Freddie Mercury – legendary, flamboyant, talented and fiercely private.
Tonight at 8.45pm, STUDIO Loves brings you an in-depth candid look at the man behind the rock star in Freddie Mercury – The Great Pretender.
To get you in the mood, we’ve pulled together a few tantalising tidbits for you on this complex and fascinating front man.
10 THINGS YOU DIDN’T KNOW ABOUT FREDDIE MERCURY
- He didn’t consider himself a particularly accomplished pianist, and always dreaded playing ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ during concerts as he was nervous he’d would ruin the song.
- Mercury’s assistants were required to have a pen and paper on them at all times in case inspiration hit unexpectedly. The lyrics for ‘Life Is Real’ began during a flight from New York.
- He was mentioned in Kurt Cobain’s suicide note.
- Mercury loved his cats, so much so that while on tour he would often call home and have the cats held up to the phone to ‘talk’ to him. He also had many portraits painted of them.
- His birth name was Farrokh Bulsara, and he only started going by Freddie whilst attending a boarding school for boys near Mumbai. He legally changed his name to Freddie Mercury in the early 70s, when Queen was formed.
- He collaborated with Michael Jackson, but the tracks were never finished due to Jackson bringing a llama into the recording studio.
- He reportedly wrote ‘Crazy Little Thing Called Love’ whilst sitting in the bath.
- Mercury was born in Zanzibar after his family moved there so his dad could continue his career at the British Colonial Office.
- His trademark ‘bottomless mike’ came about early in Queen’s career, when Mercury was apparently mid-show and his microphone stand snapped in half. Instead of having it replaced, he just continued using it, requesting it for every concert moving forward.
- He had a long-term girlfriend -Mary Austin – in the early 70s. After separating they remained incredibly close, leaving her the majority of his estate when he passed away.
