Unclear as to whether the cat pictured is named Delilah
October 24, 2017 1:16 PM   Subscribe

Rarely Seen Photos of Freddie Mercury with His Long-Time Love Jim Hutton: Mercury was a famously private person, but Hutton shared photographs from his personal collection; they appear in his memoir titled Mercury and Me. The pictures are a candid and intimate chronicle of their loving relationship during this time. They also showcase the normalcy of the couple as they celebrated holidays, took vacations, and cuddle with their cat.
posted by Existential Dread (17 comments total) 25 users marked this as a favorite
 
I miss that man every week. Just the knowledge that he's not out there, being fabulous. That incredible, soaring voice. And then I put on another Queen album.
posted by Bora Horza Gobuchul at 1:44 PM on October 24, 2017 [7 favorites]


Light-colored, dark-nosed tabby - that combination gets me every time. Delightful Delilah.
posted by The Underpants Monster at 2:03 PM on October 24, 2017


I'm fairly certain Delilah was a calico or tortie.
Freddie had a half-dozen or so cats - the vest he wears in the Days of our Lives video has drawings of them all.
posted by cheshyre at 2:09 PM on October 24, 2017 [3 favorites]


In the '80s Private Eye had an unfunny, poorly-executed comic strip by Michael Heath - but I repeat myself - called "The Gays". I can't find any examples on the 'net but as I recall the main characters looked exactly like Mercury and Hutton, so much so that I'm now wondering whether it was meant as a sort of nasty jab at them. But maybe that look was a sort of gay "look" back then?
posted by Joe in Australia at 4:54 PM on October 24, 2017


Two good old-fashioned lover boys!
posted by corey flood at 6:12 PM on October 24, 2017 [3 favorites]


I love how many of these photos are just "regular dudes on vacation" pics.
posted by Existential Dread at 6:36 PM on October 24, 2017 [1 favorite]


Imagine waking up in the morning and hearing that voice coming from your shower.
posted by deadwax at 6:57 PM on October 24, 2017 [6 favorites]


Imagine waking up in the morning and hearing that voice coming from your shower.

There are such things as waterproof loudspeakers, you know :)
posted by Joe in Australia at 9:31 PM on October 24, 2017 [2 favorites]


These are lovely. They make me nostalgic for the days when photos were shitty and actually candid. They also make me long for all the men who died of our plague. Fuck Reagan, while we’re talking about history.
posted by latkes at 9:37 PM on October 24, 2017 [5 favorites]


But maybe that look was a sort of gay "look" back then?

Yup.
posted by Sys Rq at 9:40 PM on October 24, 2017 [1 favorite]


❤💔
posted by Space Kitty at 10:14 PM on October 24, 2017 [1 favorite]


Everyone goes on about Mercury's voice -- as of course they ought -- but the man was IMO the best entertainer of not just his day, but of any day. That man was born for the stage, he owned any stage he stepped onto, and he gave it all to us.* And then the knowing that up close and personal he was shy, and quiet, it sortof makes me happy, for some reason. People can be so damn huge, so much ground to cover in each and every one of us...
*Any time I want joy, all I need do is watch that amazing 20 minutes, Live Aid @ Wembly, 1985. Unreal.

I love the photos. I love that he had real love in his life, that he cared so deeply for another, that another cared so deeply for him. Thousands upon thousands screaming their love for him night after night, and him giving his love to his art, thus to us, but then knowing he had that happiness, close human warmth -- I'm so glad he had that.
Hell, I'm so glad when *anyone* has it -- it's rare.
posted by dancestoblue at 3:16 AM on October 25, 2017 [10 favorites]


It seems like a good time to point out that great footage of their performance at Live Aid exists, from 32 years ago at Wembley Stadium, in front of some 72,000 people -- all of whom appear to be in the palm of Mercury's hand (watch their reactions to him during "Radio Gaga," and how he leads them in a call and response between "Gaga" and "Hammer to Fall").

I think it's one of the finest performances of any band on any stage. He was an utter master of his craft. In other hands, something like "Bohemian Rhapsody" would be a cloying, overdramatic mess, but with Queen and Mercury, it's impossible to avoid being drawn into it and experiencing it on their terms, with no hint of irony. His early death robbed us all of what he and they might've accomplished in the last 3 decades.

I'm ordinarily all about the privacy of public figures, but at the same time I'm grateful for the glimpse into their ordinary, everyday life.

(re: the idea of a Castro Clone: to what degree was Mercury conforming to this, and to what degree did his fame reinforce it?)
posted by uberchet at 8:53 AM on October 26, 2017 [5 favorites]


Ugh I love Freddie Mercury. Been on a month-long binge of FM and Queen material, and I can't get enough. Seriously considering getting the live in Montreal DVD because that HD footage is insanely good. It's the closest I'll ever get to seeing Queen live (Brian May and Roger Taylor are great, but not too enthusiastic about Adam Lambert -- although I heard he's much more settled in after touring a bunch).

I'm also glad Freddie found a partner later in life. His earlier relationships were supposedly tumultuous (both from his admitted faults and the behavior of people he paired up with), but it's interesting to listen to his interviews and hear his views on life and relationships evolve and mature over time. As private as he was, the man had a great sense of humor too!

I thought the Castro Clone look really suited him for some reason. I know some people prefer Freddie's previous glam rock look, but not many people can pull off the mustache as well as he did.
posted by extramundane at 10:59 AM on October 26, 2017 [1 favorite]


That's how he got his stage name. He felt that when he performed, he transformed from just Freddie the human into the god Mercury. I can understand that.
posted by The Underpants Monster at 11:35 AM on October 26, 2017


Great post, but why are we linking to the knock-off website that stole the story and the images from the original source?
posted by Sutekh at 5:37 PM on October 26, 2017 [1 favorite]


Here's the official music video for a song off News Of The World (40th Anniversary Edition) with a mashup of newly released Freddie vocals and Brian's original version: All Dead, All Dead
posted by extramundane at 2:12 PM on November 4, 2017


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