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Queen Fanclub Convention 2023 Part 2: Sue Johnstone

I have returned! Following my first post on the Queen Fanclub Convention 2023 I will be posting a series of transcripts and insights from the guest panels and other experiences!

The first guest is Sue Johnstone who was Roger's friend from back in Cornwall and also started the Fanclub in its days of infancy. I know a lot of you will be skipping the Long Transcript so I'll put up some bits of interesting stories that should be highlighted up here! Many of these were also told in Queen in Cornwall in some form or another.

Highlights:

The Queen fanclub in the early days was run from the Kensington Market stall. Brian was the most enthusiastic about it and insisted that all letter responses for the fans are handwritten and personalized.

Back in Cornwall when Sue in a singing group for the church, Roger and the church school boys used to sit and wave from the balcony and sent down paper planes, making them laugh while they were singing.

Freddie once stayed overnight at Sue's house after a party. The next morning, Sue's father went upstairs and was baffled to find him curling his hair. At some point he also saw him doing his yoga up against the wall upside down.

Once after a Smile performance in Cornwall, Sue and the band (with Freddie) walked along the headland overlooking the sea where Brian could name all the stars. They also went into a cave where they sang echoing harmonies of the song Earth.

Sue still keeps in touch with Brian and Roger. Her conversation with Brian includes knee replacements and congratulating him on becoming Sir. Roger likes to steal cigarettes even when she sees him now these days.

The last time she saw Freddie was at Queen's 20th anniversary party. She brought us a picture (on top of page) of her, Freddie, and her sister Pat from that day - a really touching moment. (📸 shared by David Taylor)

One of my favourite things about the con was that the panel guests were so kind and down to earth. After their talk on the stage they sat on the table among the audience to drink and chat, which was so lovely. When it was all wrapped I wanted to say hi to Sue and she was so nice about it! (It took me a long time to brave up and come up to her after she finished chatting with everyone, and it was my friend Rob who convinced me to actually do it, so thank you Rob!) I got a selfie with her and she signed my programme! (click to enlarge).

Transcript is under the cut below. I used the help of an auto transcription service and edited it manually afterwards, which took so much more time than expected as I had to check my references. Pictures are sourced from the Fanclub and Rupert White / Queen in Cornwall.

Disclaimer: English is not my first language so there are parts that I marked as "unintelligible" and the accuracy may not be 100%. This wouldn't be their fault for not pronouncing it clearly, it would be mine for not catching it properly. There were words that I tried to guess based on context, marked with (?) at the end. I also tried my best to cross-check with other sources to ensure accuracy (in this case mostly Queen in Cornwall).

Enjoy!

Jim Jenkins (J): So, our first guest today is somebody that started all this off. 50 years ago, two friends of Roger’s, from Truro, Pat and Sue Johnstone, were asked by the band, or that's what we heard, to form a fanclub. It is my great pleasure to say we have one of those two sisters with us today.

It's really great to welcome, Sue Johnstone! So Sue’s come up and gonna talk to us, we're going to try and open a memory bubble. This is an event from 50 years ago. So I'll let Sue say hello to you all.

Sue Johnstone (S): Hello everyone, thank you so much for coming. This is the best time. It's so good to be here.

J: I'm going to start off with the first question for Sue. You started the Queen Fanclub nearly 50 years ago, in 1974.

S: Yup.

J: Did you ever think it would still be in existence in 2023?

S: I did not. I thought the band might be huge, but I was convinced they would be, but I don't, I didn’t think the fanclub would be. Although having said that, we had a lot of fans very quickly. As soon as the band had gone to Japan and so on, it really opened up. So we knew we were onto something special, and we had to set it up properly. Because we were doing it in the stall in Kensington Market, just handwriting everything, you know. And Brian insisted on that. It was Brian, really, that started the fanclub, he wanted it more than the others, really. And he used to come by and check all the letters, make sure we were actually handwriting them, you know. And doing as he wanted to do, keeping it as personal as possible. Which I think has paid off, you know, it's just brilliant. So, yeah. But longevity, no. I don't think we thought about next day, let alone 50 years.

J: It is really good. Okay, I want to take you back to the ‘60s. Back to Cornwall. You were a member of the Jayfolk band?

S: Yeah, absolutely.

J: Did you always want to be in music?

