14 Queen facts that are poorly told in the movie about the band

No matter how many years have passed since the band originated, Queen’s classics continue to play in the players of millions of people around the world.

The story of the band that never left the hearts and minds of fans gained a new chapter with the release of Bohemian Rhapsodya movie that is currently showing and that reminds us why this band left its mark on rock and will continue to be an important part of musical culture.

However, there are some historical data that were not mentioned in the movie or were told in a different way than what actually happened. At the end of the post you will find a bonus with one of our favorite songs from this musical legend🇧🇷

O awesome.club shares some important band data that maybe you didn’t know.

Before joining the group, Freddie Mercury was part of four bands: “The Hectics”, “Ibex”, “Wreckage” and finally “Sour Milk Sea”.

When he was in the latter, Freddie already knew Roger Taylor and Brian May, future drummer and guitarist for Queen, respectively; however, he preferred to try his luck at the Sour Milk Sea. The band, however, was not successful.

Because of financial problems, the now legendary guitarist Brian May, at age 16, with the help of his father, made the guitar that would become the artist’s unique instrument, using different materials. Made of mahogany and oak, the guitar was named “The red special” (the special red one), giving the instrument a unique style that helped compose the sound of Queen. But May’s secret isn’t limited to her signature guitar; instead of picks, he uses coins to play.

Lucy Boynton is Mary Austin in the movie.

The film tells us that Freddie met Mary Austin the same night he saw the band Smile – a band then formed by May, Taylor and bassist Tim Staffell – perform. However, before the singer, Mary had an affair with guitarist Brian May. After a meeting at the store where she worked, Freddie asked for her approval to date the girl. They dated for six years, but she never left his life.

Considered the quietest and most withdrawn of the band’s members, bassist John Deacon was the last to join the group, in 1971. To be part of Queen, he had to pass a musical audition in front of the other members. According to biographers, Deacon’s performance was surprising, but his quiet style didn’t excite May, Taylor and Freddie at first.

They were in the middle of the tour when the musician contracted hepatitis. After five days of concerts in New York in 1974, May’s body couldn’t handle the workload and the instability in her health. Queen canceled approximately 20 shows in the United States.

the second album, Queen IIwhich could be considered by many fans as a masterpiece of the band, was recorded in just one month, despite the technological limitations of the time.

already the album A Night at the Opera (which featured the mega-classic Bohemian Rhapsody, in addition to Love of My Life) and which was released in 1975, is the band’s fourth studio album.

Mike Myers at the movie premiere Bohemian Rhapsody no UK.

Ray Foster, played by actor Mike Myers, was created from inspiration from other executives, especially Roy Featherstone, head of EMI Records. The character who required them to make more commercial music and who ensured that the song “Bohemian Rhapsody” was too long to be aired on radio and would not be successful, did not exist in real life.

The band did not have to split up so Freddie could dedicate himself to a personal project, signing a contract worth 4 million dollars, as the film presents. All band members had their personal projects and agreed to rest after touring for 10 years. They never lost touch and started the project of their thirteenth album, The Works, in 1983 — the disc contains classics like Radio Ga Ga and I Want to Break Free.

In the film, we get to see the process of creating one of the two solo albums that Freddie signed on for. However, nothing is mentioned about the second. The singer’s solo albums are Mr. bad guy, from 1985, and barcelona (1988), this one in collaboration with the Spanish singer Montserrat Caballé and that had as guest bassist John Deacon in How Can I Go On, a song that was very successful.

In the film, Jim Hutton appears working as a waiter at one of the singer’s parties; however, the couple’s first meeting took place in a bar in 1984 and Hutton rejected Freddie because he was already in a relationship. They didn’t really start having a relationship until 1985. Hutton was a hairdresser and worked at the Savoy Hotel in London. They were together for seven years, until the singer’s death in 1991. Freddie’s ex-partner died of cancer in 2010.

The performance at Live Aid (a mega show to raise funds against hunger in Africa) is considered the biggest in Queen’s history. The band was the main highlight in a show that featured music superstars such as U2, Elton John, Duran Duran, David Bowie and Mick Jagger of the Rolling Stones.🇧🇷 In the film, drummer Roger Taylor mentions that they haven’t played together in years. However, the album release The Works it was held a year earlier and the band toured performing it, and their last show was two months before Live Aid.

In the film, Freddie Mercury discovers he has AIDS before Live Aid and, during rehearsals, tells his teammates asking them to be discreet. However, the singer was not aware that he had the disease until two years after the show, in 1987. And he only confided this secret to three people: Jim Hutton, his partner; Mary Austin and her manager, Jim Beach. Queen members later found out. Freddie officially announced his illness the day before his death, on November 23, 1991.

Allen Leech (Paul Prenter), Brian May (Queen guitarist) and Rami Malek (who plays Freddie Mercury) at the film’s premiere Bohemian Rhapsody in the United Kingdom.

This character, hated by many in the audience for betraying Freddie in the film, was not actually fired for withholding information from the Live Aid show to Freddie Mercury. The latter decided to walk away from all addictions and friendships that did not contribute to his life after the performance. After that, Prenter took it upon himself to expose the singer in interviews and with the sale of compromising photographs of his novels. Paul also had AIDS and died in August 1991.

Freddie and Jackson planned to record an album shortly after the publication of Thriller, Jackson’s biggest album and to this day, considered one of the greatest albums in music history. Although this collaboration was perfect because of the great talent of both, it is believed that they had some differences during the recordings because of a chimpanzee that Jackson had as a pet, and they could not find space in their schedules to carry out the project. .

What’s your favorite song by this band? Share in the comments.