During a recent interview with Rosie Bennet on the Fret Not podcast, Queen’s Brian May spoke out about efforts to depict Freddie Mercury in a negative light.
When asked if he dealt with negativity in the same as now in the pre-internet period, the guitarist replied by saying:
“Yes, we had a very bad time with the press. It was horrendous, actually. They really hated us. There was jealousy, hatred… And it is still there in some form. We just put a music; we reopened ‘We Will Rock You’ in the Coliseum.”
Recalling Attacks On Freddie’s Image
Recalling the reaction to musical and negative remarks against Mercury, May continued:
“We still had people being horrible, sort of jealous, coping about… Let’s put in the fact that we are successful, and maybe they don’t get it, but yeah, we were being trolled. Especially Freddie. People just wanted to ridicule him. Not just criticizing him but making him look stupid for one reason or another. It was hard to be not resentful of that stuff.”
Queen’s Approach To Handling Criticism
A further question asked who was the best at coping with negativity, and the musician said they were all sensitive deep down and added:
“Freddie, in the face, was very confident and very dismissive of criticism, but I know that he felt it. Nevertheless, he was rough, and it never stopped him doing anything.”
May’s Personal Struggle With Imposter Syndrome
In the same interview, May also opened up about still suffering from imposter syndrome despite all his achievements. He said the following when asked if he ever feels it:
“All the time. I always walk into a room even now, and I’m supposed to be Sir Brian May, and I think, ‘Ooh, what do people think? Maybe I shouldn’t be here.’ Yeah, I get that a lot and until people start speaking to me I always assume that A) they don’t know who I am and B) they wouldn’t be interested anyway, and C) I’m gonna bore them to death. I get that a lot.”
Brian explained that the feeling of being underestimated or doubted never completely disappears. He acknowledged that as he gets older, people expect him to be more knowledgeable and experienced, rather than acting like a teenager. He sees this as positive, as it keeps him humble and prevents him from becoming too arrogant.
You can watch the full conversation below.
