Meeting the Members

You know what they look like, are you looking for photos of us?

I met Roger at a Cross concert in 1990 and very briefly at a charity show in Wiltshire in about 2014. I've been told there is a pic of the former, although I've never seen it.

I met Brian as he was leaving a show in 1993, and he signed a poster. No pic that I'm aware of.

You know what they look like, are you looking for photos of us? ]I met Roger at a Cross concert in 1990 and very briefly at a charity show in Wiltshire in about 2014. I've been told there is a pic of the former, although I've never seen it.I met Brian as he was leaving a show in 1993, and he signed a poster. No pic that I'm aware of

- I just love to see pics of the band kinda more private I guess you could say. Seeing pics of the members with fans is one of my favorite things ☺️

Was let into the after party upstairs at the Hammersmith Palau’s when Roger and the Cross were joined by Brian and John at the fan club Xmas party. Someone slapped a sticky backstage pass (the magic tour one with the girl on a stool) on my fancy red dress and shoved me and my friend in. We were too shy to go and speak to anyone, but Roger came past and said “hold these” and gave me his sticks. Me and my friend kept one each. There are no photos...

Roll on about 30 years and I was holidaying in Sweden in order to attend a QAL concert. I joked with my kids I’d take the backstage pass that I’d kept all those years in case I bumped into them. Wandering around in the snow on the day of the show we decided to walk along the river rather than head uphill. This was the right choice because we came across a small group of people standing in a line outside a hotel. I joined the line and five minutes later out came Roger and then Brian (it could have been the other way around tbh). I got them both to sign that backstage pass. There are photos. One of them even has me and Roger in where he ISN’T doing the pointy thing with his hand. They are on insta if you want to look. I’m not linking them here.

I also went to the Shepherd’s Bush gig. I met Roger at the album signing the week before at HMV. (It may not have been Take That hysteria, but he sure was popular). I said to him “see you next week”. He looked momentarily confused, then realised what I was talking about. I also chatted to Jim Beach but can’t remember the conversation.

My younger, hipper girlfriend became a Queen fan by osmosis and was involved in the promotion for the film. She flew with the cast on a private jet from LA to Vegas to watch QAL and chatted with Brian and Roger before the show. I’d primed her about their personalities. She enjoyed talking to both of them and discussed her love of Tenement Funster with Roger.

I met Brian in June '91 at HMV on Yonge Street in Toronto during his Innuendo promo tour. Bigger than expected crowd as Queen hadn't toured NA since '82. Long line up for autographs, I didn't get through line when they called it a day as Brian had a plane to catch. Thought WTF, never likely to have this opportunity again so I breached security and got to Brian's limo with my guitar in hand. He got out, signed it (I had no marker) and commented on how subtle the black signature on the black guitar was. Just lovely. He was charming and could have said get bent as he was already in the limo.

I always take these things with a grain of salt when people have good or bad interactions with famous people. A woman behind me was furious that the autograph session had ended and was telling Brian that he needed to remember the old fans. Since we were 50 yards back I doubt he heard a thing, and even if he did how does he know who is a new or old fan and who gets preference for autographs? Can guarantee she didn't have same feeling about trying to meet Brian as I did. On the flip side, I met Billy Squier at a meet and greet and he was a dick. Indifferent attitude, could tell he wasn't thrilled to be there. Only when I got older and matured a bit I saw that for me it was a once-in-a-lifetime meeting with someone I admired. For him, it was work and maybe a reminder that 5 years prior he was selling out 20,000 seat arenas, now he was struggling to fill a 2,000 seat venue. Add in the fact that his label was burying his career, I changed my mind on his not-so-great attitude as I empathized with his situation and didn't focus on me.

I've never met any of the members, but I did receive a lovely email from Brian about a photo I'd taken of the moon with a sort of haze around it.   

Conversely, is anyone actually afraid of meeting them in a bad mood and have their image shaken forever?

Yep. Would love to meet them. But I've heard too many stories about Roger being not very friendly. I don't know if I'd have the courage, honestly. They've been like father figures to me. I don't want to tarnish that.

Yes, Roger is really NOT friendly.




The journalist says "Roger signed a few autographs, lost interest in what was happening, showed his tongue off the cameras... and left" (01:15 - 01:23)

Amazing! You met the man himself. Count yourself very lucky.

Yeah, that is why I always try to keep a level head about it and always keep in mind that that my heroes/people I admire are human beings (aside from fictional characters of course), who are imperfect and may make mistakes sometimes. That doesn't necessarily mean that they are *bad* and not worthy of admiration any more though (though of course every situation/person is different) and it also depends on how they *handle* those mistakes.

That is kinda funny actually, although whoever might have been waiting for him for hours could have been very upset by that little gesture.

Rather, I'm talking about them putting a bad face and telling people to fuck off. I don't think there have been many times when they were straight up rude or intentionally offended anyone (I remember a story about Gene Simmons being really obnoxious to people out of the blue). Not that it can't happen / never happened, but they're certainly classier than most.

"... to fuck all these people!"

What do you do for work, if you don't mind me asking?

I'm intrigued to know now!