S: Well, I met Jill Johnson and her twin sisters at church, actually. I mean, I was one of four. I've got an elder brother, who's the oldest in the family, another sister, and then there was Pat and there was me. But by the time I came along, they just want to be out on a Sunday, so I had to go to church, you know, a lot. But we also joined the youth club, and it was just actually quite a good place to go. And the church school boys all came there because they were a Methodist school, and this was a Methodist church.

So they all sit in the balcony, and Jillian and I, and the twins, we do four-part harmony, (unintelligible), every Sunday, you know. So that's how it started. I started singing with Jillian, and we were all Johnsons – I'm Johnstone, but they were Jillian, Janet, and Jennifer Johnson. So we called ourselves the Jayfolk. But Roger would always be in the balcony, and he used to send paper planes down to us (laughter) and be waving and making us laugh while we were singing, you know. I loved it, and I loved singing, and I loved harmonies, which is why I loved Queen. Their harmonies were superb.

J: So was Roger going out with Jill Johnson?

S: Not at that time, no, that came, it was about ‘65 I think? We went to a folk club, which was actually a guy called Dave Dowding, who was Roger's friend, his parents owned a farm, it was beautiful. In Kenwyn, in Truro, and you had to walk to get there, you know, all the way, and there was a large farm, and the folk scene was just starting up. My sister was into it, because she was five years older, I was the youngest, I'm the youngest out with Roger and everybody in fact, so I was about 13 or 14 at this time. And we went to the folk club, and Roger and Mike (Dudley) actually, who played the guitar on The Reaction, they were on bales of hay, everybody sat on bales of hay.

And yeah, we just got along, we started chatting, and then Jill and I had to get up to sing with her sisters, we did our set and that was it, Roger gave us a lift home – or someone did, I think it was him. And then Roger and Jill got together, they went to a fair in Truro, and they were together four years, but they always said there was three of them, it was always Roger, Jill and me. (laughter) Bit embarrassing, but yeah, Jill remembers it as being the three of us, you know.

J: Did you go to see The Reaction?

S: Oh yeah. They were great, yeah. And Roger was becoming, you know, he knew he was going to be a musician anyway, a good one. He just knew it. He was so into everything, he was into music, we all were actually. But I've had a bit of a mixed thing because pap was into jazz and then into folk, but mostly jazz. And my brother was in a skiffle group. My sister just had boyfriends, really, my eldest sister, but she wasn't that musical. But the rest of us were.

And my father was a piano player. He played piano accordion in a band when he was younger. And then we always had a piano in the house, we all wrote. And Dad did a little fumbling, you know, sort of... (imitates thrums on a piano) to the point where once when Freddie and Brian stayed, we all had a party at our house. And yeah, Roger and... not Roger – Freddie and Dad came together in the piano. It was brilliant. Brian on guitar. I was in another band then called Wizard, and there was a (unintelligible) guitarist, he was there. And I remember we were all eating oysters, which he bought. And then we all sang, it was great.

But my father saw that, and he loved them, actually. He really liked the guys, you know. But he did come down one morning afterwards, and I think I've told you this before, and he said, “I've seen everything now!” And I said, “What's the matter, Dad?” He said, “He's up there curling his hair!” (laughter) “Is that so?” “I thought he was straightening it! I’ve seen it all now!” he said. And then Pat said Dad had gone upstairs as well, and Freddie was up, you know, doing his yoga up against the wall upside down. I mean, it was a bit much for my father, really.

But later on, when it was my 21st in London, they all came. We were living with a couple of Buddhists, actually, down in six couple of all places, they're working in Kensington Market. And we used to get a train from the market after the Greyhound pub, you know, and we'd fall asleep and end up wherever, you know. But we had a party there for my 21st, and the band all came on the train, and it was hilarious. Freddie and his, you know, cat and everything, (unintelligible) it was so good. And they all stayed on this floor overnight with my Dad in the middle. (laughter) And he was like, “I don't think I'll be coming up again, my love.” (laughter) But no, we had some fun. They were lovely, though. They were all such nice people, you know. That made all the difference. They were so sweet, you know.

J: So Roger left Truro and went to London, and then you and Pat decided to move up to London.

S: Yeah, well...

J: No, Pat went first?

