Freddie Mercury’s Tragic Real-Life Story

Freddie Mercury’s Tragic Real-Life Story

Just in case you're wondering what sort of awesomely cool parents would name their kid "Freddie Mercury," that's not his real name. (Yes, shocking.) Freddie Mercury was born Farrokh Bulsara. His family was Parsee — ethnically Persian followers of the Zoroastrian religion. He spent part of his childhood in India and part in colonial Africa, but in 1963 his family was forced to flee Zanzibar to London. In London, Mercury, who was given the nickname "Freddie" by teachers in India, enrolled in graphic design classes at Isleworth Polytechnic.

You know that kid at school who got teased because of some little physical oddity, like large ears or being super tall? Apparently, according to Rolling Stone, when Freddie Mercury enrolled in Peter's Church of England School in Panchgani, India, he was really self-conscious about his prominent upper teeth, and because children are cruel little imps, his classmates caught onto this particular insecurity and gave him the name "Bucky." And because childhood trauma will haunt us all for the rest of our lives no matter how much therapy we get or how famous we become, Mercury developed an insecurity about his teeth that lasted pretty much his entire life — even after he became a star, he would cover up his mouth with one hand whenever he smiled. However, he didn’t get his teeth fixed because he thought it might affect his voice and some people even think his teeth might have actually contributed to his distinctive singing voice.
If Freddie Mercury had become a star in the 2010s instead of in the 1980s, his story would have had a different ending. According to The Advocate, Mercury probably became infected with HIV in New York in the summer of 1982. Unfortunately, HIV/AIDS was still a very new thing in the early '80s, publicly associated with gay men and the gay lifestyle, and Freddie Mercury was not open about his sexuality. Homophobia in that decade was vicious, and the rise of the AIDS epidemic made religious zealots feel justified in attacking gay men both verbally and physically. So Mercury kept quiet, and some of those fears affected the treatment he sought, the people he told, and his decision to stop appearing in public.

1. 
   Do you think his life contributed to the song “We are the Champions?” If yes, explain how.
   

2. 
   Why do you think Mercury never stopped working on his dreams despite the hardships he faced? What could have motivated him to go on?
   

3. 
   What do you think made him a ‘champion’ in life? His tragic life story or his success on the music charts?
   
   
4. 
   Considering the person you are today, do you think you would be as successful as him back in the 80s?
   

WRITING
Imagine you are one of Freddie’s closest friends in the 80s. Write him a letter. You can think about his life story or songs that you know of.


Dear Freddie;

Doğa Feltham
English and Spanish Teacher