Freddie is the king Article: 1975

There is no light. Only the red lights of the amplifiers are illuminated. Suddenly a scream: "Now I'm here." A white spotlight points like a finger at singer Freddie Mercury on the right side of the stage. Again silence, darkness. "Now I'm there." The spotlight shines on the left. Then Queen launches into their set: 89 spotlights illuminate the stage in green, yellow, red, and blue. Drummer Roger Taylor, lead guitarist Brian May, and bassist John Deacon unleash a hell of a sound. And right in the middle, like a king all in white with a flowing silk bolero: Freddie Mercury. Even his fingernails are painted white.

Two Pages Bravo Magazine January 1975

For Freddie, these details are important. He's a perfectionist. In the second half of the concert, he appears head to toe in black: black cape, black nail polish, black socks and shoes. Woe betide any roadie who forgets part of his wardrobe and doesn't have his socks with him; it could cost him his job. And should the lighting technician miss his cue, he might as well apply to a new band right after the concert...

Freddie isn't always gentle with his friends either. In April, Queen were on an American tour. Between two concerts, lead guitarist Brian May collapsed: jaundice. Queen had to take a break. As soon as Brian was healthy again, Freddie wanted to go into the recording studio and tour Germany

But Brian had to go back to the hospital: this time with a stomach ulcer. "That set us back a year. We could be much more famous by now," says Freddie. "I even considered finding a new guitarist."

Brian's luck was that he's not easily replaceable. He also composed his best songs in the hospital, including "Now I'm Here." And he built himself a new guitar on which he can produce sounds like a synthesizer.

Freddie realized: "Basically, this enforced break wasn't so bad for us. We can now get back to work full steam ahead. Unfortunately, Brian still has to stick to a strict diet and conserve his energy. He can't let us collapse again. We'll make it in 1975, even if it means fighting tooth and nail."

Freddie inherited his iron will from his father. He was a civilian employee in the British Army and stationed on the island of Zanzibar off the east coast of Africa when Freddie was born on September 5, 1946. Freddie grew up in India, then moved to England with his parents. There he studied painting, composition, and piano. "I earned my first money selling my own paintings in London until 1970 when I met Brian, John, and Roger again. We had met at university. We decided to try our luck as musicians. And I think we're well on our way to doing that now."

K. E. Siegfried