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107-875: Dave Marsh (born 1949 or 1950) is an American music critic and radio talk show host. He was an early editor of Creem magazine, has written for various publications such as Newsday , The Village Voice , and Rolling Stone , and has published numerous books about music and musicians, mostly focused on rock music . He is also a committee member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame . Marsh grew up in Pontiac, Michigan , and graduated from Waterford Kettering High School in Waterford, Michigan . He attended Wayne State University in Detroit before dropping out in 1969 to write for Creem magazine. Marsh began his career as

214-494: A 1985 interview, he said of Austin: "All my lovers asked me why they couldn't replace Mary, but it's simply impossible. The only friend I've got is Mary, and I don't want anybody else. To me, she was my common-law wife . To me, it was a marriage. We believe in each other, that's enough for me." Mercury's final home, Garden Lodge , an 8-bedroom Georgian mansion in Kensington set in a quarter-acre manicured garden surrounded by

321-505: A 1986 interview, "I hate doing the same thing again and again and again. I like to see what's happening now in music, film and theatre and incorporate all of those things." Compared to many popular songwriters, Mercury also tended to write musically complex material. For example, "Bohemian Rhapsody" is non-cyclical in structure and comprises dozens of chords . He also wrote six songs from Queen II which deal with multiple key changes and complex material. "Crazy Little Thing Called Love", on

428-647: A British-style boarding school for boys, in Panchgani near Bombay . Inheriting his father's interest in philately , between 9 and 12 years old Mercury collected stamps, many of which were from the British Commonwealth. One of the rare personal possessions of Mercury in museum ownership, his stamp album is displayed in the collection of the Postal Museum in London. At the age of 12, he formed

535-613: A London restaurant in November 1975, was a frequent diner at Mercury's home in Garden Lodge. Mercury was a long-time friend of Elton John . Shortly before his own death in November 1991, Mercury ordered that a watercolour by John's favourite artist, the 19th-century English impressionist painter Henry Scott Tuke , be given to John on Christmas Day. In a 2021 interview, John recalled: "Here was this beautiful man, dying from AIDS, and in his final days, he had somehow managed to find me

642-406: A commendable job of stretching into uncharted territory". His second album, Barcelona , recorded with Spanish soprano vocalist Montserrat Caballé , combines elements of popular music and opera. Many critics were uncertain what to make of the album; one referred to it as "the most bizarre CD of the year". The album was a commercial success, and the album's title track debuted at No. 8 in

749-402: A completely different man." On this contrast to "his larger-than-life stage persona", BBC music broadcaster Bob Harris adds he was "lovely, bright, sensitive, and quite vulnerable." While on stage, Mercury basked in the love from his audience. Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain 's suicide note mentions how he admired and envied the way Mercury "seemed to love, relish in the love and adoration from

856-505: A demo of " State of Shock ", "Victory", and "There Must Be More to Life Than This". None of these collaborations were officially released at the time, although bootleg recordings exist. Jackson went on to record the single "State of Shock" with Mick Jagger for the Jacksons ' album Victory . Mercury included the solo version of "There Must Be More to Life Than This" on his Mr. Bad Guy album. "There Must Be More to Life Than This"

963-611: A doctor in New York City to get a white lesion on his tongue checked (which might have been hairy leukoplakia , one of the first signs of an infection) a few weeks before Queen's final American appearance with Mercury on Saturday Night Live on 25 September 1982. They also stated that he had associated with someone who was recently infected with HIV on the same day of their final US appearance, when he began to exhibit more symptoms. In October 1986, two months after Mercury's final live performance with Queen at Knebworth House on

1070-434: A documentary film directed by Rhys Thomas on Mercury's attempts to forge a solo career, premiered on BBC One . In 1986, Mercury recorded two songs for Dave Clark 's West End sci-fi musical Time . Mercury performed the title song and Clark played it to Laurence Olivier who starred as the hologram Akash in a pre-filmed segment for the musical in what was one of his last roles, with Clark recalling: "Laurence Olivier

1177-551: A flat above the Dovedale Towers, a pub on Penny Lane in Liverpool's Mossley Hill district. When this band failed to take off, he joined an Oxford -based band, Sour Milk Sea , but by early 1970 this group had broken up as well. In April 1970, Mercury teamed up with guitarist Brian May and drummer Roger Taylor, to become lead singer of their band Smile . They were joined by bassist John Deacon in 1971. Despite

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1284-537: A great deal of participation from the crowd. A writer for The Spectator described him as "a performer out to tease, shock and ultimately charm his audience with various extravagant versions of himself." David Bowie , who performed at the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert and recorded the song " Under Pressure " with Queen, praised Mercury's performance style, saying: "Of all the more theatrical rock performers, Freddie took it further than

1391-477: A high brick wall, was picked out by Austin. Austin married the painting artist Piers Cameron; they have two children. Mercury was the godfather of her older son, Richard. In his will, Mercury left his London home to Austin, having told her, "You would have been my wife, and it would have been yours anyway." From 1979 to 1985, while living in Munich , Mercury was friends with Austrian actress Barbara Valentin , who