S: Pat moved to London already beforehand as a nanny, through a family in Ealing, and she lived up there a couple of years. We also had family in Paddington, my dad's brother, my cousins. So we used to go to London a lot. My father was a big fan of people like Tommy Cooper, and we used to go out and see shows. So I was familiar with London, but I didn't live there, but Pat had lived there, but came home when my mum got ill and stayed. So she gave up her job then. But after mum passed away, then Pat stayed a bit longer, but, you know, she was five years older, she needed to get up to – I just couldn't leave. Jillian had already left, but Jayfolk had broken up. Jill had joined The Famous Jug Band. She wanted me to go up to London with her, but I'd said no. And because of that, actually, we fell out. We didn't speak for 20 years. But she joined the band, and then she went to live in California.

But it was Roger that got us back together. He got her number and gave it to me. And it was Roger that kept in touch with me. He used to come back from London, always came to see me straight away. We'd go out for a drink or something. And he said, “Oh you've got to come up. You must come up. And we'll look after you. Don't worry about a thing. You'll be fine.” And so I did eventually. And it was Pete Bawden who ran PJ’s, the club, and my dad that drove me up.

And within 24 hours, Roger took me into Kensington Market, introduced me to everybody. And then upstairs, there was an employment agency. I got the employment. So I went up. He came with me. We went up and they asked me if I could type or what qualifications I had. And I said, “Oh, no problem, you know, anything you like.” I was thinking, (grumbles) “I don't just type at all.” And unfortunately for me, they gave me a test there and then, which was sort of (unintelligible), and I was like this, (mimics funny typing) you know, not knowing what I was doing. And they said, “That was the funniest thing we've ever seen.” (laughter) “And the bravest.” They said to me, “We need a receptionist. Would you like to do it?” (laughter) So I ended up working as receptionist upstairs from the market. And eventually I got to know Hazel and Gaby, and worked for them in their store for years, actually. Just where the fanclub started in their store.

J: What were your impressions of the band when you first met, Brian, Roger – well not Roger because you know like, well Brian and Freddie?

S: They were kind, they were lovely, Brian was just so kind, and so caring, and lovely, lovely guy, and Freddie was Freddie, he just bowled you over, but he was also one of the sweetest kindest people I think I've ever met, he was wonderful, but later on when they became Queen I could understand why, because they literally acted like the Queen, because they had no money, ever, in their pockets. So they loved going out with Pat and I because we were working, you know, getting a bit of money together, and they go, (pats empty pockets) “Sorry darling, sorry…” When they were with me, you know, they never ever have any money, ever. And Roger kept stealing cigarettes even if I see him today. (laughter) So I’m just, “Hmm. Okay. Whatever.”

J: So when Roger went down to Truro with Smile, he was with Brian and Tim, what difference did you see in Roger with Smile compared to The Reaction?

S: Ooh, um, actually, they were very good, but I have to say, and I don't know if you're here today, Tim, but your voice was so good. Um, it blew a lovely way, Tim was an amazing singer, and so Smile was just, it was so good, Brian, great sound, lovely guitar, you know, Roger, amazing, everybody knew him anyway, and they were just really really good. So, what can you say, I mean, Reaction was great for their time, but Smile, and I mean, some of the earlier stuff that Tim wrote, you know, um, were just superb songs, lovely songs, so it was really good, they were very very good, and they played loads, and we went to every single gig for them.

We did, you know, we were very lucky, in Cornwall, unless you were into, you know, music or art, there was a lot of art going on, and there was a lot of hippie stuff, well, uh, beatnik(?) stuff going on, which Pat was more into than me, um, but there was nothing to do. There were no youth clubs, very rarely, you know, we had one at the church, but that was it. Um, so, there was nothing for kids to do, so we were so fortunate, and we were a unit, you know, we were a gang, we just went everywhere together, you know, and it was a really good, I mean, we, I have, you know, things go wrong in the family, obviously, but, you know, even the day that I'm done, you know, Roger was there, we went out, we went to, took me out, had coffee, you know, stayed with me all day, and, um, so, you know, they were kind, all of them, and we were a great unit. Loved it. We were so fortunate.

J: So Freddie used to come down to…

S: Yeah. We used to just hang around, yeah.

J: And you were in the audience with Freddie, watching Smile. What was Freddie like, was he itching to get up there or…?

S: You could tell he was, yeah. And he used to tell them things afterwards, “Well perhaps you should do it this way, darling.” He was very sort of like that, at the time. You know, he never changed really. But he was, as I say, he was really kind, so he wasn't sort of nasty to anyone or anything like that. He just wanted to be in it, you could tell. And I think at the time Tim was also getting into his graphics and art and maybe things were, I don't know why it sort of happened as it did, but Freddie was just, he used to just come down all the time and be around, so it was really good.

