0:00:04 > 0:00:07# Flash, aaah
0:00:07 > 0:00:09# Saviour of the universe... #
0:00:09 > 0:00:17This programme contains some strong language.
0:00:17 > 0:00:19LAUGHTER
0:00:29 > 0:00:33I wanted us to be massively successful, I mean...
0:00:33 > 0:00:36I think almost everybody in this business does.
0:00:36 > 0:00:40# Flash, aaah
0:00:40 > 0:00:42# He'll save every one of us... #
0:00:42 > 0:00:45Certainly by the beginning of the '80s,
0:00:45 > 0:00:48the world domination they'd craved for was definitely there.
0:00:48 > 0:00:52# Aaah
0:00:52 > 0:00:53# He's a miracle... #
0:00:55 > 0:00:59The hardest thing is to actually maintain the level of success you've achieved
0:00:59 > 0:01:03because I think when you go all the way up, the only place is to come down.
0:01:03 > 0:01:06# Flash, aaah
0:01:06 > 0:01:08# King of the impossible... #
0:01:11 > 0:01:15You've no idea where you can get to. It's like the sky's the limit.
0:01:15 > 0:01:17# He'll save with a mighty hand
0:01:17 > 0:01:20# Every man, every woman, every child with a mighty Flash... #
0:01:25 > 0:01:28We didn't want just America, we wanted the whole world, you know.
0:01:34 > 0:01:36South America reared its head
0:01:36 > 0:01:42and we heard rumours that we were... the biggest thing ever in Argentina
0:01:42 > 0:01:45and Brazil and they started to ask us to go down there.
0:01:45 > 0:01:48They were saying, "You can play football stadiums down there."
0:01:48 > 0:01:50We went, "You're joking."
0:01:50 > 0:01:53In those days under the dictatorship in Argentina,
0:01:53 > 0:01:57we were negotiating with the army general and he said to me,
0:01:57 > 0:02:00"How can I possibly allow 50,000 young people into a stadium
0:02:00 > 0:02:02"when I can't control them?
0:02:02 > 0:02:05"What happens if somebody suddenly shouts out 'Viva Peron'
0:02:05 > 0:02:10"in the middle of a Queen concert and I have a riot on my hands?"
0:02:10 > 0:02:13And I tried to explain to him that, rather like
0:02:13 > 0:02:18gladiatorial matches in Rome, this was panacea to the people,
0:02:18 > 0:02:20they'd never, ever had this before,
0:02:20 > 0:02:23this would be an extraordinary experience.
0:02:26 > 0:02:29So we got the whole thing together
0:02:29 > 0:02:32and it was God knows how many jumbo jets full of equipment.
0:02:32 > 0:02:37And when we arrived in Buenos Aires, as we're unloading it,
0:02:37 > 0:02:40you could see spent bullet cases, and thinking,
0:02:40 > 0:02:42"Yeah, we really are in a very different place here."
0:02:42 > 0:02:48We were looking for a bodyguard for Freddie, this particular man came in
0:02:48 > 0:02:52and his opening recommendation was that he'd killed 212 people.
0:02:52 > 0:02:55The travel arrangements were very scary.
0:02:55 > 0:02:57Driving the wrong way along a raised motorway
0:02:57 > 0:03:03with outriders, with guys in big jeeps waving their big guns
0:03:03 > 0:03:07and getting the cars, coming straight towards them, to pull over.
0:03:07 > 0:03:10We got caught in a traffic jam and one of the policemen just stood up,
0:03:10 > 0:03:12put his head through the roof
0:03:12 > 0:03:17and started firing his gun in the air in order to clear the traffic.
0:03:17 > 0:03:18Very hair-raising.
0:03:20 > 0:03:21Hello, amigos.
0:03:21 > 0:03:25HE SPEAKS PORTUGUESE
0:03:29 > 0:03:33Fred, how do you feel playing and singing before 200,000 people?
0:03:33 > 0:03:36I haven't done it yet!
0:03:39 > 0:03:43I can remember being nervous the first night.
0:03:43 > 0:03:48The top tier alone took 80,000 and we were in this sort of dug-out
0:03:48 > 0:03:51which I guess the football teams would normally be in.
0:03:51 > 0:03:54All the windows were broken and I remember thinking
0:03:54 > 0:03:58this is... You know, it's going to take some balls to walk out there.
0:03:58 > 0:03:59Hello, Sao Paulo!
0:04:18 > 0:04:20# Get your party gown
0:04:20 > 0:04:21# Get your pigtail down
0:04:21 > 0:04:23# Get your heart beating, baby
0:04:25 > 0:04:26# Get your timing right
0:04:26 > 0:04:28# I got my act all tight
0:04:28 > 0:04:31# It's gotta be tonight My little school babe
0:04:31 > 0:04:33# Your momma says you don't
0:04:33 > 0:04:35# Your daddy says you won't And I'm boiling up inside... #
0:04:35 > 0:04:38They knew all the songs. These people don't speak English
0:04:38 > 0:04:41but they could sing along all the Queen songs
0:04:41 > 0:04:44so they're obviously very genuine fans and they went nuts.
0:04:44 > 0:04:47# Tie your mother down Tie your mother down
0:04:47 > 0:04:50# Lock your daddy out of doors I don't need him nosing around
0:04:50 > 0:04:53# Tie your mother down Tie your mother down
0:04:53 > 0:04:58# Give me all your love tonight
0:05:02 > 0:05:04# Tonight... #
0:05:04 > 0:05:06It also takes a certain ego
0:05:06 > 0:05:10and a certain drive to want to be
0:05:10 > 0:05:12in that spotlight and go on display.
0:05:13 > 0:05:17And Freddie thrived and got better in bigger arenas.
0:05:17 > 0:05:18# Yeah
0:05:18 > 0:05:19AUDIENCE: # Yeah
0:05:19 > 0:05:20# Yeah
0:05:20 > 0:05:21# Yeah
0:05:21 > 0:05:22# Yeah ye-yeah yeah
0:05:22 > 0:05:24# Yeah ye-yeah yeah
0:05:24 > 0:05:25# Yeah yeah ye-ye-yeah
0:05:25 > 0:05:26# Yeah yeah ye-ye-yeah
0:05:26 > 0:05:28- # All right - All right
0:05:28 > 0:05:30- # All right - All right
0:05:30 > 0:05:32- # Yeah- Yeah- Yeah- Yeah
0:05:32 > 0:05:33- # Yeah- Yeah
0:05:33 > 0:05:35- # Yeah- Yeah- Yeah- Yeah
0:05:35 > 0:05:36- # Yeah- Yeah- Yeah- Yeah
0:05:36 > 0:05:37- # Yeah- Yeah
0:05:37 > 0:05:38# Yeah
0:05:38 > 0:05:40# Yeah, yeah, yeah
0:05:40 > 0:05:45# Aaaaaaaall right
0:05:45 > 0:05:50# Aaaaaaaall right
0:05:51 > 0:05:53Let's do it to tempo.
0:05:58 > 0:06:01Once we'd finished Argentina and Brazil,
0:06:01 > 0:06:03the band decided to go back into the studio
0:06:03 > 0:06:06and they had of course bought the studios in Montreux, here.
0:06:15 > 0:06:20Mountain Studios was in the casino by the lake in Montreux.
0:06:20 > 0:06:23When they first arrived it was, like, the top studio in Europe.
0:06:25 > 0:06:29We were in the studio in Montreux and David Bowie lives nearby.
0:06:29 > 0:06:32I think we went out for a meal or drinks or something
0:06:32 > 0:06:35and then landed up back in the studio with the sort of
0:06:35 > 0:06:37rough intention of doing something.
0:06:37 > 0:06:39We were fooling around and just...
0:06:39 > 0:06:42jamming with tracks and suddenly we said,
0:06:42 > 0:06:46"Why don't we just see what we can do on the spur of the moment?"
0:06:46 > 0:06:50Then it's the pressure of His Majesty David being there
0:06:50 > 0:06:55and everybody wanted to look suave and quick with ideas and stuff.
0:06:55 > 0:06:58Deacy of course came up with this riff - dun dun dun de de dun dun.
0:06:58 > 0:07:00"UNDER PRESSURE" BASS RIFF PLAYS
0:07:00 > 0:07:02# Bom bom bom buddle der der
0:07:02 > 0:07:04# Ding ding ding digger ding ding
0:07:06 > 0:07:08He kept playing that over and over and over again.
0:07:10 > 0:07:13And then we went for a pizza and he forgot it.
