Episode 79 - Freddie Mercury Part 1: Having A Good Time

When you think of true Rock Royalty, there’s one name that comes to mind: Freddie Mercury - the man, the myth, the mustache. As the flamboyant frontman of Queen, he was a shooting star leaping through the sky, defying the laws of gravity and having a ball. But tragically, he would burn out far too soon. 

In this special 2 part episode, we’ll be exploring the real life of a Musical Champion and the terrible circumstances that led to his death on a quiet Sunday afternoon in 1991. If you're looking for a feel-good fantasy, go watch the movie “Bohemian Rhapsody.” This podcast may not be your bag. For the rest of you, grab your crown, raise your mic stand and get ready for a Killer time. 

In this first chapter, we cover Freddie's rise to the top of the Pops as the King of Queen. The band's worldwide success brought him fame and fortune and everything that goes with it. And by the end of the 1970s, his life revolved around sex, drugs and rock n roll. But unfortunately, there would be a heavy price.    

Transcript

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When you think of true Rock Royalty, there's one name that

comes to mind. Freddie Mercury: 0:03

the man, the myth, the moustache. As the flamboyant frontman of Queen, he was a shooting star leaping through the sky, but tragically, he would burn out far too soon. In this special two part episode, we'll be exploring the real life of a musical champion and the terrible circumstances that led to his death on a quiet Sunday afternoon in 1991. If you're looking for a feel good fantasy, go watch the movie Bohemian Rhapsody. This podcast may not be your bag. For the rest of you. Grab your crown, raise your mic stand and get ready for a killer time. This week on death and entertainment! Live from Los Angeles. 911. What is your emergency? Here in Hollywood now. 2 counts of murder, injury and death! Oh my God! Shocking new details that has stunned the entertainment world. Um, This makes me a little nervous. The hair stood up on my arms. Just like in the movies. What do you call this thing anyway? Death in entertainment!'ello deados! My darlings. Hello lovies! we got a litte bit of british today. Possessed by someone who I don't care. I'm broken. Kyle's out of pocket. What is going on everybody? My name is Kyle Ploof. My name is Mark Mulkerron. And I'm Alejandro Dowling. And we're discussing the lively life of Mr. Freddie Mercury. We have a crazy little thing called Kyle Ploof. here today crazy little thing called Dead Yeah. He's i Are you a big Queen fan? I feel like you weren't based on Oh, I'm a big queen, baby. Just a queen. Check out the skeleton in the background. Okay, hands on the hips very nice up. By the way, we still need to figure out this is the official mascot of the dye pod here. We've had some comments of people being like you need to name the skeleton behind us. And I don't think I've said it on the podcast yet, but my vote was for calcium Umberto. Oh, that's funny. Is it Kelsey? Bear tau? Yeah, so funny. I forgot to laugh well dedos keep brainstorming think of a name for our friend over there. Yeah, so Kyle has given you an example of what not to do. Exactly. Yeah, I lead by non example. Yeah, so send us an email do something else with it please. And we got a big episode here today is a very big episode. This is a suggestion from patron Yeah, Tiger Lily. Hey Tiger Lily Tiger Lily. We love you this. I mean Tiger little he's one of the biggest most vocal supporters out there. Die head alive. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Could be speaking about cat Freddie Mercury not alive. Yeah, that's a spoiler alert here. And die. No. Why don't we glide on over to November 24 1991? November 24 1991 Oh my goodness. I don't I kind of remember 1991 I do a little bit i It's weird because I remember buying the Queen CD best of Greatest Hits because I just wanted the song from Wayne's World. City Yeah, and I bought the whole best of my friends are like why you buy in if you're gonna spew spew into this tiny song gave me chills like, my arm hair was sticking up during it. Okay. It's a little TMI, my mom and friend of the show. Auntie Jill took me and my little cousin mark to go see Wayne's World separate mark. Different mark different Mark. Yeah, better mark for sure. I've met the spark also. Yeah, I believe this was the same year you saw 101 Dalmatians and laugh to your aunt for a different movie theater though. That was Braintree. This was Quincy center. And Quincy center had a movie theater. So yeah, there's a lot going on. In the world of movies, I actually saw two of these three movies at the Quincy movie theater. I'll go ahead and say number three was beauty in the beast? I saw that in the theater, Angela Lansbury. Other people who have like an encyclopedic knowledge of this movie Angela Angela Lansbury that's it Jerry or back yeah, oh Orbach as the candle the French candle oh the art is Did you know that was the guy from law and order? No wait what Jerry or back? I don't know Jerry or back but I know it was in like 1000 episodes. I know. I know. That was Sam Waterston. Yeah of course, but I for some reason is escapes me right now what his name was online or Oh, his character name is Karen. I don't know that much. Oh, my God. Not much. I'm bringing his picture up right now. Mark, you'll freak. I know Jerry Orbach was of course, but this is Garson. I had no idea. This was Garson. He was a multi talent, I guess. Yeah. He had Ranger this guy he the askers that Yeah. Are you kidding me? No. Wow. The organs. Yeah, he was awesome. Go to jail. Dirty Dancing. Yes. Calmed up. shot out of a cannon. Yeah. I'm gonna have to tie him down to the chair. I mean, down. It's not going well. Okay. Number two movie. Yes. Number two movie is Cape Fear. Martin Scorsese, Robert De Niro. Yeah, yeah. Terrifying. My favorite part of that one is when he's laughing his ass off in the movie theater. Like to like some kid. It's