J: Did you ever see him in Ibex or Wreckage?

S: No, I don't think I did. I don't remember it. I mean, I started to get to know Pete Edmonds through Smile and everything, but when he would have been, you know, I've seen loads of photographs, so I sort of recognised him a bit, but don't think I have... Pretty sure I didn't, anyway. I don't remember it.

J: So when Freddie, and I don't know if this is true, I think I was told by someone but I'm going to get confirmation from you, that you were actually a part of the first people to know that he wanted to change the band name from Smile to Queen.

S: He did tell us early on, yeah. He told us – another crazy thing. We used to hitchhike up to London, which you could do in those days. Not safely, but my mum and dad didn't know it that way. We told him we'd been on the train and he'd give us the train money. And then we (mimics going off). Because it was the two of us, and it was always Pat and I, we sort of felt safe. We didn't really know about lorry drivers in those days. We weren't aware of the dangers. So we used to hitchhike up and they gave us a lift all the way, you know. And all the way to Hammersmith, which was brilliant. So we'd walk across the bridge and there we were in Barnes, in Ferry Road, where everybody was. And we'd just dive onto mattresses everywhere and think, right, that's where I am for the next week, or whatever.

But it was Freddie taking us to say goodbye. He walked us to the bus stop and he said, “I just must tell you this, dear. I've got a name for the band. I want to change it.” I said, “All right, what do you want to call it?” He said, “I'd like to call it Queen.” I went, “Oh, okay…” Now, those days, it was a long time ago. It was a little bit risqué, you know, but to say the least, really. So we just laughed and said, well, if he must, you know, I was thinking “The guys won't have that”. There's not many people who would call it Queen, you know. And anyway, it was fantastic. But by then, he also showed us that he'd done the whole Queen emblem thing, you know, which he designed. And so he was serious. There was no way it’d not been called Queen. And that was it. I mean, a few days later, there was Queen, you know, that happened straight away.

J: Did you ever go to any of the rehearsals of Queen?

S: I don't remember. I did go to Imperial College quite a lot.

J: Jimi Hendrix?

S: Yeah, some T-Rex, and all sorts of bands, they were all really great. But I don’t know if I saw them rehearsing. I don’t think I did actually.

J: When did you first see Queen?

S: Um, Truro

J: Truro, ah, the very first gig.

S: The very first gig.

J: (unintelligible, speaking to audience) This would’ve been 27th of June, 1970.

S: It wasn't that one, though, it wasn't that one.

J: It wasn’t that one?

S: No, it wasn't. (Note: As you read, it was indeed that one.) It was in Truro City Hall, and the sound wasn't good, and it was Roger's mum's, I don't know, billed it or something, and they didn't like it, you know, you could tell they weren't happy about Queen at all. They billed it as Smile, and then they changed it to Queen. But it was good, you know, but it was their first ever gig. But I had seen Freddie before, now this is disputed by a number of people, but Pat and I remember, and I'm sure Pete Edmonds will as well, that Freddie took over one night in PJ's and just cleared the floor, he was fantastic.

And he played as Smile basically, and just took over, and he was strutting his stuff, you know, and he was absolutely brilliant. And I remember Pete Edmonds just dancing like a wild… in the centre of PJ's, which wasn't big at this time, and Pat and I just were in awe of it, we were just like, wow, that is incredible, you know. But other people say, didn't happen, but it did, didn’t it? That is one thing I'll never forget.

J: So you could see the potential in front of you.

S: Oh yeah, I don't think his voice was as good, it wasn't as good as Tim’s, it has to be said, and he was off key on a few occasions, but you know, the actual performance was what it was all about, it was really good.

J: Did you get to see Queen with all the bass players?

S: Well, I think I met one yesterday (Doug Bogie), (laughter) I mean I don't know, I probably did to be honest, I saw Queen before John joined, you know, so I did, but I don't really remember an awful lot about it to be perfectly honest, and I wasn't drunk or anything, it was just a long time ago, you know.

J: You’re very lucky you saw them with all the people...

S: I probably did, but I don't know. J: So I want to take you back to the Fanclub again. Is it true that Queen didn't want a fanclub? You said before Brian insisted… but why wouldn't he want a fan club if...?

