
‘Freddie Mercury was a prodigy’: Rockstar's Panchgani bandmates remember ‘Bucky’ - tintinnabula
http://scroll.in/article/815380/freddie-bucky-mercury-the-12-year-old-rockstar-from-panchgani
======
tomcam
Gobsmacked to find this on HN. Thank you. It is worth noting that the critics
had little interest at all in Queen during the band's heyday. They loved Bruce
Springsteen and Elvis Costello. Queen, Klaatu, Kansas, Styx, Led Zeppelin,
Yes? Not so much. The attitude toward Freddie changed when Freddie was
sanctified by virtue his death.

One of the stories that impressed me most was Freddie's innate solidity as a
musician. He did the piano parts and many vocal parts in "Bohemian Rhapsody"
at night--before the drum part was recorded. So Roger Taylor (who also sang
the highest parts in that and other Queen songs) ended up using Freddie's part
as a click track.

~~~
1_2__3
I was alive and into music this time and I don't think what you're saying is
true at all. Almost all those bands were insanely popular in they're heyday -
that's why it's called they're heyday, generally. Are you claiming they were
on the radio and filling stadiums and making headlines... But the critics were
ignoring them?

The one I might grant you is Yes, but that's only because they were a little
eclectic. But while we could argue about when their best years were do
remember that MTV played "Leave It" on repeat for 24 hours once, partly taking
the piss but still. For an under appreciated band that's some crazy exposure.

~~~
jasode
_> But the critics were ignoring them?_

I think "ignore" in that comment meant "dismissive". The critics were
dismissive of Queen during its popular period probably because of the lighter
weight songs such as _" Another One Bites the Dust"_ and _" Radio Ga Ga"_. A
song like AOBTD sounds like something that a glam metal band could do. A song
RGG sounds like something a lot of teeny boppers would sing. Yes, those songs
are still loved today and will be always included on any Greatest Hits
compilation.

However, it's the rule-breaking songs like _" Bohemian Rhapsody"_ that is very
"critic friendly" and with the death of Freddie Mercury, its stature as a
_magnum opus_ keeps growing. A song like that influences critics to re-
evaluate Freddie's and Queen's artistic merit.

~~~
pimeys
Another One Bites the Dust is their best disco track and gets people singing
in Berlin clubs still. I've head that and Radio Ga Ga to be played in the best
nightclub in the world and the whole audience was singing along.

The production values of these tracks are amazing. The use of synths and the
beats. Knowing something about music production myself I can't help but enjoy
hearing some of these 80's megahits.

And John Deacon is very underrated. Easily one of the best bass players in the
world. And made some of their biggest hits too.

------
cyberferret
Anybody who still has doubts about the prodigious musical genius that was
Freddie should take the time to grab a cup of their favourite beverage and sit
down to watch & read:

Inside the Rhapsody:
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v15oIktGJOo](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v15oIktGJOo)

A roadie's story about working with Queen: [https://medium.com/cuepoint/being-
queen-s-roadie-was-one-int...](https://medium.com/cuepoint/being-queen-s-
roadie-was-one-intense-rewarding-job-a0fdd017e00d#.38np85svx)

~~~
JustSomeNobody
I rather like the way he's humble when discussing the talent of his band mates
and what went into making "Bohemian Rhapsody". There's not a lot of "I", but a
lot of "they" or "Freddie" or "we". He doesn't seem to feel he needs credit
for his part at all.

------
rdtsc
I think Freddie had the best voice among rock musicians (and still has
perhaps).

And it it's not just his voice, but his energy and his presence on stage as
well. It is just amazing to watch him work the crowd at Live Aid 1985:

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A22oy8dFjqc&feature=youtu.be...](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A22oy8dFjqc&feature=youtu.be&t=165)
(start of Radio Ga Ga)

~~~
agumonkey
Mercury aside, I find it interesting how the music industry was balanced. Tech
was heavier and less versatile, makes the whole thing more humane (even though
these events were enormous, the spirit is different, as if the whole society
was swimming along in this new mass spread musicale thing).

That said it's a pleasure to see mercury talking to the crowd, heart warming.
Best goes first...

psedit: s/humain/humane/

~~~
ZenoArrow
Just FYI, RE humain, probably wanted 'humane'.

------
ekianjo
> Later on in life he grew a moustache, probably to try and cover his teeth

I don't think it was for that reason. The time when he grew a moustache is
when he started to frequent the gay scene and most folks in that scene used to
have the moustache as well.

And his early days in Queen show him with a perfect shave.

~~~
cobalt
yes, it was called the clone look

------
ekianjo
> And then there was a revolution in Zanzibar, and Freddie’s family migrated
> to England.

That's funny to think about an alternate reality where this move would not
have occured, and his whole life would have turned completely differently. He
would never have met Brian May (one of the most talented guitarists ever) and
even if he had tried to become a Musician on his own, he may have failed (his
solo albums after Queen were big flops).

~~~
galfarragem
A related fable:

[https://sivers.org/horses](https://sivers.org/horses)

~~~
ekianjo
great link :)

------
hackuser
I only learned in the last few years that he was an immigrant to England. Who
are other famous immigrants that most people don't know about?

------
ekianjo
> . If he hadn’t become a rock musician, I think he would have grown up to be
> a successful artist or fashion designer.

He did actually study design in University. Strange that the interviewer did
not pick that up. He dropped then to become a full time musician. This is well
known.

Freddie is the one who designed the Queen logo, btw.

~~~
agumonkey
This explains the clothing on stage I guess.

------
Grazester
I discovered a Queen cassette(The Game) when I was a kid on a cargo boat my
dad bought and captained down to the Caribbean from England. It was amazing
hearing them for the first time. My parents couldn't understand how I liked
this noise(particularly "Another one bites the dust"). Once in my teens and
armed with the internet, I did a lot of reading up on Freddie Mercury. He was
a hell of a musician and a show man!

It is a shame I couldn't see him in concert :(

~~~
maxxxxx
I guess sometimes it's good to be an old fart. I saw them in 1985 or 86, I
don't remember which year. They put on a hell of a show. It was amazing to see
them entertain a whole stadium.

~~~
ekianjo
Where was that? in the UK ?

~~~
maxxxxx
Germany. I don't remember where though.

------
pimeys
He was the first true rock idol for a 4-year old me. I remember rocking and
acting like Freddie when I saw Queen performing on television around the year
1988. He was a god to me and when my mother told me he died it was quite hard
for me to understand.

Too bad the times were different, he could've been a great role model for
young gay boys.

------
ianpurton
Don't stop me now.

