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agentcable · 3 months

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Mouse (2021) Ep. 3 Recap

Chi-Kook was found at the prison with multiple stab wounds and a message written in blood. Soon after, Chi-Kook's watch was found at the grape farm murder site. Ba-Reum joined Moo-Chi in the investigation to uncover the truth. Meanwhile, while working as a cleaning lady for Bong-Yi's settlement money, Bong-Yi's grandmother stumbled upon something she should not have.

If you want to watch the series for yourself, stop reading! This post contains spoilers to the storyline.

After Jae-Hoon's family, excluding his mother, was murdered, Daniel Lee spoke to the police about the case. Although Jae-Hoon was initially considered a suspect, he was later ruled out due to a clean polygraph test. However, Daniel knew that a psychopath could easily beat a polygraph. The police were confident that an 11-year-old boy wouldn't murder his entire family, but Daniel seemed unsure. As he was leaving the station, he saw Jae-Hoon standing in the parking lot, sneering at him.

In the present, they take away the body of the most recent victim. Moo-Chi glares up at the message left by the killer and says, "You're on my radar, you psychopathic bastard."

Daniel visits Ji-Eun's house after several years, and she welcomes him warily. During their conversation, she pets the family dog, which has a problem with its legs. Daniel notices a photo of Ji-Eun with surgeon Yo-Han on the wall and asks if he is her son. She confirms that he is and then mentions that she needs to leave for work at her flower shop soon. Daniel inquires about the dog's condition, and Ji-Eun reveals that her son found the dog injured and nursed it back to health out of compassion. As Daniel prepares to depart, Ji-Eun admits that he was mistaken about her son, but her hand trembles as she rests it on the dog's head.

At the hospital, Ba-Reum and Yo-Han make eye contact. Yo-Han is then called away. Daniel arrives and is taken to the emergency room. There, he witnesses Yo-Han dealing with an angry mob member. The thug holds a knife to Yo-Han's side and threatens to kill him if his boss dies. However, Yo-Han responds by pressing a scalpel to the thug's throat and daring him to try his luck. Hong-Joo enters with another stretcher, and Daniel immediately recognizes her. The mother of the two murder victim is with her, and she is soaking wet. It appears that the mother has attempted suicide again.

Moo-Chi remains at the crime scene and picks up a packet of instant coffee that the corpse had been holding. Hong-Joo calls him to the hospital, where she explains that she found the mother in a reservoir and went to question her about Soo-Ho's murder. Yo-Han reports calmly that he saved the woman, but he expects her to attempt suicide again soon. Hong-Joo is very upset and rejects Moo-Chi's comfort and jacket. She recalls a childhood memory of witnessing a woman crying over the death of her daughter, Soo-Jung. Hong-Joo had left behind the bag that Soo-Jung was carrying that night, which contained a pair of boxing gloves for her brother Soo-Ho. This confirms that Hong-Joo is the little girl who helped the killer on that snowy night.

Ba-Reum is making a cage for an injured bird he found. He realizes he doesn't have enough wire and goes to buy some. While he's out, he runs into Moo-Won and apologizes for missing the priest's last day. Moo-Won asks about Chi-Kook, who hasn't improved. As Ba-Reum goes to get a signature from the shop owner to strengthen the neighbourhood patrol, Moo-Chi shows up. He's furious that Moo-Won left food on his porch, throws it at him, and yells that he wants nothing to do with him. Moo-Won believes their parents would be saddened to see them estranged. However, Moo-Chi cannot forgive the man who killed their parents and left his brother disabled. Therefore, he cannot understand why Moo-Won forgives him. Moo-Chi expresses his hatred towards Moo-Won and questions how he will face their parents when he dies.

Meanwhile, Ba-Reum discovers from the news that the police found a watch on the killer's latest victim, indicating that there may be another undiscovered victim. He recognizes Chi-Kook's watch and runs outside to inform Moo-Chi that he knows to whom it belongs. After confirming that it is indeed Chi-Kook's watch, Moo-Chi speaks to the inmate who confessed to the attack, supposedly because he disrespected Seo-Joon (the Head Hunter). The inmate claims to have burned Chi-Kook's clothes but refuses to disclose the location of his weapon. Moo-Chi claims he didn't do it and doesn't know where it is. He uses the fact that Chi-Kook's watch was found on a murder victim outside the prison as evidence.