S: Well… I don't know where that came from, to be perfectly honest, because all I know is that, from day one, Brian was the main instigator. He used to come into the store, sit there, read the letters. We were suddenly getting, like, they were being delivered all over London, even to our address in Greycoat Gardens(?), where we were living in Victoria, bag loads of stuff were coming in. And it was all from Japan, you know, they were massive in Japan, even in those days, you know. And then, a lot in Germany as well, and I got to know a few of the editors, so they would ring me and ask what the band were doing. So it kind of just built slowly.

But it was Brian, really, that wanted it. Yeah, and somebody had to do something, because these letters, you couldn't not answer them. And the Japanese fans always sent presents, so there was always little dolls, or, you know, all sorts of little gifts that they'd send. So we were like, I mean, my store was ridiculous, it would pile high, innit?

J: How did you get to start the Fanclub? Was it Trident or…?

S: The first place we moved to was Trident, yeah. So it was Trident Audio Productions in Wardour Street, next door to The Ship. And then there was a little alleyway and then Trident Studios was there. Yeah, so we moved in and we were on the ground floor and then there was a drum shop at the time. So we had all the drums in the front and then right at the back would be Queen Fanclub. And then we moved to another office later, upstairs. And then, you know, obviously they changed management, but at the time it was Jack Nelson. And yeah, it was brilliant, absolutely brilliant. Lovely day. I wanted still to do some singing, so I enrolled to, it's called City Knit(?), and it's for, but unfortunately it was an operatic club, so it's really not what I was looking to do.

But I did do some sessions at Trident, just to keep my hand in, but the only problem with it is you've got to pay your rent. And it wasn't paying rent, so I just kept working in the market, really. I made lifelong friends, you know, I really did. Hazel and Gaby, both have passed away now, but they were my longest friends, yeah, apart from Jill.

J: So when you left working for Queen, did you follow their career?

S: Yeah, to some extent, yeah, I worked at EMI, and EMI, they were signed to EMI. And one particular occasion when I was there, they sent me off to Amsterdam with the band. And I think we did some promotion or something over there. And Freddie asked me up to his room, and he had the top of the hotel, big, big room up there. And I sort of went up, and I thought, well, I wonder what this is about, you know. And it was about their contract coming up at EMI. So he was quizzing me about EMI records, you know. And at the time, EMI was just a happening company. It was absolutely brilliant. And we'd sign Kate Bush, and, you know, I was working on the Sex Pistols one week, and Kate the next, and, you know, it was just utterly brilliant. And I couldn't, you know, praise it enough.

So they did re-sign. So I think I had a hand in that, to be honest. I don't expect it was that big. I'm sure the accountants and what have you had a bigger hand than me. But Freddie was interested to know what I thought of the actual people and the running of the company and that sort of thing. I was seven years there, and I absolutely loved it. Yeah, I was in the press office to start with. And then, because of Queen, they asked me to join International. Because I knew all the editors. Because the band, you know, I got to know the editor of, like, German rock magazines, and all around the world, I knew all the editors. So that's why I went to International. And I carried on for 40 years in the music business.

J: Wow. And then you got invited to the 20th anniversary party, the Grand Show Hall.

S: Yeah.

J: You remember that?

S: Yeah, Tim was there, and he sat at a table with Roger, with Rod Stewart, running around like a mad thing. I remember Mary sitting on a sort of platform, and I was just staying there all evening, but not for me, the highlight, well apart from what you were going to show them in a minute, but one highlight for me was that Brian introduced me to Anita, and she was like, oh, I've heard all about you, and I thought, “Oh.” Really? “Yeah, you're from Cornwall, aren't you?” She gave big cuddles and everything, but then Brian said, oh, have you met Liza, and I said, no. Liza Minnelli. It was utterly brilliant. I was like, no, oh, hi. But again, she was all cuddles, and she was such – oh, you were there, it was brilliant, wasn’t it?

J: Very much so. I'll remember it forever.

S: I don't know, she came up and said, “I think they’re great,” and I said, “Oh, you know, I think you're pretty good too, you know.” (laughter) Well, you say to her, you know, Brian's just, you know, a gentleman like that. I'm still in touch with Brian. We talk about knee replacements. (laughter) Yeah, it's kind of not the same sort of conversations as we used to have, but yeah, he's still, we do keep in touch, you know. Yeah, and I congratulate him on becoming a Sir, (unintelligible). Things like that, yeah exactly.