like Capri. Kyle when he goes to see you know? He's like, you know, he's like, like, with a cigar with a cigar. Yeah. classic scene. Yeah. And you remember what that movie was? That he's watching? What was it problem child? Like it they play a movie in that world. And Scorsese. He's such a, you know, a student of film when he put in something more historical as far as I can. Yes. He wanted it to feel contemporary. That came out the year before. Yeah. And I love that. It's his like, I don't give a shit movie after Goodfellas. Yeah, his most stylistic one since after hours, and it's a rare. It's a remake. I think it's just an exercise in him being commercial and just making a stupid suspense movie. Yeah, but it is very effective. Yeah. Okay. Number one. Number one The Addams Family. Oh, my God, we're back to the Addams Family. Remember last episode, we had to do the fake Addams Family to Oh, that's right. This is the real Addams Family movie. Yes, for real for real. I remember member we can go on to the spice channel. I remember that the the Battams family was on there. I was like wait a second. What's that? I know the Adam field I wonder what's the matter of it was like it was like when you kind of like go on to the porn channel and it was like snow. Yeah. And you get like a second of it. And just like try to like I think that's it? Yeah. I got a quick spot of the madams family. And I think, yeah, if you're a very young listener, and you don't remember the spice channel, that was the original smart channel you could get on your TV. Yeah. And I was the original YouPorn Yeah, I went to my cousin's house for her birthday party. And she was also my godmother, because she was like, 15 years older than me. And okay, let's give the full background everybody else. kaios family makes the Addams Family look normal. Back at Quincy center, everybody. This is Malden, Massachusetts, by the way, we're getting closer to the car family. Oh, yeah. North Shore. And I just remember they're like, just, I was the youngest one. I was like, I'm tired to like, go watch the TV. I turned on the TV. And it's the spice channel and it's just people fuck it. So they had a subscription. So they were allowing hurt my cousin's husband to live there with them. And when I turn that on, I went back in and I was like, there's bad stuff on the TV and everyone's like, Oh, fucking Danny. So we ordered I've never seen anyone ordered the spice channel. I just turned it Danny had it. Oh, what a sick, sick. Sick puppy. I did by accident once. Oh, man. It was the days when they do. Yeah. Listen, we're not your mom. Pay Per View. We're to replay it over and over all day was like a channel. Yeah, you buy like Bobo's afraid over here. nudity, then Bo is afraid. Yeah. Do you guys want to discuss the top three music right? I'm afraid so. Well, it's apropos because we're doing Freddie Mercury and you know who is a well known musician, musician, one of the best and lead singer of Queen number three song right now I love this song. set adrift on memory bliss by pm dawn. Some smooth r&b Right there do you know and it samples true by Spandau Ballet yeah there's definitely a sample. You can't find the song anywhere in iTunes or anything. It's it. They referenced Christina Applegate at it as like having a crush on her from which is weird married with chills Yeah, so another contemporary reference exactly why I'm picking up a trend here. Hey number true number true number two foot true. Okay, number two cream by print cream. This is when Prince went dirty yeah he went nasty like Christina would do in a decade let's get dirty smacking up alone you in the face. He's doing that but he's also he's also doing like the Batman soundtrack. So he's like yeah, sexy stuff but also kind of weird stuff. I mean, sexy This is full on about come Yeah. I don't know if that's the spice channel. Number one when a man loves a woman when a man loves a woman this is when keep his mind another now this is referencing office space please like it doesn't get better for my money. But then when he does what a man loves a woman. I mean, that is such a douche move to redo this song because it was perfect by Percy sledge. Well, what do you think? What else does Michael Bolton have in his bag of tricks and the fact that it was number one that just makes me sick? Not a Michael Bolton fan. But we were talking about a couple episodes ago how everyone used to you know, rerecord everyone's stuff back in the day. But it was more like you were saying contemporary is more like recent. But but instead of like picking up a song that was popular like 40 years ago, right and stealing it. It's a desperate move when you don't have any other ideas. Michael Bolton he's not like an individual artists. Now. He's not like Prince where like you're he has his own vision. He's a he's a fucking karaoke star. And you know who else he's not like? What? Freddie Mercury? No. Oh, Speak of the devil ready Mercury was born fo Roque fall Syrah on September 6, the 1946. in Zanzibar, why y'all familiar with this place? Now? Where's the island province off the east coast of Africa at that time under protection from the British Empire? So it was like action. It's like a colony? Yeah, they call it a protector. Okay, let's like America has right now. Just yeah, we'll protect you from other people taking you over like we did. Yeah. I mean, well, we'll take everything you got. Yeah, we'll protect your resources. Yeah. For us. We'll protect all your gold back in England. Just hold on to that for a second. Yeah. The Bullseye was moved from West India for his father's job at the British colonial office. He had one younger sister named Kashmira. And this was a strict Zorro. Zoroastrian, how do you say that Zorro as Zoroastrian maybe? I don't know. I've never heard this family which means they study that religion comes from the piracy community are known as piracies Oh, wow, this very convoluted Yeah, I know. Like we'll just keep going. Yeah, this religion also