Moo-Chi instructs his team to search the prison grounds for Chi-Kook's clothes and the weapon used to harm him. Ba-Reum inquires about the significance of the clothes, prompting Moo-Chi to explain that the perpetrator has never undressed a victim before, so there must be evidence on the clothing. Ba-Reum employs a teddy bear to demonstrate the magic trick that led to Chi-Kook's discovery in the box, which involves mirrors. Moo-Chi concludes that Chi-Kook was in the box before the trick began, making it heavier than usual. Ba-Reum informs Moo-Chi that the box was unattended only during lunchtime when he and his team went for lunch. Moo-Chi checks the prison's CCTV footage and observes the performers entering the cafeteria at 1:10 pm and leaving exactly thirty minutes later. With the walk time to and from the cafeteria, someone had enough time to attack Chi-Kook and stuff him in the box.

Daniel calls Yo-Han to discuss the recent murders. Yo-Han agrees to meet at an abandoned amusement park. However, when Daniel arrives and waits in a ferris wheel car, Yo-Han turns on the power and attacks him, stabbing him repeatedly.

Meanwhile, Moo-Chi and his team are still searching for Chi-Kook's uniform and the weapon used in the stabbing at the prison. Ba-Reum mentions that Chi-Kook did not have the same pose as the other victims, but they cannot determine what sets him apart.

In a boxing gym, teenager Bong-Yi engages in a sparring match and gets knocked down. She envisions a man standing over her, grinning and taunting, followed by a puppy tied to a bridge in the rain. After snapping out of her envision, she punches the floor in frustration.

During the drive back to the station, Ba-Reum reveals that he is meeting Moo-Chi for the first time, although he has heard of him from Moo-Won. Moo-Chi reminds Ba-Reum that they have met before when Ba-Reum saved a bird and almost got hit. Ba-Reum excitedly shares that the bird is still recovering at his home. However, when Ba-Reum starts to list all the good things Moo-Won says about his brother, Moo-Chi snaps at him not to talk about that jerk. Ba-Reum, undaunted, requests to join the investigation to learn from Moo-Chi and catch whoever hurt his friend. He acknowledges that he is a rookie but insists that he cannot do nothing. Moo-Chi chuckles and then warns Ba-Reum that a psychopath is a monster beyond his imagination. He adds that only people like him, who have nothing to lose and nothing but evil left within, can deal with them.

Later, Ba-Reum catches Bong-Yi leaving a comic book café when she was supposed to be at the library. He takes her to a restaurant. She is grumpy and complaining as usual. He is surprised when she asks him to marry her and nearly chokes on his food. He stammers that she's like a little sister to him when she tells him that she's completely serious. Bong-Yi leaves and heads to Bukbu Police Station, where Moo-Chi works. She looks up a video by Hong-Joo titled "Sherlock Hong-Joo: The Beginning of a Serial Killing" that features Moo-Chi.

When Hong-Joo walks into the station, Moo-Chi tears off his jacket, which Hong-Joo had previously called stinky. Shin Sang asks if she wants coffee after she inquires about Chi-Kook's attack. Upon hearing this, Moo-Chi retrieves an instant coffee packet he found at the murder scene from his car. While Moo-Chi is occupied, Bong-Yi hides from him, but he senses her presence. He reminisces about a day from years ago when a young girl silently handed him some money, seeking revenge. Moo-Chi pinky-promised to kill Kang Deok-Soo for her once he was released. He checks and finds that Kang Deok-Soo, the man who traumatized her, is due out of prison in two months.

Hong-Joo asks why Moo-Chi is looking up such trash. Moo-Chi realizes that Shing Sang used the coffee packet from the murder scene to make coffee for Hong-Joo.

In the middle of a lake, a man disposes of two weighted bloody bags off a boat and into the water.

While on a morning jog, Bong-Yi finds Ba-Reum's now-tame little bird. Ba-Reum is not far behind. He named the bird "Eo Bong-Yi", which is his affectionate way of mispronouncing Bong-Yi's name. Bong-Yi is annoyed and tries to get the bird to fly away, but it lands on her head. Ba-Reum claims that birds can discern good people, but Bong-Yi sarcastically retorts that he must mean cute, like a cute little sister. She is salty about the comment, but assures Ba-Reum that she does not like him. She returns his bird and leaves.