J: So you brought us along a photo to show everybody that is special to you. Yeah. So if you’d like to explain it…

S: Oh yeah, that's Pat, Freddie, and me – I don't know if anyone can see it, this was at The Groucho the night that we were both there, Freddie obviously knew he was very ill and he was in a back room, sort of separated from the main group and Richard Young was a photographer, very big, sort of well-known rock photographer. He came up to us and said, “Do you want to come and see him, Freddie wants to see you.” “Where is he?” You know, and I did know he was ill, but it was still a shock.

J: That is Sue, our Fred, and that is Pat, the lovely Pat Johnson. So these two ladies, they're Pat and Sue, kicked all this off, what we're doing today. And I think that deserves a round of applause. (applause) So, thank you for the great stories today, even I first heard them a few years ago, which I always loved. (unintelligible) I don't collect anything, but I collect stories.

S: (refers to Jim) The first member, amazing.

J: Oh, I was a pest, I was knocking on the door at Trident and saying, “I've come from Liverpool, can I come in and see you?” And Sue went, “Yeah! Why not?” And then, I was never away.

S: Did you come to John Reid’s office?

J: Yeah!

S: It was very flash. It was a big, big place, compared to Trident. It was, yeah. I mean Trident’s next to a pub. Tommy Cooper used to drink in that pub in Trident, you know, next to Trident all the time. You could hear him laugh, you know. It was so funny. When we first moved to John Reid’s office, the first day we walked in, Elton had pushed John down the stairs, and there were four flights of stairs, you know. And John came sort of tumbling down, you know. And we went, oh! And he went, “Who are you?” And I said, “I’m from the Queen Fanclub”. And he went, “What?” you know. Stuffed us in the basement. And that's where we stayed, yeah. But all the Rocket Records was down there, and it was just a hoot. It was brilliant. We had great times. And Elton's driver used to take us up to Queen gigs in his Rolls Royce and the movies. It was fun. Yeah, it was really good fun.

But, you know, Queen were getting bigger and bigger and bigger. And when we left, I mean, John Reid wrote in his letter that we knew too much about the band. That was a problem. So we were out, you know. He needed to control it everywhere. But for me, you know, I don't know how long we would have carried on as fan club secretaries, really. I don't know. We enjoyed it. But, you know, it wasn't such a great career for us. And EMI was fantastic. So I was kind of grateful in a way.

J: What's your most memorable memory of your time working with them?

S: We used to go to gigs all together, and David Bowie's gig was particularly good, well I got some pictures. I left them back, I didn't want to break them, I wasn't sure if I should, but I can show you another time through the usual. Cause Doug (Puddifoot) fully focused doing all the photos at that time. And he was Jillian’s cousin, so I knew him quite well. There's a camera from the BBC, and he did all the early Queen stuff.

And we used to all go together to see people like David Bowie. And I know (unintelligible) will tell you there's the most beautiful photo of Bowie on stage. We used to get front row, you know. But yeah, the Finsbury Park gig I think was one of the most memorable things I've ever seen. It was absolutely stunning. It was one of the best gigs I've ever seen. And I went on to work for a long time in the business. I saw a lot of gigs, not just theirs, but it was definitely one of the best things ever. My 21st was a real pain, and I had to sleep with my dad on the floor. The parties in Cornwall that we had.

There’s one, actually, Tim might remember this, when we all went to St. Agnes - and I think they might have played there that night…

J: Driftwood Pub.

S: Yeah, and we all went walking along the headland that night, overlooking the sea, and it was pitch dark and the sky was clear and full of stars, and Brian could name them all. Just, “oh yeah, this constellation, this and that,” you know. Wow. And then it was covered in glow worms and - it was just spectacular. So we all wandered back down to the beach and went into this big cave that they had - I don’t know if it’s still there or if you’re still allowed to get into it, but we did. And, it was Planet Earth, Tim’s song, that we sang, in this cave, and the harmonies - I don’t know how many of us there were, but it was Roger, Brian, I think Freddie was there that night, there was me singing, Tim obviously, he was there, it was a Smile gig obviously at the time. And um, it was something I’ll never forget, it gives me goose-pimples now - beautiful sound, of all these harmonies and echoing in this cave. Wonderful. And one of my favourite songs, too.

J: Well that was funny, that was amazing, I don’t know about you guys, that was some great stories there. We really liked it. Thank you, Sue Johnstone!