0:07:13 > 0:07:18Completely escaped his mind! We got back and I remembered it.
0:07:20 > 0:07:23And of course, we're used to playing together and now we have this
0:07:23 > 0:07:27other guy there who's also inputting, inputting, inputting.
0:07:27 > 0:07:29David's idea of putting these clicks and claps
0:07:29 > 0:07:31and then the track just grew.
0:07:36 > 0:07:39By that time, David was very impassioned.
0:07:39 > 0:07:41He had a vision in his head, I think.
0:07:41 > 0:07:44It's quite a difficult process and somebody has to back off
0:07:44 > 0:07:47and actually I did back off, unusual for me.
0:07:47 > 0:07:51# Pressure pushing down on me
0:07:51 > 0:07:53# Pressing down on you
0:07:53 > 0:07:55# No man ask for
0:07:55 > 0:07:56# Under pressure
0:07:56 > 0:08:00# That burns a building down
0:08:00 > 0:08:02# Splits a family in two
0:08:02 > 0:08:04# Puts people on streets... #
0:08:04 > 0:08:06For the vocals, one of them was to be locked out
0:08:06 > 0:08:09and not allowed to hear what the other one sang
0:08:09 > 0:08:11and they sang anything off the top of their heads.
0:08:11 > 0:08:13# It never rains but it pours
0:08:13 > 0:08:15# Um ba-ba bey... #
0:08:15 > 0:08:20Fred starts doing his bum-didder-dup and his bits-and-pieces
0:08:20 > 0:08:23and I see out of the corner of my eye,
0:08:23 > 0:08:26I see David sticking his head in, listening.
0:08:26 > 0:08:30Then Fred came down, David went up and Freddie was quite impressed
0:08:30 > 0:08:32that he was counterpointing to what he did before.
0:08:32 > 0:08:34# ..This world is about
0:08:34 > 0:08:38# Watching some good friends screaming let me out
0:08:38 > 0:08:42# Pray tomorrow gets me higher, high, high
0:08:42 > 0:08:46# Pressure on people People on streets... #
0:08:46 > 0:08:49And Fred said, "What do you make of this?"
0:08:49 > 0:08:53I said, "It's kind of easy if you stand in the doorway listening to what you're doing."
0:08:53 > 0:08:57- And Freddie turned, "What the- BLEEP"?
0:08:57 > 0:09:02# Cos love's such an old fashioned word
0:09:02 > 0:09:05# And love dares you
0:09:05 > 0:09:12# To care for the people on the edge of the night
0:09:12 > 0:09:15# And love dares you
0:09:15 > 0:09:18# To change our way of
0:09:18 > 0:09:22# Caring about ourselves
0:09:22 > 0:09:25# This is our last dance... #
0:09:27 > 0:09:30The result is very good but it was a difficult experience, I think,
0:09:30 > 0:09:34because people pulling in different directions, in a sense.
0:09:34 > 0:09:35# Under pressure... #
0:09:35 > 0:09:39Under Pressure, David Bowie, the band, me,
0:09:39 > 0:09:42I don't think it mixed too well.
0:09:42 > 0:09:43# Pressure. #
0:09:43 > 0:09:46Shame actually, it's...
0:09:46 > 0:09:51I thought it was fabulous, we could've done some incredible further things, actually.
0:09:53 > 0:10:00Queen are evil, degenerate, repulsive, unpleasant.
0:10:00 > 0:10:02I like them.
0:10:07 > 0:10:11Well, here we have a total change of life for all of us, really.
0:10:11 > 0:10:15We went back to Munich to do the next album
0:10:15 > 0:10:18and really, I suppose, things started to go downhill.
0:10:19 > 0:10:22It's actually a rather grim place.
0:10:22 > 0:10:27It's a studio in the basement of a huge tower block which is a hotel.
0:10:29 > 0:10:31And it's kind of depressing.
0:10:31 > 0:10:35A lot of people used to jump off that building and kill themselves,
0:10:35 > 0:10:38off that particular building, it was well known for it.
0:10:38 > 0:10:41We didn't know that until we got there, so we went a bit nuts.
0:10:44 > 0:10:48By that time, we were getting very finicky about recording
0:10:48 > 0:10:49and we spent months there.
0:10:55 > 0:10:58After the massive success of Another One Bites The Dust,
0:10:58 > 0:11:02the thinking was we'll make an album that's slightly more dance orientated.
0:11:02 > 0:11:04Not my idea.
0:11:04 > 0:11:07Especially in Freddie's entourage,
0:11:07 > 0:11:10I won't mention any names like Paul Prenter, for instance,
0:11:10 > 0:11:15loathed guitars and found that Brian was old fashioned.
0:11:15 > 0:11:18Paul Prenter had become Freddie's personal assistant.
0:11:18 > 0:11:21He was a very, very bad influence upon Freddie,
0:11:21 > 0:11:24hence on the band, really.
0:11:24 > 0:11:27He very much wanted our music to sound
0:11:27 > 0:11:29like you'd just walked in a gay club.
0:11:29 > 0:11:30And I didn't.
0:11:30 > 0:11:32# Back chat, back chat
0:11:32 > 0:11:34# Criticising all you see
0:11:34 > 0:11:36# Back chat, back chat
0:11:36 > 0:11:38# Analysing what I say... #
0:11:38 > 0:11:41There were a lot of strains in the band that'd happen
0:11:41 > 0:11:44with four people of that strength of character.
0:11:44 > 0:11:49Everybody had their say and the arguments were creative and then it would become personal.
0:11:49 > 0:11:51Of course!
0:11:51 > 0:11:55It was a sort of emotional roller coaster.
0:11:55 > 0:11:58I think less and less time was spent in the studio.
0:12:02 > 0:12:05Get up about three o'clock and go and have breakfast
0:12:05 > 0:12:08and then a bit of work would be done and then you'd have dinner
0:12:08 > 0:12:13and then one of the roadies would start mixing cocktails and then...
0:12:14 > 0:12:16other things would...ahem, happen.
0:12:16 > 0:12:18# Give me... #
0:12:20 > 0:12:23I'm not saying cocaine and other drugs
0:12:23 > 0:12:26and loose women had anything to do with that at all.
0:12:26 > 0:12:28Wink, wink, nudge, nudge!
0:12:28 > 0:12:31# Body, body
0:12:31 > 0:12:35# Give me your body... #
0:12:35 > 0:12:38It turned into a rather exhausting cycle, I think, in the end.
0:12:38 > 0:12:41# Don't talk, don't talk, don't talk
0:12:41 > 0:12:43# Baby, don't talk... #
0:12:43 > 0:12:47I don't know if I can say this... Yes, I could probably say this.
0:12:47 > 0:12:51We all got ourselves into deep trouble emotionally in Munich
0:12:51 > 0:12:57and Freddie was no exception, he got himself deep into emotional waters which he couldn't really handle
0:12:57 > 0:12:59and was very unhappy for some of the time.
0:12:59 > 0:13:04# Give me your body... #
0:13:04 > 0:13:08He was being sucked into places which really probably weren't good for him.
0:13:08 > 0:13:11And I think we all felt that
0:13:11 > 0:13:13and realised that he was in some kind of danger.
0:13:13 > 0:13:17# Give me, yeah
0:13:17 > 0:13:20# Your body... #
0:13:22 > 0:13:24I certainly saw the change in Freddie...
0:13:24 > 0:13:26# Don't talk... #
0:13:26 > 0:13:29..in the club Heaven in 1983.
0:13:29 > 0:13:31I said to him, "Have you modified your behaviour
0:13:31 > 0:13:35"in light of 'the new disease'", which as of yet did not have a name.
0:13:36 > 0:13:39And with the sweep of his arms in a theatrical fashion, he said,
0:13:39 > 0:13:45"Darling, my attitude is fuck it, I'm doing everything with everybody."
0:13:45 > 0:13:48If someone kept a chart of rock and roll royalty,
0:13:48 > 0:13:50Queen would have to be at the top.
0:13:50 > 0:13:53Now Queen is back on tour
0:13:53 > 0:13:55and perhaps up against their biggest challenge yet.
0:13:55 > 0:14:01Now, most of you know that we've got some new sounds out last week and...
0:14:02 > 0:14:06..for what it's worth, we're going to do a few songs in
0:14:06 > 0:14:09the funk-black category, whatever you call it.
0:14:09 > 0:14:11Record sales are not as strong as in the past
0:14:11 > 0:14:14and that's left everyone wondering.