The next day, Moo-Won is at the station when Moo-Chi arrives at work. Moo-Chi gives a statement about the show at the prison, which is set up through his church using member volunteers like Ba-Reum. The captain tells Moo-Chi not to mention the coffee stick to anyone. He doubts Moo-Chi's theory that it's evidence of another victim and points out that he and Shin Sang could get in trouble for mishandling evidence. Frustrated, Moo-Chi shuffles back to his desk as Moo-Won finishes his statement. Moo-Chi jumps up to help Moo-Won steady himself, but refrains from doing so. Later, he confronts Detective Kang for bringing a disabled person to the station. Moo-Chi asks Hong-Joo not to mention the coffee stick to anyone. He is worried that he could lose his badge. Hong-Joo wants an apology for not recognizing her. Whatever she's talking about annoys Moo-Chi so much that he's willing to walk out and take his chances.

He goes to the hospital where Ba-Reum is watching over Chi-Kook, who is still in a coma. Only one of his severed fingers was able to be reattached. Moo-Chi is concerned about why the attacker found the watch on his victim, knowing that it could get him caught. He visits Soo-Ho's suicidal mother and tells her to stay alive to see how she catches her son's killer, noticing the despair on her face. He warns her not to look if she tries to harm herself again, and for the first time, some spark of life shines in her eyes.

Bong-Yi is somewhat of an outcast at school, which obviously frustrates her. At home, there is a bird name Eo Bong-Yi in her cage. When Halmoni says Ba-Reum brought it for her, Bong-Yi quickly assumes her usual grumpy demeanor and complains that she doesn't like the bird. However, she grins at it when nobody is looking. Later, Bong-Yi visits Ba-Reum's place and exclaims at a picture of him as a baby with his beautiful mother. Ba-Reum's home is larger than expected for a police officer's salary. He reveals that he purchased it with his parents' life insurance money, indicating that they are deceased. Bong-Yi jokingly proposes to him, but Ba-Reum is relieved when she admits it was a joke. She denies being hurt by his reaction and playfully calls him "Ba-Reum-oppa" for the first time. She serves him fried chicken that she made with his bird and asks if he still finds her cute. She goes home and tells Eo Bong-Yi about her lttle trick. She admits that Ba-Reum is cute when he's flustered.

Unfortunately, evidence from the murder scene was destroyed or tampered with and the news got hold of it. The other police officers assumed that Hong-Joo leaked the information, but Moo-Chi defended her and blamed the situation on their attempt to hide the evidence. He went to talk to Hang-Joo and found her hugging Yo-Han, who appeared to be terrified about something. During a murder investigation, Hong-Joo asked Moo-Chi out, but he declined, stating that she was not his type. Hong-Joo was hurt and warned him that he would regret it someday. Now, it seems that day has come. Yo-Han spends the night at Hong-Joo's place, but in the morning, he returns to his usual stoic self. Later, at his own home, he stands in front of a wall covered in photos of recent victims.

Shin Sang is transferred to the suburbs for destroying evidence. Upon arrival, he lands a missing person / murder case. Shin Sang calls Moo-Chi for help since he has been taken off his cases. The missing person is Daniel Lee, whose car was found near the amusement park. Enough of his blood is splashed inside the Ferris wheel car for them to assume that he's dead. The only evidence of his killer is a zipper found inside the car that does not match the suit Daniel is seen wearing in his hotel's CCTV footage.

Halmoni is called to Bong-Yi's school because she is in trouble for hitting another girl. Halmoni pleads with the girl's mother to forgive Bong-Yi, but Bong-Yi yells that the girl spread rumours about her. She storms out, and the student angrily blames her mother for saying nasty things about Bong-Yi, Halmoni pulls them both by the hair. When Bong-Yi reuintes with her, she notices that Halmoni is disheveled and lashes out in frustration. Halmoni is tearful and blames herself for what happened to Bong-Yi years ago. She feels guilty for asking Bong-Yi to go out for makgeollli, which led to her being attacked. Bong-Yi runs away, and Halmoni collapses in tears of guilt. Later, at home, Halmoni realizes that Bong-Yi's behaviour is due to Kang Deok-Soo's upcoming release from prison. She unwraps a knife from newspaper and say ominously, "Don't worry, Halmoni will take car of everything. You won't get to live even one day as a free man."

Later, Ba-Reum visits Halmoni who tells him about going to Bong-Yi's school. He notices a childish ducky pin she's wearing, and Halmoni says that Bong-Yi made it for her as a birthday gift years ago. Ba-Reum is surprised that Bong-Yi was ever that sweet.

