebonka...[/QUOTE]
What the - I thought you didn't read my long boring posts??? :P
What the - I thought you didn't read my long boring posts??? :P
> Has anyone besides me noticed that anytime Brian discusses Innuendo in an interview, he acts as though during Innuendo, Freddie, was deaf, dumb, and blind....
I agree, somehow during the first years after Fred died, they always made him look like a disabled twat who couldn't write a thing. That's why many fans to this day still think Brian was the dominant composer during the last years and that's totally untrue: Freddie wrote half (or more) of 'Miracle' and 'Innuendo' albums and, off the three post-Innuendo tracks, all of the lyrics are his, plus the music of one.
> he'll be like "Freddie said at this point bring me anything to sing, and I'll try to sing it with all my heart."
And there you've got another contradiction: he could be very ill and all of that, but if he was able to sing The Hitman and Show Must Go On, he certainly had the energy to compose many tracks as well.
> I think Brian has always had this complex that he wanted to be viewed as "the leader".... the "chief songwriter"...
Yes although I think he's been fairly ethical (lately) when it comes to some of those credits: Freddie himself creditted 'The Miracle' to all four of them (lyrically) but Brian's always recognised it's Freddie's, with some input from the others.
> We now know through various sources that Freddie wrote: I'm going slightly mad, All Gods People, Bijou, Don't Try So Hard, Innuendo, Hitman
And Delilah. It means that, from 12 songs, 7 are chiefly his, 2 are Roger's, 2 are Brian's and the other's a collaboration between the four of them and David Richards (with Freddie having less input than the others). That's quite enough to be still the dominant songwriter as he was in the early years.
> Roger told Modern Drummer magazine in 1999...
Do you have sources of that quote? It seems interesting.
I agree, somehow during the first years after Fred died, they always made him look like a disabled twat who couldn't write a thing. That's why many fans to this day still think Brian was the dominant composer during the last years and that's totally untrue: Freddie wrote half (or more) of 'Miracle' and 'Innuendo' albums and, off the three post-Innuendo tracks, all of the lyrics are his, plus the music of one.
> he'll be like "Freddie said at this point bring me anything to sing, and I'll try to sing it with all my heart."
And there you've got another contradiction: he could be very ill and all of that, but if he was able to sing The Hitman and Show Must Go On, he certainly had the energy to compose many tracks as well.
> I think Brian has always had this complex that he wanted to be viewed as "the leader".... the "chief songwriter"...
Yes although I think he's been fairly ethical (lately) when it comes to some of those credits: Freddie himself creditted 'The Miracle' to all four of them (lyrically) but Brian's always recognised it's Freddie's, with some input from the others.
> We now know through various sources that Freddie wrote: I'm going slightly mad, All Gods People, Bijou, Don't Try So Hard, Innuendo, Hitman
And Delilah. It means that, from 12 songs, 7 are chiefly his, 2 are Roger's, 2 are Brian's and the other's a collaboration between the four of them and David Richards (with Freddie having less input than the others). That's quite enough to be still the dominant songwriter as he was in the early years.
> Roger told Modern Drummer magazine in 1999...
Do you have sources of that quote? It seems interesting.
In my mind, Brian's quotes do not preclude the possibility of Freddie being *both* the primary songwriter and an enthusiastic guy who said 'just give me shit I'll sing it'.
There's no contradiction. He probably wrote the songs at home for fuck's sake. Brian is not going to say in an interview "well I wasn't at Freddie's house, but he was there in his bed with piles of lyrics around him, muahaha".
(Though Freddie didn't like taking his work home with him, so Hutton says, but it's possible he did a bit of writing here and there, eh? He wrote Delilah in a hotel didn't he? Or was that I'm Going Slightly Mad. I haven't a clue hahaha).
In saying that Brian is lying or offering a one-sided picture, one assumes that both situations could not have existed concurrently, which is *bumpkis*. Both could have happened, with a great deal more complexities we don't know about.
I'm going to heavily paraphrase Walter Lord when I say a harsh man indeed would set himself as arbiter of all that happened in 89-91 just because he's read a Brian May interview or two.
There's no contradiction. He probably wrote the songs at home for fuck's sake. Brian is not going to say in an interview "well I wasn't at Freddie's house, but he was there in his bed with piles of lyrics around him, muahaha".
(Though Freddie didn't like taking his work home with him, so Hutton says, but it's possible he did a bit of writing here and there, eh? He wrote Delilah in a hotel didn't he? Or was that I'm Going Slightly Mad. I haven't a clue hahaha).
In saying that Brian is lying or offering a one-sided picture, one assumes that both situations could not have existed concurrently, which is *bumpkis*. Both could have happened, with a great deal more complexities we don't know about.
I'm going to heavily paraphrase Walter Lord when I say a harsh man indeed would set himself as arbiter of all that happened in 89-91 just because he's read a Brian May interview or two.