0:14:14 > 0:14:15I don't like everything that we do.
0:14:15 > 0:14:17I like a lot of what we do but not everything.
0:14:17 > 0:14:20It depends on whatever the four individuals in the group,
0:14:20 > 0:14:24what music they're into at the time and what songs they're writing.
0:14:24 > 0:14:28There might be a couple of songs come out you don't like very much.
0:14:28 > 0:14:29I could name a couple!
0:14:29 > 0:14:33Well, Hot Space in Queen terms was pretty disastrous, really.
0:14:33 > 0:14:36It didn't appeal to some of the hardcore Queen fans
0:14:36 > 0:14:39who would turn up at concerts with banners saying "disco sucks".
0:14:39 > 0:14:43It's only a bloody record, people get so excited about these things. I mean...
0:14:43 > 0:14:46The band...
0:14:46 > 0:14:48It was pretty much on the verge of falling apart.
0:14:48 > 0:14:52I think we had a couple of meetings and staff to discuss
0:14:52 > 0:14:54were we still together etc, etc.
0:14:54 > 0:14:57What to do if you're a member of an internationally successful
0:14:57 > 0:14:59rock band but want to blow off creative steam
0:14:59 > 0:15:01that doesn't fit the band's image.
0:15:01 > 0:15:04Our next guest has faced that, he is Roger Taylor.
0:15:04 > 0:15:08He's just blown off some of his own steam with his second solo album,
0:15:08 > 0:15:10Strange Frontier. Let's look at it.
0:15:10 > 0:15:13# Sometimes I feel like a man on fire
0:15:13 > 0:15:16# Sometimes I feel like a man possessed
0:15:16 > 0:15:20# Sometimes I wanna burn down this crazy town... #
0:15:20 > 0:15:22I think we decided we needed a break.
0:15:22 > 0:15:26Queen propelled us into the world but also in a sense it confined us
0:15:26 > 0:15:31into a very small space. We just worked with each other, not the other fabulous musicians.
0:15:33 > 0:15:36I ended up in LA and one morning just got up
0:15:36 > 0:15:39and rang up some mates there and said, "Why don't we do something?"
0:15:39 > 0:15:42And it led to the Star Fleet Project.
0:15:42 > 0:15:45# Star fleet, star fleet
0:15:47 > 0:15:51# Star fleet, star fleet... #
0:15:53 > 0:15:56At a certain point we were all ready, there's no doubt.
0:15:56 > 0:15:58We'd been off doing our different things,
0:15:58 > 0:16:01refreshing ourselves but we were ready to get back in the studio.
0:16:08 > 0:16:11This is the hardest time for us, this is a big test, we've been
0:16:11 > 0:16:17in the business 12 years and to keep it going that much further is hard.
0:16:17 > 0:16:18The Works was the next album.
0:16:18 > 0:16:20We thought we wanted somewhere nice and warm
0:16:20 > 0:16:23and not freezing bloody cold Munich.
0:16:23 > 0:16:26So that really made sense, to go to LA to make that record.
0:16:28 > 0:16:31And I think we got back on track in The Works, actually.
0:16:35 > 0:16:37They were a complicated musical marriage.
0:16:37 > 0:16:41They didn't have one room in a studio, they had three or four.
0:16:41 > 0:16:44Studio B, Studio C, Studio D, Studio E.
0:16:44 > 0:16:45But that was a good thing
0:16:45 > 0:16:48cos it allowed everybody to work on their individual songs.
0:16:48 > 0:16:50In the early days it was Brian and Freddie
0:16:50 > 0:16:53who really used to write most of the material
0:16:53 > 0:16:55but over the last five years,
0:16:55 > 0:16:58Roger and I have started to contribute more.
0:17:01 > 0:17:04I thought John Deacon was kind of a secret weapon because
0:17:04 > 0:17:07he would come up with these major hits out of nowhere.
0:17:08 > 0:17:10He had this track, I Want To Break Free,
0:17:10 > 0:17:14and it was pretty much there except this big hole in the middle.
0:17:15 > 0:17:20I mean, John did not want a guitar solo so he asked Fred Mandel,
0:17:20 > 0:17:22a very brilliant keyboard player, to improvise something
0:17:22 > 0:17:26around the main tune and Fred did this brilliant take.
0:17:26 > 0:17:32SYNTHESIZER ON "I WANT TO BREAK FREE"
0:17:37 > 0:17:41You know, all their records used to say prominently "no synthesizers"
0:17:41 > 0:17:43then I come along like another schmuck
0:17:43 > 0:17:45and put synthesizers on everything.
0:17:46 > 0:17:49I wasn't too happy at the time but I gave it my blessing,
0:17:49 > 0:17:51that's the deal.
0:17:53 > 0:17:57The polarity of writing within the band changed.
0:17:57 > 0:17:59I think the time has come where we actually...
0:17:59 > 0:18:01in songwriting, we're completely even.
0:18:01 > 0:18:05Roger will come up with something like Radio Ga Ga and it's perfect.
0:18:09 > 0:18:14It was Sunday afternoon, my son Felix came in, he was very young
0:18:14 > 0:18:17and he just sort of went, "Ah, radio, caca"
0:18:17 > 0:18:19cos he's half French.
0:18:19 > 0:18:24And, um, I just thought that's quite nice, you know.
0:18:26 > 0:18:28I put the backing track together
0:18:28 > 0:18:31and presented it to Freddie who really loved it.
0:18:39 > 0:18:42We took it into the next room and then Fred and I worked
0:18:42 > 0:18:44on the vocoder parts.
0:18:44 > 0:18:46# All we hear is
0:18:46 > 0:18:47# Radio ga ga
0:18:47 > 0:18:50# Radio goo goo
0:18:50 > 0:18:52# Radio ga ga... #
0:18:52 > 0:18:55If you listen, several times it says "radio caca".
0:18:55 > 0:18:56# Radio ga ga
0:18:56 > 0:18:59# Radio ga ga... #
0:18:59 > 0:19:02Radio Ga Ga brought Queen back.
0:19:02 > 0:19:05# Radio... #
0:19:05 > 0:19:07It came from a rock thing.
0:19:07 > 0:19:09Radio Ga Ga combined the best elements of
0:19:09 > 0:19:11the '70s with the '80s.
0:19:11 > 0:19:13That's where Queen had a strength with The Works.
0:19:13 > 0:19:17It was more of a substantial hit even though it didn't actually make
0:19:17 > 0:19:19the top 10 in America.
0:19:19 > 0:19:22But it got played a lot and the video made a big impact.
0:19:22 > 0:19:24# Let's hope you never
0:19:24 > 0:19:26# Leave, old friend
0:19:26 > 0:19:28# Like all good things
0:19:28 > 0:19:30# On you we depend
0:19:30 > 0:19:32# So stick around
0:19:32 > 0:19:35# Cos we might miss you... #
0:19:35 > 0:19:39We had a killer video which we put a lot of work into.
0:19:39 > 0:19:41# You had your time
0:19:41 > 0:19:43# You had the power
0:19:43 > 0:19:45# You've yet to have... #
0:19:45 > 0:19:48The whole thing just felt good, of its time.
0:19:48 > 0:19:52It felt a bit different. It felt modern and it was very fresh.
0:19:52 > 0:19:56# All we hear is radio ga ga
0:19:56 > 0:19:58# Radio goo goo
0:19:58 > 0:20:01# Radio ga ga... #
0:20:01 > 0:20:05All of a sudden people, would participate jointly
0:20:05 > 0:20:07in Radio Ga Ga situations.
0:20:07 > 0:20:12A collective statement that was good on the radio,
0:20:12 > 0:20:13or on a turntable.
0:20:13 > 0:20:16In live, it really was a unification.
0:20:16 > 0:20:20# All we hear is radio ga ga
0:20:20 > 0:20:21# Radio goo goo
0:20:21 > 0:20:23# Radio ga ga... #
0:20:23 > 0:20:26Freddie said, "What we do is like the Olympics.
0:20:26 > 0:20:29"It's people believing in you and everyone behind you.
0:20:29 > 0:20:31"Everyone doing the same thing.
0:20:31 > 0:20:34"That's the Olympics." He said, "That's what we do."
0:20:34 > 0:20:38# Radio ga ga, radio ga ga... #
0:20:38 > 0:20:43Suddenly the MTV generation grew up and video became all-important.
0:20:54 > 0:20:57The most enjoyable video was I Want To Break Free
0:20:57 > 0:20:58because we just laughed.