1498-580: A lovely Christmas present". While some commentators said Mercury hid his sexual orientation from the public, others said he was "openly gay ". In December 1974, when asked directly, "So how about being bent?" by the New Musical Express , Mercury replied, "You're a crafty cow. Let's put it this way: there were times when I was young and green. It's a thing schoolboys go through. I've had my share of schoolboy pranks. I'm not going to elaborate further." Homosexual acts between adult males over

1605-426: A new generation of critics began to widen their consideration to other aspects of music than its pure representative aspects, becoming increasingly interested in instrumental music. Prominent amongst these was E. T. A. Hoffmann , who wrote in 1809 That instrumental music has now risen to a level of which one probably had no inkling not long ago and that the symphony , especially following...Haydn and Mozart, has become

1712-507: A number of Queen songs on the instrument. From the early 1980s Mercury began extensively using guest keyboardists. Most notably, he enlisted Fred Mandel (a Canadian musician who also worked for Pink Floyd , Elton John , and Supertramp ) for his first solo project. From 1982 Mercury collaborated with Morgan Fisher (who performed with Queen in concert during the Hot Space leg), and from 1985 onward Mercury collaborated with Mike Moran (in

1819-414: A possible Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction for Kiss , Marsh said: "Kiss is not a great band. Kiss was never a great band. Kiss never will be a great band, and I have done my share to keep them off the ballot." Kiss were ultimately inducted in 2014; in the lead-up, Marsh said: "I was done with them before I ever turned the first album over to the second side... all that mediocrity was harmless enough until

1926-428: A register to another. He also had a great musicality. His phrasing was subtle, delicate and sweet or energetic and slamming. He was able to find the right colouring or expressive nuance for each word. The Who lead singer Roger Daltrey described Mercury as "the best virtuoso rock 'n' roll singer of all time. He could sing anything in any style. He could change his style from line to line and, God, that's an art. And he

2033-517: A rock critic and editor at Creem , which he helped start. At Creem , he was mentored by close friend and colleague Lester Bangs . While supportive of punk music in general, he said in a 2001 interview that "I don't know that it was any more important than disco ", and believes hip hop is more significant than punk in the history of rock music. He has written extensively about his favorite artists, including Marvin Gaye , whose song " I Heard It Through

2140-536: A rock singer brought in to imitate Mercury's singing voice. Mercury wrote 10 of the 17 songs on Queen's Greatest Hits album: " Bohemian Rhapsody ", " Seven Seas of Rhye ", " Killer Queen ", " Somebody to Love ", " Good Old-Fashioned Lover Boy ", " We Are the Champions ", " Bicycle Race ", " Don't Stop Me Now ", " Crazy Little Thing Called Love ", and " Play the Game ". In 2003 Mercury was posthumously inducted into

2247-568: A school band, the Hectics , and covered rock and roll artists such as Cliff Richard and Little Richard . One of Mercury's former bandmates from the Hectics has said "the only music he listened to, and played, was Western pop music". A friend recalls that he had "an uncanny ability to listen to the radio and replay what he heard on piano". It was also at St. Peter's where he began to call himself "Freddie". In February 1963, he moved back to Zanzibar where he joined his parents at their flat. In

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2354-421: A singer—he was just my mate. My crazy mate! If there was fun to be had, Freddie and I were usually involved." He also held a job as a baggage handler at Heathrow Airport . Other friends from the time remember him as a quiet and shy young man with a great interest in music. In 1969, he joined Liverpool -based band Ibex, later renamed Wreckage, which played "very Hendrix -style, heavy blues". He briefly lived in

2461-640: A small house at 22 Gladstone Avenue in late October. After first studying art at Isleworth Polytechnic in West London , Mercury studied graphic art and design at Ealing Art College , graduating with a diploma in 1969. He later used these skills to design heraldic arms for his band Queen. Following graduation, Mercury joined a series of bands and sold second-hand Edwardian clothes and scarves in Kensington Market in London with Roger Taylor . Taylor recalls, "Back then, I didn't really know him as

2568-537: A stylised letter Q, the crab rests atop the letter with flames rising directly above it, and the fairies are each sheltering below a lion. A crown is shown inside the Q, and the whole logo is over-shadowed by an enormous phoenix . The Queen crest bears a passing resemblance to the Royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom , particularly with the lion supporters. Although Mercury's speaking voice naturally fell in

2675-473: A systematic or consensus-based musical aesthetics has also tended to make music criticism a highly subjective issue. "There is no counter-check outside the critic's own personality." Critical references to music (often deprecating performers or styles) can be found in early literature, including, for example, in Plato 's Laws and in the writings of medieval music theorists . According to Richard Taruskin ,

2782-496: A television program called "The World's Greatest Gigs". Mercury's powerful, sustained note during the a cappella section came to be known as "The Note Heard Round the World". In reviewing Live Aid in 2005, one critic wrote, "Those who compile lists of Great Rock Frontmen and award the top spots to Mick Jagger , Robert Plant , etc. all are guilty of a terrible oversight. Freddie, as evidenced by his Dionysian Live Aid performance,

2889-481: Is dedicated to supporting research in the treatment and cure of sarcoma, as well as improving the lives of young adult cancer patients and their families. Marsh is also a member of the National Advisory Board of PROTECT : The National Association to Protect Children. Music critic With the concurrent expansion of interest in music and information media since the turn of the 20th century,

