Another week gone by and what was the big news? Where are Freddie’s ashes? As I said to the journalist who actually got hold of my private home number, Freddie’s genius IS in his music, the videos and all those shows the fans remember, not what remains of him now. Something I find a strange coincidence is that last week marked the anniversary of the occasion when Charlie Chaplin’s coffin was dug up from the cemetery and held for ransom. Any wonder Freddie wanted to be kept away from curiosity seekers.
Claire asked if Freddie shopped for his own clothes.
Sometimes, yes. Most of the time it was left for us to find things for him that we would see and get for him. All the basics, underwear, socks t shirts etc. we always bought, but when Freddie went on holiday, to Japan or maybe Ibiza he would go into clothes shops and buy designs he liked in bulk, so that everyone would have something new to wear. For Yusof, he had no specific favourite designers, but had some suits made specifically for himself. The obvious ones being the suits he wore in various videos and the light blue one he wore for accepting the award in 1990. I still have some from those shopping sprees all those years ago!
Mike asked about Freddie’s relationship with his family.
As far as Freddie was concerned his work life and family life were totally separate and he did his best to keep it that way. You never really heard or saw anything in the press about them when he was alive, but he still kept in touch with them regularly, perhaps not as much as some families, but they had a normal family relationship. Freddie would regularly go to visit his mother and father to enjoy here good home cooking, then telling us what he had and how we were to try making it for him in Garden Lodge. All families are very different. Some can’t let a day go by without phone contact. Others can leave it for a longer amount of time. I understand this as a result of a boarding school education where you only had weekly contact by letters for a long period of time. I have never understood the need for constant daily contact with relatives.
Gerard wanted to know about Freddie’s attitude to Ireland.
During the show that Gerard mentioned Freddie might have said he would never return. It was not because he didn’t like Ireland, nor because he knew he was not well, it was purely a reaction to the near riot towards the front of the stage. How many times have all of us said ‘I will never do ……. Again, that’s enough!’ only to be back in the same position 2 weeks later? All of us say things we don’t really think about in the heat of the moment.
Manuel asked if Freddie enjoyed his time in Argentina.
I know Freddie had a great time there, except because of the security measures he wasn’t able to go to all the places he wanted. Freddie loved discovering places as he had a vast store of historical knowledge on many different places. He would often surprise people around him coming out with some fact or other about where they were.
Pablo asked if Freddie spoke Parsee.
I can only say that I never heard him speaking Parsee or Gujarati, which was what was spoken in Bombay and the area where he went to school. Whether he spoke some words with his mother, I’m sorry, I can’t help. And for Dominique, I didn’t hear him speaking in anything other than English.
Jeremy asked about the Living On My Own video.
Brian was there because he was invited and had the time to go. Of course all the band was invited but both John and Roger had other plans that didn’t give them the time.
Roger wanted to know why Freddie never wore a watch.
From the time I worked for Freddie he didn’t wear much jewellery, he wanted freedom of movement, and he considered the watch an unnecessary weight on his wrist. There were many working clocks in Garden Lodge so he could always see the time, and when he was outside there was always someone around him who could tell him the time.
Rene asked about the jacket Freddie wore during the Jazz/Crazy tour.
The reason you never saw exactly what the design was is because it was a holographic image, so constantly went in and out of focus. If I remember rightly there were sky-scrapers on it, New York style. I saw the jacket at an exhibition in Germany a couple of years ago, and the trousers were on view in Dresden recently.
Have a great week and see you again soon. I have just dug up a couple of shirts that were given to me by Freddie :) .
01
Mar 2013
by Phoebe Freestone