Today, November 24, marks the 30th anniversary of the death of Freddie Mercury, the Queen's lead singer and one of the greatest rock & roll voices of all time.
"It would be so boring to be 70 years old. I have lived a full life and if I die tomorrow, I will not care, ”said Freddie Mercury many years ago.
Indeed, if he had lived, he would have been 75 years old today, and most likely he would have been one of the most bored elderly people on the planet.
Born on September 5, 1946, Freddie Mercury (Farrokh Bulsara, real name) lived a short life of only 46 years, while others could not live in two or three full lives.
Freddie Mercury is not dead, not really
Although Freddie's body died on November 24, 1991, after much suffering, the artist's spirit lives on in each of us. Yes, every time you open, for example, YouTube or Spotify and listen to one of the songs played by it, you pay homage to it and, for a few minutes, as long as the song lasts, you bring it back to life. Judging by the huge number of fans, older or newer, that Freddie has, I could say without a doubt that there is no time in the day when he is not alive.
And then, music is one of the most efficient machines of all time, so blessed be the one who grew up with Freddie Mercury's music.
A man of many talents
Freddie's four-octave voice is unmistakably unmistakable. In fact, it is said that if he had wanted to, he could have performed very easily even at the opera, his timbre falling between that of a baritone and that of a tenor, with a more alert vibrato even than that of Luciano Pavarotti.
Beyond his vocal qualities, few know that Freddie Mercury was also an exceptional graphic designer.
He is the one who gave birth to the famous Queen logo, a logo in which he used several symbols: a phoenix bird (it is not known why, maybe for "good") and the zodiac signs of all the band members (here it is easy to understand why).
Freddie is responsible for the release of The Sex Pistols
Punk fans already know: The Sex Pistols is (perhaps) the most important band of its kind. But did you know that if it weren't for Freddie Mercury, the angry pistol boys would never have met?
Of course, I'm not referring to the classical story in which an important name in music lends a helping hand to musicians at the beginning of the road. In fact, Freddie Mercury never liked The Sex Pistols, calling Sid Vicious "Simon Ferocious," which used to piss the punch off.
The fame of The Sex Pistols is due to the peculiarity of Freddie Mercury's teeth. It is said that, terrified by the hypothesis that a dentist might ever make the decision to remove the extra set of teeth he had, the Queen soloist avoided dental practices as much as he could. Mercury was almost certain that the success of his exceptional voice lay exactly in those extra teeth.
But as dental problems do not ask you when they come, he woke up in the position to visit, however, such a doctor's office. The visit coincided with the evening when Queen was scheduled to perform at Tonight With Bill Grundy in December 1976. On that day, Queen was replaced by The Sex Pistols, marking the beginning of followed and paved the way for subsequent success.
Live Aid (1986), a concert that no one will forget
Without a doubt, absolutely all the live performances of Freddie Mercury, in the "forehead" of Queen, are fabulous. However, one of them will always be remembered by fans as "that Queen concert that will never happen again." I'm talking about "Live Aid" (1986), the concert where fans at Wembley Stadium forgot to breathe.
"Under Pressure", the song that created history. Freddie Mercury's voice blended in perfectly with David Bowie's
The idea of a collaboration between Freddie Mercury and David Bowie came up one evening when Mercury helped Bowie carry the equipment on his way to a concert.
Years later, Queen and David Bowie recorded the iconic song "Under Pressure" together.
"Of all the performers, Freddie took everything to another level. It has exceeded its limits. And, of course, I always admire a man who has the courage to wear tight pants, ”said David Bowie years later.
It gave Princess Diana a chance to experience a night at a gay club
In 1988, Freddie Mercury allegedly dressed Princess Diana in men's clothing and took her to a well-known London gay club. According to Cleo Rocos, the Princess managed, even for one night, to feel what it is like to be an ordinary person and not constrained by the rigors of the Royal Family. Rocos, who was also present that evening, said that Princess Diana had a great time in Mercury's company. Later, the three would end their evening watching "Golden Girls".
Cats, more important to Freddie Mercury than humans
It's no secret: Freddie Mercury loved cats more than humans. As proof of the love he had for the furry little ones is the dedication written on his solo album, “Mr. Bad Guy ":" This album is dedicated to my cat Jerry. Also to Tom, Oscar, Tiffany and all the cat lovers in the universe. Damn everyone else! ”
He loved and was loved
While some claim that Freddie Mercury was gay, others are stubborn in believing that the artist actually liked both women and men.
Whatever the truth (not that it matters), Freddie was loved by many people, be they men or women. And he, in turn, loved Mary, who was his wife, and later, after his divorce, his best friend.
"All my boyfriends and girlfriends have asked me why I can't replace Mary. It's impossible. The only friend I have is Mary, and I don't want another. She was my partner, "said Freddie Mercury at one point.
In the latter part of his life, the artist entered into a relationship with the Irish barber Jim Hutton. The acquaintances of the two remember that Freddie and Jim used to wear wedding rings, although same-sex marriage was not legal in the United Kingdom at that time.
When Mercury learned that he was HIV positive, he would have urged Hutton to leave and not witness his suffering. "I love you, Freddie! I'm not going anywhere, "his partner replied.
Jim Hutton remained with him until his death, as promised.
The show must continue
"The Show Must Go On" was the last song Freddie Mercury ever recorded and released as a single just six weeks before he died.
As soon as Brian May finished writing it, he learned that Mercury was far too ill to play. When it came time to film the song, May decided to edit some older images instead of new ones. At that moment, Freddie Mercury would have said, "I'll do it, darling!" And so, he managed to film one last scene of the clip, the last one in his life.