2996-459: Is featured in the video for " It's a Hard Life ", and initially lived together with her and her daughter before moving into his own apartment. In Munich, Mercury was able to escape the media spotlight, lived out his sexuality, drifted in the local gay scene, and had an intense love relationship with German restaurateur Winfried "Winnie" Kirchberger. Mercury also lived temporarily at Kirchberger's apartment and thanked him "for board and lodging" in

3103-747: Is included in the 1982 album Hot Space . Mercury did occasionally express his concerns about the state of the world in his lyrics. His most notable "message" songs are "Under Pressure", " Is This the World We Created...? " (a song which Mercury and May performed at Live Aid, and also featured in Greenpeace – The Album ), " There Must Be More to Life Than This ", " The Miracle " (a song May called "one of Freddie's most beautiful creations") and " Innuendo ". Mercury cared for at least ten cats throughout his life, including: Tom, Jerry, Oscar, Tiffany, Dorothy, Delilah, Goliath, Miko, Romeo, and Lily. He

3210-565: Is probably the last time." With the British national anthem " God Save the Queen " playing at the end of the concert, Mercury's final act on stage saw him draped in a robe, holding a golden crown aloft, bidding farewell to the crowd. As a young boy in India, Mercury received formal piano training up to the age of nine. Later on, while living in London, he learned guitar. Much of the music he liked

3317-576: The Allgemeine musikalische Zeitung , edited by Friedrich Rochlitz (1769–1842), began publication in Leipzig , and this is often regarded as the precursor of a new genre of criticism aimed at a wider readership than qualified connoisseurs. In subsequent years several regular journals dedicated to music criticism and reviews began to appear in major European centres, including The Harmonicon (London 1823–33), The Musical Times (London, 1844-date),

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3424-688: The Revue et gazette musicale de Paris (Paris 1827–1880, founded by François-Joseph Fétis ), the Berliner allgemeine musikalische Zeitung founded in 1825 by A.M. Schlesinger and edited by A. B. Marx , and the Neue Zeitschrift für Musik founded in 1834 in Leipzig by Robert Schumann and Friedrich Wieck , and later edited by Franz Brendel . Other journals at this period also began to carry extensive writings on music: Hector Berlioz wrote for

3531-632: The MC5 album Kick Out the Jams . Marsh's third Sirius program, the political talk show Live From the Land of Hopes and Dreams , airs Sunday afternoons on Sirius Left , channel 146 and America Left , channel 167 on XM Satellite Radio . Marsh is a co-founder and trustee of the Kristen Ann Carr Fund, created in memory of his step-daughter who died in 1993 from sarcoma, a form of cancer. The fund

3638-680: The Parsi community of western India. The Bulsaras had origins in the city of Bulsar (now Valsad ) in Gujarat . He had a younger sister, Kashmira (b. 1952). The family had moved to Zanzibar so that Bomi could continue his job as a cashier at the British Colonial Office . As Parsis, the Bulsaras practised Zoroastrianism . Mercury was born with four extra incisors , to which he attributed his enhanced vocal range. As Zanzibar

3745-576: The Songwriters Hall of Fame with the rest of Queen, and in 2005 all four band members were awarded an Ivor Novello Award for Outstanding Song Collection from the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers, and Authors . The most notable aspect of his songwriting involved the wide range of genres that he used, which included, among other styles, rockabilly , progressive rock , heavy metal , gospel , and disco . As he explained in

3852-515: The Zanzibar Revolution , moving to Middlesex , England. Having previously studied and written music, he formed Queen in 1970 with guitarist Brian May and drummer Roger Taylor . Mercury wrote numerous hits for Queen, including " Killer Queen ", " Bohemian Rhapsody ", " Somebody to Love ", " We Are the Champions ", " Don't Stop Me Now " and " Crazy Little Thing Called Love ". His charismatic stage performances often saw him interact with

3959-415: The baritone range, he delivered most songs in the tenor range. His known vocal range extended from bass low F ( F 2 ) to soprano high F (F 6 ). He could belt up to tenor high F (F 5 ). Biographer David Bret described his voice as "escalating within a few bars from a deep, throaty rock-growl to tender, vibrant tenor, then on to a high-pitched, perfect coloratura , pure and crystalline in

4066-459: The 1750s, the Querelle des Bouffons (the dispute between supporters of French and Italian opera styles as represented by Jean-Philippe Rameau and Jean-Baptiste Lully respectively) generated essays from Jean-Jacques Rousseau and others, including Denis Diderot 's Rameau's Nephew (1761). The English composer Charles Avison (1709–1770) published the first work on musical criticism in

4173-426: The 1983 Rolling Stone Record Guide , Marsh called Journey "a dead end for San Francisco area rock", and their music "calculated". He awarded every single Journey album released up to that point – seven studio albums, a compilation album and a live album – the minimum possible score of 1/5 stars. When asked about Marsh's unrelenting derision of Journey on a 1986 television program during which other critics had defended

4280-569: The 1994 book Mid-Life Confidential , a book about and by the Rock Bottom Remainders , a rock band composed of American authors. He has also worked for Newsday and The Real Paper . Marsh's book 360 Sound: The Columbia Records Story — Legends and Legacy , was released in October 2012, as a companion to Sean Wilentz's book 360 Sound: The Columbia Records Story . In the same format as Heart of Rock and Soul , this book covers

