FREDDIE MERCURY BIO LINKS THE ROCK STAR TO THE BIRTH OF AIDS
Somebody to Love biographer Mark Langthorne also tells our readers about the hidden meaning of Queen’s megahit “Bohemian Rhapsody.”
HIV plays a prominent role in Somebody to Love: The Life, Death and Legacy of Freddie Mercury, a new biography of the rock icon and Queen front man. How prominent? The first chapter doesn’t start with the childhood of Mercury—who was born Farrokh Bulsara—but instead takes place in 1908 in Africa, when a simian version of HIV jumps to humans, kicking off the global AIDS epidemic. Mercury had sexual and romantic relationships with both women and men, and the book offers a fascinating glimpse at Mercury’s secret gay life, such as his nights at the Mineshaft, a legendary gay club in New York.
We emailed Langhorne to talk further about the book’s HIV angle. In fact, Somebody to Love is released this week to coincide with the 25th anniversary of Mercury’s death from AIDS-related illness on November 24, 1991, at age 45. Mercury would have been 70 this year, and the man continues to rock us.
Your book reads almost like two parallel bios—one of Freddie and another of the HIV epidemic. Why structure the book this way?
Being a fan of Freddie Mercury, and a gay man who lived through the ’70s and ’80s, it seemed an opportunity to take both subjects and combine them in a unique way. There was also the challenge that we wanted Queen fans to pick the book up and learn something about the times, the individual and his personal struggle. If the book were an HIV/AIDS book, it would never gain access to the mainstream audience.
You make the claim that in death Freddie has done more to battle HIV and the related stigma than he did in life. Can you elaborate?
In truth he has. It was important, and Jim Beach his manager realized this, that Freddie told the world he had AIDS, though it was only a short time before his death. It made the disease real for many ordinary people whose lives he had touched through the music and performance—people who would never have known a person with AIDS. Therefore, it becomes something tangible, that they too had lost something and felt it.
My impression from reading the book was that Freddie was rather private in general. He never publicly acknowledged he had sex with other men, and in terms of HIV, he didn’t even tell the band members or many of his closest friends until it was impossible not to. He did release a press statement saying he had AIDS, but he died the next day, November 24, 1991. Today, some folks consider that silence to be cowardly. How would you respond to such accusations?
In the book, we try to understand how Freddie became who he was, his background and upbringing, the times, the homophobia, the vile British press that tried to out him as gay and living with HIV, the members of Queen and the pressures not just on him but for all those people around him who relied on the industry that Queen had become. The times he lived through were corrosive and bitter.
What aspect of Freddie Mercury’s life or personality surprised you as you researched this book? The difference between the performer and the showman, and the individual and the star. Offstage he seemed somehow diminished. When I met him, I found a shy, self-conscious, awkward man, who required drink and drugs to open up. There was sadness to him, a kind of defense mechanism, the sort that keeps even the richest man poor.
I had never heard of the theory that “Bohemian Rhapsody” was basically Freddie’s coming out—specifically, about Freddie’s leaving his female lover Mary Austin for men. Can you give us some context on that idea? Has it been well known for a long time? During his lifetime, Freddie never revealed what “Bohemian Rhapsody” was about. “I think people should just listen to it, think about it and then decide for themselves what it means to them,” he would later say. The other members of Queen who have spoken on the subject have refused to be drawn on the matter. But for decades, people have been speculating about the hidden meaning of the song. While many took it at face value, thinking it was simply about a murderer confessing to his crime, other analysts of the song point to it being an illustration of his emotional mindset during that period. At the time of writing the song, he was already embroiled in an affair with David Minns despite living with Mary Austin. Queen’s manager at the time was John Reid, and in an exclusive interview for the book, he describes his thoughts on the subtext of “Bohemian Rhapsody.” Reid says, “There’s been so much analysis of the song, but I subscribe to the theory—and I never discussed it with him [Freddie]—that it was his coming out song.” Others agree: Lyricist Sir Tim Rice says, “I heard the record very early on, and it struck me that there is a very clear message contained in it. This is Freddie saying, ‘I’m coming out. I’m admitting that I’m gay.’ Freddie considered “Bohemian Rhapsody” to be his greatest accomplishment. Whether or not it was an autobiographical testimony to his homosexuality, the tragic narrative of the song’s text would take on an even greater meaning after his death.
Talks of a Queen biopic once again are making headlines, this time with “Mr. Robot” star Rami Malek as Freddie. What are your thoughts on this and the role that gay sexuality and HIV should play in the film? There has been a great deal of conjecture about the movie. I was told that the movie focuses only on his life as a performer and that post–Freddie’s death [which happens midway in the film], the movie continues with the Queen story without him. I understand it will not be dealing in depth with Freddie’s sexuality or his death, which seems to me to be missing the point. After all, he was one of the most famous casualties of AIDS, and his death and life are inextricably linked.
Finally, what are your personal connections and interest in Freddie Mercury and the HIV epidemic? What drew you to write this book? Personal loss—and the belief that the life and the times should be documented. And Freddie was such an interesting individual, who represents so much of what was part of the thing we had and then lost. So many people full of life who died, and I miss still. I think of this book as a personal memory box, too, and I hope people take something away from it.