had early concepts of Heaven and Hell Dare I say every religion had that you would think so? So there was like a precursor to Christianity. You said it okay. Growing up for for rock. I never knew he had a different name. Though. Rock I spent a lot of time with relatives in India. He learned how to play piano and was well educated. So they weren't like a rich family but they were well to do with servants. They're well traveled or going from you know, off the coast of Africa to India. That's kind of a long trip. Yeah. They lived comfortably. Yeah. And at age eight for rock was sent to an all boys boarding school near Bombay. Now, modern day, Mumbai. Okay. There's so much so many updates all these places. Yeah. Well, the British colonies once they stopped taking over or, you know, God gave the land back. Basically, they changed some stuff up. And it was there that he started his first band known as the heck, Dix and they would cover rock and roll songs. He was always a fan of pop music, and he could actually replay songs from the radio on his piano. Oh, wow. So he he's like listening to British and American like, pop rock album. Yeah, whatever is on the charts. He louder, Richard. Yeah, Little Richard. Exactly. In fact, uncovered Little Richard in the haptics Oh, did he? Yeah, that makes sense. That's like he was. Well, some would say little was the first Rockstar even before Elvis. I would agree with that. Yeah. And this is where he adopts the name, Freddie. Freddie is born for any. Yeah. Freddie Bulsara. Freddy unleashed at age 18. He returned to live with his family and Zanzibar until the revolution of 1964. The next year in which the Salton was overthrown, and it became an independent republic. And wait for it, it joined with Tanka Nika and became Tanzania. Oh, these these names are gonna keep you on your toes this episode. Due to the violence and unrest the both Cyrus fled to central London, Fred, he studied graphic design at Ealing Art College, graduated in 1969. That same year, he joined the Jimi Hendrix knockoff band called ibex. So they would play the blues rock and roll that sort of thing. What what led to ibex? I wonder like the name yeah, I've tried to figure that it sounds like a tech company. Like a Silicon Valley startup. Sounds like something you wash your car window with. Yeah. Joined the newest cryptocurrency. So if you can believe it, Freddy Bulsara was a shy guy, basically an introvert. Yeah. And it was when he was doing his music that he would come alive. And he was still coming into his own as a singer. In the hit movie, where Rami Malek won an Oscar biopic which I which I like we've talked about, I enjoyed it. You liked it more than I did, but we'll get to that. Okay. They make it seem like he's auditioning for the band, and then goes like, ah, should be do it now. And then everyone is like, Oh, my God. I have never you should join the bar. Yeah. In reality, he was so so and was really learning how to project his voice. Yeah, he was apparently born with extra incisor teeth. Yeah, his teeth are wild. A lot. So he was able to hit a lot often. Yeah. They say like he could get really high get because of his teeth situation. Well, that's one of the reasons they claim he was like part orca or something. Or alien when he was from another world. He was just wondering, you know, when you have that much talent. Well, that is that's ballsy from the teeth. Yeah. The power comes from and he could eat a good steak. I betcha Yeah. Probably like three bites or something. Ready, slow down. Ready ate our porch again. Yeah. Friday stopping in the porch ready that you were. To make money. He worked as a baggage handler at Heathrow Airport. And he also had a stall at Kensington Market with friend and flatmate Roger Taylor. So he leaves cool, and he moves out on his own. He's like working like odd jobs and stuff. Yeah. And at this stall, which is basically like a stand is big flea market. They sold secondhand clothes. Oh, and this is also where he would dip into his own product. So he was always fashionable, but his own sense of fashion. Yeah, and very a drag on this. And this is also the height not the height, but probably the startings of glam rock. So like early 70s We're talking Yes. Yeah, this is around like 1969 1970 and in glam rock. It was cool to be a dry Janus. Yeah, in fact, what Bowie was getting bigger so yeah, and a lot of those guys that acted like they were gay. Were actually straight. Yeah, one guy said in one of the documentaries I watch he's like the gay you acted the hotter the chicks I bet you one guy just like he was like not getting any chicks at all. He thought he just kept trying. Yeah, it's just you buddy it's a dildo in his head. He's like saved USA. Oh, just kidding. It's mine. Like all right, creep. Pregnant some hours. Early actually starts doing guys. Yeah, take away too. I just imagine that chicks ironically. Fuck, man. I'm the friend that take things way too literal. Right that I'm gay. I flipped out the other side. So Roger Taylor played drums in a band called Smile which had changed his name from 1984 or, in fact, he was not in this but no, he was not in this band because that would make sense because he's got all those teeth. Smile, and Roger Taylor was studying to become a dentist. Oh wow. Maybe another reason for the name interesting. So smile was flirting with success but struggling to take off and Freddie's got his sights set, because Ibex is going nowhere. And he really digs smiles music. So by 1970 Ibex was history and then in smile, lead singer Tim Staffel. quit the band, leaving an opening for a new singer. Dun dun dun. It's really hard to find a good frontman. And he's such a unique person. I'm sure it took that band a little bit of convincing to know that like, that would be a good frontman idea. Yeah, it wasn't like the movie as I mentioned. No, it's not Yeah, well, everything is ridiculous bio picture like, you know, then they come up with, like, all the songs right there you like