4387-640: The 264 greatest songs from Columbia Records beginning with the 1890 performance of John Philip Sousa 's " Washington Post March " and working its way chronologically up to Adele 's " Rolling in the Deep " (2011). To promote the music of Columbia Records, Legends and Legacy is available as a free eBook on iTunes." Marsh has been characterised as a "grumpy rock and roll journalist" due to his acerbic comments on popular musicians whom he dislikes. In 1976, he wrote that Led Zeppelin had an "insurmountable flaw" in drummer John Bonham (who has frequently been named as one of

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4494-566: The English language – an Essay on Musical Expression published in 1752. In it, Avison claims that since the time of Palestrina and Raphael , music had improved in status whilst pictorial art had declined. However, he believes that George Frideric Handel is too much concerned with naturalistic imitation than with expression, and criticises the habit, in Italian operas , of that egregious absurdity of repeating, and finishing many songs with

4601-626: The Grapevine " he chose as the number one single of all-time in his book The Heart of Rock and Soul: the 1001 Greatest Singles Ever Made , and Sly Stone , whom he called "one of the greatest musical adventurers rock has ever known." Along with Rolling Stone magazine publisher Jann Wenner , Marsh has been involved in organizing and maintaining the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland , Ohio . Marsh has at times courted controversy with his style of maintaining selections. Marsh has championed

4708-823: The Mediterranean island had ever seen", and was attended by some 700 people. A cake in the shape of Antoni Gaudi 's Sagrada Família was provided for the party. The original cake collapsed and was replaced with a two-metre-long sponge cake decorated with the notes from Mercury's song "Barcelona". The bill, which included 232 broken glasses, was presented to Queen's manager, Jim Beach . Before his death, Mercury had told Beach, "You can do what you want with my music, but don't make me boring." Mercury exhibited HIV/AIDS symptoms as early as 1982. Authors Matt Richards and Mark Langthorne have stated in their biographical book about Mercury, Somebody to Love: The Life, Death, and Legacy of Freddie Mercury , that Mercury secretly visited

4815-606: The Parisian Journal des débats , Heinrich Heine reported on music and literature in Paris for the Stuttgart Allgemeine Zeitung , the young Richard Wagner wrote articles for Heinrich Laube 's magazine Zeitung für die elegante Welt and during his 1839–42 stay in Paris for Schlesinger's publishing house and German newspapers. The writer George Henry Caunter (1791–1843) was called "one of

4922-515: The Queen album Innuendo . Mercury dedicated his liner notes in his 1985 solo album Mr. Bad Guy to Jerry and his other cats. It reads, "This album is dedicated to my cat Jerry—also Tom, Oscar, and Tiffany and all the cat lovers across the universe—screw everybody else!" In 1987, Mercury celebrated his 41st birthday at the Pikes Hotel , Ibiza , Spain, several months after discovering that he had contracted HIV. Mercury sought much comfort at

5029-518: The Tracks. Marsh wrote: "The long songs, particularly, suffer from flat, tangled imagery, and the music, with all its hints at the old glory, is often incompetently performed. I suppose it's all a matter of what you're willing to settle for." Dave Marsh hosts three Sirius XM Radio shows, one called Live from E Street Nation , airing on E Street Radio and the second Kick Out the Jams , airing Sundays on music talk channel Volume . The title references

5136-694: The UK and was also a hit in Spain. The title track received massive airplay as the official anthem of the 1992 Summer Olympics (held in Barcelona one year after Mercury's death). Caballé sang it live at the opening of the Olympics with Mercury's part played on a screen, and again before the start of the 1999 UEFA Champions League Final between Manchester United and Bayern Munich in Barcelona. In addition to

5243-602: The active concert life of late 18th-century London meant that "the role and the function of arts criticism as we know it today were the creations of the English public." However, the first magazines specifically devoted to music criticism seem to have developed in Germany, for example, Georg Philipp Telemann 's Der getreue Music-Meister (1728), which included publications of new compositions, and Der kritische Musikus which appeared in Hamburg between 1737 and 1740. In France in

5350-410: The age of 21 had been decriminalised in the United Kingdom in 1967 , seven years earlier. During public events in the 1980s, Mercury often kept a distance from his partner, Jim Hutton. Mercury's flamboyant stage performances sometimes led journalists to allude to his sexuality. Dave Dickson, reviewing Queen's performance at Wembley Arena in 1984 for Kerrang! , noted Mercury's " camp " addresses to

5457-578: The age of 45. In 1992, a concert in tribute to him was held at Wembley Stadium , in benefit of AIDS awareness. As a member of Queen, Mercury was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001, the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2003, and the UK Music Hall of Fame in 2004. In 1990, he and the other Queen members received the Brit Award for Outstanding Contribution to British Music . One year after his death, Mercury received

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5564-441: The appeal behind Mercury's voice. Led by Professor Christian Herbst, the team identified his notably faster vibrato and use of subharmonics as unique characteristics of Mercury's voice, particularly in comparison to opera singers. The research team studied vocal samples from 23 commercially available Queen recordings, his solo work, and a series of interviews of the late artist. They also used an endoscopic video camera to study