0:21:06 > 0:21:09I was dying to dress up in drag. Doesn't everybody?
0:21:11 > 0:21:14And everybody ran into their frocks quicker than anything.
0:21:14 > 0:21:19It was their idea, basically, and I said, "Yeah, let's have a go."
0:21:19 > 0:21:22# I want to break free
0:21:23 > 0:21:27# I want to break free
0:21:28 > 0:21:32# I want to break free from your lies... #
0:21:32 > 0:21:36That great video was a loving reference to Coronation Street.
0:21:36 > 0:21:38# I've got to break free... #
0:21:38 > 0:21:42Americans didn't understand it. It just looked like we wanted to dress up in drag.
0:21:42 > 0:21:46It was unthinkable to most of middle America.
0:21:46 > 0:21:48# I've got to break free... #
0:21:49 > 0:21:54It's a very British thing. Sometimes the humour doesn't translate. I'm Canadian so I get it.
0:21:59 > 0:22:01It was just a different style of humour
0:22:01 > 0:22:04and I don't think it went over with the "MTV generation".
0:22:08 > 0:22:11I remember this video being banned.
0:22:11 > 0:22:14MTV were very quick on the trigger to ban things then.
0:22:14 > 0:22:17I mean, if you thought Mary Whitehouse was bad,
0:22:17 > 0:22:21you should have seen some of the geezers running MTV
0:22:21 > 0:22:23in the very early '80s.
0:22:29 > 0:22:32Well, MTV were very narrow-minded.
0:22:32 > 0:22:35It was Whitesnake, and fucking Whitesnake,
0:22:35 > 0:22:37and then another Whitesnake track.
0:22:40 > 0:22:43And they decided that they didn't think men in drag
0:22:43 > 0:22:48was rock enough for them, I guess, so they didn't play the video.
0:22:51 > 0:22:54Most Americans were deprived of my, and Freddie's,
0:22:54 > 0:22:56favourite moment of that video.
0:22:56 > 0:22:58I said to Freddie, "I love the way you double-step...
0:22:58 > 0:23:00# But life still goes on... #
0:23:00 > 0:23:03..to get from one room to the other.
0:23:03 > 0:23:06And he said, "I'm so glad you noticed. That's my favourite part."
0:23:06 > 0:23:10# ..without you by my side
0:23:11 > 0:23:14# I don't want to live alone
0:23:15 > 0:23:18# Hey, God knows
0:23:19 > 0:23:21# I've got to make it... #
0:23:21 > 0:23:26The funny thing is, we became global but we lost America.
0:23:26 > 0:23:28And we kind of never got it back.
0:23:28 > 0:23:32# I've got to break free. #
0:23:33 > 0:23:36Freddie wouldn't go back to tour America
0:23:36 > 0:23:38unless they were touring a hit,
0:23:38 > 0:23:40and of course that's the chicken and egg
0:23:40 > 0:23:44because the less you tour America, the more you lose America.
0:23:44 > 0:23:48It was sad, it's a shame, because there's a whole catalogue of hits,
0:23:48 > 0:23:52worldwide hits, but not in the States, and that'll never come back.
0:23:56 > 0:24:01Sun City is the showplace of Bophutswana.
0:24:01 > 0:24:04It's a lavish resort where you can relax
0:24:04 > 0:24:08and enjoy some of the world's headline entertainers.
0:24:08 > 0:24:11Appearing at Sun City never helped anybody's image,
0:24:11 > 0:24:12and sometimes it hurt.
0:24:12 > 0:24:18Sun City was this resort of international standard in South Africa
0:24:18 > 0:24:21and the position taken by most of the rock community
0:24:21 > 0:24:24was that if you went to South Africa you supported apartheid.
0:24:24 > 0:24:27It's very nice to be here in South Africa
0:24:27 > 0:24:29and I just want to have a good time.
0:24:29 > 0:24:31Anything you'd like to say to your fans?
0:24:31 > 0:24:35Yeah, we hope you get real excited, because we're pretty excited to be here.
0:24:35 > 0:24:37The controversy behind Sun City...
0:24:37 > 0:24:40Sun Fucking City - wish I'd never heard of the place.
0:24:40 > 0:24:42The principal reason that Queen went there
0:24:42 > 0:24:45was because they were offered a large amount of money.
0:24:45 > 0:24:48There was all sorts of hoo-ha going on,
0:24:48 > 0:24:51you know - "You mustn't play Sun City because it's a sign
0:24:51 > 0:24:53"that you're supporting apartheid."
0:24:53 > 0:24:56Well, it's simply not true.
0:24:56 > 0:24:58If you adopted a policy of never playing in a country
0:24:58 > 0:25:01where you don't approve of the politicians,
0:25:01 > 0:25:03there'd be very few places you can play.
0:25:03 > 0:25:05Did you know you had so many fans in South Africa?
0:25:05 > 0:25:08Well, I think we had some idea of our popularity here,
0:25:08 > 0:25:11but we didn't realise it was quite that.
0:25:11 > 0:25:15Jim went down there time after time and I asked if we'd play to mixed audiences.
0:25:15 > 0:25:18He said we wouldn't play to segregated audiences.
0:25:18 > 0:25:22And it was not an apartheid audience,
0:25:22 > 0:25:25but it was mainly white.
0:25:25 > 0:25:27- Are you going to the concert? - Definitely.
0:25:27 > 0:25:29- What have you heard? - I heard it's a great show.
0:25:29 > 0:25:33- What are you expecting at the concert?- Something fantastic.
0:25:33 > 0:25:35I've heard it's the most fantastic show ever.
0:25:35 > 0:25:39The band then supported a school for the deaf in Bophutswana
0:25:39 > 0:25:41that we became very involved with.
0:25:41 > 0:25:45The general audience doesn't read the small print. It just sees the headlines.
0:25:45 > 0:25:50If it goes, "You're making a lot of money playing a gig in an apartheid state",
0:25:50 > 0:25:54it makes it look like you're following apartheid. It did not help them.
0:25:54 > 0:25:58I will say to my dying day that we acted properly
0:25:58 > 0:26:01according to our conscience as regards South Africa.
0:26:01 > 0:26:03Um... We went there to play music,
0:26:03 > 0:26:06the same as we did in all kinds of other places.
0:26:06 > 0:26:10We got so much shit for it. But we went for good reasons.
0:26:10 > 0:26:13But, on balance, I think it was a mistake to go.
0:26:13 > 0:26:16Whenever the band came under pressure,
0:26:16 > 0:26:21there would be maybe a walkout, a separation, a row.
0:26:22 > 0:26:26# Sometimes I feel I'm going to break down and cry
0:26:26 > 0:26:29# Nowhere to go Nothing to do with my time
0:26:29 > 0:26:31# I get lonely
0:26:32 > 0:26:35# So lonely
0:26:36 > 0:26:37# Living on my own... #
0:26:37 > 0:26:41I like Queen very much, but I don't want to end up living a quartet.
0:26:41 > 0:26:44I'm 37 years old I want to do something different,
0:26:44 > 0:26:47otherwise I'll get too damn old and I'll be in a wheelchair.
0:26:47 > 0:26:51There was a lot of strain when Freddie did his solo album,
0:26:51 > 0:26:53mainly because the advance
0:26:53 > 0:26:57was considerably more than the advances for Queen albums.
0:26:57 > 0:27:00# Got to be some good times ahead
0:27:01 > 0:27:03# Sometimes I feel nobody gives me no warning... #
0:27:03 > 0:27:05There is an inward jealousy -
0:27:05 > 0:27:08they're all waiting to see if my album does better
0:27:08 > 0:27:10than the last Queen album, or something like that.
0:27:10 > 0:27:12# It's not easy
0:27:14 > 0:27:16# Living on my own... #
0:27:16 > 0:27:19Sometimes it's nice to break away from a group
0:27:19 > 0:27:23that's actually been going for so long, meaning staying away.
0:27:23 > 0:27:27He was definitely contemplating the idea of what Living On My Own
0:27:27 > 0:27:33actually means because he lived in Munich for well over a year.
0:27:33 > 0:27:36# Got to be some good times ahead... #
0:27:39 > 0:27:41When Freddie was alone in Munich,
0:27:41 > 0:27:45he had to basically fall back either on the gay community,
0:27:45 > 0:27:50or, when he needed some sense or decent advice, he would call us.
0:27:50 > 0:27:55He was hanging out a lot at our place.
0:27:55 > 0:27:57He'd spend a lot of time with the kids.
