5.30.14 Tour Rehearsals Begin

eTo make this simple -- in my post I was clear these were my guesses -- in order to make guesses, I was trying to project what I know of Freddie 23 years beyond his life. It is essentially science fiction -- not something to be taken too seriously.

No one knows because it is alternate reality.  But to explain a bit and in answer to your questions:

#1. It depends how you define icon. Before Freddie died, there was a lot of negative and critical press about him and his music and his style. After he died, he became idealized and idolized in a way he was not when he was alive. (Go back and read the press reports from the 1970's and 1980's -- particularly the British and US press. I believe that Freddie, Jimi Hendrix, MJ, Elvis and a few others hold a different status because they died when they were young vs. living and performing until they were 80. That was my only point.

#2. How did I say he was narrow-minded? I am not speculating about Freddie's opinion of grunge rock which emerged in the mid-1980's. Freddie was aware of grudge. And vice versa -- Dave Grohl from Nirvana (and Taylor Hawkins) inducted Queen into the Rock Hall. rockhall.com/inductees/queen/transcript/dave-grohl-and-taylor-hawkins-/

Freddie knew a lot about all kinds of music -- one of the best Freddie stories:

I still stay with my speculation that Freddie would have stayed on his pop music course as his main musical path. He always explored standards and his foray into opera is well know, but his solo career was only moderately successful -- Mr. Bad Guy (1985) and Barcelona (1988). He continued to work with Queen and that is the music that had the must commercial and cultural impact.

#3, #4 ITA!! You are so right about the shorts!

#5. "Didn't those other bands break up due to rifts between the members? Queen, as the original line up, seemed very cohesive and grounded as a unit."

Not the case. Some of the issues are documented in biographies and Brian and Roger have both talked about a few of the major issues.  There was intense turmoil from 1982-1985.

And right before Live Aid, Queen almost broke up. There were many causes....mostly they had drifted apart, and headed in different directions. There were many fights over royalties and songwriting credit.

In addition, Freddie was being influenced by Paul Prenter (Freddie's personal manager for 9 years from 1977-1986) and being told that he was bigger than the rest of the band, that he would be better off on his own. Queen had been together for about 14 years at the time and Freddie thought that there wasn’t too much left that the band could do (this may have been part of Paul's influence). There was a famous band meeting in Switzerland where they agreed to give it one more try which is a good thing because we have the Magic album, The Miracle and Innuendo.

This is all well documented by Freddie and the other band members and people associated with Queen.

In the end, Paul Prenter betrayed Freddie to the press -- IMO a horrid man.

#7. I was being a bit cheeky -- but  only a bit. Freddie would have loved Las Vegas 2014 and I can see him doing a Cirque de Soliel level show.

But I got there because Freddie spoke openly about money. He liked it and he enjoyed spending it and he loved to buy extravagant things for people he cared about.

**

Finally, I think Freddie might have really liked Arcade Fire. Just trying to guess.