5671-545: The audience and even described him as a "posing, pouting, posturing tart". In 1992, John Marshall of Gay Times opined: "[Mercury] was a 'scene-queen,' not afraid to publicly express his gayness, but unwilling to analyse or justify his 'lifestyle' ... It was as if Freddie Mercury was saying to the world, 'I am what I am. So what?' And that in itself for some was a statement." In an article for AfterElton , Robert Urban said: "Mercury did not ally himself to 'political outness ,' or to LGBTQ causes." Some believe Mercury

5778-450: The audience and knowing how to get them on his side. And he gave everything in every show." Throughout his career, Mercury performed an estimated 700 concerts in countries around the world with Queen. A notable aspect of Queen concerts was the large scale involved. He once explained, "We're the Cecil B. DeMille of rock and roll, always wanting to do things bigger and better." The band was

5885-457: The audience, as displayed at the 1985 Live Aid concert. He also led a solo career and was a producer and guest musician for other artists. Mercury was diagnosed with AIDS in 1987. He continued to record with Queen, and was posthumously featured on their final album, Made in Heaven (1995). In 1991, the day after publicly announcing his diagnosis, he died from complications of the disease at

5992-674: The band were Mr. Bad Guy (1985) and Barcelona (1988). His first album, Mr. Bad Guy , debuted in the top ten of the UK Album Charts . In 1993, a remix of " Living on My Own ", a single from the album, posthumously reached number one on the UK Singles Charts . The song also garnered Mercury a posthumous Ivor Novello Award from the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors . AllMusic critic Eduardo Rivadavia describes Mr. Bad Guy as "outstanding from start to finish" and expressed his view that Mercury "did

6099-481: The band, lead singer Steve Perry called Marsh "an unusual little man who all too often thinks that his subjective opinions translate to inarguable fact". Also in the 1983 Rolling Stone Record Guide , Marsh described Air Supply as "The most calculated and soulless pseudo-group of its kind, which is saying something". In 1989, Marsh referred to the Grateful Dead as the "worst band in creation". Regarding

6206-464: The boastful bassist decided to turn it into a propaganda machine for the only two things he's ever loved: Gene Simmons and money." Lead singer Paul Stanley described Marsh as "pompous", and pointed to his derision of Led Zeppelin and Queen as evidence that he had "no clue" about music. In the March 13, 1975 edition of Rolling Stone, Marsh was one of a number of critics asked about Bob Dylan's Blood on

6313-463: The crowd". Mercury never discussed his ethnic or religious background with journalists. The closest he came to doing so was in response to a question about his outlandish persona, he said, "that's something inbred, it's a part of me. I will always walk around like a Persian popinjay ", an oblique reference to his Indian Parsi background. Feeling a connection to Britain prior to arriving in England,

6420-406: The early-to-mid-1980s, they continued to explore their homosexuality and use drugs. Although they were never lovers, they did experience London nightlife together. By 1985, they had fallen out, and their friendship was further strained when Everett was outed in the autobiography of his ex-wife Lee Everett Alkin . In 1989, with their health failing, Mercury and Everett were reconciled. Mercury saw

6527-575: The film by Giorgio Moroder in collaboration with Mercury, and produced by Moroder and Mack ; in 1984 it debuted at the number 10 position in the UK Singles Chart . I won't be touring on my own or splitting up with Queen. Without the others I would be nothing. The press always makes out that I'm the wild one and they're all quiet, but it's not true. I've got some wild stories about Brian May you wouldn't believe. —Mercury on his solo career, January 1985. Mercury's two full albums outside

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6634-448: The fine china and the sugar lumps and we'd have a cup of tea." His flamboyant dress sense and the emergence of glam rock in the UK in the early 1970s saw Mercury wear outfits designed by Zandra Rhodes . When asked by Melody Maker in 1981 if rock stars should use their power to try to shape the world for the better, Mercury responded, "Leave that to the politicians. Certain people can do that kind of thing, but very few. John Lennon

6741-956: The first ever to play in South American stadiums, breaking worldwide records for concert attendance in the Morumbi Stadium in São Paulo in 1981. In 1986, Queen also played behind the Iron Curtain when they performed to a crowd of 80,000 in Budapest , in what was one of the biggest rock concerts ever held in Eastern Europe. Mercury's final live performance with Queen took place on 9 August 1986 at Knebworth Park in England and drew an attendance estimated as high as 200,000. A week prior to Knebworth, May recalled Mercury saying "I'm not going to be doing this forever. This

6848-438: The first musical critics in the metropolis [London]" . In 1835 James William Davison (1813–85) began his lifelong career as a music critic, writing 40 years for The Times . Freddie Mercury Freddie Mercury (born Farrokh Bulsara ; 5 September 1946 – 24 November 1991) was a British singer and songwriter who achieved worldwide fame as the lead vocalist and pianist of the rock band Queen . Regarded as one of

6955-416: The first part; when it often happens, after the passions of anger and revenge have been sufficiently expressed, that reconcilement and love are the subjects of the second, and, therefore, should conclude the performance. Typically, until the late eighteenth century, music criticism centred on vocal rather than instrumental music – "vocal music ... was the apex of [the] aesthetic hierarchy. One knew what music

7062-477: The first truly fascist rock band...[I] wonder why anyone would indulge these creeps and their polluting ideas." Marsh had previously described Queen frontman Freddie Mercury – who is regarded as one of the best rock singers of all time – as possessing a "passable pop voice". Marsh described Bob Seger 's 1980 album Against the Wind as "absolutely cowardly". He was much more supportive of Seger's earlier work. In