0:27:57 > 0:28:01It was like a family affair.
0:28:04 > 0:28:09He said a lot of times that this was the best time in his life.
0:28:09 > 0:28:12Out of the songs you've put on this album, Freddie,
0:28:12 > 0:28:16which one do you find the most rewarding, personally?
0:28:16 > 0:28:18Oh, I don't know, the one that sells the most.
0:28:18 > 0:28:22Freddie had a very fulfilling experience of creativity,
0:28:22 > 0:28:25but he didn't have a very fulfilling experience,
0:28:25 > 0:28:29um...how shall I say, economically.
0:28:29 > 0:28:35The Mr Bad Guy album really was a disaster, in terms of sales.
0:28:35 > 0:28:37The strength of Queen came from the arguments.
0:28:37 > 0:28:41It was the fact that you had to fight your space.
0:28:41 > 0:28:43Songs got fine-tuned by that,
0:28:43 > 0:28:49and Freddie working on his own in Munich with an orchestra and Mack,
0:28:49 > 0:28:52there was nobody really to stand up with him.
0:28:56 > 0:28:59Well, tomorrow, the pop world's greatest extravaganza,
0:28:59 > 0:29:01as we've been talking about, Live Aid,
0:29:01 > 0:29:06will bring together rock's brightest and best from both sides of the Atlantic,
0:29:06 > 0:29:10all performing free in the hope of raising millions for the starving people of Africa.
0:29:14 > 0:29:18You know, looking back, there was a moment when Queen were thought of
0:29:18 > 0:29:20as a good group that was predominantly historic.
0:29:20 > 0:29:24Radio Ga Ga was their one big hit in four years.
0:29:24 > 0:29:26They weren't on a hot streak,
0:29:26 > 0:29:29and they weren't a particularly productive group at that time.
0:29:29 > 0:29:33There was a feeling that maybe that was it.
0:29:33 > 0:29:39But Geldof ordered them to regroup and perform.
0:29:39 > 0:29:42The thing was, did Freddie want to do it? He wasn't that keen.
0:29:42 > 0:29:45Freddie was a bit reticent about doing anything,
0:29:45 > 0:29:47but Bob came in one day
0:29:47 > 0:29:49when we talked about Live Aid, and said,
0:29:49 > 0:29:53"I told Freddie he's doing it." And I kind of believe him.
0:29:53 > 0:29:55It really is a gathering of the rock world's elite,
0:29:55 > 0:29:59and already rehearsing in here are some of rock and roll's royalty.
0:29:59 > 0:30:05It was rehearsed quite intensely at the Shaw Theatre on Euston Road.
0:30:05 > 0:30:08# Here we stand and here we fall
0:30:08 > 0:30:12# History won't care at all
0:30:12 > 0:30:15# Make the bed, light the light... #
0:30:15 > 0:30:19Queen took the responsibility more professionally than anyone else on the bill.
0:30:19 > 0:30:23# You don't waste no time at all
0:30:23 > 0:30:26# Don't hear the bell but you answer the call... #
0:30:26 > 0:30:30I went out and bought these big plastic white clocks
0:30:30 > 0:30:35and put them in the orchestra pit so we could see the time.
0:30:35 > 0:30:39There was an 18-minute slot that each artist had,
0:30:39 > 0:30:42and there were traffic lights at the side of the stage.
0:30:42 > 0:30:47And you were warned that the traffic lights after 16 minutes would turn amber from green,
0:30:47 > 0:30:51and they said, "You won't see them turn red because the power goes off."
0:30:51 > 0:30:53So you make it quick and you make it something they know.
0:30:55 > 0:30:57Just after 16 hours of live Aid,
0:30:57 > 0:30:59would you welcome Status Quo!
0:31:13 > 0:31:18# Here we are and here we are and here we go... #
0:31:18 > 0:31:21The energy that day was sensational.
0:31:21 > 0:31:24# Rockin' all over the world... #
0:31:24 > 0:31:28We were all quite nervous, actually.
0:31:28 > 0:31:31Not necessarily our audience because they'd put together
0:31:31 > 0:31:35the bill of Live Aid before we'd been announced as being on it.
0:31:35 > 0:31:41They set the level for the PA with limiters
0:31:41 > 0:31:45and then when Queen came on, Trip, who was Queen's sound engineer,
0:31:45 > 0:31:48switched the limiters so that Queen would be louder.
0:31:55 > 0:31:58From the word go, he came out of the traps like a champion.
0:32:04 > 0:32:09Freddie performed against the advice of his doctor because of a throat condition.
0:32:09 > 0:32:15But he went out there and gave one of the greatest live television performances ever.
0:32:15 > 0:32:18# You don't waste no time at all
0:32:18 > 0:32:22# Don't hear the bell but you answer the call
0:32:22 > 0:32:26# Comes to you as to us all, yeah!
0:32:26 > 0:32:29# And it's time for the hammer to fall... #
0:32:30 > 0:32:36The ballet with a BBC cameraman was shockingly charismatic.
0:32:36 > 0:32:40# Every night, every day
0:32:40 > 0:32:42# A little piece of you is falling away
0:32:42 > 0:32:45# Lift your face the western way... #
0:32:49 > 0:32:54And it was as if all the artists backstage had heard a dog whistle.
0:32:55 > 0:32:58And their heads turned and the frisson you felt was,
0:32:58 > 0:33:01"They're stealing the show."
0:33:08 > 0:33:11# I've paid my dues
0:33:11 > 0:33:16# Time after time
0:33:16 > 0:33:18# I did my sentence
0:33:19 > 0:33:21# But committed no crime
0:33:22 > 0:33:27# And bad mistakes
0:33:27 > 0:33:29# I've made a few
0:33:29 > 0:33:33# I've had my share of sand kicked in my face
0:33:33 > 0:33:36# But I've come through
0:33:40 > 0:33:46# We are the champions, my friend... #
0:33:46 > 0:33:52I defy anybody who saw it not to have goose pimples on the back of their neck
0:33:52 > 0:33:54when you saw that sea of people.
0:33:54 > 0:33:57# We are the champions
0:33:57 > 0:34:00# We are the champions... #
0:34:00 > 0:34:06I remember looking up and seeing the whole place going completely bonkers in unison and thinking,
0:34:06 > 0:34:08"Oh, this is going well."
0:34:08 > 0:34:10# ..the champions
0:34:10 > 0:34:16# We are the champions, my friend
0:34:17 > 0:34:22# And we'll keep on fighting till the end... #
0:34:22 > 0:34:25We did have an unfair advantage. We had done football stadiums.
0:34:25 > 0:34:29Freddie particularly learned this magical way
0:34:29 > 0:34:32of involving everybody. In a huge football stadium,
0:34:32 > 0:34:35he could make everybody feel they were in contact.
0:34:35 > 0:34:40# We are the champions...
0:34:45 > 0:34:49# ..of the world. #
0:34:54 > 0:34:56People say, "Was it a career move?"
0:34:56 > 0:34:58Well, no, it wasn't a career move
0:34:58 > 0:35:01but of course that's in the back of everybody's mind.
0:35:10 > 0:35:14We got a great reception from the crowd, even at Wembley,
0:35:14 > 0:35:17and also from the TV audience as well.
0:35:17 > 0:35:21So in fact, it was a great boost of confidence, in a way, for the group.
0:35:21 > 0:35:23To have conquered Live Aid in that way
0:35:23 > 0:35:27undoubtedly breathed fresh energy into the band.
0:35:32 > 0:35:35It was a shot in the arm and we went back in the studio.
0:35:43 > 0:35:46We were back in Munich with all its attendant dangers,
0:35:46 > 0:35:50so we tried to keep ourselves in the studio as much as possible.
0:35:53 > 0:35:55Ta-dah!
0:35:59 > 0:36:02# Hey! One man, one goal
0:36:05 > 0:36:09# One mission, one heart... #
0:36:09 > 0:36:16I had a page, a sort of poem that was sort of half nicked off Martin Luther King's famous speech.
0:36:16 > 0:36:19- It doesn't fit.- It does.
0:36:19 > 0:36:23- One goddamn decision. - Real decision.
0:36:23 > 0:36:25No, it won't fit.
0:36:25 > 0:36:27It was all one this and one that.
0:36:27 > 0:36:30# One God, one soul, make one decision... #
0:36:32 > 0:36:37Make one decision. One true religion.