Bong-Yi's classmate's mother demanded a settlement payment. Halmoni went out looking for a job, but an agent refused to place her due to her age and limp. However, when she left to go to the restroom, Halmoni answered the phone and took the job offer for herself.

At Halmoni's request, Ba-Reum found Bong-Yi at the boxing gym. He scolded her to go home and stop worrying her grandmother, but she invited him into the ring to spar. She easily tossed him to the floor repeatedly. After Ba-Reum is beaten up, he informs Bong-Yi that her grandmother was late picking her up on the night of her attack due to a sprained ankle from falling in the rain. He reminds Bong-Yi of her grandmother's age and advises her to treat her well while she is still alive. Ba-Reum then asks Bong-Yi if she truly wants to marry him, but she simply responds by calling him a jerk.

Halmoni took a temporary housecleaning job at Yo-Han's home. Yo-Han asked her to leave, but she refused. During her stay, Yo-Han found Halmoni's small ducky pin on the floor and returned it to her. He instructed her to leave once she finished her work and then left.

Later, Moo-Chi received a call from Shin Sang, who informed him that Dnaiel had spoken to Yo-Han on the phone before disappearing from his hotel room. Moo-Chi realizes that Sung Yo-Han is the same doctor who is treating Chi-Kook. He meets Yo-Han at the hospital and inquires about his acquaintance with Daniel Lee. Yo-Han responds vaguely, stating that everyone knows him. Moo-Chi dials the last number that Daniel called, and Yo-Han's phone rings. Yo-Han claims it was a wrong number, but Moo-Chi persists, questioning Yo-Han about his whereabouts on Monday when he came to the hospital to discuss Chi-Kook.

Yo-Han claimed to have been with a friend, Kim Joon-Sung, when Moo-Chi asked if he had an alibi for the time of Daniel's suspected murder. A man at a nearby table left his keys behind, which seemed to upset Yo-Han.

Detective Kang called Ba-Reum about Chi-Kook's finger that couldn't be reattached. Ba-Reum had asked the hospital to preserve it as evidence. Ba-Reum goes to the hospital to retrieve his finger but realizes that the finger he gets is not Chi-Kook's. Moo-Chi decides to investigate further. He discovers that Chi-Kook recently cut his finger, and there must be another victim they haven't found yet. Ba-Reum tells Moo-Chi about the finger, and they remember that there's a chapel at the prison.

At Yo-Han's home, Halmoni doesn't notice the dirty bandage that falls of her ankle. She heads to the basement to clean and finds the door locked, but the key is still in the lock. Yo-Han had left Halmoni alone with this door unsecured, which explains why he was so concerned about the keys. He races home, but Halmoni is already upstairs. She says she's finished and leaves, shaking and terrified, forgetting her payment.

Yo-Han checks the basement door. The door leads to the room wallpapered with photos he's taken of his murder victims. Halmoni stole a picture off his wall. It was one of the recent victims who was found with evidence from the other murders. She plans to give it to Ba-Reum to help catch the killer. However, she's unaware that the killer is following her home.

Moo-Chi and his team searched the prison chapel but were kicked out during mass. Outside Ba-Reum noticed a red liquid dripping frm the eaves. Moo-Chi climbed up and found Chi-Kook's missing clothes arranged on the roof. The bloody knife used to stab him was piercing the chest. At the same time, Chi-Kook's finger was found in the chalice of sacramental wine, horrifying the priest.

Halmoni got off the bus at Ba-Reum's building and tried to enter, but it was locked. She hides from Yo-Han when she finally sees him. She panics and runs, and he spots her movement.

Back at the station, exhausted from finding Chi-Kook's uniform, Ba-Reum finally checks his phone. He sees a text from Halmoni, which sends him racing home at top speed. He calls her phone and follows the ringtone to a nearby alley. Ba-Reum finds Halmoni's body lying in the alley. Then he sees Yo-Han lurking nearby and gives chase.

Bong-Yi has been considering Ba-Reum's advice to appreciate her grandmother while she still has her. She purchases a lovely pin on her way home. However, when she arrives at the bridge and realizes she has no one to accompany her, she finds herself unable to cross it alone.

Ba-Reum nearly catches Yo-Han on multiple occasions, but Yo-Han manages to escape when Ba-Reum is struck by a car while crossing the street. Ba-Reum is left dazed, but he spots Yo-Han's shoes in the crowd out of the corner of his eye. He is unable to see Yo-Han's face clearly before the killer turns and walks away.