7169-411: The greatest rock drummers of all time), whom he saw as "something like clinically incompetent" and responsible for marring every Zeppelin album to date. Marsh wrote in 1978: " Queen isn't here just to entertain. This group has come to make it clear exactly who is superior and who is inferior. Its anthem, 'We Will Rock You', is a marching order: you will not rock us, we will rock you. Indeed, Queen may be

7276-509: The greatest singers in the history of rock music, he was known for his flamboyant stage persona and four- octave vocal range . Mercury defied the conventions of a rock frontman with his theatrical style, influencing the artistic direction of Queen. Born in 1946 in Zanzibar to Parsi-Indian parents, Mercury attended English boarding schools in India from the age of eight and returned to Zanzibar after secondary school. In 1964, his family fled

7383-463: The last seven years of his life, nursed him during his illness, and was present at his bedside when he died. Mercury wore a gold wedding band, given to him by Hutton in 1986, until the end of his life. He was cremated with it on. Hutton later relocated from London to the bungalow he and Mercury had built for themselves in Ireland. Radio disc jockey Kenny Everett met Mercury in 1974, when he invited

7490-516: The liner notes of his 1985 album Mr. Bad Guy . He wore a silver wedding band given to him by Kirchberger. A close friend described him as Mercury's "great love" in Germany. By 1985, he began another long-term relationship, with Irish-born hairdresser Jim Hutton (1949–2010) whom he referred to as his husband. Mercury described their relationship as one built on solace and understanding, and said that he "honestly couldn't ask for better". Hutton, who tested HIV-positive in 1990, lived with Mercury for

7597-457: The mid-1970s, he had begun an affair with David Minns, an American record executive at Elektra Records . In December 1976, Mercury told Austin of his sexuality, which ended their romantic relationship. Mercury moved out of the flat they shared, and bought Austin a place of her own near his new address of 12 Stafford Terrace, Kensington. Mercury and Austin remained friends through the years; Mercury often referred to her as his only true friend. In

7704-527: The most people would do something. Gigi's birthday was September 23rd. It fell on a weekend day, so, poof! We had a day." The Advocate said in May 2018, " Closeted throughout his life, Mercury, who was bisexual, engaged in affairs with men but referred to a woman he loved in his youth, Mary Austin, as 'the love of his life,' according to the biography Somebody to Love: The Life, Death, and Legacy of Freddie Mercury ." Additionally, according to an obituary Mercury

7811-537: The note C has nothing to do with breakfast or railway journeys or marital harmony." Like dramatic art, music is recreated at every performance, and criticism may, therefore, be directed both at the text (musical score) and the performance. More specifically, as music has a temporal dimension that requires repetition or development of its material "problems of balance, contrast, expectation and fulfilment... are more central to music than to other arts, supported as these are by verbal or representational content." The absence of

7918-399: The other hand, contains only a few chords. Although Mercury often wrote very intricate harmonies , he said that he could barely read music. He composed most of his songs on the piano and used a wide variety of key signatures. Mercury was noted for his live performances, which were often delivered to stadium audiences around the world. He displayed a highly theatrical style that often evoked

8025-424: The reservations of the other members and Trident Studios , the band's initial management, Mercury chose the name "Queen" for the new band. He later said, "It's very regal obviously, and it sounds splendid. It's a strong name, very universal and immediate. I was certainly aware of the gay connotations, but that was just one facet of it." At about the same time, he legally changed his surname , Bulsara, to Mercury. It

8132-404: The rest ... he took it over the edge. And of course, I always admired a man who wears tights. I only saw him in concert once and as they say, he was definitely a man who could hold an audience in the palm of his hand." Queen guitarist Brian May wrote that Mercury could make "the last person at the back of the furthest stand in a stadium feel that he was connected". Mercury's main prop on stage

8239-462: The retreat and was a close friend of the owner, Anthony Pike, who described Mercury as "the most beautiful person I've ever met in my life. So entertaining and generous." According to biographer Lesley-Ann Jones , Mercury "felt very much at home there. He played some tennis, lounged by the pool, and ventured out to the odd gay club or bar at night." The birthday party, held on 5 September 1987, has been described as "the most incredible example of excess

8346-641: The same award individually. In 2005, Queen were awarded an Ivor Novello Award for Outstanding Song Collection from the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers, and Authors . In 2002, Mercury was voted number 58 in the BBC 's poll of the 100 Greatest Britons . Mercury was born Farrokh Bulsara in Stone Town in the British protectorate of Zanzibar (now part of Tanzania ) on 5 September 1946. His parents, Bomi (1908–2003) and Jer Bulsara (1922–2016), were from

8453-461: The same time, the proportion of new music to 'canonic' music in concert programming began to decline, meaning that living composers were increasingly in competition with their dead predecessors. This was particularly the case in respect of the rise of Beethoven 's reputation in his last year and posthumously. This gave rise both to writings on the value of the 'canon' and also to writings by composers and their supporters defending newer music. In 1798

