Brian May Hated the ‘Vitriol and Dishonesty’ Surrounding Oscars

Ultimate Classic Rock ^ | March 5, 2019 | Martin Kielty

[God luvs America]

Queen guitarist Brian May said he was shocked into silence by the media's behavior during Oscars season, and said that “vitriol and dishonesty” had left him saddened, even after Bohemian Rhapsody’s success at the awards ceremony last month.

The biggest-grossing music biopic of all time won four Academy Awards after Queen and Adam Lambert had opened the show last month – but afterward, May found himself unable to explain how he had felt in the preceding months.

[Moonmad27]

May seems to be a decent guy - but welcome to vicious Hollywood, Brian. He said that the movie deliberately didn’t graphically show all Freddie’s sexual activities that we know happened, and said why dwell on it or depict it? It’s an old fashioned biopic - vintage films about famous people weren’t “warts and all”.

I love the movie and enjoyed following his and the actors’ visit to LA - no bunch ever enjoyed an Oscar trip more, like big kids - even going to 7-11 in their tuxes to buy snacks after the show.

[ClearCase_guy]

I’m curious how the upcoming Elton John movie will treat the subject.

Just my humble opinion, but the trailer doesn't look too promising. And the actor (from "Kingsman", recently bombed in an awful Robin Hood movie). It think the Elton movie will bomb like Captain Marvel.

[Antoninus]

The homo stuff was a real negative, but I was able to turn away.

That's a poison pill in any work of art as far as I'm concerned.

[Para-Ord.45]

Bingo.

If the film was accurate as to Mercury`s debauchery it would have had an X rating.

That aside, if they’re giving away oscars for impersonating Rich Little deserves 12 posthumous awards.

[MplsSteve]

“At times when he was on stage I thought it was Freddie and they spliced in actual footage of him in concert.”

I kinda felt that way in the 1991 movie “The Doors”. Val Kilmer had the mannerisms and voice down so well that you almost thought it was Jim Morrison.

If you wanna see great acting, watch the 1995 movie “Truman”. Gary Sinise played Harry Truman. The voice and the mannerisms were perfect. You’d have almost sworn it WAS Truman.

[pugmama]

Brian May is quite opinionated on politics. He is not a Trump fan, called him and the campaign “unsavory”.

https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/queens-brian-may-denies-donald-trumps-usage-of-we-are-the-champions-100956/

[NFHale]

“...May seems to be a decent guy ...”

One Hell of a guitarist/musician/composer, for sure. Got a LOT of talent.

[Jonny7797]

Brian May is one of a kind.

[SkyPilot]

If people read the article that Brian May linked, they will find that one of the primary reasons the "Critics" hated the movie was because it did not entirely depict Freddie Mercury's homosexuality as a wonderful thing.

The movie (accurately) depicted his heterosexual relationship with Mary Austin, to whom he left most of his fortune and his London mansion. He referred to her as his "common law wife" and never stopped loving her. Furthermore, the movie accurately depicts Mercury's decline (career and otherwise) that resulted from his headlong plunge into the gay lifestyle, which eventually killed him.

Hollywood critics don't want that story told. They want the "gay" motif to be presented as divine, pure, good, and lovely.

Like that gay/black trash movie "Moonlight" that stole the Oscar for Best Picture (and that no one wanted to see) from La La Land.

Brian May is well known in Rock and Roll circles as not only being one of the greatest guitarists in history, but also an intellectual (he has a PhD in Astrophysics) and a genuinely very nice man.

May and Taylor ensured that the movie stayed true to the actual story of Queen and Mercury. It isn't a documentary (no film script can truly fulfill that role, unless it ran for 32 hours and 23 minutes). The film instead was based on the truth and the actual events that transpired.

The film does end with a positive "gay message" in some respects, in that Mercury's family is shown as "accepting" of him. But the tragedy of his life is also depicted, and the hedonistic lifestyle brought it all down. That is very clear.

The critics hated that, because it was the truth.

[blam]

"One Hell of a guitarist/musician/composer, for sure. Got a LOT of talent."

Yup. More than most of us and more than people know. BTW, he made that 'famous' red guitar that he plays by himself.

Brian May Lead Guitarist Of Queen Has A PhD In Astrophysic

He was also Chancellor of Liverpool John Moores University from 2008 to 2013.

[Terabitten]

Did you see the movie? It was quite clear that his unbridled debauchery is what caused his death.

