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.
Freddie Designed Queen’s Famous Crest Logo
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.
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.
Freddie's Trademark “Bottomless Mic”
Freddie’s trademark “bottomless mic” started as a complete accident. As it turns out, during one of Queen’s first shows, Mercury’s mic stand broke while he was performing a song. Refusing to change it in the middle of the show and disrupt the song, he simply continued to sing. And the rest, as they say, is history.
Allegedly, Freddie much preferred it this way and demanded this setup was used for all subsequent shows. They called it “bottomless mic” because he basically just used the boom and the microphone, without the stand.
Freddie's Parting Gift To Elton John
Freddie loved giving nicknames to all his close friends. And Elton John was one of them. They both gave each other nicknames, calling them their “drag alter-egos”. Elton’s nickname was “Sharon” and Freddie’s was “Melina”.
On Christmas of 1994, a few weeks after Mercury passed away, Elton received a knock on his door. It was a mutual friend holding a package wrapped in a pillowcase. It was a gift Freddie had left for Elton just before he died. When John took out the package, he saw a painting by one of his favorite artists, the British painter Henry Scott Tuke, and a note that read “Dear Sharon, thought you’d like this. Love, Melina. Happy Christmas”