8560-540: The singer onto his Capital London breakfast show . As two of Britain's most flamboyant, outrageous and popular entertainers, they shared much in common and became close friends. In 1975, Mercury visited Everett, bringing with him an advance copy of the single " Bohemian Rhapsody ". Despite doubting that any station would play the six-minute track, Everett placed the song on the turntable, and, after hearing it, exclaimed: "Forget it, it's going to be number one for centuries". Although Capital Radio had not officially accepted

8667-479: The song, Everett talked incessantly about a record he possessed but could not play. He then frequently proceeded to play the track with the excuse: "Oops, my finger must've slipped." On one occasion, Everett aired the song fourteen times over a single weekend. Capital's switchboard was overwhelmed with callers inquiring when the song would be released. During the 1970s, Everett became advisor and mentor to Mercury and Mercury served as Everett's confidant. Throughout

8774-478: The spring of 1964, Mercury and his family fled to England from Zanzibar to escape the violence of the revolution against the Sultan of Zanzibar and his mainly Arab government, in which thousands of ethnic Arabs and Indians were killed. They moved to 19 Hamilton Close, Feltham , Middlesex , a town 13 miles (21 km) west of central London. The Bulsaras briefly relocated to 122 Hamilton Road, before settling into

8881-722: The stage version of the London musical The Rocky Horror Show at the Royal Court Theatre in Chelsea , and in 1975 went to see the film version , both of which starred Tim Curry . Curry and Mercury became friends, and as a keen horticulturalist Curry later told the UK edition of House And Garden magazine about designing Mercury's garden: "Freddie came back from a tour and said, 'The garden, dear, it's dead.' I said, 'What? Did you water it?' And Freddie said, 'Water it, dear?'" Both Mercury and Curry were also close friends with Peter Straker ; Straker, who first met Mercury at

8988-461: The studio) and Spike Edney (in concert). Mercury played the piano in many of Queen's most popular songs, including " Killer Queen ", " Bohemian Rhapsody ", " Good Old-Fashioned Lover Boy ", " We Are the Champions ", " Somebody to Love ", and " Don't Stop Me Now ". He used concert grand pianos (such as a Bechstein ) and, occasionally, other keyboard instruments such as the harpsichord . From 1980 onward, he also made frequent use of synthesisers in

9095-542: The studio. As well as his work with Queen, Mercury put out two solo albums and several singles. Although his solo work was not as commercially successful as most Queen albums, the two off-Queen albums and several of the singles debuted in the top 10 of the UK Music Charts . His first solo effort goes back to 1972 under the pseudonym Larry Lurex , when Trident Studios ' house engineer Robin Geoffrey Cable

9202-408: The studio. Brian May said that Mercury used the piano less over time because he wanted to walk around on stage and entertain the audience. Although he wrote many lines for the guitar, Mercury possessed only rudimentary skills on the instrument. Songs like " Ogre Battle " and " Crazy Little Thing Called Love " were composed on the guitar; the latter featured Mercury playing rhythm guitar on stage and in

9309-417: The term has come to acquire the conventional meaning of journalistic reporting on musical performances . The musicologist Winton Dean has suggested that "music is probably the most difficult of the arts to criticise." Unlike the plastic or literary arts, the 'language' of music does not specifically relate to human sensory experience – Dean's words, "the word 'love' is common coin in life and literature:

9416-470: The two solo albums, Mercury released several singles, including his own version of the hit " The Great Pretender " by the Platters , which debuted at No. 5 in the UK in 1987. In September 2006 a compilation album featuring Mercury's solo work was released in the UK in honour of what would have been his 60th birthday. The album debuted in the UK top 10. In 2012, Freddie Mercury: The Great Pretender ,

9523-465: The ultimate form of instrumental music – the opera of instruments, as it were – all this is well-known to every music-lover. A further impetus to the direction of music criticism was given by the changing nature of concert programming with the establishment of the European classical music canon; indeed it is at this period that the word 'classical' is first applied to a received musical tradition. At

9630-414: The upper reaches". Spanish soprano Montserrat Caballé , with whom Mercury recorded an album, expressed her opinion that "the difference between Freddie and almost all the other rock stars was that he was selling the voice". She adds: His technique was astonishing. No problem of tempo , he sang with an incisive sense of rhythm, his vocal placement was very good and he was able to glide effortlessly from

9737-553: The work of many rock and roll artists of the Fifties and early Sixties, including doo-wop and soul artists and girl groups, in his books and Rolling Stone contributions. Marsh also published four books about Bruce Springsteen , including the bestsellers Born to Run and Glory Days . Marsh has edited and contributed to Rock and Roll Confidential , a newsletter about rock music and social issues. The newsletter has since been renamed Rock and Rap Confidential . Marsh contributed to

9844-457: The young Bulsara was heavily influenced by British fashion and music trends while growing up. According to his longtime assistant Peter Freestone, "if Freddie had his way, he would have been born aged 18 in Feltham ." Harris states, "One of the things about Freddie was that he was very civilised and quite 'English'. I'd go over to his flat near Shepherd's Bush in the afternoon, and he'd get out

9951-518: Was a "self-confessed bisexual". The 2018 biopic of Mercury, Bohemian Rhapsody , received criticism for its portrayal of Mercury's sexuality, which was described as "sterilized" and "confused", and was even accused of being "dangerous". Although he cultivated a flamboyant stage personality, Mercury was shy and retiring when not performing, particularly around people he did not know well, and granted very few interviews. He once said of himself: "When I'm performing I'm an extrovert , yet inside I'm