[SkyPilot]

May insisted on the whitewashed fairy tale of Freddie Mercury's story. Any truth telling about his unbridled hedonism and how it killed him was forbidden.

That is not true. Did you see the movie?

[SkyPilot]

BTW, he made that 'famous' red guitar that he plays by himself.

Yup. The "Red Special." He and his father constructed it with their own hands and materials because they could not afford to buy an electric guitar.

And, he still has it. It was used in the film (the real guitar). May allowed the actor to wield it.

https://www.amazon.com/Brian-Mays-Red-Special-Home-Made/dp/1480341479

[nvskibum]

For those who fault the movie for not explicitly showing the details of Freddie’s extreme gay lifestyle, as a long time Queen fan, I strongly disagree with you.

First, it IS all there in the movie , if you watch it closely, but handled with grace. There is even confirmation that the other band members disapproved of the out of control nature of his lifestyle.

Would you have been happier if they showed explicit and prurient scenes of gay sex? Yuck! That would have gotten the movie an R or X rating. Millions of younger people never would not have been introduced to the joy of Queen’s music.

This is the third generation to come to appreciate Queen music, those from the original era, those who learned of Queen from Wayne’s World (1992), and now those who learned on account of this movie. Queen one of the exalted few music artists who have had music that charted in the top 10 in THREE separate decades.

Second, the surviving band members wanted the movie to celebrate the music, and give some idea where it came from. They did not want to make a judgemental gay sex movie, either pro or con. They are entitled to make the movie THEY wanted to make, not the movie critics or anti-gay people wished they would have made. Nobody has to watch it if they do not want to.

Many gay activists have criticized the relatively mild nature of how they handled Freddie’s lifestyle that killed him, as “shaming” gay people. There are multiple articles to this effect, if you care to google for them.

On the other hand, people who disapprove of the hedonistic gay lifestyle think it insufficiently criticized that lifestyle.

As they say, if both opposing sides on an issue have a problem for the opposite reasons, maybe they got it right.

The movie focused on Freddie because of his charismatic persona, but all of the band members were outstanding/great musicians and songwriters. They deserve to have that story told. To my knowledge, Queen is the ONLY band in history where EACH member wrote a song that became #1 in one of more countries. Even the Beatles did not do that. This is deserving of public recognition and celebration. Even the shy bass player, John Deacon, is the only classic rock bass is to be credited with creating TWO bass riffs on most lists of the 20 greatest bass riffs in history (”Another One Bites the Dust” and “Under Pressure”).

Finally I would warn those who believe that others should disassociate themselves from Queen due to their disapproval of Freddie’s lifestyle. This is the same tactic leftists have tried to use against our President because of his real and alleged dalliances with women, porn stars, etc. Most of us think that is a crock of bs. However, what is good for the goose is good for the gander. If it OK for “us” to judge people by one aspect of their life (their sexuality), it is OK for the other side to do the same. Unless you are a hypocrite, that is. As the Bible says we are all sinners.

If sexuality is enough to dismiss somebody, prepare to be revolted the next time you hear the 1812 Overture. Tchaikovsky was gay! Liking the music says nothing about liking the composer’s lifestyle. But you are free to forego the music if that is your personal choice.

As to Brian May, I am sure most of us would not approve of his politics. But he is a Ph.D. astrophysicist (was a visiting scientist on the New Horizons Pluto and asteroid flyby probe team), and is a world-class expert of 3D photography. He also is a decent garage band guitar player and music writer (LOL). Some of his views about animals rights may be extreme (they are to me), but the idea that animals should not be treated as vermin is one that even I agree with.

He is also considered to be one of the kindest and most decent people in the music business. That is a business not known for those personal qualities.

[Rebelbase]

How you could have watched that movie and not come away with the image that Freddie Mercury was a flaming, hedonistic homo is beyond me.

[Harpotoo]

When a rocker is scared to say or sing the truth as they have seen it, it shows he’s just an Old indoctrinated Democrat headcase and not a rocker anymore:-)

[NFHale]

Got that white mop on top like Jimmy Page...

Age... sigh... it just sucks.

[Harpotoo]

It was still a good cartoon.

[GOP Poet]

bookmark

[GOP Poet]

Yep and a lot more money behind it to insure everyone plays their part. (for getting ‘their’ film, actors(esses), etc nominated and then awarded.)