To Scott,
You make a really good point here. I also feel that Brian is very insecure when it comes to being compared to Freddie as a songwriter. For instance, he has even tried to downplay "Bohemian Rhapsody". In other instances, I feel that he over-exaggerates his own contributions in a way that is not consistent with what other say. He also likes to start his own biographies by listing something like 20 songs that he wrote (or in many cases, simply co-wrote) while in Queen. It is as though he has to let everyone think that he is the lead songwriter of Queen. But when you look at his list, a lot of them were not even hits! I think that, deep down inside, Brian also suspects that, without Freddie, Queen probably would never have made it.
You make a really good point here. I also feel that Brian is very insecure when it comes to being compared to Freddie as a songwriter. For instance, he has even tried to downplay "Bohemian Rhapsody". In other instances, I feel that he over-exaggerates his own contributions in a way that is not consistent with what other say. He also likes to start his own biographies by listing something like 20 songs that he wrote (or in many cases, simply co-wrote) while in Queen. It is as though he has to let everyone think that he is the lead songwriter of Queen. But when you look at his list, a lot of them were not even hits! I think that, deep down inside, Brian also suspects that, without Freddie, Queen probably would never have made it.
Zeb makes the best post here. You don't know the guy so why second guess all this stuff?
Peace,
Adam.
Peace,
Adam.
[QUOTE][QUOTENAME]Adam Baboolal wrote: [/QUOTENAME]Zeb makes the best post here. You don't know the guy so why second guess all this stuff?
Peace,
Adam.[/QUOTE]
Because he is in the public eye, and we are interested.
If "in public" Paul McCartney or John Lennon ever critisized the other of "at this point, it was all John/Paul could do just to pour vodka to get drunk on" we'd hang the fucker!
Yet Brian talks shit all the time.
He'll downplay Bo Rhap, then go on to rave about how awesome "39" is....
He'll say he was suprised that "Don't Stop me now" is rated so high among the fans... but then knock his shoulder out of socket to pat his own back about the **amazing** "tear it up".
Brian has said on no less then 10 occasions about Freddie's pain and continiously drinking vodka during the Innuendo sessions.
Does he sound more drunk to you on Days of Our Lives or TSMGO??
I think... that even in his gravely ill condition, Freddie pushed through, didn't say a word about how he was feeling, tried to write the best music of his career, and sing his absolute best...
(I wanna be the leader) Brian says to himself "Damn, even sick as hell, this guy is still showing me up, and calling the shots"
Brian lets it go...because not taking away anything from Brian, he's a phenominal musician, and no doubt cared for Freddie as if a blood brother.
Freddie dies.
Brian goes on to boast about how he wrote all of Innuendo himself... he had to, afterall Freddie said, in his drunken stuper "just bring me any old shit, I'll sing it."
Truth = 60% of Innuendo (at minimum) = Freddie Mercury.
Peace,
Adam.[/QUOTE]
Because he is in the public eye, and we are interested.
If "in public" Paul McCartney or John Lennon ever critisized the other of "at this point, it was all John/Paul could do just to pour vodka to get drunk on" we'd hang the fucker!
Yet Brian talks shit all the time.
He'll downplay Bo Rhap, then go on to rave about how awesome "39" is....
He'll say he was suprised that "Don't Stop me now" is rated so high among the fans... but then knock his shoulder out of socket to pat his own back about the **amazing** "tear it up".
Brian has said on no less then 10 occasions about Freddie's pain and continiously drinking vodka during the Innuendo sessions.
Does he sound more drunk to you on Days of Our Lives or TSMGO??
I think... that even in his gravely ill condition, Freddie pushed through, didn't say a word about how he was feeling, tried to write the best music of his career, and sing his absolute best...
(I wanna be the leader) Brian says to himself "Damn, even sick as hell, this guy is still showing me up, and calling the shots"
Brian lets it go...because not taking away anything from Brian, he's a phenominal musician, and no doubt cared for Freddie as if a blood brother.
Freddie dies.
Brian goes on to boast about how he wrote all of Innuendo himself... he had to, afterall Freddie said, in his drunken stuper "just bring me any old shit, I'll sing it."
Truth = 60% of Innuendo (at minimum) = Freddie Mercury.
[QUOTE][QUOTENAME]Scott_Mercury wrote: [/QUOTENAME]
He'll downplay Bo Rhap, then go on to rave about how awesome "39" is....
[/QUOTE]
Yeah he says its shit all the time....
[QUOTE][QUOTENAME]Scott_Mercury wrote: [/QUOTENAME]but then knock his shoulder out of socket to pat his own back about the **amazing** "tear it up".[/QUOTE]
Can't say I have ever heard Brian refer to Tear It Up as "amazing"
[QUOTE][QUOTENAME]Scott_Mercury wrote: [/QUOTENAME]
Does he sound more drunk to you on Days of Our Lives or TSMGO??
[/QUOTE]
I don't recall every reading anything where anybody stated that Freddie was drunk.
[QUOTE][QUOTENAME]Scott_Mercury wrote: [/QUOTENAME](I wanna be the leader) Brian says to himself "Damn, even sick as hell, this guy is still showing me up, and calling the shots"
[/QUOTE]
Pure speculation on your part....