#Korea #TV Serie #2021 #K-Drama #Mouse

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a-froger-epic · 3 years

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Interview with a Queen “groupie”

Cross-posted to AO3. I encourage you to leave any comments you have there.

---

I compiled this interview following a long email exchange with J, a very sweet lady who went to Ealing Art School between 1972 and 1974. She knew all four members of Queen personally and was part of their larger circle of friends.

First off, you may find this hard to believe. I don’t blame you. But I assure you I’m not pulling your leg. As well as the pictures I share in this post, I have seen current pictures of J (which I will not share to protect her privacy). There is no indication as far as I am aware that she isn’t who she says she is.

Nastally, hold up. How exactly did you find this lady?

She found me. It turns out that she has been following my story Dawn of Aquarius for quite some time. The story is set in 1969. A lot of research about the era went into it, because I wanted to portray that time period - and Freddie’s and Roger’s surroundings - as accurately and realistically as I possibly could. That was what drew J in. She tells me it brought back a lot of memories for her. One of the reasons I love DoA so much is the nostalgia, she says, which genuinely means the world to me. Eventually, she talked to me in the comment section. Of course, I freaked out!

And then, I asked her for an interview, to which she replied: I will give it a go, but you must remember that I am 65 and there were great drugs in the 70s, and at 16, away from home, I had a lot!

And so...

Here’s what is IMPORTANT TO KEEP IN MIND when you read this interview.

These are one woman’s 50-year-old memories and subjective impressions. J has been incredibly kind to let me pick her brain, trying to recall everything as best as she can. In her own words:

Just remember that when I answer the questions, it is from a 16-year-old who is 9 years younger than Freddie and a little girl with no family and friends in a strange country trying to fit in. The only reason I was there, was because some hippie thought I had a unique art style.

---

J as a teenager.

[I have edited the interview together from our long, and somewhat messy at times, email exchange. Typos have been fixed and some punctuation added for clarity, but I have not changed anything J has written to me. Again, bear in mind these are personal opinions and impressions.]

So, J, how did you end up at Ealing Art School in 1972 and what was it like?

This was the painting done for the Australian school-leaving certificate.

It placed first and gave me a scholarship. I could pick France, the USA or England. As a dual citizen of the UK, the choice was easy. The scholarship paid for board and fees, so had to be and sell whatever for spending money.

This picture is from the dorm. We all had a 10pm curfew and a very thick rule book that, I am proud to say, I broke every one of them, one by one. The rooms were on the 1st and 2nd floor. We were on the first floor, rooms one side and admin staff the other end. We had two bathrooms for 18 girls. One of them had two baths. The walls were your standard half wall, so it was a given that if you had a bath you run the risk of having a bucket of cold water dropped on you. Downstairs was the kitchen and lounge room.

I want to ask you a few things about life in London in the early 70s, to get a picture of what it was really like. For example, was there alcohol at the music gigs you went to?

If it was a school, church or community hall, no. If it was a pub, yes.

Did you and your friends drink as much then as young people tend to drink now when you all went out?

No, we didn't. I think it had a lot to do with money. We didn't have the disposable income, and it was unheard of to still be living at home with the parents after the age of 20.

Was weed and LSD as big and easily accessible as depictions of the 60s and 70s would have us believe?

The drugs! Got to have drugs. Pot (weed) was easy to grow, very cheap. Used to smoke it in bongs rather than joints, more bang for your buck. Trips [LSD] were cheap, I think. About 2 pounds and you were on the high for over 24 hours with no sleep. My drug of choice was hash. Either the oil or the block. It was a nice high, but you could not function well. But if you listen to the music of the time it really does reflect what it was like, to have a group of friends over for a session. Having said all that the most outlandish and shocking drug I ever saw anyone use was the birth control pill. Didn't you have to hide that stuff away?!

Can you tell us some 70s slang that isn’t really in use anymore? What in the world does “ultra-blagging” mean? (As written in a letter penned by Freddie to his friend Celine in 1969.)

Abso-bloody-lootely!