0:36:38 > 0:36:40# One God, one vision
0:36:40 > 0:36:43# One man, one goal, one true religion
0:36:43 > 0:36:48# One dump, one turd Two tits, John Deacon
0:36:48 > 0:36:51# Woh-oh-oh-oh-oh
0:36:51 > 0:36:54# Give me one vision... #
0:36:54 > 0:36:57The Magic Tour was the biggest tour we'd ever undertaken.
0:36:57 > 0:37:00# No wrong, no right
0:37:00 > 0:37:03# I'm gonna tell you there's no black and no white... #
0:37:03 > 0:37:05We planned an entire tour of stadium gigs.
0:37:07 > 0:37:10# All we need is one world, one vision... #
0:37:12 > 0:37:18Massive shows all over Europe, and really fantastic reception. We hit another level.
0:37:22 > 0:37:26We were finally in the place we'd always dreamed of being, perhaps.
0:37:26 > 0:37:30# I had a dream when I was young
0:37:30 > 0:37:33# A dream, sweet illusion... #
0:37:33 > 0:37:38That tour had gigs like Budapest in it, which in itself is a great thing.
0:37:38 > 0:37:42Budapest was the first stadium concert behind the Iron Curtain.
0:37:43 > 0:37:46People hitch-hiked from all over Eastern Europe.
0:37:46 > 0:37:50# Look what they've done to my dream... #
0:37:50 > 0:37:54It was a great tour because it ended up two nights at Wembley.
0:37:55 > 0:37:58Hello there, my beauties. This is happening.
0:37:59 > 0:38:04# Give me your hands Give me your hearts... #
0:38:04 > 0:38:07In addition to Wembley Stadium, we put on an extra one
0:38:07 > 0:38:11because it sold out so quick, the two nights, so we put Knebworth on.
0:38:11 > 0:38:14# One voice, one hope One real decision
0:38:14 > 0:38:18- # Gimme one light- One light - Gimme one hope- One hope
0:38:18 > 0:38:21# Just gimme, ah One man, one man
0:38:21 > 0:38:23# One bar one night One day hey hey
0:38:23 > 0:38:26Gimme, gimme, gimme, gimme fried chicken. #
0:38:26 > 0:38:28They were the final shows with Freddie,
0:38:28 > 0:38:30and I remember it being pretty much perfect.
0:38:30 > 0:38:35MUSIC: "God Save The Queen"
0:38:47 > 0:38:50I just got the vibe from Freddie,
0:38:50 > 0:38:55he felt that he wasn't maybe able to do any more.
0:38:58 > 0:39:02I know there'll be a time when I can't run around on stage
0:39:02 > 0:39:06because it'll be ridiculous. There comes a time when you have to stop.
0:39:11 > 0:39:14I think he had an idea that he might not be terribly well.
0:39:18 > 0:39:21CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
0:39:29 > 0:39:34Freddie told me that he was HIV positive before he told the band.
0:39:34 > 0:39:36This put me in a very difficult position
0:39:36 > 0:39:40because he told me he didn't want me to tell the band.
0:39:40 > 0:39:43So there was I, managing a band, knowing something
0:39:43 > 0:39:47of crucial importance to the band which I couldn't pass on to them.
0:39:47 > 0:39:53# Every drop of rain that falls in Sahara desert says it all
0:39:53 > 0:39:55# It's a miracle
0:39:55 > 0:39:58# All God's creations Great and small
0:39:58 > 0:40:00# The Golden Gate and the Taj Mahal
0:40:00 > 0:40:02# That's a miracle
0:40:02 > 0:40:05# Test-tube babies being born
0:40:05 > 0:40:08# Mothers, fathers, dead and gone
0:40:08 > 0:40:11# It's a miracle... #
0:40:11 > 0:40:13There were rumours and he was obviously suffering,
0:40:13 > 0:40:17and we didn't know what it was, and rumour, rumour, rumour...
0:40:17 > 0:40:19And so he did sit us down at one point and said,
0:40:19 > 0:40:21"Look, you probably know what I'm going to say.
0:40:21 > 0:40:25"You know what I'm suffering from. You know what the problem is
0:40:25 > 0:40:28but I don't want to talk about it anymore. I just want to make music
0:40:28 > 0:40:31until the day I fucking die. And...let's get on with it.
0:40:31 > 0:40:34# It's a miracle
0:40:34 > 0:40:36# It's a miracle... #
0:40:36 > 0:40:39These are some of our best studio times.
0:40:39 > 0:40:42We've made the decision that all the songs we write will be credited
0:40:42 > 0:40:47to all of us, so it kind of releases a bit of...
0:40:47 > 0:40:48positive energy in us.
0:40:48 > 0:40:51They became closer and closer, without any doubt.
0:40:51 > 0:40:53The sharing of writing credits was a major breakthrough.
0:40:53 > 0:40:56Some magical things happened, I think.
0:40:56 > 0:41:00There's this track called The Miracle, itself,
0:41:00 > 0:41:03which I think is one of Freddie's most beautiful creations.
0:41:03 > 0:41:06# The one thing The one thing
0:41:06 > 0:41:08# We're all waiting for
0:41:08 > 0:41:10# Is peace on earth Peace on earth
0:41:10 > 0:41:13# And an end to war An end to war... #
0:41:13 > 0:41:17'I love the track. It's all so optimistic about the world'
0:41:17 > 0:41:20and the miracles that are being found in the world.
0:41:24 > 0:41:27Which is incredible when you think what he's looking at
0:41:27 > 0:41:31because he knows what he's got and he knows what the prognosis is.
0:41:31 > 0:41:35# That time will come One day you'll see
0:41:35 > 0:41:41# When we can all be friends
0:41:41 > 0:41:46# That time will come One day you'll see
0:41:46 > 0:41:48# When we can all... #
0:41:48 > 0:41:53- APPLAUSE - Special Award for an outstanding contribution to British music
0:41:53 > 0:41:57goes to John Deacon, Brian May, Freddie Mercury,
0:41:57 > 0:41:59Roger Taylor - Queen.
0:41:59 > 0:42:01APPLAUSE
0:42:04 > 0:42:07The first indications something wasn't right
0:42:07 > 0:42:10was Freddie looked a little thinner to me.
0:42:10 > 0:42:13And I called John up to see what was going on.
0:42:13 > 0:42:16I said, "Is something wrong with Freddie?" And he wouldn't tell me.
0:42:20 > 0:42:23The thing that annoyed me more than anything was a shot
0:42:23 > 0:42:26of Freddie in The Sun and he'd just come out of the doctor's, I think.
0:42:26 > 0:42:31It's a really grainy, full-page shot. "Is this man dying?"
0:42:31 > 0:42:34And I thought, "You fucking wankers."
0:42:34 > 0:42:36# Scandal
0:42:38 > 0:42:40# Scandal... #
0:42:44 > 0:42:48We hid everything and we avoided questions.
0:42:48 > 0:42:49# Scandal... #
0:42:49 > 0:42:51I guess we lied.
0:42:51 > 0:42:53Because we wanted to protect him.
0:42:53 > 0:42:54# Scandal... #
0:42:55 > 0:42:58I would then say anything to anybody. "Is Fred sick?"
0:42:58 > 0:43:00"Absolutely not, no. He was in the gym yesterday.
0:43:00 > 0:43:03"Fuck you," you know. "None of your business."
0:43:03 > 0:43:06Everybody had to draw the wagons around him.
0:43:06 > 0:43:10Because at that time, to become ill was to have a death sentence.
0:43:10 > 0:43:15# Today the headlines Tomorrow hard times
0:43:15 > 0:43:20# And no-one ever really knows The truth from the lies... #
0:43:20 > 0:43:21His house was surrounded by...
0:43:21 > 0:43:24I don't know, a couple of hundred, I reckon.
0:43:24 > 0:43:26Just like vultures, really.
0:43:26 > 0:43:32# Deeper and deeper inside... #
0:43:33 > 0:43:35It was utterly shocking, you know.
0:43:35 > 0:43:37Filming the groceries in the back of the car boot.
0:43:37 > 0:43:38# Scandal... #
0:43:38 > 0:43:42"Any medicine in there?" You know, it's absolutely shocking.
0:43:43 > 0:43:45It became difficult to work in London,
0:43:45 > 0:43:48there was such a terrible focus of attention on him.
0:43:48 > 0:43:50People sticking cameras through his toilet windows,
0:43:50 > 0:43:52as soon as the rumours were out there.
0:43:52 > 0:43:57So Montreal was a much more peaceful place to work so we ended up doing a lot of stuff there.