10058-415: Was a British protectorate until 1963, Mercury was born a British subject , and on 2 June 1969 was registered a citizen of the United Kingdom and Colonies after the family had emigrated to England. Mercury spent most of his childhood in India where he began taking piano lessons at the age of seven while living with relatives. In 1954, at the age of eight, Mercury was sent to study at St. Peter's School ,

10165-423: Was a broken microphone stand ; after accidentally snapping it off the heavy base during an early performance, he realised it could be used in endless ways. One of Mercury's most notable performances with Queen took place at Live Aid in 1985. Queen's performance at the event has since been voted by a group of music executives as the greatest live performance in the history of rock music. The results were aired on

10272-439: Was a huge god of an actor. He narrated the album [Time], and, when Freddie came on, singing "Time", Olivier said, 'Now, my dear boy, there's an actor.'" Clark relayed the reaction of Olivier to Mercury: "I told Freddie and he was over the moon. I arranged for a dinner party at my place, Olivier came along and they got on like a house on fire." Between 1981 and 1983 Mercury recorded several tracks with Michael Jackson , including

10379-461: Was against the inbreeding of cats for specific features and all except for Tiffany and Lily, both given as gifts, were adopted from the Blue Cross . Mercury "placed as much importance on these beloved animals as on any human life", and showed his adoration by having the artist Ann Ortman paint portraits of each of them. Mercury wrote a song for Delilah, "his favourite cat of all", which appeared on

10486-456: Was bisexual; for example, regarding the creation of Celebrate Bisexuality Day , Wendy Curry said: "We were sitting around at one of the annual bi conventions, venting and someone – I think it was Gigi  – said we should have a party. We all loved the great bisexual, Freddie Mercury. His birthday was in September, so why not Sept? We wanted a weekend day to ensure

10593-409: Was brilliant at it." Discussing what type of person he wanted to play the lead role in his musical Jesus Christ Superstar , Andrew Lloyd Webber said: "He has to be of enormous charisma, but he also has to be a genuine, genuine rock tenor. That's what it is. Really think Freddie Mercury, I mean that's the kind of range we're talking about." A research team undertook a study in 2016 to understand

10700-412: Was easily the most godlike of them all." Photographer Denis O'Regan , who captured a definitive pose of Mercury on stage—arched back, knee bent and facing toward the sky—during his final tour with Queen in 1986, commented "Freddie was a once-in-a-lifetime showman". Queen roadie Peter Hince states, "It wasn't just about his voice but the way he commanded the stage. For him it was all about interacting with

10807-569: Was eventually reworked by Queen and released on their compilation album Queen Forever in 2014. Mercury and Roger Taylor sang on the title track for Billy Squier 's 1982 studio release, Emotions in Motion and later contributed to two tracks on Squier's 1986 release, Enough Is Enough , providing vocals on "Love is the Hero" and musical arrangements on "Lady With a Tenor Sax". In 2020, Mercury's music video for " Love Me Like There's No Tomorrow "

10914-410: Was expressing." The last years of the eighteenth century reflected both a change of patronage of music from the aristocracy to the rising middle classes, and the rise of Romanticism in the arts. Both of these had consequences for the practice of music criticism; "the tone of the critic was lowered as his audience expanded: he began to approach the reader as a colleague rather than a pedagogue", and

11021-618: Was guitar-oriented: his favourite artists at the time were the Who , the Beatles , Jimi Hendrix , David Bowie , and Led Zeppelin . He was often self-deprecating about his skills on both instruments. Brian May said that Mercury "had a wonderful touch on the piano. He could play what came from inside him like nobody else – incredible rhythm, incredible passion and feeling." Keyboardist Rick Wakeman praised Mercury's playing style, saying he "discovered [the piano] for himself" and successfully composed

11128-429: Was inspired by the line "Mother Mercury, look what they've done to me" from his song " My Fairy King ". Shortly before the release of Queen's self-titled first album , Mercury designed the band's logo, known as the "Queen crest". The logo combines the zodiac signs of the four band members: two lions for Deacon and Taylor (sign Leo ), a crab for May ( Cancer ), and two fairies for Mercury ( Virgo ). The lions embrace

11235-622: Was nominated for Best Animation at the Berlin Music Video Awards . Woodlock studio is behind the animation. In the early 1970s, Mercury had a long-term relationship with Mary Austin, whom he met through guitarist Brian May. Austin, born in Fulham , London, met Mercury in 1969 when she was 19 and he was 23 years old, a year before Queen had formed. He lived with Austin for several years in West Kensington , London. By

11342-464: Was one. Because of his status, he could do that kind of preaching and affect people's thoughts. But to do this you have to have a certain amount of intellect and magic together, and the John Lennons are few and far between. People with mere talent, like me, have not got the ability or power." Mercury dedicated a song to the former member of the Beatles . The song, "Life Is Real (Song for Lennon)",

11449-404: Was working in a musical project, at the time when Queen were recording their debut album; Cable enlisted Mercury to perform lead vocals on the songs " I Can Hear Music " and " Goin' Back ", both were released together as a single in 1973. Eleven years later, Mercury contributed to the soundtrack for the restoration of the 1927 Fritz Lang film Metropolis . The song "Love Kills" was written for

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