This is a tour diary from Queen’s A Night at the Opera tour in Japan in 1976
The group takes the Hikaru #155 bullet train at 10:27 am from Nagoya to Himeji. They are informed that there is a large group of fans waiting at the station, so they decide to get off the train earlier and take a taxi. Uncomfortable with the idea of going by separate taxis, the four members plus Mr. Itami (Freddie’s bodyguard) cram themselves into one taxi and head to the Hotel Sunroute Himeji. The taxis back in those days had less room than today’s, so the four members were quite upset about this.
Ben Hardy wanted to play Roger Taylor so badly he lied about being able to play drums, then hired a tutor and practiced for 10 hours a day 2 weeks straight. And he got the role. If that’s not inspiring, I don’t know what it is.
Roger and John attend a EMI/Radio Luxembourg all-star motor-racing rallye at Brands Hatch x
According to this profile, John won and Roger came second. As much as I want that to be true - can you imagine the teasing, the arguments? - the ANATO tour book claims that Roger came fifth, while John’s position isn’t mentioned.
IM NEVER GONNA FUCK ROGER TAYLOR, IM NEVER GONNA BE THE DREAM HOME WRECKER I WANTED TO BE, IM NEVER GONNA POP HIS BABIES OUT MY VAGINA, FREDDIE IS NEVER GONNA CALL ME DARLING, JOHN IS NEVER GONNA MAKE A RUDE BUT NICE COMMENT ABOUT ME, BRIAN IS NEVER GONNA GIVE ME THOSE AWKWARD ASS SMILE/SMIRK IDK WHAT IT IS. ITS NOT FUNNY YALL IM SOBBING RN, IM SO TOXIC IVE TRIED TO LOOK AT PICTURES OF ROGER WITH OTHER GIRLS BUT I CANT, IM SO TIRED OF THIS PAIN, IVE READ ALMOST ALL ROGER TAYLOR SMUT ON HERE AND WATTPADD, THE PAIN WILL NEVER END, YALL CANT EVEN LAUGH AT ME CUZ YOU KNOW YOUVE CRIED OR YOUR ASS KNOWS YOU WANNA BE A HOME WRECKER TO ANY ONE OF ROGERS WIVES AND GIVE THEM NASTY FACES. NOT THE LAST PART MAYBE, BUT OML YALL, JUST END ME. MY GUARDIAN ANGEL IS BEGGING FOR SOMEONE ELSE I JUST KNOW IT.
"Next I was in front of Roger, I asked for a kiss. He leaned towards me and we looked into each other's eyes. Will never forget his blue eyes! Roger went to kiss me but then one of the body guards put his hand between us...".
Venue: Beacon Theatre
the name of the fan who took these pics is still unnoticed. I've uploaded the whole backstory on my instagram account, _letusclingtogether_
roger and josephine morris, his girlfriend (1968-1976)
“Roger with his girlfriend at the time - Jo Morris. Jo was with Roger when I first met him. i think we all had the feeling these two were together for life, but it was not to be. Time almost changes everything, for everyone!”
Cross-posted to AO3. I encourage you to leave any comments you have there.
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I compiled this interview following a long email exchange with J, a very sweet lady who went to Ealing Art School between 1972 and 1974. She knew all four members of Queen personally and was part of their larger circle of friends.
First off, you may find this hard to believe. I don’t blame you. But I assure you I’m not pulling your leg. As well as the pictures I share in this post, I have seen current pictures of J (which I will not share to protect her privacy). There is no indication as far as I am aware that she isn’t who she says she is.
Nastally, hold up. How exactly did you find this lady?
She found me. It turns out that she has been following my story Dawn of Aquarius for quite some time. The story is set in 1969. A lot of research about the era went into it, because I wanted to portray that time period - and Freddie’s and Roger’s surroundings - as accurately and realistically as I possibly could. That was what drew J in. She tells me it brought back a lot of memories for her. One of the reasons I love DoA so much is the nostalgia, she says, which genuinely means the world to me. Eventually, she talked to me in the comment section. Of course, I freaked out!
And then, I asked her for an interview, to which she replied: I will give it a go, but you must remember that I am 65 and there were great drugs in the 70s, and at 16, away from home, I had a lot!
And so…
Here’s what is IMPORTANT TO KEEP IN MIND when you read this interview.
These are one woman’s 50-year-old memories and subjective impressions. J has been incredibly kind to let me pick her brain, trying to recall everything as best as she can. In her own words:
Just remember that when I answer the questions, it is from a 16-year-old who is 9 years younger than Freddie and a little girl with no family and friends in a strange country trying to fit in. The only reason I was there, was because some hippie thought I had a unique art style.
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J as a teenager.
[I have edited the interview together from our long, and somewhat messy at times, email exchange. Typos have been fixed and some punctuation added for clarity, but I have not changed anything J has written to me. Again, bear in mind these are personal opinions and impressions.]