0:43:57 > 0:43:59SONG: "I'm Going Slightly Mad"
0:44:05 > 0:44:09Freddie felt much safer there because people didn't bother.
0:44:09 > 0:44:12You know. They weren't intrusively observing him.
0:44:16 > 0:44:18At that point we can't play live
0:44:18 > 0:44:21but in the things that we're doing, it's business as usual.
0:44:21 > 0:44:26# I'm going slightly mad
0:44:26 > 0:44:30# I'm going slightly mad... #
0:44:30 > 0:44:33He was determined to work right up to the last minute.
0:44:33 > 0:44:36I was surprised that he did Going Slightly Mad.
0:44:36 > 0:44:37# It finally happened... #
0:44:37 > 0:44:40Which I thought was a good video, actually,
0:44:40 > 0:44:43and it had lots of humour in it.
0:44:43 > 0:44:47# I'm slightly mad! #
0:44:49 > 0:44:52There was a lot more humour in Freddie than I think
0:44:52 > 0:44:53the general public realised.
0:44:54 > 0:44:57- You want to take it?- No, I...
0:44:58 > 0:45:00Oh! What's it doing?
0:45:00 > 0:45:04HOOTS OF LAUGHTER
0:45:04 > 0:45:05Roger, what did you do?
0:45:05 > 0:45:08It was just really a very close time.
0:45:08 > 0:45:10Go for me. Waaa!
0:45:11 > 0:45:15Freddie found an amazing tranquillity and I never really heard him complain.
0:45:15 > 0:45:18I remember we went out one night
0:45:18 > 0:45:20and he had horrible problems with his leg.
0:45:20 > 0:45:25And Freddie saw me looking at it and said, "Oh, Brian, do you want to see what it's like?"
0:45:25 > 0:45:27And he showed me, and I think...
0:45:27 > 0:45:29he reacted to my face, and he said,
0:45:29 > 0:45:32"I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to do that to you."
0:45:32 > 0:45:36I never heard him go, "This is really awful. My life is shit.
0:45:36 > 0:45:39"I'm going to die." Never, never, never.
0:45:39 > 0:45:41He was an amazingly strong person.
0:45:41 > 0:45:46The sicker Freddie got, the more he seemed to need to record,
0:45:46 > 0:45:51to give himself something to do, you know - some sort of reason to get up.
0:45:56 > 0:45:59And he would make it in whenever he could.
0:45:59 > 0:46:02So really, it was a period of fairly intense work, actually.
0:46:07 > 0:46:11Freddie is becoming weakened by this horrible disease
0:46:11 > 0:46:14and he finds it hard to stand up a lot of the time
0:46:14 > 0:46:17but he'll throw a couple of vodkas down and prop himself up
0:46:17 > 0:46:20on the mixing desk and have his mike there, and go for it.
0:46:20 > 0:46:22Roll camera, roll playback.
0:46:26 > 0:46:28# Sometimes I get to feeling
0:46:28 > 0:46:31# I was back in the old days
0:46:31 > 0:46:32# Long ago... #
0:46:34 > 0:46:37'I can hear the voice is getting thinner.'
0:46:37 > 0:46:41# Things seemed so perfect You know... #
0:46:41 > 0:46:45'I think you can really tell that it's an ailing voice.'
0:46:45 > 0:46:47Although he hits the notes.
0:46:47 > 0:46:49# The sun was always shining
0:46:49 > 0:46:51# We just lived for fun
0:46:51 > 0:46:53# Sometimes... #
0:46:53 > 0:46:56'Roger started writing These Are The Days Of Our Lives about his kids'
0:46:56 > 0:46:59and the way he felt about life and how it comes back.
0:46:59 > 0:47:04But of course, in that context, it had another meaning.
0:47:04 > 0:47:10# Those were the days of our lives... #
0:47:10 > 0:47:13'He looked so ill there. It was quite scary,'
0:47:13 > 0:47:15and...I thought that was a very brave thing to do.
0:47:15 > 0:47:16And why not, you know?
0:47:16 > 0:47:20'He spent hours and hours and hours in make-up, sorting himself out,
0:47:20 > 0:47:21'so it would be OK.'
0:47:21 > 0:47:25# Those days are all gone now but
0:47:25 > 0:47:27# One thing is true... #
0:47:27 > 0:47:30I did too many movements.
0:47:30 > 0:47:33- But I just wanted to see... - No, I know...
0:47:34 > 0:47:36# I still love you... #
0:47:36 > 0:47:38I just want to see... It doesn't look...
0:47:40 > 0:47:41It doesn't look...
0:47:41 > 0:47:43I think it should be waisted.
0:47:44 > 0:47:47Do you know what I mean? I want a little bit of shape here. A tiny bit.
0:47:47 > 0:47:49'Yeah. I like the shape now.'
0:47:49 > 0:47:54# Those days are all gone now, but
0:47:54 > 0:47:58# One thing's still true
0:47:58 > 0:47:59# When I look... #
0:47:59 > 0:48:02'Freddie actually kind of says a goodbye in that song.'
0:48:02 > 0:48:05# I still love you... #
0:48:11 > 0:48:14I still love you.
0:48:21 > 0:48:24Innuendo was out on the streets, it was number one
0:48:24 > 0:48:27and two weeks later they were here in Montreux.
0:48:27 > 0:48:30And they started doing more music.
0:48:30 > 0:48:35And Freddie, at that time, said, "Write me stuff. I know I don't have very long.
0:48:36 > 0:48:38"Keep writing me words. Keep giving me things.
0:48:38 > 0:48:41"I will sing and then you can do what you like with it afterwards,
0:48:41 > 0:48:43"you know, finish it off."
0:48:43 > 0:48:47And so I was writing on scraps of paper these lines of Mother Love.
0:48:47 > 0:48:51He was dying and he did those things
0:48:51 > 0:48:54and he knew he would be dead when they were finished.
0:48:54 > 0:48:58Because he said to me, "I'm going to sing it now,
0:48:58 > 0:49:02"because I can't wait for them to do the music on this.
0:49:02 > 0:49:04"I'll give it to you on a drum machine.
0:49:04 > 0:49:08"Give me a drum machine thing... They'll finish it off."
0:49:09 > 0:49:13# I don't want to make no waves
0:49:13 > 0:49:16# You can give me all the love... #
0:49:16 > 0:49:19Every time I gave him another line, he would sing it,
0:49:19 > 0:49:21sing it again, and sing it again.
0:49:21 > 0:49:24So we had three takes for every line, and that was it.
0:49:24 > 0:49:28# I long for peace before I die... #
0:49:29 > 0:49:33Mother Love, I think, was the last one. There's an exceptional
0:49:33 > 0:49:35spine-chilling note in the middle.
0:49:37 > 0:49:39A fantastic bit of singing.
0:49:39 > 0:49:41# Out in the city
0:49:41 > 0:49:44# In the cold world outside
0:49:44 > 0:49:46# I don't want pity
0:49:46 > 0:49:50# Just a safe place to hide
0:49:50 > 0:49:55# Mama, please, let me back inside... #
0:49:56 > 0:49:59It's absolutely...spine-chilling.
0:49:59 > 0:50:02And we got to the last verse and he said,
0:50:02 > 0:50:05"Oh, I'm not up to this now, I need to go away and have a rest.
0:50:05 > 0:50:07"I'll come back and finish it off", you know.
0:50:07 > 0:50:09And he never came back.
0:50:09 > 0:50:13That was the last moment that I had with him in the studio.
0:50:15 > 0:50:20I went to see Freddie, and it was in fact the last time I saw him.
0:50:20 > 0:50:23He said to me, "I haven't given you anything in my will.
0:50:23 > 0:50:27"You're my executor, you can do anything with my legacy,
0:50:27 > 0:50:30"you can do anything with my music
0:50:30 > 0:50:32"but never make me boring."
0:50:32 > 0:50:35The last time I saw Freddie was, Anita and I went to see him
0:50:35 > 0:50:36and he was in bed,
0:50:36 > 0:50:41with the curtains open so he could see out into his garden,
0:50:41 > 0:50:43and I was talking about things in his garden,
0:50:43 > 0:50:46saying, "That's really interesting" and he said,
0:50:46 > 0:50:49"Guys, you don't need to feel like you need to make conversation.
0:50:49 > 0:50:51"I'm just so happy that you're here,
0:50:51 > 0:50:54"so even if we say nothing, it's just having these moments."