on the spot when they first meet each other? It's ridiculous. I know. Like they hear that baseline of a bomb bomb. What did you just say? I use a solid baseline you got there. I just had another one voice talking about a bug over there. Yeah, it's like we're just dusting the apartment. Hurry up at one. People getting booed. So Freddie swooped in after years of being on the periphery of smile. And then they auditioned several bass guitarists before landing on John deacon in 1971. And the last bass guitars before him, it was kind of cruel. They pretended like the band was just breaking up. He said, We didn't make it. We're just gonna disband. And it's like, oh, cool. Then he realized that they just were trying to get rid of him. They didn't want to make them feel bad. Well, I I've heard people doing that with like, improv groups. We're just like, you know, we're just gonna do our separate things. And then they just come back with a different name. Because they just want to get rid of one person. I guess it's nicer than facing reality. Yeah, I don't know. Just kicking someone out of like, a band. That means nothing. Yeah, at that time. Exactly. Yeah. Another thing that makes us no money, and it's just something on paper that we call it ourselves and not even getting books. You're out of it. But we're scared to tell you. We're firing you for making no money. Donald Trump didn't believe in that. Oh, you froze. You fade. Friday suggested they renamed the band smile to Queen. You got it gotta be he said. Simple, splendid. And regal. Darlene. Really? Well, that the androgynous stuff was really you know, kick it into high gear. Yeah. They were aware of the connotations at the time. But Friday was right. Simple, easy to remember and powerful sounding. Yeah, I would say just like Friday. Yes. Yeah. And he also changed his name, last name that is to Mercury, and the rest is history. In Roman mythology, Mercury is the god of commerce, communication, and fabulousness. So was it after the car insurance company know Friday also designed the Queen crest logo, because remember, he has the background and graphic arts Yeah. And the logo combines the zodiac signs of all four band members to lions for Leo, which are John Deacon the basis and Roger Taylor the drummer and that's me baby crab Leo. Oh, nice. Crab cancer, which is guitars Brian May and two ferries for Virgo, which is mercury. Yeah, the band was now ready for world domination. In the early days, Freddie was taking his androgynous style and then going even further with it. He stood out because everything was black and white flowing frocks and here we have a clip of the publicists from EMI records when he first noticed this band and where do you get a load of this guy? I was gonna say this fuck is he a piece of work? Oh yeah, who was showbiz? He should have been impacted by I'm really you know, one of the sisters. Luckily for me, I love to be where I played I had a very different look at you. There's a band called Queen you should come and beautiful would love to see new talent. I went to see him I think might be the marketing cover 105 And I fell in love for him. I thought these guys are gonna be big monster be Freddy stood out. He stood out for me was the star. He was a you know he loved it. I don't know if he's the old word charisma. Yeah, that guy's out of breath. Queen Gumby is as big as my tongue the gall of this guy you you pan out. He's like in his deathbed he is dead. I hope he can have some oxygen. Oh, did he die? Yeah, yeah. He died probably right after the interview. It was too much excitement for him. I think he choked on his own boobless Gotta love wacky guys. Well, you can only understand half of what they're saying. He's a weirdo out of breath guy, but he's sweating for some reason. But you know, he was excited about the band. You know, he's, he, they need you need people like that. You don't have that these days. To play for him. Yeah. I want him to say that about me. Like a manager for us. We no longer have revolting people out there that are like willing to, to backup your band like it's called. It's called time and so Queen released their self titled debut in 1973. Nothing much shaken with that the only single that really hit was keep yourself alive, which received some modest radio play in the UK, particularly by one DJ who played it over and over because he loved it. Their next two albums Queen two and sheer heart attack are finally where they generated the much needed hits. Seven Seas array and Killer Queen respectively. I remember killer queen, queen. Oh, man. So good. It is and I don't want to get off on a tangent. But that guy you just heard the EMI publicists. He claims that song is about him. It's actually about a call girl. But he's like, No, the thing is, I had a pretty cabinet at that time. And I remember Freddy once told me, he looked at me he said, I'm sad because I can't have you and I watched you. By the way back then I kinda was good. Look at him. Now. I couldn't get anything. And he was rambling. It's like, okay, nobody believes that song is written about you. Well, maybe Friday like you know, you know, kept him going like Yeah, yeah, it's about you. Like keep getting some gigs and stuff and he's probably the creeper they didn't pull me right. Yeah, they're all about you. And nobody else is saying that. Yeah, that was about me too. Fat boredom. So those those hits set the stage for the creative and commercial break through the masterpiece, A Night at the Opera in 1975. Queen spent weeks rehearsing the music in the English countryside and then about five months recording it in over seven different studios to him why why well complex multi tracking for the vocal harmonies 16 track tape to a 24 track tape so they use a lot more track some some of the equipment is necessary to do different songs and I've read that this is the most expensive album ever produced at the time of its release wow yeah they don't do shit like that anymore or the stuff that they do is