Brian May interview with 'Joepie' magazine, 26 August 1989
May 5, 2023 15:06:35 GMT
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Post by fabiogminero on May 5, 2023 15:06:35 GMT
Hi everyone.
Below is an article in Dutch from the music magazine Joepie of August 26th, 1989: entitled Queen is meer dan ooit een hechte groep' (translated as Queen is more than ever a close-knit group), it's a very personal interview to Brian May.
Brian, in addition to talking about the album 'The Miracle' and the harmony found with the other members of the band in the recording studio, opens up about some aspects of his private life, such as the divorce from his wife Chrissie Mullen and the relationship with Anita Dobson.
Here the scan and my English translation. Enjoy the reading!
'Queen is just like a marriage'
After the less successful years, the new album 'The Miracle' is without a doubt a pleasant turning point for Queen.
Below is an article in Dutch from the music magazine Joepie of August 26th, 1989: entitled Queen is meer dan ooit een hechte groep' (translated as Queen is more than ever a close-knit group), it's a very personal interview to Brian May.
Brian, in addition to talking about the album 'The Miracle' and the harmony found with the other members of the band in the recording studio, opens up about some aspects of his private life, such as the divorce from his wife Chrissie Mullen and the relationship with Anita Dobson.
Here the scan and my English translation. Enjoy the reading!
After years of silence, Brian May talks about Queen and his private problems
Queen is more than ever a close-knit group
When you say Queen, you think Freddie Mercury. But behind the broad back of the black-haired singer, three other group members are hiding. Brian May is one of them. Class guitarist by birth, but he doesn't want to admit that in all his modesty...
Queen is more than ever a close-knit group
When you say Queen, you think Freddie Mercury. But behind the broad back of the black-haired singer, three other group members are hiding. Brian May is one of them. Class guitarist by birth, but he doesn't want to admit that in all his modesty...
'Queen is just like a marriage'
After the less successful years, the new album 'The Miracle' is without a doubt a pleasant turning point for Queen.
"This LP has turned Queen into a group again. In recent years we have been on different wavelengths musically. Being a part of Queen is like marriage. With its ups and downs, but in threefold. Those differences of opinion are of course not bad, as long as you talk them out among yourselves. So we didn't do that. Everyone was just too stubborn to admit they were wrong. Fortunately, that whole situation is now a thing of the past. We've never had as much fun as shooting 'The Miracle'. Perhaps this is why Queen brings a more mature sound with 'The Miracle'. We would never have brought a song like 'Scandal', about the scandals that are investigated by newspapers, because it did not fit the image of Queen at the time."
'My Divorce Was a Nightmare'
However, scandal also has a great meaning for Brian personally. After his divorce, his private life was smeared in all tabloids.
"My divorce from Chrissie was a very painful experience. Eighteen years of living with someone, you can't just put it aside. The pain of a breakup doesn't lessen because you're a pop star. I felt very depressed, My wife, on whom I had always been able to rely on something for years, suddenly it was no longer there. It was a real nightmare. I was in danger of sinking into a bottomless pit. So I could miss that publicity in the press like a sore throat."
But when Brian May's need was greatest, Anita Dobson came to the rescue. Brian met the British actress at the premiere of 'Down and Out in Beverly Hills'.
'My Divorce Was a Nightmare'
However, scandal also has a great meaning for Brian personally. After his divorce, his private life was smeared in all tabloids.
"My divorce from Chrissie was a very painful experience. Eighteen years of living with someone, you can't just put it aside. The pain of a breakup doesn't lessen because you're a pop star. I felt very depressed, My wife, on whom I had always been able to rely on something for years, suddenly it was no longer there. It was a real nightmare. I was in danger of sinking into a bottomless pit. So I could miss that publicity in the press like a sore throat."
But when Brian May's need was greatest, Anita Dobson came to the rescue. Brian met the British actress at the premiere of 'Down and Out in Beverly Hills'.
"Anita and I had a seat in the same row. After the performance we got into conversation. She told me that she really liked our music. She gratefully accepted my invitation to attend one of our concerts. Our friendship slowly grew and the phone bills grew more slowly...
During one of our phone conversations I told her that I had written a song for her. Anita was very curious how 'Talking of Love' sounded. She couldn't wait to hear the song. "If you really mean what you wrote in this song, you might as well sing it to me over the phone," she said. I had no choice at all...
During one of our phone conversations I told her that I had written a song for her. Anita was very curious how 'Talking of Love' sounded. She couldn't wait to hear the song. "If you really mean what you wrote in this song, you might as well sing it to me over the phone," she said. I had no choice at all...
Anita is a celebrated actress in Great Britain, while Brian remains more in the shadow of Freddie Mercury.
"You could compare our relationship to that of Madonna and Sean Penn, in their prime. Anita is a lot more famous in Britain than I am. When we go somewhere together, she is usually overwhelmed by fans, while hardly anyone has eyes for me. I don't care at all, as long as Anita has eyes for me..."
"You could compare our relationship to that of Madonna and Sean Penn, in their prime. Anita is a lot more famous in Britain than I am. When we go somewhere together, she is usually overwhelmed by fans, while hardly anyone has eyes for me. I don't care at all, as long as Anita has eyes for me..."