Man, I thought I was the bees knees to be on a scholarship in London. But that didn't stop me from jigging or having a skive day. They were the days that I blagged my way into a pub, had too many lagers and ended up chundering in the gutter. That was how you knew your night was ace. I would get a right bollocking if anyone found out. It would be a bugger when all that you could find at a car boot sale was chavtastic, but sometimes you could be Jammy Dodger and tickety-boo you find something brilliant. Bob's your uncle. Anyways, I need to see a man about a dog.

[It seems to me that J uses a bit of Australian slang here, like chundering, which makes sense because she is, after all, Australian. She also provided the translation:]

Cheers

It would be my honour.

I felt very privileged to be given a scholarship that let me study in England. But being so young and having no family to guide me, it was often tempting to not turn up or give a false excuse for being sick. (I had a lot of food poisoning). These would often happen if the night before I had been drinking beer and ended up vomiting outside the pub. But in my young mind that was a good night. If any of the teachers found me drinking I would be in a lot of trouble. Often I would have to say I was holding it for someone else. Not having much clothes with me, I would buy them second hand from church jumble sales or other students and, yes, Kensington market (the market). Some of the stuff would not be very tasteful or in good condition. But sometimes you would find something that was cheap and in good condition. I will stop this text now as I must go to the toilet.

PS: Ultrablagging sounds very Freddie. Blagging was used, but not ultra, meaning to persuade someone to do something or act better than you are. They were always rock stars.

Sincerely

[It was at this point that I realised I was talking to an absolute legend. She also told me then that the majority of her old photographs had sadly been lost when her house was flooded in 1988, including most of the photographs from her stay in London. Noooo! :(]

When you went out to dance, did you have only live music? Were there DJs yet?

You know, that is hard. We did not have a DJ. Sometimes there would be a band. Often we looked for places with a band or the jukebox. I think pubs closed at 10pm and some stayed open to 12 or 1, but public transport stopped at 9. So if you had not arranged a lift then you had to make the last bus. Most of the time we would be heading back to someone's place to get stoned and then crash there. In the morning you would have to work out where you were. When I got back to Australia, the discos were all the rage. They could have been in London too but it was not cool to like disco.

How many people would show up to Queen’s gigs when they played in pubs or at, for example, the Imperial College?

Depending on the location and the night: 10 to 1000!

So how did you first meet the Queen boys?

I was at the pub talking about a band we saw last week when Brian stuck his head into our booth telling us he knew a better one. Thinking about seeing them at the stall... Roger not often, Freddie quite a lot. Often on different stalls, I think that is why I can't remember the name. [The name of the stall. Other sources confirm that Freddie also worked at Alan Muir’s stall, for example, selling shoes.]

How well did you know them?

Just looking at your tumblr account. [she has had a look at my blog, where somebody asked if ‘groupie’ meant she had slept with the band] No, I never slept with the boys. I would not say I was a close friend, but I started at Ealing Art College in ‘72 and moved in the same circles. I loved the music and could be called one of the first groupies. I had to sneak into the pubs because I was 16. Roger always teased me for being so young. They all did seem to be one very large family, not just the band. It was a group of about twenty regulars, both male and female. Everyone knew that Fred was too gay to function. We were all at the gay rights march in London in 1972, had to run after the march. Lots of sharpies [Australian slang: youth gang, thugs] wanting to bash us. Back then I was in every protest that was going, student union rights, even the secretary protest. Just part of the times, stick it to Man or Woman. I left London in ‘74 for Australia, been here ever since and lost track of the boys but have never stopped being a fan.

What do you remember about them? How would you describe their personalities?

Don’t let the trolls hate me, but I did not like Brian. I found him to be rather full of himself. Space was a subject you never brought up around Brian or you would die of old age before he stopped talking. He was always the first to speak and start a conversation and then quickly passed you off to John, who was always tired and shy. Roger was also quite shy at times. He was very self-conscious of his looks, as he felt being pretty, nobody would take him seriously. Fred, well, he was not yet the big star, so I think he was working on his stage persona. When talking to groups at parties, he had the best stories of things that had happened to him or close friends. They were very funny and very descriptive. He was the life of the party. When he had a few to drink or was the centre of attention, he would take a cigarette out of the closest person’s hand and start smoking. Now remember this is the point of view of a 16-year-old girl that was a fish out of water, trying to fit in and not having much worldly experience.

It is said that Freddie and Roger were very stylish. How did they dress in everyday life?