cheaper but yet no has to be Wait no record companies paying like $2 million album anymore. Yeah for what the baby so weedy baby yeah. But in the movie the biopic they, they show them like laying over the tracks and then they just kept going was like and Freddie Mercury is like perfect. It was like super quick. But as we're seeing it's fucking seven different studios. painstaking, like three people died during the day probably sweating each other and they thought he was crazy. They weren't like Freddy, we love it. Yeah. Track Stallings about me right. That guy will be coming back. He shows up as a talking head documentaries where they didn't even realize he was. He just shows that manifests itself in it places himself. Talking tongue he sounds like a bridge Harvey's fine. Harvey Firestone tires. Yeah, talking about speaking in tongues. So A Night at the Opera is the epitome of Queen's eclectic style. You got rock, vaudeville, folk, Dixie, lamb pop and opera. Opera. Yeah. It was the first platinum album for them in the United States. The two major singles where you're my best friend, written by basis, John Deacon, by the way. Wow. And Freddie's magnum opus Bohemian Rhapsody, which he said was three songs in one and he didn't know what to do with them. So he just threw them together. Yeah, that was like, I think they did cover this in the biopic it was like they wanted the final version of that to be like, nine minutes or something. Yeah. And Emi was like, no, no, no, we're gonna cut it down like three or something. Yeah, they're like we can't play this on the radio. Yeah. unheard of to have a song that long, but it's so yeah. And then we have a clip of Roy Thomas Baker talking about a he helped ready make the song. Yeah, produce it. We got another big tongue guy. I love it ready for this? I've got this idea of a song and he sort of sat down and started playing the song and he stopped and said, Now Dears, this is where the opera section comes in. Oh my god. We get onto the rock part of the song when we started doing the opera section properly. Like he took a break from drinking champagne. We just kept adding blank tape to this thing and it got bigger and bigger and bigger. Yeah, he's complaining about this song that bought him this like golden piano. Yeah. And Elton John is jealous. Kind of like a Liberace setup. Like I don't know why I did. Another track from A Night at the Opera is love of my life, written by Freddie Mercury, rumored to be about his girlfriend, Mary Austin, both Apollo moon. You mean me? He first met her through bandmate Brian May who had been casually dating her. And she worked at this mod clothing store called Biba that he liked. He would buy clothes from there too. So he was buying a lot of clothes. He had his own store and then he was going to her store. Yeah, it seems like Biba has some some wild clothes, whatever they're selling is not something you'd wear to go bowling. No, you would wear it to front the band Queen. Yeah, I guess. Yeah. They became very close and even shared an apartment in West Kensington, London. Freddie later described their relationship as a common law marriage. Despite their love for each other. Freddie began an affair with David Mintz, an executive at Elektra Records, which was the label that handled Queen's American distribution. So in England, it was EMI in the United States, it was Elektra, so he's in love with this David guy, and also in love with Mary, but he's probably doing David more often, if you know what I mean. Yeah, I think one one for a night out to go to the Emmys and one for you know, a knighted side to play where's the Emmy? Yeah. Or hide the Emmy I should say. So found it. Others say love of my life was actually based on David men's. Mary and Freddy broke up in 1976 after he came out to her as bisexual, as seen that the movie so delicately demonstrates, yeah. Oh, God, it looks like Michael Jackson in this. Thinking about it a lot. I like oh my god. Sorry. I'll go back on that. No, no. You didn't miss anything. To me. Almost everything. Except your vagina. Oh, boy. Then David means is like, what do you want for me? Well, everything. Yeah. What do you got? Yeah, so in the claim, he's like, I'm XVA. Yeah, but that is a very common thing for someone who is gay, especially to their parents who let they feel like they're old school. They won't know what I'm going through. So they're like, Oh, I like men and women. So you still have a chance? Yeah. And it's like now we know. It's a he was a bit by though too. I have to say really? Yeah. A little bit pretty fluid. Okay. You're saying is fluid was pretty? Oh. And the other pet peeve I have about the movie is the teeth they gave him? Yeah. And the way the way he talks, it's just like it's so off putting they practically put Chiclets in his mouth. Yeah, he looks like Bucky Larson. Yes, we get the point. I don't think it's really necessary. No, I think just just play him as a person and not have to do these ridiculous mannerisms and stuff because he couldn't talk the whole time. He's like licking his teeth. Because he's got these really big fake teeth in his mouth all the time. Yeah. Anthony Kumi. I just watched a video on him today, where he was. He was holed up in a hotel when he was on the road speaking to maniacs Yeah. And he was watching PBS because there was nothing else on and they had the BGS cover band. The Australian BG is what they call it. And they had like a two hour spec tacular live concert. And he said all the guys in the band had like the fake buck teeth and while they were singing, it's like a weird looking ridiculous to beat these were Australian also though, right? So they're just a big band, but they thought they were British. I thought they were British too. They might be Australian. But regardless, they had everyone in the band from the drummer to the fucking keyboardist, and the lead singers fuckin snapping giant teeth in and they're all like, if I was a beat I hate that shit, man. Exactly. It's like