As we’ve mentioned above, Freddie studied design in college, and he was a very talented artist. Freddie designed the band’s famous crest logo shortly after the release of Queen’s first album, in 1973.
It was made up of the zodiac signs of each of the band members, two lions for Leo (Deacon and Taylor’s sign), a crab for Cancer (May’s sign) and two fairies for Virgo (Freddie’s sign). To top it all off, he designed a majestic phoenix over it all, with its wings open. We’re not sure what the phoenix stands for, but we can probably come up with a few good theories.
Bohemian Rhapsody was “rhyming non-sense”
We all know Bohemian Rhapsody made rock and roll history at the time, being a new, never-heard-of-before musical composition that drove crowds crazy. It was the first popular single in history that didn’t have a chorus and featured such different musical styles. Not to mention its rock opera, guitar solo and ballad notes.
Safe to say, Bohemian Rhapsody was a groundbreaking song unlike nothing the world had ever heard, and it was only logical that everyone starts wondering what the story behind the grand song’s strange musical arrangements and deep, heart-touching lyrics was. To which Freddie just replied, “It bears no real meaning, it’s all rhyming nonsense”.
Kurt Cobain's Suicide Note Mentioned Freddie
The world was devastated when Nirvana’s lead singer, Kurt Cobain, committed suicide in 1994. Music suffered a great loss with this brilliant musician’s death. What many don’t know, though, is that Cobain mentioned Mercury in his suicide note, saying he “admired and envied his ability to perform and embrace the love of the audience, and how he “seemed to love, relish in the love and adoration from the crowd”.
And indeed this was a unique trait of Freddie’s, he had the ability to connect with his audience in a way that moved bodies and souls.
His Headboard Was A Piano
Like many musical geniuses, Freddie sometimes got his inspiration at the oddest of times. Since he worried he’d forget an idea before writing it down on paper, he decided to have a piano installed as a bed headboard.
What’s even funnier is that, since he was double-jointed, he didn’t even have to turn around to play it. Talk about convenience.
Mercury Never Abandoned Zoroastrianism
Zoroastrianism is one of the oldest monotheistic religions in the world, founded by the prophet Zoroaster in Iran, approximately 4,000 years ago, and Freddie’s family were avid practitioners of this Middle Eastern religion.
Zoroastrianism preaches that doing good deeds is the only way for a person to be happy and avoid chaos. They believe life is a temporary journey in which people must fight falsehood and defend the truth at all costs. Pretty nice, huh? Freddie never abandoned his religion and was a believer in Zoroastrianism until the very end of his life. The service at his funeral was performed by a Zoroastrian priest.