Fred would do his hair and makeup to check the mail. Yes, he was always turned out, but so were a lot of people. Freddie did go over the top with hats, scarfs and jewellery. With Roger, it is a surprise he was able to have kids his jeans were that tight. And his shirts were always open unless he was in a jumper. I think it could have been so that you knew he was male, as it was the start of the unisex clothing. When I travelled out of London I realised it was a London thing. When I got back to Australia everyone thought I was a show-off.

There are some disagreements about how tall especially Freddie was. I know this is a difficult thing to try and remember accurately. But do you remember?

Freddie was taller than me but everyone was. Roger was shorter than Fred, but I never saw Roger in platform shoes. I did meet up with the band by chance at Sydney airport in 1984, said ‘hello’ but they did not remember me, or if they did then they did not say anything and I did not want to be a dork. At that time Fred was the same height as me (5ft 8in/1.72m), Roger was taller than me. It made me think at the time that he had a growth spurt! John was shorter than me and Brian has always been tall. [I have a feeling the platform shoes - or lack thereof - played a vital role here! Although 172cm for Freddie seems likely.]

You said everyone knew Freddie was “too gay to function”. Attitudes towards homosexuality have changed so much that it can be hard for us, now, to fathom what exactly people must have thought of him. Was it more of a joke that he was so camp? Was it something he would have been teased for? Also, he had a girlfriend. Did you ever meet Mary or the other girlfriends?

In 1972 a whole group of us - and I am pretty sure that Fred, Roger, Brian and Tim were there - were in a gay pride march. [Since then, J has found and showed me a picture of a boy she thought was Tim Staffel, and it wasn't, so Tim was most definitely not there. Whether Freddie, Roger and Brian really were there or if J is misremembering, who knows?] Us youth believed you could not choose who you fell in love with and if it was same sex, so what? However, if it was two girls then it was every guy’s duty to change her!

It was also a time that the gayer the guy was, the more the girls were interested. Also, if a guy was gay then you did not have to worry about him and he was a good person to take with you if you were going out drinking. However, the police, parents, teachers and anyone of authority were horrified and treated them badly. I did meet Mary a couple of times at pubs and once after a gig. This is just my opinion, but I found her a bitch. It could be that I was so young. It could be that I was very Australian. It could be that she felt threatened as my accent was a magnet to people around. And the boys (Queen) were no exception. Brian had a cousin in OZ and was always asking questions. I remember that my close group of friends thought that Mary made the perfect girlfriend for Fred as they were as fake as each other. Having said that about them, I often wonder if I would think the same now and if my perceptions were just because she would not give me the time of Day. Chrissy and Jo were a lot of fun.

This was before your time, but I read that Freddie's nickname at Ealing Art School was ‘Freddie Baby’. Any ideas how this came about? His showmanship or maybe personality traits?

I don't think so. There were an older crowd that would talk like that. I think the slang ‘baby’ was a 60’s thing, like groovy baby.

How long, roughly, did Roger and Freddie have their stall? I can't find anywhere when it closed down. What did it actually look like? Was it a sort of wooden stall type of thing? Or an actual room? What were some of the other things people sold at Kensington Market? Mostly clothes or all sorts?

The markets were little divided shops. The back was brick and the walls wood. I have been trying all day to remember the name. [Of the stall.] I think it was something hard to say. More often than not it would be Freddie's dad in the store. It was still open when I left. Roger and Freddie were both in the store on Saturdays and some Sundays. There was a girl, I think Jill, who was in the store more. And during the week it could be anyone. You name it and you could get it at the markets. Second hand or designer clothes, shoes, jewellery, pot and assortments. Hair cuts, food, bric-a-brac.

Wait, wait. What? Freddie’s dad? Really now?

Yeah, it was an older Indian man. so we just assumed it was his father. It was my understanding that he started the stall then the boys would work it as the whole markets were set up for younger people, but if needed he would work there. I don't think the boys would be able to pay the rent on their own. [I have since found out that the stall closed in late 1971, and Freddie continued to work at the Market until '74, for Alan Mair and possibly others. So the stall J witnessed wasn't their original stall - explaining all the different people she saw there - but she had no way of knowing that it wasn't.] They always had incense burning that was very big in the 70s. I still occasionally bring out the sticks, but it does not last like the candles and diffusers of today. If you could get in touch with Robert Daniels, he ran ChaChaDumDum it was the stall across from Freddie. He would know the dates.

[J says it’s this look, in a picture she happened across while looking at my tumblr] Yep, that is the one. It usually means that he does not believe or agree with something that was said and is working out how to respond, or he has lost the plot.