luckily they're all of them except for one or dead. And I think that that'll finish them off I missed my family. The whole movie Bohemian Rhapsody it looks like one of those joke photos where you pose with the fake t shirt anyone and ask her so he gets the last laugh I know for real true. So after they broke up, Freddie bought Mary a flat nearby and they remained to the best of friends for the rest of his life. Quote, all my lovers asked me why they couldn't replace Mary but it's simply impossible. But were they actually good friends because the movie depicts a different thing where like they were neighbors who would call her but she seemed like super upset that was made up really Yes, but she was actually like, happy with it didn't have some insight into the movie should have been called Once Upon a Time in England. It was so inaccurate everything fired from Alejandro it's it's about as real is Lord of the Rings. Wow, that wasn't real. Zachary whose it was? And so in some ways, Freddy was hetero romantic. Yeah. And early girlfriend Rose said she knew he was gay when he became enamored with photographs of men wrestling, and in the nude at an art exhibition. Okay, it was just Andy Kaufman and Lawler. If that's your porn, like you got bigger problems. And in 1974 interview with New Musical Express, the reporter asked him if he was bent. And then Freddy replied your crafty cow. And he went on to do so weird. He declared, I am as gay as a daffodil my dear. Are you bent? Are you being? You want to bend my dick? And if you want to see some of his no interview styles, here we go. We go darling. Do you have hobbies? I have a lot of sex. Try and get out of that one. Living in a country? Well, I'm going to ask me about taxes. No. Listen, if you if you guys want to move around and shift your answers a little It's okay. It's okay by us. You can take all your clothes off we'd be like to sausage. I want everybody to get pumped all night every day just like I do. actually work in the studio when you for come together and everybody wants to bring his side of songs. Yeah, yeah. Well, we've for cockfighting guys getting nice. How would you describe yourself as an artist? Would you say that you are a very organized person, very spontaneous person. How would you say know myself as an artist? I'm just a musical prostitute by organized okay. So as you can see, I turned by fax. Yeah, yeah. Also just not taking the price very seriously. Yeah, he never said what the songs are actually about and didn't like giving interviews or revealing too much of himself. They never really outed him either. To they they didn't really need to people were curious, but it's weird. How many people thought he was straight because of the Mary Austin thing? Well, I'm sure the, the PR teams of the record companies, they had money then still so they actually did some work to do to make that case. And that was the time as I mentioned earlier, where there were an actual lot of straight guys prancing around, you know, like Ziggy Stardust and Mott the Hoople. And, yeah, later on people like Dee Snider and Twisted Sister. Yeah, but also there are fans that would refute the fact that he is gay because I remember when I was a kid, me and my friend went to like his family's fucking picnic or whatever. And the barbecue and someone put out Big John on over the friggin like CD speakers, whatever. Elton John comes over the speakers and the goodbye Yeah. Whoo, whoo. This drunk friggin Bostonian just goes with a bud lightness. And it goes if I can like Elton John before he was gay. Like, yeah, he was always gay. He just couldn't accept the fact that he was gay. And and he didn't officially come out to like, 1992. Yeah. So I'm sure they're like, they were Queen fans, especially 70s 80s being like, he's not gay and someone else's like, Yeah. And he's like, no, no. That's why he didn't come out. There was no benefit to doing it because they're doing world tours going all over the place. Yeah. And it would be better if they were just perceived as what people say on the clause as far as their political belief to because they don't want to lose like half of their audience. Yeah. It's like, it's also but it's different in this circumstance. It's just people that are like hateful or they wouldn't like you if they found you, but they don't want to do. Yeah, I feel like in that time, the earlier time people didn't want to be singing their songs if they found out they were about a guy. Yeah, exactly. Following the explosive success of a Night at the Opera Queen released the follow up a Day at the Races. Both Marx brothers movies, by the way, the titles late at the APA Day at the Races. And Groucho Marx called them up and wanted to meet them. Oh, wow. It'd be the weirdest meeting. So they did. And they gave him like a commemorative gold Pressey. Never the records or something. Yeah. And that's when he talked like this because he was like, 100 years old. Was Groucho. Yeah. Is. George Burns was there. look him up in the 70s. That was his shtick. He was really old. I heard like he was still a fan of like people that were coming up. I think I heard Robert Klein said Groucho Marx sent him a letter that says, Come out to Los Angeles. I'll buy you dinner. If I like you. I buy your breakfast, too. Then we're gonna have your bad day. Yeah, they get along very well. With this saucy talk. Groucho was also friends with Alice Cooper. Why it's so Day at the Races. That's where somebody to love came from touching on gospel now. Big hit. Then they followed that up with news of the World, the album, which was influenced by the Sex Pistols coming onto the scene, and they wanted to be a little more hard rock. There was a story which about Friday and Sid Vicious, where Sid Vicious burst into the studio one time and was like, I hope you guys are happy for bringing ballet to the masses. And then Friday call them like Stanley ferocious or something. And then pin them against the wall. It's like yeah, what are you going to do