Crazy Little Thing Called Freddie Mercury

Professor Andrew Lear is a world-renowned expert on sexuality in art and the author of the best-known book on sexuality in Greek vase-painting.  He is the founder of Oscar Wilde Tours, the gay history tour company, and Shady Ladies Tours, the woman's history tour company.

Andrew Lear

Learn the story behind rock's most complex figure, Freddie Mercury—his homosexuality, his religion, his amazing talents, his tragedies...

<p><em><strong>Can&#x27;t make the live event?  No problem!  You can watch the video recording at your convenience for 2 weeks.</strong></em></p><p>“I won&#x27;t be a Rockstar. I will be a legend.” - Freddie Mercury</p><p>Possibly the most famous baggage handler in history, Faroukh Boulsara became one of the most celebrated musicians in the world when his career as Freddie Mercury, frontman of rock band Queen, took flight.   </p><p>As part of Oscar Wilde Tours’ online talk on the life of Freddie, we are going to unpack some of the emotional baggage the iconic musician carried with him throughout his life. We start with the early years when Freddie gave his first performance with Brian May at his parent’s home in Feltham, West London. While working at Heathrow Airport to help pay his way through design school, one night he took Brian into his bedroom. Freddie put a Jimmy Hendrix record on his Dansette player, cranked up the volume and started gyrating on the floor while shouting at Brian, “this is what you have to do, this is how you perform!”. We follow his story through ups and downs, to the posthumous AIDS awareness benefit concert held in his name that was viewed by one billion people from 76 counties around the world.</p><p>With his distinct voice and look, Freddie is immortalised in the queer canon as one of the most famous homosexuals in history. Many remember their queer awakening being connected to his era-defining performances, quite often in eye-catching, well-defined, sparkly trousers. Queen concerts were dominated by Freddie’s spellbinding, energetic and flamboyant stage presence. Off stage he contributed some of the band’s greatest hits penning the band’s breakthrough, ‘Killer Queen’ (1974), their most famous tune, ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ (1975), as well as ‘Somebody to Love’ (1976), ‘We are the Champions’ (1977), ‘Don&#x27;t Stop Me Now’ (1978) and ‘Crazy Little Thing Called Love’ (1979). </p><p>The legacy of Freddie Mercury is still deeply felt in his adopted hometown. Recently, a street where the World Zoroastrian House is located, was renamed Freddie Mercury Close, a nod to his faith as well as his time in Feltham where he first lived, studied and worked. In his late teens Freddie and his family had fled the Zanzibar Revolution in 1964 and eventually settled at 22 Gladstone Avenue and where there is now an English Heritage Blue Plaque placed in his honour. </p><p>This Oscar Wilde Tours’ online talk will include highlights - like when he and Kenny Everett smuggled Princess Di crossdressing as a soldier into a London pub - as well as the lowlights - including some of his most private and tragic moments with partner Jim Hutton and “love of his life” Mary Austin. His life was always a tightrope as Freddie sought to hide his Zoroastrian faith and homosexual leanings, while playing up to his public persona as a sexually vigarous icon of rock and roll worshipped by millions of men and women. </p><p>Join us as we get a little closer to that Crazy Little Thing Called Freddie Mercury.</p>

<p>Dan Vo has been described by the New York Times as a “leading figure in the world of alternative museum tours in Britain” and by the Mayor of London as one of the city’s “most inspiring LGBTQ+ leaders”. He is part of the team that is opening Queer Britain in May 2022 the first LGBTQ+ museum in the UK. Dan has developed LGBTQ+ tours and programming for the Victoria and Albert Museum, National Gallery, National Galleries of Scotland, National Museum Wales and the University of Cambridge Museums among others. He is also project manager of the Queer Heritage and Collections Network, a patron of LGBT+ History Month and for BBC Arts he presented ‘Museum From Home’ and ‘Museum Passion’. </p>

<h3>When will the Zoom invite come?</h3><p>The Zoom invite will be in the CONFIRMATION EMAIL from your order—IF YOU DO NOT RECEIVE IT IN YOUR CONFIRMATION EMAIL PLEASE MESSAGE US IMMEDIATELY. Subsequent to this, the Zoom invite will be sent to your email address at 48hrs, 2hrs, and 10mins before the event. PLEASE CHECK YOUR SPAM AND SOCIAL FOLDERS IF YOU DO NOT SEE THE ZOOM INVITE IN YOUR INBOX.</p><h3>If I can't make the live recording, can I watch the event at another time?</h3><p>The event will be recorded, and all ticket holders will receive a link to the recording by email the evening after the presentation, with a password to access it.  It will be available to view for 2 weeks after the live event. If you do not receive the link to the recording a couple of hours after the live event please email us—sometimes Eventbrite emails can get lost in spam/social folders.</p><h3>What time zone is the event scheduled in?</h3><p>The event is scheduled for 2pm EST (i.e. New York time). You can watch it in any time zone but please adjust to the time zone you are in.</p><h3>Refund policy?</h3><p>Refunds are available up to the start time of the event. After the start time, refunds are only available if you have been unable to access the event.</p>

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Crazy Little Thing Called Freddie Mercury

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