With his theatrical stage presence and nearly superhuman vocal abilities, Queen frontman Freddie Mercury likely lands in the top 10 of any all-time “best voices in music history” list. A genius in the truest sense of the word, Mercury (born Farrokh Bulsara) lit up stages all over the world until his tragic death at age 45. However, Queen guitarist Brian May, drummer Roger Taylor, and bassist John Deacon were much more than mere spectators to the “Radio Gaga” belter’s genius. In fact, May says that his bandmate’s ideas weren’t always so blindingly brilliant.
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Brian May Recalls Late Queen Frontman’s “Cheeky, Off-the-Wall” Ideas
While it’s true that Freddie Mercury helped mold Queen’s lasting image, the band’s work was largely a collaborative effort. Every single member has composed more than one No. 1 hit—the only group ever to accomplish such a feat.
“We’d say, ‘You’re the leader,’ and he’d say, ‘No, no — I’m the singer,” Roger Taylor, 75, said in a recent interview with Mojo magazine.
May, now 77, recalled that Mercury was forever bursting with ideas that were “off the wall and cheeky and different,” which his bandmates tended to encourage. However, while those ideas were typically “brilliant,” the Queen guitarist admits they weren’t all gems.
“He came in one day and announced, ‘I’ve got this amazing idea. You know Michael Jackson has just put out this album called Bad? … Well, listen… What do you think about us calling our next album Good?’” May told Mojo. “We all looked at each other and said, ‘Well, maybe we should think about it, Freddie.’ It wasn’t one of his world-shattering ideas, but looking back, maybe we were wrong…”
Will Queen Ever Rock Us Again?
When Freddie Mercury died in 1991 due to complications from AIDS/HIV, it looked like the end of Queen. And while the band has put out just one album without their fierce frontman (1995’s Made in Heaven), Brian May says that even now, new music isn’t entirely off the table.
“I think it could happen,” May told Mojo. “Both Roger and I are constantly writing and coming up with ideas and doing things in our studios. I could have the beginnings of a Queen song right there in front of me now. It’s just whether the idea reaches maturity or not. It’s whether that seed can grow.”
Featured image by Pete Still/Redferns
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