#queen band #freddie mercury #roger taylor #brian may #john deacon #sue johnstone #interview #Ri goes to UK

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riaaanna · 14 days

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The drummer Roger Taylor, sipping champagne on a leather sofa in his penthouse duplex overlooking Battersea Park, finds the whole situation hilarious. “Oh God, we’ve always got stick for everything,” he grins. “People say, ‘You’re mistreating the legacy’, and I think, well, thanks for your concern, but it’s my f***ing legacy.”

A random article from 2011 (in anticipation of Stormtroopers in Stilettos exhibition) I'm unpaywalling simply because of Roger's epic quote above. "It's my f***ing legacy" damn right! Full article below.

Revisiting history

Queen are 40 this year — and, to celebrate, they’re reissuing their first five albums. Brian May and Roger Taylor talk to us about Bowie and Freddie

Freddie Mercury once described his band’s songs as being like “disposable razors — use them, darling, then throw them away”. Yet, almost 40 years after Queen’s first LP, that seems an ever more unlikely scenario. Every possible attempt has been made by critics and the self-appointed guardians of musical good taste to ridicule, belittle and bedraggle their arch, explosive, overwrought, emotive, theatrical, propulsive, gargantuan records (between March 1974 and December 1992, they had 40 UK chart hits — even their successful streaks were wildly over the top), but the public voted time and time again, and the public voted, more often than not, for even more Queen, even more of the time.

Nine years ago, the band spent a reported £7.5m of their own money on a musical, part-written by Ben Elton — then, as now, easily as unfashionable as Queen — featuring their songs. It was savaged by the press (one reviewer from the American magazine The Advocate flew across the Atlantic just so they could call it “complete bollocks”), yet, nearly a decade later, the towering, if rather unflattering, statue of Mercury triumphant still towers above the entrance to London’s Dominion Theatre — and, every night, every seat in the house is full.

“Respect is a funny thing,” says the guitarist Brian May, enjoying the aubergine special at a smart Italian restaurant in Holland Park. “If you look for it, you’ll forever be disappointed.” Queen have had very little, I suggest. Does that seem fair? “It’s true,” he laughs. “But we get everything, from complete, overwhelming love to total, outright derision. I don’t take any of it on board, really. It would ruin you if you believed it. You’d go nuts. I care what people say, but both extremes are dangerous.”

Five years ago, it was announced that the band’s Greatest Hits LP was the UK’s biggest-selling album of all time, and now Queen have signed a new record deal with Island/Universal, after almost 40 years with EMI. The band —effectively May and Taylor (Mercury died in 1991, while the bass player, John Deacon, keeps his old colleagues “at arm’s length”, according to the guitarist) — will be spending the next 12 months revisiting their history.

The anniversary celebrations begin with a photography exhibition — Stormtroopers in Stilettos — that opens this week and focuses on the band’s nascent, ultra-pouty, satin-blouse-and-nail-polish years, most of the images coming from May’s own “air-conditioned and bomb-proof” archive. “I do look at those pictures in wonderment,” he says. “I’m so strange and angular and awkward and uncomfortable-looking. I used to be embarrassed by it, but now I feel really forgiving. It’s like looking at my own children.”

There's a basic truth there - you shouldn't be ashamed to reach a lot of people. What could be better than reaching a lot of people while retaining some intelligence?

Following that will be the rerelease of their first five albums, from the ultra-glam, heavy-rock debut up to the panoramically ambitious A Night at the Opera and A Day at the Races, which marked the end of Queen part one. All will arrive as deluxe sets, with a wealth of extras, and all have been remastered by May and Taylor. The pair have been closer to their early material than they have been for years, and seem genuinely amazed by what they found. “You can hear how we wanted to be intense and passionate and heavy, but still very melodic,” May says. “We were always trying to find ways to fulfil what we heard in our heads.”

“What was always thrilling to me was when people really loved the records,” Taylor smiles. “There’s a basic truth there — you shouldn’t be ashamed to reach a lot of people. What could be better than reaching a lot of people while retaining some intelligence?”

Few groups can claim members born in King’s Lynn and Zanzibar, but then few groups are quite like Queen — “the most preposterous band that ever lived”, according to Mercury. May and Taylor met at Imperial College London in 1968 and formed a band called Smile. In early 1969, their own bass player introduced them to a friend of his called Farrokh (Freddie) Bulsara (later Mercury), who was studying art in Ealing. May and he had lived less than a mile from each other in Feltham, southwest London, but had never met.