You mentioned Roger seemed shy to you at times. Was he also quite charming? We read a lot about what a chick magnet he was. Was this the impression you had?

My favorite subject! I had a thing for Roger. Everyone has a type and mine is the blue-eyed blond. Now, before you ask, was he brunet? No, he was a mouse/dirty blond. If it was summer he would have blond streaks mostly at the ends. He knew he was pretty and was always dressed in the latest fashion and had the current hairstyle. So, being my type I was constantly watching him. Everyone slept around during that time. I did not notice Roger doing it more or less. 80% of the time he was with Jo. Yes, he was a chick magnet, but he did not do the chasing. He was always very polite to everyone. If it ever looked like there would be any conflict he would be the first to leave it. It was not that he was a coward, just not into conflict. If he saw anyone that needed help he was right there, and often had to have Freddie's back. I never saw him in a fight. He could always talk his way out of things. He was also very patient and would listen for hours to other people talk. However, he would get this vacant look in his eyes at times.

And Freddie would either click his fingers, change the subject or just give up. I don’t think that Brian noticed, and it would be fair game for John, he would see how far he could push it. Roger liked to drink a fair bit and when drunk he would be hanging all over Jo. If she was not there then he missed Jo. If, however, he thought that he or his friends were not being respected, then look out! It was a verbal volcano heading your way. That is what happened to me one time. I was trying to talk with my friends close to where a drunken Roger was and I yelled at him to shut the hell up, you wannabe blond. We/I coped a mouthful back, all in the same sentence, that finished with: Sorry, I didn't realise you were on your rags (period)! I have to have the last word, so I told him the truth: I don’t get them yet! (I was a late starter.) He went so red in the face and called me JB [jail bait] from then.

You also mentioned Roger’s cat Ziggy having kittens. I read about this but never when exactly it was. Do you remember?

I think it was winter ‘73. I remember being cold when he was asking around the pub. [To find homes for the kittens, I gather.]

Is it quite strange reading fictional interpretations of real people you knew? When did you first find out there was Queen fanfic?

No, we used to make up stories about people all the time, a verbal fanfic. Was looking up Adam Lambert and came across the fanfics. Some had me in stitches! Others, like DoA, had me hooked.

Please, allow me to be a little self-indulgent at the end. What's one thing I got totally RIGHT in DoA?

All the Ibex stuff.

What's one thing I got totally WRONG in DoA?

Roger did not have a temper, and I don’t know what the go with his father was, but he would talk about him quite a bit and was always visiting his mum. [Absolutely fair, not only did I change the timeline of Roger’s parents divorce in DoA - for lack of information at the time - but also created a completely fictional narrative around it for the sake of storytelling.]

J, thank you so much for all this, sincerely. Can you tell me a little more about yourself? Are you still an artist?

I don't paint or draw any more. At the age of a 50 the doctors operated on an aneurysm or three, and now my eyesight is very bad, I have no fine motor skills and a tremor. I was married in January 1984 and have just celebrated our 37 year anniversary. I have one daughter who is 30 and two great, although tiring grandkids. A girl, 11, and one boy, 5. I have lived my life as the average middle class Australian with great memories. Talking with you has helped me a lot to remember a time when the world was mine for the taking. When I returned to OZ I started nursing, met my best friend, and we planned that once we graduated we would go back to London to study midwifery. But I fell in love instead.

J's wedding in 1984. As you can see, she found her own blue-eyed blond.

---

Upon request, J has shared some of her past and present artwork with me.

These are from her time at Ealing Art School:

These were done later, back in Australia:

J: Did this just before Christmas as you had inspired me. It did not require fine motor skills!

So there you have it! I hope you found this little glimpse through a 16-year-old girl’s eyes as much of a fascinating read as I did. I urge everybody one more time to remember that J did not have to share any of this, and I think we all owe her a big thank you for delving into her memories. She is likely to see the responses on AO3, so I have comment moderation enabled there as I will not let anybody harass this lovely lady. The tumblr she created is @since72, but she isn’t really an active user and also very new to it all. Again, I can only urge everybody to be respectful.

If you have other burning question for J, feel free to leave them in the comments on AO3. I will either pass them on, or she may want to reply to them herself directly.

#Queen band #Freddie Mercury #Roger Taylor #John Deacon #Brian May #interview #i am so excited about this #so much into #information #JB

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