There are many details in the life of the charismatic leader of Queen beyond those that appear in ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’, the biopic that has taken the world by storm.
Rivers of ink have been written about Freddie Mercury, and it is no wonder. The frontman of Queen is considered the best singer in history. He died on November 24, 1991, and, from there, became a music legend. However, there are many curiosities about his hectic life that, perhaps, you still do not know.
He was originally from Zanzibar.
Back then, in 1946, the African country was still a British colony. At seventeen, Freddie and his family fled for security reasons due to the Zanzibar revolution. It is said that, once in London, they tried to hide their ethnic origin in order to fit in well with British society.
His real name was Farrokh Bulsara.
He later adopted the name Freddie because of the difficulties of his companions to pronounce it. The surname, on the other hand, was adopted from a song he wrote called My Fairy King, in which he captured the phrase Mother Mercury, look what they’ve done to me.
He was ashamed of his teeth.
The musician was so traumatized by the prominence of his teeth that he considered having them done. However, he dismissed the idea for fear that it might damage his voice. Finally, Freddie accepted them as part of his personality.
Before the music.
Before trying his luck in the world of music, Freddie pawned several jobs, as a second-hand clothing salesman at a Kensington flea market or as a luggage carrier at London airport.
Religious life.
He practiced Zoroastrianism, the religion of good conscience, although his exuberant personality did not fit well with the conservatism of the cult and he soon left it.
Passionate about cats.
He had ten at home. He liked them so much that he dedicated a song to one of them: Queen Delilah, he spoke to them on the phone during his tours and even included them in his will.
He designed the Queen logo himself.
After emigrating to London in 1963, Freddie began studying art and design. There he shared classes with Pete Townshend of The Who and Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood, eventually graduating with a diploma in graphic design. He designed the famous Queen logo, based on the signs of the zodiac.
He learned to play the piano backward.
He used this instrument as the headboard of his bed, and placed it upside down in the case, at a given moment during the time he was lying down, inspiration came to him.
He didn’t start singing with Queen.
The first group in which he participated was a band made up of young people in which he played the piano and sang. They were called The Hectics and it enjoyed great popularity.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f61iHLckFy0
Bottomless Mic.
Freddie’s usual way of singing, without a mic stand, was born by an accident while he was putting on a show. The bracket broke, and instead of replacing it, he kept using it like that.
The woman of his life.
Despite being homosexual, he had a long history and relationship with Mary Austin. He even dedicated the song to her: Love of my life and left him most of his assets, including the authorship of his songs.
‘Bohemian Rhapsody, his most complex recording.
The members of Queen continuously sang about 12 hours a day, obtaining 180 separate recordings, a milestone in rock history with the technology of the 70s.