about it? Yeah, for any burglaries a big guy like he'll fuck you up. Like, especially Sid Vicious. I think those guys because they're crazy punk guys that you know, they could you know, people are afraid of them. Like they get you up there ask like funny burgers like six, five years. Yeah. And I love that I love that he wasn't afraid to be who he was, and that he wasn't going to take shit from people either. But that was what I think punk started out as it's like kind of cleaning out these big operatic rock bands and stuff with their big stupid tours and, you know, stupid tours. I'm not saying they're stupid, but like that, you know, like, you know, Toto and a lot of these other big bands that they found annoying. Yeah. Freddie Mercury will fuck you up and take you down which are those those two things combined? Yeah. Way worse. deadly combo. Buck. Yeah. And hell Fuck Yeah. Fuck yeah. So News of the World gave us We are the champions. And the beside we will rock you. Sports anthems. I love it. I was always fascinated that these big sports anthems played everywhere. Every game. Yeah. And it was written by a bonus actual people. Yeah, I seen it in his underwear. Yeah, and all the most macho bros are like we the chin. They're not very picky, though. Because another Gary Glitter. Yeah. Gary. Glen. Rock and roll. Yeah, Dan. He's the biggest fucking Well, he's gonna find out a file. Yes, yes. No, he's the biggest pedo this side of the Philippines. That's old. Hey, yeah, that's a pedophile. I always jock jams are created by some very interesting jocks don't really care. No, but also these days. They don't even care obviously who Freddie would be going to bed with. But I'm talking like in the 90s. Yeah, they followed that up with jazz, which does not have any jazz on the album by the way. And that gave us fat bottom girls and beside bicycle race. The album was released with a commemorative poster of naked women riding bicycles. I remember Buying that best of album and that oh, those pictures. I'm like What is like this is a very weird thing experimental. Yeah. And apparently when they returned to the bikes, the store had to change all the seats because the women were naked. No, Friday one of the seats taken off, so he could ride it. Like my uncle. I told that story before. Yeah, he wasn't gay. Left with his friend on a bicycle race across country came back. He was gay. I was like, we should have known because he didn't have the seat on the bike. Okay, nice. And you know what else is nice? The game their next album and 1980 gave us to number one hits. And we're talking in the US as well. Yeah. Major, major songs. Crazy little thing called love. And another one bites the dust made out. I think another one bites is one of my I started listening to that again after the movie because it's a great song. Yeah, one of the best baselines, yeah, alone to do. And then John Deacon gave us under pressure about a year after that. And that was an improvised session between Bowie and Freddie Mercury. They did a bunch of coke one night and they just started riffing, and that turned into underpressure. Whose album is that on? That's on heartspace from Queen, okay, but it was released as a single on its own before that album. Great song Sween has so many best rock songs. Best anthems. Yeah, so Queen accompanied each album release with the World Tour, which took them from Milwaukee, to Boston to Tokyo aiming him on the road, Freddie let loose and explored his sexuality. As his bandmates got married and became more family oriented. He became more gay oriented. Did you write that yourself and his look evolved to now he's wearing leather. Yeah, he's still got the mustache though. And like still give me these grow in the mustache? Yeah, didn't have a mustache in the early days. So he's really evolving here. Across the pond. His favorite hotspot was mineshaft in New York City. And this is an infamous members only leather bar located in the Meatpacking District. Okay, Kyle, we've set you up perfectly. I know I always went when I moved to New York City when I was in my early 20s I thought the Meatpacking District was like a slur term for the gay part of town and I'm not kidding Fire Island right yeah I'm not joke but this I imagined he hit up studio 54 Back in the day. Oh yeah, it was still going on that wherever the party was. Yeah, the dress code at mineshaft was anything from jeans uniforms, leather gear and jockstraps Yeah, no cologne or disco drag allowed sounds like we're Vito got caught in sopranos and in the video for it. Don't stop me now. Freddie proudly wears a mineshaft t shirt. He's got merch my Amazon merch Brian made good time having a good time. Brian May wasn't such a big fan of this song because he thought it symbolized Freddie's access. So that they didn't want they're like, alright, the gay stuff was cool, but let's not get too crazy. Yeah, he was going really gay at this time. Yeah. And then shootings. He was already pretty gay. And then he saw the village people and it's like, I'm gonna copy that look. So then he went even gay or and got like a policeman hat and sunglasses. And that that he had like his microphone was very unique. It was like a staff would always pull it out. Yeah, no, he Yeah. And then he made it into like, he looked like he meant like a character from he-man or something that had like a big staff. Yeah. Or something. That was his signature move with the microphone. Yeah. Yeah, out of the top. No, but not not just the mic itself. But he wanted like the base of a stand right now. It was definitely a different more unique look than a lot of what bands were doing around this time. And the other guys are doing their own thing. So they're not as outlandish so Queen really, right. Just had a huge hair. His hair was like fucking huge. It was like Marge Simpson was insane. And it's still like my son. Gray like that. Yeah, really grayish white, I should say. But yeah, so that band really, they were four pieces that became this