Adapted from: https://www.poz.com/article/freddie-mercury-bio-links-rock-star-aids-patient-zero
Glossary guide
front man: vocalista / mainstream: general / tangible: palpable / to acknowledge: reconèixer / diminished: reduit / take something as face value : veure quelcom tal com és / to be embroiled: estar involucrate / to be making headlines: sortir a les portades / inextricably: estretament
HIV plays a prominent role in Somebody to Love: The Life, Death and Legacy of Freddie Mercury, a new biography of the rock icon and Queen front man. How prominent? The first chapter doesn’t start with the childhood of Mercury—who was born Farrokh Bulsara—but instead takes place in 1908 in Africa, when a simian version of HIV jumps to humans, kicking off the global AIDS epidemic. Mercury had sexual and romantic relationships with both women and men, and the book offers a fascinating glimpse at Mercury’s secret gay life, such as his nights at the Mineshaft, a legendary gay club in New York.
We emailed Langhorne to talk further about the book’s HIV angle. In fact, Somebody to Love is released this week to coincide with the 25th anniversary of Mercury’s death from AIDS-related illness on November 24, 1991, at age 45. Mercury would have been 70 this year, and the man continues to rock us.
Your book reads almost like two parallel bios—one of Freddie and another of the HIV epidemic. Why structure the book this way?
Being a fan of Freddie Mercury, and a gay man who lived through the ’70s and ’80s, it seemed an opportunity to take both subjects and combine them in a unique way. There was also the challenge that we wanted Queen fans to pick the book up and learn something about the times, the individual and his personal struggle. If the book were an HIV/AIDS book, it would never gain access to the mainstream audience.
You make the claim that in death Freddie has done more to battle HIV and the related stigma than he did in life. Can you elaborate?
In truth he has. It was important, and Jim Beach his manager realized this, that Freddie told the world he had AIDS, though it was only a short time before his death. It made the disease real for many ordinary people whose lives he had touched through the music and performance—people who would never have known a person with AIDS. Therefore, it becomes something tangible, that they too had lost something and felt it.
My impression from reading the book was that Freddie was rather private in general. He never publicly acknowledged he had sex with other men, and in terms of HIV, he didn’t even tell the band members or many of his closest friends until it was impossible not to. He did release a press statement saying he had AIDS, but he died the next day, November 24, 1991. Today, some folks consider that silence to be cowardly. How would you respond to such accusations?
In the book, we try to understand how Freddie became who he was, his background and upbringing, the times, the homophobia, the vile British press that tried to out him as gay and living with HIV, the members of Queen and the pressures not just on him but for all those people around him who relied on the industry that Queen had become. The times he lived through were corrosive and bitter.
What aspect of Freddie Mercury’s life or personality surprised you as you researched this book? The difference between the performer and the showman, and the individual and the star. Offstage he seemed somehow diminished. When I met him, I found a shy, self-conscious, awkward man, who required drink and drugs to open up. There was sadness to him, a kind of defense mechanism, the sort that keeps even the richest man poor.
I had never heard of the theory that “Bohemian Rhapsody” was basically Freddie’s coming out—specifically, about Freddie’s leaving his female lover Mary Austin for men. Can you give us some context on that idea? Has it been well known for a long time? During his lifetime, Freddie never revealed what “Bohemian Rhapsody” was about. “I think people should just listen to it, think about it and then decide for themselves what it means to them,” he would later say. The other members of Queen who have spoken on the subject have refused to be drawn on the matter. But for decades, people have been speculating about the hidden meaning of the song. While many took it at face value, thinking it was simply about a murderer confessing to his crime, other analysts of the song point to it being an illustration of his emotional mindset during that period. At the time of writing the song, he was already embroiled in an affair with David Minns despite living with Mary Austin. Queen’s manager at the time was John Reid, and in an exclusive interview for the book, he describes his thoughts on the subtext of “Bohemian Rhapsody.” Reid says, “There’s been so much analysis of the song, but I subscribe to the theory—and I never discussed it with him [Freddie]—that it was his coming out song.” Others agree: Lyricist Sir Tim Rice says, “I heard the record very early on, and it struck me that there is a very clear message contained in it. This is Freddie saying, ‘I’m coming out. I’m admitting that I’m gay.’ Freddie considered “Bohemian Rhapsody” to be his greatest accomplishment. Whether or not it was an autobiographical testimony to his homosexuality, the tragic narrative of the song’s text would take on an even greater meaning after his death.
Talks of a Queen biopic once again are making headlines, this time with “Mr. Robot” star Rami Malek as Freddie. What are your thoughts on this and the role that gay sexuality and HIV should play in the film? There has been a great deal of conjecture about the movie. I was told that the movie focuses only on his life as a performer and that post–Freddie’s death [which happens midway in the film], the movie continues with the Queen story without him. I understand it will not be dealing in depth with Freddie’s sexuality or his death, which seems to me to be missing the point. After all, he was one of the most famous casualties of AIDS, and his death and life are inextricably linked.
Finally, what are your personal connections and interest in Freddie Mercury and the HIV epidemic? What drew you to write this book? Personal loss—and the belief that the life and the times should be documented. And Freddie was such an interesting individual, who represents so much of what was part of the thing we had and then lost. So many people full of life who died, and I miss still. I think of this book as a personal memory box, too, and I hope people take something away from it.
Adapted from: https://www.poz.com/article/freddie-mercury-bio-links-rock-star-aids-patient-zero
Glossary guide
front man: vocalista / mainstream: general / tangible: palpable / to acknowledge: reconèixer / diminished: reduit / take something as face value : veure quelcom tal com és / to be embroiled: estar involucrate / to be making headlines: sortir a les portades / inextricably: estretament