Sunday Diva/Three From The Hip: Freddy Mercury

Sunday Diva/Three From The Hip: 

Freddy Mercury

In my big gay church there is a wing dedicated to The Divas Who Represent. They're not all flashy or cocks of the walk - in fact, some never officially came out of the closet during their lifetime - but they are all extraordinarily gifted, sharing their songs, music, and insights, allowing the world at large to learn, in the most subtle of ways, what it's like 'being green'. Thanks to their gifts and their bravery, they help make the world a little more gay every time their voices are heard. And that's been their true super power all along... their voice; they were heard. They mattered. And, whether they liked it or not, they represented!

One such talented soul?

The clouds parted, the sun shone, heaven descended and there was...

Freddy Mercury.

Every great queen knows how to make an entrance, but keeping the show going time after time?

Well, that's where genius enters the picture.

Freddy - we hardly knew ye. And you meant to keep it that way... almost right up to the end.

Not since Liberace has one been more out in the history of show biz. But this diva kept his thoughts to himself... mostly. The occasional slips are rather priceless, leaving know question which side of the fence his crumpet was buttered on. 

Bombastic, bigger than life, a true showman. 

And that voice? How many octaves, dearie? 

Given all that, he could have been a total creep. But he really just wanted to have a nice home for his kitty cats and the love of a hunky lorry driver... (or two.) 

No doubt, Freddy was as bitchy as he was sweet. The man had strong opinions. Strong tastes. Like his every stage gesture, it was go big, or stay at home.

And we loved him... for every overheated moment, every grand facade, every pompous, stolen, musical moment.

With great pride, we can say...

...he was one of us!

The gospel according to him?

Well, here are three from the hip, dropping from his lips.

The Topics Going To Extremes

“I always knew I was a star. And now, the rest of the world seems to agree with me.”

“The reason we’re successful, darling? My overall charisma, of course.”

“You either have the magic or you don’t. There’s no way you can work up to it.”

“I love the fact that I can make people happy, in any form. Even if it’s just an hour of their lives, if I can make them feel lucky or make them feel good, or bring a smile to a sour face, that to me is worthwhile.”

“What you must understand is that my voice comes from the energy of the audience. The better they are, the better I get.”

“I’m just a musical prostitute, my dear.”

“I guess I've always lived the glamorous life of a star. It 's nothing new - I used to spend down to the last dime.

“I’m hopeless with money; I simply spend what I’ve got.”

“I like to be surrounded by splendid things.”

“I want to lead the Victorian life, surrounded by exquisite clutter.”

I have fun with my clothes onstage; it's not a concert you're seeing, it's a fashion show.”

“I dress to kill, but tastefully.”

“We're a very expensive group; we break a lot of rules. It's unheard of to combine opera with a rock theme, my dear .”

“And, we have no such thing as a budget anymore. Our manager freaks when we show him the bill. We're lavish to the bone, but all our money goes back into the product.”

“The lavish presentation appeals to me, and I've got to convince the others.”

“The concept of Queen is to be regal and majestic. Glamour is part of us, and we want to be dandy.”

“Money can not buy happiness, but it can damn well give it!”

“The most important thing is to live a fabulous life. As long as it’s fabulous I don’t care how long it is.”

“Excess is part of my nature. Dullness is a disease.”

“If it’s planned, it’s boring.”

“I’m very emotional. I think I may go mad in several years time.”

“I really need danger excitement. I’m never scared of going out on a limb.”

“I’m a very emotional person, a person of real extremes, and that’s often destructive both to myself and others.”

“I’m not afraid to speak out, and say things that I want to do, or do the things that I want to do, so um, I think in the end, being natural, and being, being actually genuine is what wins.”

The Great Pretender - Freddy Mercury

Barcelona - Freddie Mercury & Montserrat Caballé

I'm Going Slightly Mad - Queen

And one last parting shot...

"I'm as gay as a daffodil, my dear!”

“Rod Stewart, Elton John and I were going to form a band called Hair, Nose & Teeth after the three of us. But it hasn’t happened because none of us can agree on the order of the words!”

“By the way, I do not wear a hose. My hose is my own. No coke bottle, nothing stuffed down there.”