[QUOTE][QUOTENAME]Scott_Mercury wrote: [/QUOTENAME]Brian goes on to boast about how he wrote all of Innuendo himself... he had to, afterall Freddie said, in his drunken stuper "just bring me any old shit, I'll sing it."
[/QUOTE]
Exactly where has Brian ever proclaimed to have written all of Innuendo himself?
He'll downplay Bo Rhap, then go on to rave about how awesome "39" is....
[/QUOTE]
Yeah he says its shit all the time....
[QUOTE][QUOTENAME]Scott_Mercury wrote: [/QUOTENAME]but then knock his shoulder out of socket to pat his own back about the **amazing** "tear it up".[/QUOTE]
Can't say I have ever heard Brian refer to Tear It Up as "amazing"
[QUOTE][QUOTENAME]Scott_Mercury wrote: [/QUOTENAME]
Does he sound more drunk to you on Days of Our Lives or TSMGO??
[/QUOTE]
I don't recall every reading anything where anybody stated that Freddie was drunk.
[QUOTE][QUOTENAME]Scott_Mercury wrote: [/QUOTENAME](I wanna be the leader) Brian says to himself "Damn, even sick as hell, this guy is still showing me up, and calling the shots"
[/QUOTE]
Pure speculation on your part....
[QUOTE][QUOTENAME]Scott_Mercury wrote: [/QUOTENAME]Brian goes on to boast about how he wrote all of Innuendo himself... he had to, afterall Freddie said, in his drunken stuper "just bring me any old shit, I'll sing it."
[/QUOTE]
Exactly where has Brian ever proclaimed to have written all of Innuendo himself?
Post some quotes from the Innuendo era, Scott. I've seen quotes from Brian referring to Freddie for the MIH album where he downed vodka, and only for the song TSMGO from Innuendo. I'm sure Freddie was in pain, but to interpret Brian as painting himself as the leader is a stretch. Look at Freddie in the Headlong and Slightly Mad videos. There's nothing to him. For the record, Brian called Freddie's voice and efforts "superhuman" when he sang Mother Love. Doesn't sound like a guy looking to establish himself as a leader, unless you interpret it that he directed and got the vocals out of Freddie.
Brian doesn't like Bohemian Rhapsody or does not think its genious? Now that is a bit SAD
The "vodka drinking" that Brian refers to has always been during the Innuendo sessions... on VH1 Rock honors the other night, Brian referred to it while recording The Show Must Go On.
Lets make something clear.
Brian never directly says "I rule, I'm the leader" nor are any cuts of Freddie songs direct cuts.
They are...well...Innuendo's.
Brian is way too smart to make direct insults about Freddie or his songs... as lets be honest, Freddie to 99% of the world is Queen.... Brian knows this, and it no doubt bothers him.
So Brian will never say... "Freddie's song suck..mine are better"... he does say that....just in a polite, tasteful manner.
For example, "Queen Rocks" a compilation of Queen "rock songs" compiled long after Freddie's death... with control overseen by Brian, was a compilation of 18 Queen songs...13 written by Brian.
I don't think if the Queen fans were polled, this is the collection of songs that the fans would say "rock".... I think this is a Brian self serving album personally.
Brian seems to get very short when an interviewer wants to discuss the popularity of Bo Rhap.
Brian is very quick to tell anyone how weak and feable Freddie was the last years of his life and how Freddie just told them to "bring him anything, he'd sing it."
If Freddie truly did say in the last 3 years of his life "bring me anything, I'll sing it".... he must have been looking at a mirror when he said it, as he wrote at least half of the last 2 albums himself.
Lets make something clear.
Brian never directly says "I rule, I'm the leader" nor are any cuts of Freddie songs direct cuts.
They are...well...Innuendo's.
Brian is way too smart to make direct insults about Freddie or his songs... as lets be honest, Freddie to 99% of the world is Queen.... Brian knows this, and it no doubt bothers him.
So Brian will never say... "Freddie's song suck..mine are better"... he does say that....just in a polite, tasteful manner.
For example, "Queen Rocks" a compilation of Queen "rock songs" compiled long after Freddie's death... with control overseen by Brian, was a compilation of 18 Queen songs...13 written by Brian.
I don't think if the Queen fans were polled, this is the collection of songs that the fans would say "rock".... I think this is a Brian self serving album personally.
Brian seems to get very short when an interviewer wants to discuss the popularity of Bo Rhap.
Brian is very quick to tell anyone how weak and feable Freddie was the last years of his life and how Freddie just told them to "bring him anything, he'd sing it."
If Freddie truly did say in the last 3 years of his life "bring me anything, I'll sing it".... he must have been looking at a mirror when he said it, as he wrote at least half of the last 2 albums himself.
y would brian do something like that? when he said freddie drank vodka while recording, i think he wanted to tell the world how strong freddie was near the end and how badly he wanted to resume with singing and give the world more of their music.....brian always speaks so highly of freddie, and NO ONE was leader of Queen, not brian, not freddie, roger or john...if brian thought that he was the leader, Queen would have broken up
Scott, you are rushing headlong... You are getting worked up, but it is just you trying to figure out how Brian feels. You have too little knowledge about the situation to attack him.