0:50:58 > 0:51:01The worst thing was I was actually on my way to see him,
0:51:01 > 0:51:05and I was about 300 yards away when Peter Freestone rang me
0:51:05 > 0:51:08to tell me, "Don't bother coming cos he's gone."
0:51:20 > 0:51:22It was me who wrote the little epitaph
0:51:22 > 0:51:25that's on his statue in Montreux
0:51:25 > 0:51:29which just says, "Freddie Mercury, Lover of Life - Singer of Songs."
0:51:32 > 0:51:35To me, that sums him up because he lived life to the full,
0:51:35 > 0:51:38there's no question, with all that that entailed.
0:51:40 > 0:51:45He was a generous man, a kind man, an impatient man sometimes,
0:51:45 > 0:51:48but utterly dedicated to what he felt was important,
0:51:48 > 0:51:50which was making music.
0:52:02 > 0:52:07We made the announcement that we were going to do a tribute concert to him when we felt that we could,
0:52:07 > 0:52:10to send him out in the style which he deserved.
0:52:10 > 0:52:13We hope that a lot of you will be able to join us
0:52:13 > 0:52:15on April 20th at Wembley Stadium
0:52:15 > 0:52:18for a celebration of Freddie's life and career.
0:52:18 > 0:52:20You're all welcome. Please join us.
0:52:20 > 0:52:22CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
0:52:22 > 0:52:26So we drew up a list of people that we'd like to be on the show.
0:52:26 > 0:52:28Roger got the ball rolling.
0:52:28 > 0:52:32Roger got up one morning and said, "Look, we're doing this." And made a few phone calls.
0:52:32 > 0:52:36And Brian said, "Well, if you can get that lot, I'll come."
0:52:36 > 0:52:39On stage, Mr Roger Daltrey!
0:52:42 > 0:52:44Mr Robert Plant, thank you!
0:52:46 > 0:52:48Mr David Bowie!
0:52:49 > 0:52:50And...
0:52:50 > 0:52:58# Any way the wind blo-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-ows! #
0:53:00 > 0:53:04We got a date, Wembley Stadium... Had to be Wembley Stadium, didn't it? Had to be.
0:53:04 > 0:53:06The scene of Freddie's greatest triumphs.
0:53:12 > 0:53:14A lot of amazing things happened.
0:53:14 > 0:53:18I'd like to offer something, in a very simple fashion.
0:53:19 > 0:53:24David Bowie spontaneously went into the Lord's Prayer which was a surprise to us all.
0:53:24 > 0:53:27For thine is the kingdom,
0:53:27 > 0:53:28the power
0:53:28 > 0:53:29and the glory
0:53:29 > 0:53:31for ever and ever,
0:53:31 > 0:53:33A-men.
0:53:33 > 0:53:36APPLAUSE
0:53:36 > 0:53:38God bless Queen.
0:53:39 > 0:53:41God bless you.
0:53:41 > 0:53:43Thank you, good night.
0:53:45 > 0:53:48I want to hear every single person.
0:53:48 > 0:53:50See every single pair of hands.
0:53:50 > 0:53:52Three, four.
0:53:52 > 0:53:55# Find me somebody to love
0:53:55 > 0:53:59# Find me somebody to love
0:53:59 > 0:54:02# Find me somebody to love
0:54:02 > 0:54:05# Find me somebody to love
0:54:05 > 0:54:07- # Somebody!- Somebody!
0:54:07 > 0:54:10- # Somebody!- Somebody! - Somebody!- Somebody!
0:54:10 > 0:54:13# Somebody find me somebody to love
0:54:13 > 0:54:20# Anybody find me-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e...
0:54:23 > 0:54:28# Somebody to-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o... #
0:54:28 > 0:54:29Come on!
0:54:29 > 0:54:31- AUDIENCE:- # Lo-o-o-o-ve. #
0:54:31 > 0:54:33'It was completely cathartic.'
0:54:33 > 0:54:36It was like working out a bit of grief in a way.
0:54:36 > 0:54:37Yeah!
0:54:38 > 0:54:44# Somebody find me somebody to-oo-oo love
0:54:45 > 0:54:48- # Find me somebody to-oo-oo love - Oo-oo-oo-oo-ooh!
0:54:48 > 0:54:54# Find me is somebody, somebody
0:54:54 > 0:54:57# To-oo-oo love
0:54:57 > 0:55:02# Anybody anywhere find me somebody to love
0:55:02 > 0:55:04# Yeah, yeah
0:55:04 > 0:55:11# O-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-oh
0:55:11 > 0:55:15# O-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-oh. #
0:55:15 > 0:55:20CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
0:55:24 > 0:55:26And I remember just as we were coming off,
0:55:26 > 0:55:29Joe Elliott from Def Leopard put his hand on my arm
0:55:29 > 0:55:30and said, "Stop, Brian,
0:55:30 > 0:55:34"just turn around and look at that audience and remember this moment.
0:55:37 > 0:55:39"Nothing like this will ever happen again."
0:55:54 > 0:55:57'The incredible thing is, it's 40 years since the band was formed.
0:55:57 > 0:56:01'The band is probably as big as it's ever been.'
0:56:01 > 0:56:04And yet 20 of those 40 years have been without Freddie.
0:56:04 > 0:56:08We don't have John either because he's chosen to be in a very different place.
0:56:08 > 0:56:10For Roger and I...
0:56:10 > 0:56:13there is always that searching.
0:56:14 > 0:56:18# The show must go on! #
0:56:20 > 0:56:24What's lurking in the wings was the material we'd done with Freddie which was unfinished,
0:56:24 > 0:56:27and what were we going to do with this, make an album?
0:56:27 > 0:56:30Made In Heaven was obviously different.
0:56:30 > 0:56:34It was very weird working with Freddie's voice coming out of the speakers
0:56:34 > 0:56:38but Brian and I felt that we knew what Freddie would have been thinking
0:56:38 > 0:56:41so we got there and I was very pleased with the result.
0:56:41 > 0:56:43I feel like it was the right completion.
0:56:43 > 0:56:47It was, um...it was the right album to finish up on.
0:56:52 > 0:56:57Once you've passed your initiation into being a rock star, it never leaves you.
0:56:57 > 0:57:00You cannot stop having that feeling inside you that makes you want to play.
0:57:00 > 0:57:03# The show must go on! #
0:57:03 > 0:57:06When we did the Paul Rodgers tour, it was great, actually.
0:57:06 > 0:57:09Paul was a great singer, completely different.
0:57:09 > 0:57:15# I've never given in On with the show
0:57:15 > 0:57:19# The show must go on. #
0:57:19 > 0:57:22It constantly amazes me to think we were lucky enough
0:57:22 > 0:57:25to be in a great band, to have a great band together,
0:57:25 > 0:57:28and that, actually, people still like the music, you know.
0:57:30 > 0:57:32Queen is such a stimulating creative environment,
0:57:32 > 0:57:36there's really nothing quite that could live up to that.
0:57:38 > 0:57:43There was a perfect creative hothouse that was Queen at its best.
0:57:44 > 0:57:48# One dream, one soul
0:57:48 > 0:57:52# One prize, one goal
0:57:52 > 0:57:57# One golden glance of what should be
0:57:57 > 0:57:59# It's a kind of magic
0:57:59 > 0:58:04# One flash of light that shows the way
0:58:06 > 0:58:09# No mortal man
0:58:09 > 0:58:11# Can win this day
0:58:11 > 0:58:13# It's a kind of magic
0:58:13 > 0:58:17# The bell that rings
0:58:17 > 0:58:19# Inside your mind
0:58:20 > 0:58:22# Is challenging
0:58:22 > 0:58:26# The doors of time
0:58:33 > 0:58:40# This rage that lasts a thousand years
0:58:40 > 0:58:43# Will soon be, will soon be Will soon be...
0:58:43 > 0:58:46# Will soon be done
0:58:48 > 0:58:52# Will soon be done
0:58:52 > 0:58:57CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
0:58:57 > 0:59:02# E-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-up
0:59:02 > 0:59:08- AUDIENCE:- # E-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-up
0:59:08 > 0:59:09- # E-e-up - E-e-up
0:59:09 > 0:59:11- # E-e-up - E-e-up
0:59:11 > 0:59:12- # E-e-up - E-e-up
0:59:12 > 0:59:13# Ee-do-ree-ro-re-ro
0:59:13 > 0:59:15# Ee-do-ree-ro-re-ro. #
0:59:15 > 0:59:17Fuck you.
0:59:18 > 0:59:21Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
0:59:21 > 0:59:24Email subtitling@bbc.co.uk