“I remember the first time I went round to his house,” May says. “He wanted to play me Jimi Hendrix on his Dansette record player — he was totally obsessed with him. Even then, Freddie was a star — very shy, but he’d compensate by being grand and flamboyant. He was a serious dandy.”

“We got on immediately,” laughs Taylor, who teamed up with his new friend to set up a vintage clothes and art stall in Kensington Market. “We had a dream of being in a working band, but the only way to live was to sell the sort of outlandish clothes we loved. So we ponced around in velvet capes and tight trousers, and sold the look to other people.”

Freddie had his own bands, Ibex and Wreckage — the latter even supported the psychedelic journeymen Iron Butterfly — but both came to nothing. By late 1970, after he had tried out various day jobs, including working for a bootmaker, the friends came together as Queen. Taylor remembers their first gig being arranged by his mother: they secured £50 to play for the Red Cross in Truro. Soon after, they were doing regular gigs, and rehearsing, at Imperial College. The band signed to EMI in late 1972 and were introduced to the world with a showcase gig at the Marquee. Their first single, May’s Keep Yourself Alive, flopped on release, while their ambitious debut album also failed to make an impact. Meanwhile, David Bowie, for one, was developing into a huge success with a similar mix of high camp and hard rock. “It was a traumatic time,” Taylor says. “We always feared we’d been left behind. It took us such a long time to get any success.”

“Me and Freddie would travel up and down to our management on a No 9 bus, asking why nothing was happening or why we couldn’t get back in the studio,” May says. The band used downtime at a place Bowie had hired to record. The call might not come until 3am, but when it did, they would race in and work until the sun came up. “It was a shambles,” May laughs.

Queen embarked on a bout of prolonged, intensive touring, including an infamous US trip with Mott the Hoople. A Billboard review from 1974 admonished Mercury for “leaning a little too heavily on stage dramatics”, but that never bothered the increasingly devoted crowds too much. “Mott were perfect for us,” Taylor says. “They had an open-minded, very rock’n’roll, insane audience. They were liberated, colourful — not the normal rock crowd.”

“That was when we learnt how to be rock stars,” May smiles. “Just as you thought the day was over, one of Mott would burst into your room, loaded with bottles and whatever else, and off you’d go again. It was very, very full-on and very, very exciting.”

Fred wouldn’t get out of the van some nights. He and Brian had black-and-white fingernails, and literally wore dresses

All the touring made Queen II a proper hit; then Bowie helped out again by pulling out of Top of the Pops at the last moment. Queen filled in, and Seven Seas of Rhye became their first chart smash.

“We got our hook into the mainstream,” Taylor says. “The shows got bigger, but it was rough. Fred wouldn’t get out of the van some nights. He and Brian had black-and-white fingernails, and literally wore dresses, but the tough audiences in Liverpool and Glasgow and Newcastle loved us.”

The band’s third album, Sheer Heart Attack, pushed them over the top. The most heinous excesses were reined in, in favour of a streamlined, hit-delivering monster. Taylor describes it as “grand, but not preposterously so”. The single Killer Queen became their biggest hit yet.

Queen had other problems, however. Playing two shows a night on early tours left Mercury with nodes in his throat, and the band were in a “stifling” relationship with their management. “We were penniless,” May says. “They kept all the money and spent it on swimming pools.”

A new deal with Elton John’s manager, John Reid, promised to wipe out these worries, and the band soon delivered their next single, Bohemian Rhapsody. EMI turned it down flat, demanding a radio edit. No such cut was made, and the six-minute song stayed at No 1 for two months. The album that followed, A Night at the Opera, went Top 10 all over the world. Taylor laughs, recalling how, when Queen came to record A Day at the Races, they realised that Opera was “bloody impossible to follow up”.

All the looking back has made May and Taylor consider the 20 years that have passed since Mercury’s death. “These days, our creative fire is more like an ember that flickers occasionally,” Taylor says. May stirs his espresso and smiles. “I just wish he was here to enjoy this with us. He would love this. It was Roger and me in the beginning, and it’s Roger and me again, but Freddie’s always with us. He’s eternal, part of the fabric of every day of our lives.”

#queen band #brian may #roger taylor #freddie mercury #john deacon #article #interview

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