Queen, as described by Dave Thomas (one of the band’s early co-managers) during a 1976 interview with George Tremlett:
Of Freddie Mercury, he said: ‘He is very single-minded, and very generous; he was always quick to give people presents and to say thank-you when someone had done something for him. He is very sensitive, if not too sensitive, and he always had to be amused. He always had to have something to do and hated being left on his own. He always had to be with people… after a show he was always the one who would be wanting to go out to dinner, surrounded by lots of people, talking and enjoying himself. He is very dedicated as a musician and as an artist and extremely precise about everything, about his clothes on stage or the lights or the sound system. Everything had to be just right, and I think he loved the show business aspect of it all, the glitter and the tinsel.’
Of Brian May, he said: ‘He was very quiet and introverted. He always used to think and worry; a born worrier… the whole group are the type of people who worry about everything. They’d be worried whether their baggage had arrived at the hotel or whether the room service had been properly done. If they ordered a cup of tea, they’d be worried in case it wouldn’t come… and Brian was more like this than any of them, especially about things like guitar strings and whether they were going to be all right. When he found himself being set up as an idol-type of guitar player the adulation started to worry him. He was very concerned whether the audiences would understand what he was trying to do… and he’d always be wanting to talk to the people who came along to their concerts in a very genuine way to see what they thought about the band. One funny little thing was that he always had a scarf that he used to prize which had been given to him as a present, and we all had to be on the lookout to make sure that he didn’t leave this behind in his dressing room or at a restaurant because we knew how upset he would be if he lost it. On a couple of occasions he had mislaid it, and that had thrown him completely… it’s just another aspect of him being a worrier.’
Of Roger Taylor, he said: ‘He loves the showbiz side of it all, too. He had always wanted to be a rock ‘n’ roll drummer star, and when it all happened to him he was delighted; his dreams had come true. Roger was always the easiest member of the band to please. He was always happy providing the band was playing well and so was he. He was also one of the great comedians who in moments of tension would provide a little light relief. He was a great mimic, and he’d use this to good effect if the tension got a bit hairy. But he never told jokes; none of them are the sort of people who could tell a joke. I think this ability he has to treat things lightly when they could easily get out of hand helped to knit the group together. The thing I used to notice about them was that all four members of the group were always so very loyal to each other. They were very closely knit. They could have the most alarming rows, but the loyalty to one another was always there – and I think that’s one of the reasons why they have been so successful. Whenever I look at a new group, that’s one of the first things I look for, loyalty, because you know that if success comes the strain will be tremendous and all the work you do could come to nothing if one of them walks out. I don’t think that will happen with Queen. In personal terms there are no weak links, and for that reason I think they’ll stick together for a long time to come.’
And then finally of John Deacon, Thomas said: ‘He is very independent within the group. He was always the first one out of bed in the morning, whereas you might have to call the others at ten am, and then at ten fifteen am, then at ten thirty am or later before they’d get up (especially Brian May who hates getting up in the morning) but if you gave John a time for departure next morning, he’d be there in the hotel lobby ready and waiting five or ten minutes early. He is very quiet and very strong, and always very sane. He’s a smoothing influence over the other members of the band. If there were rows during a sound-check, it would be John who would approach the matter analytically… and outside music, he had a great passion for Queen’s Park Rangers, which used to give him something different to think about. He didn’t have the total obsession with music, though you still knew that his heart was totally in it. Of them all, I think John’s the only one that I can see getting a cottage in the country and living a very quiet, peaceful life when the time comes for him to do it.’
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