There is no doubt in anyone’s mind that Freddie Mercury is one of the biggest personalities in music history. Not the biggest in fame, even though that might be true too, but the biggest in terms of his general demeanor and character. Between his flamboyant on-stage presence and ability to take over in any room, he was without question the leader of Queen.However, one thing about big personalities such as Mercury, is that they have the potential to perturb people. Whether it is through their in-your-face disposition or simply their booming energy, figures such as Mercury often receive far more scrutiny than the average Joe. For this reason, Brian May and Queen were hesitant about Freddie Mercury’s participation in the band’s earlier years.Queen’s Initial Thoughts on Freddie Mercury
In a recent Q&A with The Red Special Guitar Podcast, May opened up about Queen’s formation and generally, the career that ensued. That being so, May divulged an attitude about his late great bandmate that seemingly hasn’t been common knowledge up until now. As shocking as this might be one could empathize with how May initially felt about his friend given Queen’s unofficial status and need for success.“When we first worked with him, it was a little unnerving,” stated May. He also added, “[Mercury] did a lot of running around the place and screaming his head off” and “So we thought, ‘Is this going work?’” May’s reluctance to fully embrace Mercury was also seemingly a shared opinion amongst other band members, John Deacon and Roger Taylor.In regards to his public appeal, May believed, “Not everybody liked him” and “A lot of people found him kind of abrasive – but they all thought he was interesting and entertaining.” May’s opinions on one of the greatest vocalists of all time were not made from a malintended place. Rather, he simply he just didn’t know Mercury well enough yet. He closed out his statement on Mercury saying, “At that point, though, he wasn’t the singer that we all got to know as Freddie Mercury.”

When talking about a larger-than-life persona such as Freddie Mercury, it’s hard to fully separate the man from the myth. Thus, it seems May and Queen’s hesitance towards fully accepting Mercury came from a lack of understanding and a fear that fans wouldn’t understand him as well. Though, as we all know, most of the greatest musicians of all time are the ones who were initially considered outcasts.