British Legends: The Life and Legacy of Freddie Mercury
ISBN: 9781514845233
Like many pop cultural icons (and rock icons in particular), Freddie Mercury is one of the most recognizable figures of the 20th century and yet one of the more enigmatic personalities as well. To be sure, anyone who was alive during the reign of Queen is well aware of who Mercury was and the sound of his music (even those who despise rock music are familiar with the blasting, deliriously over-the-top rhythms of songs like "We Are the Champions"). At the same time, a noteworthy discrepancy existed between the flamboyant personality that Freddie maintained during his performances and public appearances and the rather guarded manner in which he kept his private life more or less shielded from public view. By way of example, while it is now common knowledge that Mercury was homosexual (or at least bisexual), this was a fact that he avoided disclosing to the general public, and even his band mates were kept unaware until 1975. In some cases, biographical details are still not entirely clear, although the past 15 years have done much to clear up certain aspects of his life that Mercury kept close to the vest.