whole. That's why there's so unique. Freddie's appetite was so voracious, sometimes he could hardly wait for the concert to be over. So he would get serviced while performing. And I have a clip from an audio book about Mr. Mercury. And this story is taken from a road manager over On 7879 When Queen became huge, Brady's appetite soared, he was nonstop sex and drugs. before a show after a show, even between songs, before an encore, he'd nipped backstage, at a few lines of coke get a quick blowjob from some bloke he just met, then run back to the state and finish the gig. The man had stamina for Freddie, and for the rest of Queen, there was to be no let up in their hectic schedules. So what's the problem? Yeah, sounds like typical Rockstar behavior. I hate the way it's a sheduled shadow schedule. sheduled. Darling, we created the language. So he happily adopted a hedonistic lifestyle, quote, excess is part of my nature. dullness is a disease. I was not made for staying indoors and watching television. I like to have sexual intercourse all the time. He allegedly went to bed with hundreds of men, was the promiscuity there to cure his loneliness. And I mean, I'm surprised if it's hundreds. It's gotta be 1000s. Yeah, no, I mean, hundreds and 1978. Oh, Justin. No, I'm just kidding. I don't Yeah, no, it had to be 1000. It had to be. Well, I think he's used to being alone. Because he's like, you know, he came from a different background. He just plopped right into London. You're just like, you always feel like an outsider. Probably at that. Top of the party. He's gay, which I'm sure it just made a wilder form. And he was not forthcoming about his background ever that he was for rockball Syrah or Zanzibar. Does he even talk to his parents? Really? They get along all right, there's a lot they don't know. Yeah, I bet he wasn't forthcoming he was back coming. Besides sex and rock and roll there was also drugs. I bet at the clubs all kinds of candy was passed around including coke acid Quay lewd second novel and ecstasy, which were labeled as happy pills and sold for $10 a pop. God I wish I was born at this time. Yeah. The drugs are the sex. Yup. Yes, yes, yes. Ready also through his own debaucherous parties that were legendary. At the launch party for the album jazz, which was on Halloween in New Orleans. There were strippers, snake charmers nude waitstaff a man biting off chickens heads, wrestling models, 30,000 pounds worth of champagne pounds, I believe in the British sense. The currency. Yeah. And get this for the finale. Dwarves in G strings with plates of cocaine strapped to their heads. I need this. And this is what Sacha Baron Cohen wanted to portray in his version of the Freddie Mercury biopic. Yeah, we talked about that. I that would have been great. I bet. They clearly they had a different more wholesome vision for the movie. They made a family film PG 13. Yeah. Where nothing is accurate. Yeah, we made it fairly in Dallas Sacha Baron Cohen was in the running to do Brian. Yeah. But very seriously, he came close to doing the movement be great. But the problem was I'll with a lot of these biopics is the band owns all the songs. So whatever they want, they're gonna hang those those songs over the head of that, like Madonna that they almost did that biopic before she killed that. So like, they're gonna do whatever they want. They want to include their own, you know, personas into this movie to where the real story is you Freddie Mercury in the dwarf dwarf cocaine's you're getting there right now. Yeah, real story. Yeah, exactly. From the late 70s to the mid 80s. Freddy split his time between London and Munich, a place he particularly loved because he could live in peace and quiet. And also the city's nightlife was one big playground for him. One of His pastimes in Munich involved a group of young men who would be led into his room, and then they would parade around wearing nothing but women's hats. Oh, and then he would choose one or two of them to be his companion or companions for the night. Imagine if Hitler knew this was going on. Missing Yeah, exactly. He might actually be down with this stuff. His routine would be to record music and then go hit the party scene Friday through an epic 39th birthday party at Henderson's nightclub, his favorite dance spot in Munich. The affair was something out of a Fellini film, black and white dress code. flamenco dancers ballerinas performers dressed up like true rolls ogres and thieves. That sounds like a share song. Yeah, there were fireworks and for the finale, another dwarf this time he's covered in Pate, and nothing else. And he would shake every time somebody stuck their doll knife into him. Okay, let's just move on. Yeah, I don't know what to make of London, he would often go to heaven, which, of course, is a gay nightclub, the most popular one there. And they had an adjoining leather bar called the cellar, which was a dark room where anything goes, she's down on the rest of the plane. You see someone blowing a dude by the bathroom, like you should see this salary. But people really let their hair down. So, at this time, he's got the full on what is called the clone look, which was just that masculine moustache. Look that gay men adopted in the 1980s. And it was heaven, the nightclub where Freddie was chatting with a handsome flight attendant from Quebec one night. They had previously been introduced in New York City by a mutual acquaintance. His name was gay time do guy. Although their conversation was brief. Little did Freddie know that he was the man who would be dubbed patient zero of the AIDS epidemic. No fucking way. Wait, what? He was infected by patient zero. No way. We'll find out next week. No, but I don't I don't know. I don't I don't know how I'm gonna vote. Or let's hear. To be continued. This has been a production of death in entertainment. Join us again next week to hear the riveting final chapter in the remarkable life of Freddie Mercury. Please add it to your schedule. Cheerio.